Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-in Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American ’70s

Film critic Taylor’s first collection brings together a wondrous set of essays on 1970s American B-movies. The decade is known for classics such as The Godfather and Taxi Driver, but Taylor has chosen to highlight the pleasures of lesser-known films. These include Prime Cut, about a Chicago mob enforcer (Lee Marvin) sent after a Kansas City meat magnate (Gene Hackman) who renders his enemies into sausages; Hickey & Boggs, which reunited TV’s I Spy team of Robert Culp and Bill Cosby as washed-up private eyes; the and blaxploitation pictures Coffy and Foxy Brown, both starring the luminous Pam Grier. He also discusses the existentialist hot-rod film Two-Lane Blacktop and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, both of which eventually found greater popularity and acclaim on DVD. Taylor is not arguing that these films are “overlooked masterpieces” (with the stated exception of Alfredo Garcia), but rather that they should be celebrated for treating the viewer “like an adult” in contrast to today’s “infantilized” blockbusters. His essays are consistently illuminating and the reader comes away with a strong desire to track down the films he praises. [em]Agent: Drew McCormick, McCormick Literary. (June) [/em]