Babs and Knuckles in their Holiday Special Deck the Halls Artwork by Michael DiMilo Video and Story by Michael DiMilo In memory of Dave Bolyard The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
Blue Christmas
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As we were trimming the tree last weekend, my wife asked me to bring in the laptop so we could listen to Christmas music. I complied—as any trained husband will—and set up the sound system in our dining room. And so we trimmed the tree and drank some …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Spinning Classic Christmas Vinyl
Photo by The Retro Store on Unsplash By Geoff Carter While those of us at The Pen in Hand will always be slavishly devoted to his TV home entertainment center, this week he will be putting down the universal remote in order to turn his focus solely on another entertainment form—music. Part of the reason for this departure …
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“Just Like the Ones I Used to Know”: The Pen in Hand’s Guide to Vintage Christmas Movies
Photo by Geoffrey Carter By Geoff Carter Well, the Christmas season is upon us in full force. The commercials are everywhere. We’ve seen that ad for the car—or Energizer Bunny, wrapped in a bow and sitting in the driveway on Christmas morning at least one hundred times. Sometimes it’s hard to find the spirit of Christmas amongst all …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to a Vintage TV Christmas
“Oscar the Elf” Photo by Geoff Carter
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “X”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Young at Heart: Film Review of X ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter The A24 production group has almost singlehandedly revitalized the horror film genre. With elevated horror epics like The Witch, Hereditary, or Midsommar this company has taken psychological terror to new spellbinding levels. Now, with Ti West’s The Film X Series, A24 has initiated …
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Duck for Love
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Leonardo da Vinci once asked, “Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?” and Joseph Campbell once said, “Myths are public dreams and dreams are private myths.” Sigmund Freud said dreams were “the royal road” to the unconscious. Yet for …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Bad Sisters”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo My Sister’s Keeper: Review of Bad Sisters ★★★★☆ By Geoff Carter One of the great pleasures of watching streaming series like The Sopranos, Yellowstone, Slow Horses or the dozens of other offerings on premium stations is the anticipation. From week to week—or episode to episode—the viewer is constantly presented with burning questions: Who will …
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Breaking the Camel’s Back
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far way, when my daughter was about seven years old, we took a trip to Disney World—sort of a prerequisite for parenthood then (and now, I suppose, too). It was everything I expected: hot, crowded, expensive, kitschy, and sticky sweet. …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Anora”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Sweet and Sour Dreams: Film Review of Anora ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Seth Baker is a filmmaker whose singular focus on the forgotten, the misbegotten, and pariahs of society—specifically sex workers—addresses issues of class, dignity, and compassion. His movies Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket, and his newest, Anora, chronicle the discrimination and contempt …
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Suckers and Losers
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Seventy-five million and counting. This is the number of citizens who just voted to elect Donald Trump as our 47thpresident. Like P.T. Barnum once said, I guess there is a sucker born every minute. These guys gobbled up Trump’s bombastic rhetoric, hate speech, racist dogma, and false promises …
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Time of the Season
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Illustration by Michael DiMilo