Illustration by Michael DiMilo Dreamweaver: Film Review of Problemista ★★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter It’s an oft-told tale. A young man has a big dream. He goes to the big city to make his fortune and encounters seemingly insurmountable obstacles but through perseverance, encouragement, determination, and a little bit of luck, he finally succeeds. Take this …
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Category:Movies
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Love Lies Bleeding”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Killing Me Softly: Film Review of Love Lies Bleeding ★★★★ 1/2 By Geoff Carter Film noir, which never really left us, is undergoing a radical transformation. From its beginnings in classics like Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Laura, The Killers, and—more recently—Body Heat and Chinatown, we have taken that long dark highway from that …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Wildcat”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo ★★★★ 1/2 For the Love of God: Review of Wildcat By Geoff Carter The creative process is a mystery. Understanding how and why individuals are driven to give up their time, wealth, energy, even their happiness in the pursuit of artistic perfection can make for compelling cinema, but trying to capture …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Legacy of Woody Allen
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter He is a legendary filmmaker whose career has spanned fifty-some years—and has worked with everyone from Diane Keaton to Cate Blanchett to Scarlett Johannson to John Cusack to Michael Caine—and more. He has worked in nearly every film genre imaginable—slapstick, romantic comedy, historical features, mystery, documentary, psychological drama–everything …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Steven Van Zandt: Disciple”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo A Force of Nature: Review of Steven Van Zandt: Disciple By Geoff Carter There are celebrities, there are rock stars, there are music icons, and then there are forces of nature. For one force of nature to exist and work in the shadow of another larger force of nature cannot be …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Fancy Dance”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Mother Daughter Dances: Review of Fancy Dance It seems to be the era of the woman in film—and it’s about time. In the past few years, Barbie, Wicked Little Letters, She Said, Nyad, Promising Young Woman, and Drive Away Dolls have emerged at the forefront of a new wave of movies celebrating the struggles of …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Wicked Little Letters”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Poison Pen Pals: Review of Wicked Little Letters ★★★★☆ By Geoff Carter If you take a mystery, wrap it in a comedy, sprinkle in some feminist trappings, and then top off with a pinch of clownish but mean-hearted patriarchal mulishness, you end up with the wonderfully amusing but deceptively intricate film Wicked …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Pale Blue Eye”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo History Lessons: Review of The Pale Blue Eye By Geoff Carter ★★★ 1/2 The speculative film, alternate history, or just plain fantasy film is, at first glance, more common than one might think. The Nine Percent Solution, in which Sherlock Holmes encounters Sigmund Freud, The Man in the High Castle, which explores what …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Godzilla Minus One”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter B + Movie: Review of Godzilla Minus One Godzilla has been around as long as—well, the dinosaur, and he has managed to stick around longer than the in-laws at Thanksgiving dinner. Over the years, the big green boy has entertained us by battling adversaries like King Kong, Mothra, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: A Tribute to Father’s Day
Photo by Sabine van Straaten on Unsplash A Tribute to Father’s Day: Ten Unforgettable Celluloid Dads By Geoff Carter (Originally published June 12th, 2023) It’s that time of year when we’re once again celebrating the patriarch, the pater familia, the big man, the king daddy, and the head of the family. It’s Father’s Day. Master of the grill, …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Dune: Part Two”
Attribution: Illustration by Michael DiMilo Desert Storm: Review of Dune: Part Two By Geoff Carter The long-awaited—and latest—star-studded mega-production of Dune has finally landed. Of course, this is hardly news. The hype surrounding the second installment of this science-fiction saga has been so constant and ubiquitous, it’s became as annoying as the popcorn container with the mouth …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Kim’s Video”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Digital Killed the Video Store: Review of Kim’s Video By Geoff Carter The documentary is one of the few cinematic genres that consistently defies expectations. It covers a huge range of content from the journalistic to the sublime, reconstructing history, muckraking corruption, exposing social ills, documenting human experience, or—as in the …
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