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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Category:Movies
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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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Hidden Worlds of Amy Adams
Attribution: Gordon Correll, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Amy Adams can be as brilliant and transparent as a freshly polished glass figurine or as dark and unknowable as a forest pool. She is an actress of startling range who can switch from the exuberant innocence of Giselle, the cartoon princess of Enchanted, to …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Film: The Boyish Charm of Ryan Gosling
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Ryan Gosling is one of the most versatile actors of his generation with his ability to switch roles between heartthrobs and psychopaths, romantics and realists—or unlikely combinations of these disparate parts—as easily as falling off a log. There is an underlying goodness, sometimes a deeply …
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The Pen in Hand Movie Guide: The Many Faces of Russell Crowe
Eva Rinaldi , CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Russell Crowe burst onto the American movie scene with his riveting performance as police detective Bud White in the box-office smash L.A. Confidential. His magnetic screen presence and rugged good looks are reminiscent of leading men from an earlier period in Hollywood film. He is, in many …
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