Year: 2015

“Pawn Sacrifice” (2014 production, 2015 release). Cast: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lily Rabe, Robin Weigert, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Aiden Lovekamp, Sophie Nélisse, Conrad Pla, Evelyne Brochu, Igor Ovadis, Bobo Vian. Archive Footage: Dick Cavett. Director: Edward Zwick. Screenplay: Steven Knight. Story: Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson and Steven Knight. Web site. Trailer. It can be a wonderful feeling when our heads are filled with ideas. Envisioning and considering the possibilities is an often-exhilarating experience, enthusiastically infusing our minds with a tantalizing array of prospects. This is especially true for those seeking to map out strategies for achieving particular objectives. But the process can also become easily overwhelming, leaving those once-excited heads spinning perilously out of control. Such are the circumstances detailed in the captivating new historical drama, “Pawn Sacrifice.” In 1972, the world was mesmerized by a seemingly unlikely event – a chess tournament. To be sure, this time-honored “game of kings” had long had more than its ample share of followers, but, in this match, the stakes were higher than just proving which participant was the better competitive strategist. The contest pitted Soviet world champion Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) against upstart American challenger Bobby Fischer (Tobey ...

Anyone attending the Chicago Writers Conference this weekend? I’ll be there! Look me up. And, for more information, click here ...

Tune in Wednesday September 23 at 2 pm ET for the latest edition of “Reviewers Roundtable” on New Consciousness Review radio, available by clicking here. Join host Miriam Knight, reviewer Cynthia Sue Larson and yours truly when we discuss the latest in new books and films that explore various aspects of consciousness and new thought topics. Check out the show for some lively, thought-provoking chat ...

Tune in Tuesday September 22 at 11 am ET for “Empowered Women Go to the Movies” on Smart Women Talk Radio, available by clicking here. Join host Katana Abbott when she interviews me about inspiring films featuring empowered women creating their destinies ...

“Rosenwald” (2015). Interview Footage: Maya Angelou, Julian Bond, Ossie Davis, Peter Ascoli, Benjamin Jealous, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Danny Davis, Timuel Black, Rita Dove, Lester Mae Hill, Clarence Page, Gordon Parks, Cokie Roberts, Eugene Robinson, Alice Rosenwald, Elizabeth Rosenwald Varet, Tanya Bowers. Archive Footage: Julius Rosenwald, Eleanor Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington. Director: Aviva Kempner. Screenplay: Aviva Kempner. Web site. Trailer. “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine” (2015). Interview Footage: Chrisann Brennan, Nolan Bushnell, Kōbun Chino Otogawa, Regis McKenna, Jason Chen. Archive Footage: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, John Sculley. Director: Alex Gibney. Screenplay: Alex Gibney. Web site. Trailer. Opening and running a business is one of the most creative acts we can undertake. Generating wealth from the venture is undoubtedly one of the hoped-for outcomes, but other creative objectives – like producing goods and services that customers find useful and enjoyable – are just as important. Perhaps most significantly, though, the launching of these operations represents something of who we are, including our personal values and how we make use of the fruits of our labors. Such questions can be handled in a variety of ways, and two new documentaries, “Rosenwald” and “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” do ...

I’m pleased to announce that the recently re-released edition of “Get the Picture?!: Conscious Creation Goes to the Movies” has been reviewed in the August-September issue of Nexus magazine! Check it out by clicking here ...