Illustration by Michael DiMilo Rock Bottom: Film Review of Red Rocket By Geoff Carter ★★★☆☆ There has been a tradition in American cinema–and narrative fiction–to romanticize the poor and unfortunate as noble and determined. The Grapes of Wrath, Sounder, Precious, and Slumdog Millionaire are examples of narratives that valorize the struggles of the lower class to fight for …
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Category:Movies
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Tuesday”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Death Be Not Proud: Review of Tuesday ★★★★☆ By Geoff Carter There is no greater mystery than death. Its inevitability, its ubiquitousness, its power, and the question of life afterwards are awe-inspiring and fearsome questions. It is the last great unknown, and conversely, the one final certainty. The depiction of Death …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Horror Films: The Next Generation
Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter (Revised October 17, 2024) The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and there’s a chill in the air. Frost is on the pumpkin. The leaves are turning color. All this means one thing—Halloween is just around the corner. And that means horror …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Strange Staying Power of “My Cousin Vinny”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Some movies are unexpectedly, inexplicably, and unbelievably popular. It’s obvious how classics like White Christmas, Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Wizard of Oz have become beloved holiday traditions, but who would have predicted that The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead, Pink Flamingoes, or Napolean Dynamite would become cult classics? Or that …
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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 “Wolfs”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Bad Buddies: Review of Wolfs ★★★☆☆ There is a lot to like in Jon Watts’ new film Wolfs. In many ways, it’s like curling up in the family room recliner. It’s familiar, comfortable, and reassuring. It features well-known actors in roles we’ve seen them in before; it is a genre we’re familiar …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “I Saw the TV Glow”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo The Road to Nowhere: Film Review of I Saw the TV Glow ★★★☆☆ By Geoff Carter Films about teen angst have been with us forever and have taken on as many iterations as there are film genres. There are vampire flicks like the Twilight series, psychological studies like Ladybird, thrillers like Elephant, and horror …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: A Celebration of Latin American Cinema
Attribution: TSolange, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Magic of Latin American Cinema By Geoff Carter We are in the midst of National Hispanic Heritage Month. From September 15th to October 15th, we will be celebrating the contributions of generations of Hispanic Americans. Hispanic influenced art, architecture, literature, and poetry have enriched the lives of every …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Legacy of Keanu Reeves
Attribution: Governo do Estado de São Paulo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Over a career that has spanned nearly four decades, Keanu Reeves has done a little bit of everything. With films like Speed, Point Break, Matrix, and John Wick, he has established himself as one of the industry’s most bankable action stars. His early …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Kinds of Kindness”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Cruel to Be Kind: Film Review of Kinds of Kindness ★★★★☆ Yorgos Lanthimos creates films that balance on a razor’s edge between pain and pleasure. They are generally funny—sometimes wincingly so—but can be extremely difficult to watch. They can be as labyrinthine as the Villa Pisani, as puzzling …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Logan Lucky”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Oceans 7 Eleven: Review of Logan Lucky ★★★☆☆ By Geoff Carter One of the benefits of streaming TV is access to lesser known independent, international, and obscure films. I like to try and keep up with the latest, but movies like A Ghost Story, Gueros, Problemista, El Conde, and Hit Man would have flown …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Hit Man”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The Real Me: Review of Hit Man ★★★★1/2 Some film genres are easier to define than others. Comedies make you laugh, horror movies scare the hell out of you, and romantic comedies make you laugh and cry. Recognizing some film genres is sort of like Supreme Court Justice …
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