Year: 2014

“Locke” (2013 production, 2014 release). Cast: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman (voice), Ruth Wilson (voice), Andrew Scott (voice), Ben Daniels (voice), Tom Holland (voice), Bill Milner (voice). Director: Steven Knight. Screenplay: Steven Knight. Web site. Trailer. Coping with the conditions of our lives can be more than a little challenging at times. We often find ourselves faced with circumstances we dread, some of which may carry difficult choices and demanding responsibilities. But, then, in all fairness, we must also ask how we got ourselves into those dilemmas to begin with. Those are the conundrums a beleaguered protagonist must address for himself in the unconventional personal drama, “Locke.” Construction manager Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is about to go on the ride of his life. On the night before he’s scheduled to oversee the largest concrete pour for a non-military construction project in all of Europe, he unexpectedly sets off on an anguished two-hour drive from Birmingham to London. He abandons all his existing obligations, both to his job and his family, and his impulsive actions perplex those depending on him. But Ivan has his reasons, and they involve concerns more important than any of his prior commitments. So what’s prompted Ivan’s seemingly ...

“Fading Gigolo” (2013 production, 2014 release). Cast: John Turturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber, Sharon Stone, Sofía Vergara, Bob Balaban, Tonya Pinkins, Jade Dixon, Aubrey Joseph, Dante Hoagland, Isaiah Clifton, David Margulies, Abe Altman, Sol Frieder. Director: John Turturro. Screenplay: John Turturro. Web site. Trailer. For many of us, there comes a time in our lives when we find ourselves stretching in ways we never thought possible. Those instances can be exhilarating, introducing us to talents we never knew we possessed and enabling us to access vast untapped reserves of personal power. Of course, those revelations seldom materialize unless we recognize the opportunities that make such episodes of personal growth possible, which may be tricky if they call for us to venture outside our comfort zones. These are among the challenges posed to a cast of colorful but longing characters in the quirky new comedy, “Fading Gigolo.” After years of operating a rare books business, Murray Schwartz (Woody Allen) is reluctantly forced to close up shop, the exorbitance of New York’s commercial real estate rents having finally gotten the better of the family-owned operation. Faced with having to find a new income source, Murray considers his options, one of ...

Please tune in this Thursday, May 15 at 11 am Eastern, when I’ll be a guest on The Jenn Royster Show on Transformation Talk Radio! Join me and host Dr. Jenn Royster for a lively conversation about conscious creation in the movies, available by clicking here. And, for further information about the show and the host, visit Jenn’s web site, available here. Dr. Jenn Royster Yours truly! ...

“On My Way” (“Elle s’en va”) (2013 production, 2014 release). Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nemo Schiffman, Gérard Garouste, Camille, Claude Gensac, Paul Hamy, Mylène Demongeot, Hafsia Herzi, Séréphin Ngakoutou Beninga. Director: Emmanuelle Bercot. Screenplay: Emmanuelle Bercot and Jérôme Tonnerre. Web site. Trailer. It’s easy – perhaps all too easy – to become reconciled about our lives. We convince ourselves that our journeys are destined to follow set, unalterable paths. Yet we also often hope that they’ll take different courses, especially if the directions we’ve become sold on aren’t to our liking. And sometimes we even wind up pleasantly surprised. No matter what the outcome, however, we can always count on life’s inherent continuity, for better or worse and no matter what we choose to manifest, an idea explored in the delightful new French comedy-drama, “On My Way” (“Elle s’en va”). Life sometimes doesn’t turn out as hoped for. Just ask Bettie (Catherine Deneuve), an aging former beauty queen now in her early 60s. Having grown up an apple-cheeked small town girl, Bettie blossomed into a beautiful young woman, effortlessly capturing the title of Miss Brittany 1969. Almost overnight, she attained unexpected notoriety, even becoming a contender in the Miss France competition ...

I had a wonderful evening on May 7 when I attended a lively panel discussion about movies and the people who write about them. The event, held at Open Books and sponsored by the Chicago Writers Conference, featured four staff writers from the Chicago-based movie-related web site thedissolve.com. Dissolve staffers Keith Phipps, Scott Tobias, Tasha Robinson and Nathan Rabin read samples of their works, discussed various film-related topics and took questions from the audience. The event also provided an opportunity for me to share Consciously Created Cinema with the speakers (I hope they like it!). For those who aren’t familiar with the web site, check it out — it’s a terrific resource about movies and film-related news. For those not acquainted with the Chicago Writers Conference, check it out as well — it’s an excellent resource for writers, networking and informative programs about publishing. And, finally, those not aware of Open Books should stop by this nonprofit River North used book store, whose proceeds benefit literacy programs in Chicago. Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t picked up your copy of Consciously Created Cinema yet, visit one of the many fine online booksellers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and ...

“Transcendence” (2014). Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr. Director: Wally Pfister. Screenplay: Jack Paglen. Web site. Trailer. What makes a human human? Is it our brain and physical self? Or is it our mind, our consciousness, the cosmic software that drives us as sentient beings? And is that consciousness innately restricted to the physical self, or are other configurations possible? Those are just some of the intriguing questions raised in the new science fiction thriller, “Transcendence.” Artificial intelligence researchers Drs. Will and Evelyn Caster (Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall) are on the verge of some astounding breakthroughs in cutting edge computer technology. The professional and life partners are committed to their work and to one another, and they approach both aspects of their lives with heartfelt devotion. They seem to have everything going for them. But then events take an unexpected turn that upends their – and everyone else’s – world. Shortly after giving a presentation on the astounding potential of artificial intelligence, Will is shot by an anti-technology terrorist at point blank range. As shocking as the incident is, the bullet only grazes him, inflicting injuries that are not considered ...