Oscar Caliber Gun

by Henry Baum

Fiction. Ray's story combines the sacrificial moral compass of Travis Bickle with a bloodied but unbowed Bukowskian will. His anger builds like the heat of the L.A. summer, until he discovers a way to react undwarfed by the size of his rage. "I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan. But if being a fan means applauding shallowness, being out-of-touch with the real world, looking pretty for money, being unaware of the hearts that are broken across the globe, well then, sir, I am your number one fan." (from God Doesn't Drive a Limousine). "OSCAR CALIBER GUN explores the hazy junction where the teeth of the daily grind sink into the day-dreamt certainties of life's true bell-head sounds." (Lee Ranaldo, of Sonic Youth, author of ROAD MOVIES).

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Samee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are ever tired of Hollywood and the superficiality, etc., this is a super-cathartic way to deal with it! Great writing! This book is soon to become a movie, so watch for it! (It's an indie, though, so you may have to look harder than normal!)

[Jeffrey Bumiller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was awful Taxi Driver/King of Comedy fan fiction. It's Predictable, cliche and boring. Also poorly written. Terrible.

[Catherine Baum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golden Calf, originally titled Oscar Caliber Gun, is the tale of a loner, Ray Tompkins, who shifts through his almost life with almost jobs disconnected and unable to bond until he discovers a love of writing letters to those he wishes to get to know. Plagued with the urge for reciprocation as those who might possibly respond drop dead, take other lovers and ignore him, he adopts the world of the stalker in Hollywood, with fatal results.

Henry Baum's tight writing draws the reader into the spiral of the character's thinking so well, that by the time Ray is completely out of control it seems entirely reasonable. Characters are fully formed with individual tells: for the most part sickeningly unlikeable and frighteningly insensitive to Ray's plight: he is a Travis Bickle for the MTV generation.

Thoroughly recommended writing from the author of http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77..., http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17..., http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13....

[Pegboard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray Tompkins wanders through life aimlessly. He struggles with depression and “voices” in his head and pretty much likes to be alone. The only people who come into his life have to force their way in. Marta enters his life when her son, Robbie, talks Ray into buying her beer. Joyce sits down in his booth at a diner and starts eating his food. Ray even pushes his parents away from him.
During his ups and downs Ray continually hears of a poplar actor, Tim Griffith. Ray decides Tim must die because he represents everything that Ray is not, nor will ever have. Tim’s premiere of a new movie is reviewed as being “Oscar Caliber Performance” giving Ray the idea of an “Oscar Caliber Gun” to kill him with. Ray does not kill Tim, but he receives the attention he was craving.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also released as The Golden Calf by Another Sky Press.

[Mikael · Rating 3 out of 5]

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