United Pictures Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Tony Curtis had it all: good looks, a charming smile, and a disarming glibness he used to portray wheeler-dealers like Corporal Jake Leibowitz in Captain Newman, M.D., con men like Lt. JG Nicholas Holden in Operation Petticoat, or opportunistic manipulators like Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
The Couch Potato’s Guide to a Vintage TV Christmas
“Oscar the Elf” Photo by Geoff Carter
Blackish Friday
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Black Friday, that orgy of rabid consumerism—a stampede sometimes as dangerous as the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona—was a bit of a disappointment this year. A number of stores did not open at four a.m. for shoppers to rampage through their aisles like a legion of Vikings; …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Humphrey Bogart
Warner Bros., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter If some actors (think Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, or John Wayne) are screen icons, then Humphrey Bogart is an institution. Like those other actors, Bogart brought his unique screen persona to every role. His distinctive icy stare, self-assured presence, soft-spoken but gravelly voice, …
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Highlights from the Pen in Hand Blog Graphics: The Michael DiMilo Gallery
The Money Badger by Michael DiMilo Volume V Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Over the course of the last two and one-half years, The Pen in Hand Blog has been lucky enough to have obtained the services of free-lance artist Michael DiMilo as a contributor. While his unique style has provided a provocative and edgy feel …
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Royal Pain
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I went out on my porch the other day to water the plants and I noticed a woman walking her dog. She was youngish, maybe in her late twenties, and all-in-all, a relatively unremarkable person. The dog stopped in front of my house, sniffed around, picked a spot, …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to News of the World
Film Review of The French Dispatch By Geoff Carter Photo by Geoffrey Moffett on Unsplash As one of the most eclectic filmmakers of his—or any other—generation, Wes Anderson’s work is covered with his beautifully designed fingerprints. His meticulously styled color palettes, the free and interchangeable use of animation within a traditional narrative framework, a playfulness bordering on giddiness …
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Unschooled
Artwork by Michael DiMilo After Republican Glenn Youngkin’s surprise gubernatorial victory in Virginia last week, political analysts attributed the win—at least in part—to white suburban women voters returning to the Republican Party. While some of this movement might have been due to the absence of Donald Trump on the ballot, many experts feel that Youngkin’s …
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Highlights from the Pen in Hand Blog Graphics: The Michael DiMilo Gallery
Volume IV Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Over the course of the last two and one-half years, The Pen in Hand Blog has been lucky enough to have obtained the services of free-lance artist Michael DiMilo as a contributor. While his unique style has provided a provocative and edgy feel to the blog, DiMilo’s pieces–obviously–stand …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Jack Nicholson
AP Wire press photo – from eBay auction ebay (auction archive), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He is a Hollywood icon whose career stretches back to the early days of American International Pictures, where he appeared in the original version of Roger Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors. Cinematic milestones like Easy Rider, Tim Burton’s Batman, The …
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Trial by Proxy
Artwork by Michael DiMIlo By Geoff Carter The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is underway. He is charged with killing two men and wounding another during the violent protests that began in Kenosha after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man. Sound familiar? Where else have we seen this? Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Steve McQueen
Ryangrigg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In the early 1960s, in the age of cool, he was the “King of Cool”. He was sexy, handsome, smart, fearless, bold, and unflappable. He played heroes and anti-heroes alike: gunfighters, soldiers, cops, criminals, convicts, and even the occasional sophisticate. Being a motorcycle and car enthusiast, …
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