The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Political Movies

Illustration by Michael DiMilo (Originally published 10/23/20) By Geoff Carter Election season is upon us—with a vengeance. Besides the usual bombastic rhetoric, excessive patriotic fervor, and annoying media ad blitzes, we are also dealing with a disinformation campaign that may very likely affect the integrity of the voting process. Artificial intelligence, foreign election interference, and …
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Kickass and Women in Politics

Attribution: Photo by freestocks on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper denies that he is on the edge of total mental collapse due to overexposure to abject stupidity in the POTUS election campaign.  Beginning with the so called “Access Hollywood tapes” statement about obscene grabbing of women, and including the vow to …
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Kickass and Halloween Election

Attribution: Lee Coursey from Decatur, GA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, with a memory bank that includes life with outhouses and wall telephones, finds himself unable to distinguish Halloween from the presidential election and is bothered by the threat that trick-or-treaters may tip over …
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The People’s Choice

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Election Day is right around the corner. Finally. We’ve been pummeled by television ads, social media blitzes, and unending email blasts for over two years. We’ve heard candidates call each other liars, losers, and criminals accuse each other of being incompetent, weak, or crazy. We’ve seen a flood …
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Dialogues on Reading the Signs: You Make the Call

Illustration by Michael DiMilo Featuring the Fabuous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., and Geoff Carter Greetings Dadbots, With less than two weeks to go, the Presidential candidates are making their closing arguments. By definition, closing arguments are aimed at, first of all, that mythical species, the “undecided” voter. Ye gods, how …
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Kickass and Tree Lane

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, napped while the keeper and Phyllis strolled up Tree Lane next to Vista West on an unseasonably warm late October afternoon, stopping often to identify uncommon tree species, and marveling at the trees’ spectacular demonstration of another season of growth and life in the …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Red Rocket”

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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