“Chinese Puzzle” (“Casse-tête chinois”) (2013 production, 2014 release). Cast: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cécile de France, Kelly Reilly, Sandrine Holt, Pablo Mugnier-Jacob, Margaux Mansart, Li Jun Li, Flore Bonaventura, Peter McRobbie, Jason Kravits, Peter Hermann, Dominique Besnehard, Sharrieff Pugh, Jochen Hägele, Amin Djakliou, Clara Abbas, Phil Nee. Director: Cédric Klapisch. Screenplay: Cédric Klapisch. Web site. Trailer.We’ve all undoubtedly had days where we’ve found our heads spinning, overwhelmed by the complexities before us. It’s enough to make us crazy. It’s also enough to get us to ask ourselves. “Why me?” Such are the circumstances served up in the new independent comedy, “Chinese Puzzle.”This film, the third in a trilogy that began with “L’auberge espagnole” (“The Spanish Apartment”) (2002) and was followed [...]

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014). Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Shawn Ashmore, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, Mark Comacho. Director: Bryan Singer. Screenplay: Simon Kinberg. Story: Jane Goldman, Simon Kinberg and Matthew Vaughn. Web site. Trailer.Turning away from our personal power can have dire consequences. By failing to embrace and act upon our natural talents and make use of them in our daily lives, we run the risk of leading an unfulfilling existence and failing to live up to our potential as sentient beings. And, in some cases, the fallout can be even worse, carrying widespread ramifications that affect the well-being of [...]

“Belle” (2014). Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sarah Gadon, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, James Norton, Tom Felton, Alex Jennings, Lauren Julien-Box, Cara Jenkins, Bethan Mary-James. Director: Amma Asante. Screenplay: Misan Sagay. Web site. Trailer.Prevailing limitations can be severe impediments to invoking change and righting wrongs. The implications of this are apparent in an array of life’s venues, too, from those that are highly personal to those that affect the entire spectrum of society. But, when individuals of conviction come along to challenge existing limitations, the potential for dismantling those barriers soars. Such are the circumstances at work in the new fact-based historical drama, “Belle.”When British naval officer Admiral John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) learns of [...]

“Finding Vivian Maier” (2014). Directors: John Maloof and Charlie Siskel. Screenplay and Story: John Maloof and Charlie Siskel. Web site. Trailer.It’s mystifying how someone with profound aesthetic insights and artistic sensibilities could also remain a virtual unknown, especially given the prolific nature of her work. But, then, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the creator of those pieces intentionally commits to shielding them from public view. Indeed, how is it that someone so incredibly talented would purposely choose to keep her work a secret? That’s the conundrum raised in the fascinating new documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier.”While working on a book about the Chicago neighborhood where he grew up, photographer John Maloof searched for historic images to accompany [...]

“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. [...]

“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 [...]

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 RoysterYours 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 [...]

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 [...]

“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 [...]