The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

by Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino examines some films of personal significance from the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, a decade during which the author was forming his taste in cinema.  Quentin Tarantino It is a pretty intoxicating ride.  Sections of this book also provide a kind of origin story for one of American cinema’s most distinctive auteurs, telling the story of a boy whose single mother allowed him access to adult cinema (not in the porn sense of the term) and brought him into contact with Floyd, a black man who loved movies and brought Quentin along to grindhouse theaters showing blaxploitation flicks and others.  "Cinema Speculation" (German) That decade’s independent producers broke the stranglehold of the big studio establishment to exert unprecedented creative control and utilize stylistic innovation to treat subject matter that had often been considered verboten.  "Cinema Speculation" (Hungarian) Small-time producers could make money with e...

by Don Pendleton Mack Bolan, an elite sniper with more than 90 confirmed kills in the Vietnam War, decides to ply his trade at home when he learns that pressure from Mafia loan sharks has caused his father to kill his wife and daughter and injure his son before committing suicide.  This book did more than any other to launch the plethora of men’s adventure series that used to grace the spinner racks of grocery markets and drug stores back in the 70s, when people still read books.  Don Pendleton writes great action and gives a gripping account of how the appearance of this mysterious vigilante ripples through the ranks of both the mob and law enforcement.  Don Pendleton There are some awkward sex scenes, reportedly added at the publisher's insistence.  This is an electrifying debut for a legacy series that developed into an expanded universe that continued to release installments well into the 2010s. "War on the Mafia" (French) "War Against the Mafia" (Greek)

by James Blish The second adaptation of Star Trek original series episodes.   The syndicated Star Trek was omnipresent throughout my childhood, as it was for many of my generation.  Huddled in front of the TV at 6:00 on a weekday evening, my friends and I would compete to identify an episode by title as fast as possible.  A musical cue and the particular coloring of the planet that the Enterprise was orbiting was often enough to provide the answer.  "Enterprise 2" (German) Being so familiar with the texture of the show, it is difficult to evaluate these books purely as literary exercises.  "The Duel" (French) James Blish had a significant challenge.  James Blish He was writing from the scripts and had not, I believe, even seen the show at this point.  He was also tasked with adapting eight episodes into a slim volume. This required him to cut to the conflict and use a lot of exposition. The result is not quite satisfying as a book and definitely not sa...

Author: Gerry Conway Artist: Ross Andru  Embellishers: F. Giacoia & D. Hunt Spider-Man is trying to understand why he drove his Spider-Mobile off the end of a pier.  I was surprised to see that this was apparently only his second encounter with Mysterio, the previous one coming all the way back in #24 (April 1965). The mind games resume. Question: Is punching a brick wall really so much harder on the hands than punching a supervillain? Peter’s making himself at home in his new apartment; at least he has a telephone now. And the mind games continue. And at last we find out who is behind them. Peter and Mary Jane have learned that Betty and Ned are planning to wed, but as Pete reminisces about his first love, he gets another disturbing glimpse of someone who looks suspiciously like his deepest love. Fired up with anger, Spidey uses a tracking device to follow transmissions to the image inducer that Mysterio managed to plant on him. After that, the fight is over pretty quickl...

Director: Alexander Payne Writers: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Patricia Hastie Matt King (George Clooney) reconnects with his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) as he tries to process a shocking revelation about his dying wife (Patricia Hastie).  This quiet film is beautifully acted, effectively portraying the confusion that can result from conflicting emotions.  At a time when he needs peace and support to help him prepare for the death of his wife, Matt is also exposed to betrayal and the stress of an impending land deal that places the hopes and aspirations of his entire extended family on his shoulders.  Clooney shows us a man who is stunned, angry, and guilty as he tries to readjust to his new reality.  The film is full of specific details that make us feel that w...

by Richard Avery (AKA Edmund Cooper) A team of disgraced misfits are recruited as interstellar explorers to determine the suitability of alien worlds as homes for human colonists.  Of these seven flawed geniuses, only three are given much development and seem likely to be the focus of this four-book series.   This novel is at its best early on when it is a story of exploration, peril, and mystery.   The biology and habits of the deathworms are interesting and well thought out.  "Kratos' Giant Creatures--Conrad's Exhausted Force" (Japanese) However, there is no Prime Directive here; once they get the upper hand, The Expendables have no qualms about devastating an alien ecosystem in the name of the human race.  "Kratos--Planet of Horrors" (Swedish) That cringey 70s swinger philosophy that postulated a progressive future free of sexual hang-ups yet now seems so hopelessly dated and sexist is on full display here.   "Test Planet Kratos" (German) It’s a...