Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We’ve survived another Halloween season, which, regrettably (to me at least), is becoming more and more of a Hallmark holiday. Increasingly elaborate costumes, extravagant home decorations, and a growing cornucopia of movies and limited series have inundated us for weeks—if not months, but the psychopathic killers, monsters, aliens, …
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Category:Michael DiMilo
The Pen in Hand in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Highest 2 Lowest”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo New York City Serenade: Film Review of Highest 2 Lowest ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter There’s nothing like a Spike Lee joint. The man has a style like no other. Over the last forty-some years, the man has made masterpiece after masterpiece. Lee’s cinematic oeuvre ranges from poignant family dramas like Crooklyn to biting …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Weapons”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Wicked Smart: Film Review of Weapons ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Last year, after I watched the “X” series of horror films including X, Pearl, and XXX, I was pleasantly surprised to discover filmmakers are still pushing the envelope to redefine the tropes of the horror genre, a trend I’d been following for some …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Steve”
School Daze: Movie Review of Steve ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The film industry has always been fascinated with the classroom. There is a long history of school-based movies going all the way back to Blackboard Jungle, Up the Down Staircase, and To Sir, With Love and extending to more recent offerings like Lean on Me, Stand …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Hiding Under the Bed: The Spookiest Halloween Movies of All Time
Photo by Skyler Sawyer on Unsplash By Geoff Carter (Originally published on October 31, 2020) I grew up in the sixties and seventies, in what might be called the golden age of the horror movie. Not only were we able to see films The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Scream and Scream Again at the drive-in theater, but every Saturday afternoons we …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Friendship”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Cringeworthy: Film Review of Friendship ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Comedies like The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Flight of the Concords can be almost unbearably uncomfortable to watch—which is the point. Focusing on narcissistic characters whose social ineptness gets them into cringeworthy socially awkward situations, these programs produce moments that make the viewer simultaneously …
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Dialogues on American Ennui: Down in the Hole
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Michael D., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., John K., and Geoff Carter Hello bots, Are you out there? Have we declared radio silence? Gone undercover? Or are we all laid up with Brewer fever—or the dreaded Parsons Disease? Writing as we’re headed out to …
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The Truth of the Matter
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The shocking assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was horrifying and despicable, but—unfortunately—not all that surprising, considering the catalog of political violence over the past several years, including the murders of Minnesota lawmakers Melissa and Mark Hortman; the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi; the conspiracy to kidnap Governor …
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Kickass September 18, 2025
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in noting that yesterday was “Constitution Day” marking the 250the anniversary of the framers signing the Constitution which more or less informed the king of England to pick up his trinkets and get the hell back to his little …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: The Legacy of Robert Redford
In Memorian: 1936-2025 NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter During his storied career, Robert Redford was not only known as one of the great leading men of his generation, but also as a gifted director, producer, and outspoken advocate of independent film. He will be missed. Founder of the now internationally …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Great Films That Have Faded Into Obscurity
The Lost and Forgotten Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Movies are more than entertainment, more than art, and more than artifact. Scenes and moments from film have become so embedded in our cultural that they are part of our national—and international—consciousness. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”, “I’ll make him an offer he …
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Working Class Blues
Illustrated by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We marched in the Labor Day parade yesterday. I fell in with my old union, the MTEA, as we lined up with firefighters, machinists, ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, and hospitality workers. Thousands participated. It can be argued that what truly made America great was not the rugged individualism embodied by …
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