Illustration by Michael DiMilo Wretched Refuse: Review of The Brutalist ★★★★☆ By Geoff Carter Brutalism: noun To gain insight into both the immigrant experience and psychological subtleties of Brady Corbet’s monumental epic film The Brutalist, an understanding of the film’s protagonist Laszlo Toth’s (Adrian Brody) obsessions with the brutalist architectural school are helpful. Brutalism is concerned with …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
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 …
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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 …
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Under God
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter When I was growing up, we were required to say The Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every school day. From fourth grade on, we studied our country’s history and its government. We were taught that we the people were self-governed, that we chose our own leaders …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Substance”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Inner Child: Film Review of the Substance ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter In a number of recent independent films, including Drive Away Dolls, Love Lies Bleeding, and the X Series there has been a blurring of boundaries. This is particularly true in the horror genre. Subgenres like body horror and hag horror have been reinvigorated …
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The Fascist Cookbook
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter (Originally published September 26, 2024) A refresher course on Project 2025. This is where our country is presently headed. I grew up during the late sixties and early seventies when youth counterculture was king. Rock and roll, pot, LSD, free love, and political activism were all part of …
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Train Wreck
Illustration by Micheal DiMilo By Geoff Carter Watching the confirmation hearings for some of Donald Trump’s new cabinet appointees has run the gamut from unbelievable to harrowing to downright frightening, like a giant runaway locomotive barreling down the track towards a school bus stuck on the tracks. Some of his nominees seem to have no …
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Kickass and Not Funny Posts
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper at a loss in attempting to compose some light-hearted Facebook post in the face of the global catastrophe now being dictated by the new administration. Like jokes for grieving survivors at a crash site, anything humorous the keeper attempts to do …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Conclave”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Mysterious Ways: Film Review of Conclave ★★★★☆ By Geoff Carter There is probably no more of a secretive or insular institution than the Catholic Church. Steeped in centuries of tradition, rituals, dogma, and mystery, the Catholic Church is like a dinosaur mired in the tarpit of its past. Nearly alone amongst …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo ★★★★1/2 Musical History: Review of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg By Geoff Carter The big-budget Hollywood movie musical, probably the gold standard by which the genre is measured, was notoriously and unabashedly larger than life. An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain, Gigi, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and of course The Wizard …
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Registered Offenders
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter They are living amongst us. They might be your co-worker, your neighbor, your teammate in the volleyball league, or the housewife standing in line at the grocery store staring at the tabloid headlines. Hundreds—more than a thousand—of them were just released from their prisons and are once again …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “A Complete Unknown”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo ★★★★☆ No Direction Home: Film Review of A Complete Unknown By Geoff Carter Musical biopics never quite seem to hit the right note. While the trials and tribulations of musicians like Johnny Cash, Charlie Parker, and Freddie Mercury might be compelling stories in themselves, the film narratives based on their lives …
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