Walking on a Wire: Review of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Parenting isn’t easy. This a lesson most of have learned the hard way. An even harder lesson is that perhaps not all of us were not cut out to be the supportive, loving, helpful, …
Read
Category:Michael DiMilo
Tariff Tantrum
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In a highly unusual occurrence in modern American politics, the Supreme Court of the United States made a ruling that President Trump did not like. Not at all. Like a nanny taking away a favorite toy from an extremely spoiled child, the justices removed Trump’s tariff powers, ruling …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Father Mother Sister Brother”
Echoes: Film Review of Father Mother Sister Brother ★★★☆ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo It’s strange and sometimes funny how patterns and motifs emerge in our experience as something more than coincidence. Last week, I wrote a review of the film Sentimental Values, a movie about an egregiously dysfunctional family. Shortly afterwards, we went …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Sentimental Value”
Family Values: Review of Sentimental Value ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo Leo Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” and every unhappy family can show their misery in a myriad of ways—they’re only limited by their imaginations. Whether that unhappiness erupts in …
Read
Mighty Love
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Originally Published 2/14/2022 By Geoff Carter In her novel Surfacing, Margaret Atwood wrote “The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them, there ought to be as many for love.” She‘s probably right, although what passes for love today might not be as important to us as snow …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Valentine’s Day Movies
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Top Ten Romantic Films By Geoff Carter (Originally published on February 14, 2024) It’s Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, but those of us who choose to enjoy a warm and cozy evening inside, finding that perfect romantic movie is the perfect way to enjoy that special someone. So, rather …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “F1”
Formulaic: Film Review of F1 ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Artificial Intelligence is the newest face of runaway technology. Will it corrupt the minds (and academic skills) of our children, destroy human creativity, and—as in the nightmares of dystopian sci-fi fans (see The Terminator or Blade Runner) enable machines to take over civilization? It just …
Read
Kickass Looks for Hope
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis and the entire US population in struggling to survive the incredibly cruel machinations of dim-witted thugs hired by the narcissistic POTUS to traumatize, manhandle and kill the citizens in their own communities. MONEY in the hands of power-mad phonies …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Blue Moon”
★★★1/2 Words Fail Me: Film Review of Blue Moon Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Cinema can be magnificent and breathtakingly epic or intensely, even painfully, intimate. David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and Ryan’s Daughter presented brilliantly photographed landscapes that at times seemed to dwarf seemingly lesser aspects of the human condition. Films like Twelve Angry Men, My Dinner …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Song Sung Blue”
Play it Again: Film Review of Song Sung Blue ★★★☆ Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Part of a pleasant cinematic experience is the comfort of familiarity, knowing what to expect, when to expect it, and who to expect it from. The average viewer can walk into a theater, got some snacks, sit down …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Marty Supreme”
Live Wire: Film Review of Marty Supreme ★★★★ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo When I was a teenager still living at home, I have a vivid memory of rewiring a lamp. During the process of connecting the wires, I somehow managed to grab two live ones at the same time and gave myself …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Wake Up Dead Man”
Murder Most Foul: Film Review of Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo Start with an eccentric but brilliant detective, a seemingly unsolvable locked-room murder, a cast of characters plucked straight from an Agatha Christie mystery, and some petty small-town political intrigues. Then add a dash of Hollywood …
Read