Down the Rabbit Holes: Review of Backrooms ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Cinema has a unique ability to embody the subjective conscious—and unconscious—through a purely visual narrative. In short, it has the ability to create nightmares. It could be argued that literature, the theater, and music can also effectively get in a …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Obsession”
Careful What You Wish For: Review of Obsession ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In past reviews, I’ve written a fair amount about the renaissance of the horror genre in today’s cinema and these modern filmmakers’ expansion of the traditional genre tropes to include issues of social and cultural importance. It’s not just …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “No Other Choice”
Working Stiffs: Review of No Other Choice ★★★★ Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Park Chan-wook’s black comedy thriller No Other Choice opens with an idyllic sequence of suburban family life in South Korea. A father, Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-Hun), is grilling in the backyard of his childhood home with his family. His beautiful wife Lee …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Wuthering Heights”
Domination Nation: Film Review of Wuthering Heights ★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the romantic epic spanning generations has been made, remade, reimagined, mounted onstage, and has even been transformed into a musical, an opera, and a graphic novel. It is a narrative whose thematic threads have been co-opted by elements …
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By Hook or By Crook
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Say what you will about him, one thing Donald Trump has been able to do is to surprise us —usually with his audacity. From his brazen looting of the National Treasury to his unwarranted and appalling destruction of the East Wing of the White House disgusting, and somewhat …
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Full Measure
Artwork by Michael DiMilo (Originally posted on May 31, 2019 in Honor of our Veterans. Addendum posted on May 25, 2026.) By Geoff Carter Ah, Memorial Day: the harbinger of summer, the first family picnic, and the grill master’s opening day. Memorial Day also happens to be the holiday recognizing and honoring those who have …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Bride”
Hot Mess: Review of The Bride ★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We’re all familiar—all too familiar—with the tale of Frankenstein. We’ve seen enough iterations of it over the years, a trend that shows no signs of slowing. Recently, from Guillermo del Toro’s lavish and faithful 2025 production of the original story to …
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Lost Soul
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” –Roy Batty (Blade Runner) You may …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Send Help”
Self-Help: Movie Review of Send Help ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Submitted for your approval. A young man and woman are stranded on a beautiful desert island and work together to eke out the means for survival in a harsh unforgiving and hostile environment. The woman nurtures the man through a serious …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “In the Blink of an Eye”
The Edges of Humanity: Film Review of In the Blink of an Eye ★★★ Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter One of the great overarching themes of literary thought when I was a student, an ideology that has since been overshadowed by postmodernism, postcolonialism, new feminism, poststructuralism, and deconstruction—all advances that served to include …
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Pants on Fire
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week’s Pen in Hand Blog column dealt with President Trump’s use—and abuse—of the English language, how he has dumbed down presidential rhetoric to a fourth-grade level, weaponized our political discourse, and created the most divisive atmosphere since the Civil War. We have fallen incredibly far incredibly quickly. …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Anemone”
Family Matters: Film Review of Anemone ★★★ Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Fathers pass down the family name, family traditions, history, religious beliefs, as well as the odd bits of wisdom to their sons. They may also, perhaps unwittingly, pass down their prejudices, hate, and fears—both personal and familial. Our parents are, after …
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