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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Category:Michael DiMilo
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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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Pitt”
Making Medicine: Television Review of The Pitt ★★★★ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo I—and many of my boomer friends—grew up watching TV medical dramas. They were everywhere. Medical Center, St. Elsewhere, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Marcus Welby, M.C., M*A*S*H*, and dozens of others kept popping up like weeds on network television. Most were dramas, …
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Absolute Corruption
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The great English historian Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely” and speculative novelist Robert Shea once declared, “Anyone who seeks power wants absolute power.” Current events seem to be bearing out these predictions. Of course, what’s transpiring in Washington, D.C. today is …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Sirat”
Road to Nowhere: Movie Review of Sirat ★★★★ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo The language of cinema is a sophisticated complex of image, words, actions, rhythm, color, and motion. It encompasses the familiar and describes—if not defines—the unknown. From traditional narratives like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or even One Battle After Another to movies that eschew normal …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Baseball Movies
Play Ball!! Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I sighted my first robin a few weeks ago. The daffodils and crocuses are starting to peek through the ground. After possibly one of the longest winters in the history of the modern world—at least subjectively speaking–spring has arrived. We can enjoy walks in the sunshine, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Testament of Ann Lee”
Rapture: Film Review of The Testament of Ann Lee ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter There are films that are not only worlds—cinematic universes—unto themselves, but that immerse the audience into that experience so thoroughly and deeply that when the film ends, it almost seems to the viewer as if he might be …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Perfect Neighbor”
Handling the Truth: Review of The Perfect Neighbor ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Ever since the Lumiere Brothers produced “actuality films” (single shot recordings of real-life events like train arrivals and galloping horses), various iterations of cinematic travelogues, and Joseph Flaherty’s groundbreaking 1922 documentary Nanook of the North, documentary filmmakers have sought to …
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Kickass and the Big April Fool
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper and Phyllis that the fun went out of April Fool’s Day when you could no longer tell Mom there was an elephant out on the lawn or a mouse in the cereal box. And, of course, in this day and …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Nuremberg”
★★★ History 101: Review of Nuremberg Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We all know the famous Santayana quote, “”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, yet we continue to stupidly ignore—and thereby repeat—our past mistakes. War, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and human trafficking have not only continued to exist—they have …
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Shame on Us
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, three times, four, more… and shame on us. All of us. Over the past fifty years, the American people have been screwed over so thoroughly and completely that we can’t tell up from down anymore. We’ve been screwed from …
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