Gangsters of the West: Film Review of Killers of the Flower Moon ★★★★★ Attribution: Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Martin Scorsese is one of the most versatile and gifted film directors working today. He has directed movies in a variety of genres, including psychological thrillers (Shutter …
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Category:Movies
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “The Holdovers”
Attribution:Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons All the Lonely People: Film Review of The Holdovers ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ By Geoff Carter The films of Alexander Payne are quintessential quest stories. In The Descendants, a middle-aged man tries to come to terms with his wife’s imminent death, understand her infidelities, …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: Ringing in the New Year
Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash (Originally posted in December, 2020) By Geoff Carter We’re almost there. We only have one more day of 2023 to endure. It’s been a year of firsts. Some we would like to celebrate, others not so much. But New Year’s Eve is a time to look forward to fresh starts and renewed …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Maestro”
Attribution: Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Asking the Right Questions: Film Review of Maestro By Geoff Carter To say that a creating a biopic of one of the most revered figures in the history in American music is an ambitious undertaking is a bit of an understatement. Yet Bradley …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “A Disturbance in the Force”
(The Worst TV Christmas Special Ever) Photo by Jake Hills on Unsplash When Worlds Collide: A Review of A Disturbance in the Force By Geoff Carter Own work based on unknown original creator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Sitting in a crowded theater watching a movie is in many ways a solitary act. Viewers don’t—they’re not supposed to, …
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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’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments
Attribution: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. We are lucky to be able to …
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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. Sometimes it’s hard to find the …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: An Embarrassment of Scrooges
Attribution: MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Originally published December 18, 2022) 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 …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “The Wonder”
Attribution: Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Little Girl Lost: Movie Review of The Wonder By Geoff Carter The beginning of Sebastian Lelio’s The Wonder, an historical drama based in post-famine Ireland, is—strangely—framed with a shot of the movie set on which it is being made. A female narrator speaks directly …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Gueros”
Attribution: Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons A Road to Nowhere: Film Review of Gueros By Geoff Carter Available on Netflix Cinema is the best of all visionary worlds because it incorporates so many elements of all the other artforms. It is a visual art. The frame can be as …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”
Attribution:Fernando de Sousa from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Born to be Wild: Film Review of Hunt for the Wilderpeople By Geoff Carter There are filmmakers whose creative stamp is so distinctive that their films are recognizable almost from the opening credits. Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, and Quentin Tarantino fall into …
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