That Empty Feeling: Review of Honey Don’t! ★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Coen Brothers films have been a delight for decades. From the twisty turns of Blood Simple to the absurdist curves of Raising Arizona to Barton Fink to “The Dude” to Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? to Buster Scruggs and everything in between, their films’ unexpected and shocking plot surprises have …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “It Was Just an Accident”
An Eye for an Eye for an Eye: Review of It Just an Accident ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo We’re all familiar with the seemingly endless iterations of the revenge story. We’ve seen everything from Kill Bill(along with a lot of other Tarantino offerings), Nevada Smith, John Wick, Promising Young Woman, The Godfather, Sweeney …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Oscar Predictions
Attribution: Photo by Martti Salmi on Unsplash By Geoff Carter And the Winner is…. There’s something about award season that’s magnetic and nearly irresistible—but still a guilty pleasure. A part of me likes the drama, the glamour, the sophistication and style of the Hollywood elite, but another part of me thinks that it’s a lot of hoopla that …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Secret Agent”
Swimming With Sharks: Review of The Secret Agent ★★★★ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo Some movies are great fun and don’t try to be anything more. They grab you by the lapels and take you with them into galaxies far, far away, or on fantastic quests for magic rings, or put you in …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Walking on a Wire: Review of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Parenting isn’t easy. This a lesson most of have learned the hard way. An even harder lesson is that perhaps not all of us were not cut out to be the supportive, loving, helpful, …
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Tariff Tantrum
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In a highly unusual occurrence in modern American politics, the Supreme Court of the United States made a ruling that President Trump did not like. Not at all. Like a nanny taking away a favorite toy from an extremely spoiled child, the justices removed Trump’s tariff powers, ruling …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Father Mother Sister Brother”
Echoes: Film Review of Father Mother Sister Brother ★★★☆ By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo It’s strange and sometimes funny how patterns and motifs emerge in our experience as something more than coincidence. Last week, I wrote a review of the film Sentimental Values, a movie about an egregiously dysfunctional family. Shortly afterwards, we went …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Sentimental Value”
Family Values: Review of Sentimental Value ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo Leo Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” and every unhappy family can show their misery in a myriad of ways—they’re only limited by their imaginations. Whether that unhappiness erupts in …
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Mighty Love
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Originally Published 2/14/2022 By Geoff Carter In her novel Surfacing, Margaret Atwood wrote “The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them, there ought to be as many for love.” She‘s probably right, although what passes for love today might not be as important to us as snow …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Valentine’s Day Movies
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Top Ten Romantic Films By Geoff Carter (Originally published on February 14, 2024) It’s Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, but those of us who choose to enjoy a warm and cozy evening inside, finding that perfect romantic movie is the perfect way to enjoy that special someone. So, rather …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “F1”
Formulaic: Film Review of F1 ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Artificial Intelligence is the newest face of runaway technology. Will it corrupt the minds (and academic skills) of our children, destroy human creativity, and—as in the nightmares of dystopian sci-fi fans (see The Terminator or Blade Runner) enable machines to take over civilization? It just …
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Kickass Looks for Hope
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis and the entire US population in struggling to survive the incredibly cruel machinations of dim-witted thugs hired by the narcissistic POTUS to traumatize, manhandle and kill the citizens in their own communities. MONEY in the hands of power-mad phonies …
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