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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Category:Michael DiMilo
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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The Disappearing Man
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As the 46th president, he guided our nation through one of the worst pandemics in history. He revitalized an economy paralyzed by broken supply lines and mass unemployment. He assisted American workers until they were able to get back on their feet and back to work after the extended …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Emilia Perez”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo The Real Me: Film Review of Emilia Perez ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter The logline, or short description of a film, can sound ridiculous or completely unlikely. Try this one, “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets, then teams up with three strangers to do …
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The Fog of Truth
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Mark Zuckerberg, the kingpin of Facebook, joined the other subservient members of the royal court last week, bowing down to the new American despot, Donald Trump, while proclaiming that Facebook will no longer fact-check content on the popular social media page, opening the door (even wider) for any …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Wicked”
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies
Illustration by Michael DiMilo
Winners and Losers
By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michel DiMilo The NFL playoffs. The NCAA College Football playoffs. The Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl. The start of NCAA Men and Women’s Basketball conference play. The NBA All-star game. This list doesn’t even include hockey. college volleyball, or the multitude of world soccer leagues. Not to …
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Kickass and Political Advice
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis hard at work trying to befriend the incoming administration by suggesting ways for it to identify with old tried and true political words and phrases: *Change Lincoln’s use of “better angels” to “bitter angles.” *Rearrange “Fly the flag” to …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Rebel Ridge”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Messing with the Man: Review of Rebel Ridge ★★★☆☆ By Geoff Carter The revenge story is one of the oldest narratives out there. From vintage tales like Hamlet, Medea, Julius Caesar, A Cask of Amontillado to more modern iterations like Carrie, Dune, and The Revenant, the revenge story also seems to resonate with audiences. …
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Oh, Christmas Tree
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Each year, in the family holiday tradition, my wife and I venture out to buy our Christmas tree. We’re lucky enough to live across the street from a big tree lot so we don’t have very far to go—we can walk right over. It’s very convenient. It’s also …
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Eating Our Young
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter America has always been full contradictions (the more cynical among us might say hypocrisies). It is a place where anyone with enough spunk, luck, and wherewithal can become rich and powerful, but it is also a country where abject poverty runs rampant. It is a place where people …
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