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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Kickass and the Heatwave
Attribution: Geralt, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in preparing for the dangerous heat wave about to descend on the Midwest, their main strategy being the “Stationary Excessive Hydration Exercise Program”—SEHEP, whereby they occupy recliners in air conditioned quarters while taking in large amounts of liquid …
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Kickass and Sarah Visit
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis were a launch pad for the keeper’s granddaughter Sarah as she returned to her California digs and husband Jessie after a summer’s visit, mostly with her dad Mike on the Wisconsin River at Sauk. It was wonderful to …
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Kickass and Sleep Deprivation
Attributon: SecretName101, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper’s observation that within his and Phyllis’s time zone and age group there is serious fallout from three days of sleep deprivation caused by the DNC Chicago celebration. To hear the major speakers of the evening, it was necessary …
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Kickass and Speeding Ticket
Attribution: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, listened, along with Phyllis, to the keeper plead his case as the red lights flashed in his rearview mirror: “We had just come off miles of stop and go beltline traffic, officer, and I was in the process of …
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Crybaby
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Who doesn’t remember playing sandlot football, baseball, or soccer during childhood? Enjoying those long afternoons of playing a game or two without the encumbrances of adult supervision? And who doesn’t remember that one kid getting upset and taking his bat or the ball and storming off the field? The …
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Kickass and Going into Different Room
Attribution: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the keeper and Phyllis’s delight in learning that the issue of going into a room and then forgetting why you went there has a scientific basis relating to the human race evolving from one natural environment to …
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Kickass and DUI
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper shares a common experience with Dem Veep candidate Tim Walz in that both were arrested for DUI earlier in life, were fined and temporarily lost driving privileges. Tim, as a 30-year-old teacher at the time, responded by doing a life-time …
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Kickass at the VA Eye Clinic
Attribution: Gabriel Vanslette, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, accepts the keeper’s excuse for this late offering as being a routine checkup at the VA Eye Clinic where all was found to be in order, thanks to long term monitoring and maintenance by a series of young optometrists from …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Problemista”
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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Kickass Visits Old Places
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the following on behalf of the keeper and Phyllis on this Sunday morning of Aug. 18, 2024. Revisiting “We have walked thousands of parks and places, “In the beauty and peace of nature’s magnificent chaos. “We think of the hidden valleys and …
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Kickass and Show Biz
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is assisting the keeper in his show biz debut with “At the Bath,” an illustrated production of just what a bath can be. The subtitles as arranged in the keeper’s script are as follows: 1. Oh, I think I will take a bath. 2. …
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