Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Strong Words: Film Review of Women Talking By Geoff Carter Language not only defines reality; it constructs reality, forming the narratives that are the lanes through which we navigate our world. Finding names for subtleties of emotions, relationships, and belief helps in the understanding of the concepts underlying the words. Language also …
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Category:Movies
Kickass Watches The Sting
Attribution: English: Illustrator unknown; presumably a work-for-hire for distributor Universal Pictures., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joined the keeper and Phyllis in watching the old movie “The Sting,” and shared their conclusion that it was a good thing to do: great acting by old favorites, remembering Paul Newman …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of Elvis
Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Soul Man: Film Review of Elvis by Geoff Carter Years ago, I went to an Elvis impersonator contest—yes, Virginia, there is such a thing—and was fascinated, although not surprised, that there were two categories for the performers: young Elvis and Vegas Elvis. Of course, to nearly every American, these categories speak for …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of Babylon
Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Over the Top: Film Review of Babylon To call Damien Chazelle’s Babylon an exercise in excess would be a hyperbolic understatement. From the first surreal sequence of an elephant being transported through the California desert to one of the wildest and most decadent bacchanals ever presented on film, Babylon begins with one of the most incredibly …
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Kickass and Ducking the Bullet
John Warwick Brooke , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis tried to watch the latest movie version of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” but were put off by the movie maker’s skill in portraying the gore of ground combat; to the point that …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of The Menu
Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash Food for Thought: Review of The Menu By Geoff Carter “You’ll get less than you desire, and more than you deserve”. This little nugget of wisdom is whispered to an arrogant dinner guest by Elsa, the maître d’hôtel at the Hawthorne, an ultra-exclusive gourmet restaurant set on a remote island in The Menu, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of The Banshees of Inisherin
Farrell and Gleeson at Film Event Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Friendly Fire: A Film Review of The Banshees of Inisherin By Geoff Carter One of the staples of the movie industry is the “buddy film” in which two friends—usually guys—share adventures, tribulations, and even (in a few rare cases) some emotionality. We can …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: Ringing in the New Year
Maasaak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Originally posted in December, 2020) By Geoff Carter We thought we had it made after getting out of 2020, but this has been another hard year—remembering everything that happened is painful—but we have to; if we do not remember, we’ll be doomed to repeat the same mistakes yet again. …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Defining the Holiday Genre: The “Die Hard” Question
Photo by Justin Campbell on Unsplash By Geoff Carter At this festive time of year, many of us observe the holiday traditions of Christmas like trimming the tree, singing carols, buying the presents, visiting Santa, and on and on and on. Part of our celebration of the holiday includes seeing the myriads of Christmas movies and television specials, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: An Embarrassment of Scrooges
MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter It’s only about a week until Christmas, and we’re into the full swing of the holiday season. Shopping, decorating, traveling, baking, wrapping, entertaining, and all the other painfully joyous activities are part of the annual hustle and bustle of the holidays, but another huge part of …
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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 (Originally published, December 10, 2021) 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. Getting ready for this holiday season, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Many Sides of Dustin Hoffman
Studio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He is one of the most recognizable screen actors working today. In a career that has spanned six decades, Dustin Hoffman has portrayed a variety of characters ranging from alienated college kids (The Graduate) to street hustlers (Midnight Cowboy) to investigative reporters (All the President’s Men) …
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