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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Category:Michael DiMilo
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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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: Ringing in the New Year
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash By Geoff Carter We’re almost there. We only have one more day of 2024 to endure. It’s been a year of firsts. Some we would like to celebrate, others not so much. But New Year’s Eve is a time to look forward to fresh starts and renewed aspirations. It’s a time of hope …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Queer”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo A Man in Need : Film Review of Queer ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter William S. Burroughs was one of the giants of the Beat Generation, helping to define the disaffection of an entire generation. This alienation was reflected in his body of literary work as well as the recent film adaptation …
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Crises of Conscience
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The world was shocked when Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Health Insurance, was recently murdered in broad daylight on a busy street in Manhattan. Reports confirmed a gunman clad in a gray hoodie who fled on a bicycle and then escaped on a bus and that shell …
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