“Snowpiercer” (2014). Cast: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Ko Ah-sung, Alison Pill, Vlad Ivanov, Adnan Haskovic, Stephen Park, Marcanthonee Jon Reis, Emma Levie. Director: Bong Joon-ho. Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson. Screen Story: Bong Joon-ho. Graphic Novel: La Transperceneige, Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. Web site. Trailer. It’s been said that there’s no stopping a train. The forward momentum generated by such a potent force is hard to contain, especially when fueled by the power of belief. And it’s even more ironic that a new film drives home this point by way of one of those namesake vehicles. Such is the focus of the thrilling new futurist adventure, “Snowpiercer,” now showing in theaters and on video on demand. When an atmospheric spraying program aimed at curtailing global warming goes terribly awry, the Earth is plunged into an ice age in which everything freezes over, making life on the planet’s surface impossible. In fact, the only survivors of this calamity are the inhabitants of a massive, specially equipped train known as the Snowpiercer, a kind of Noah’s Ark on rails that endlessly circles the globe powered by ...

Got a question about one of my books or my other writing projects? Well, if you’re a GoodReads member, you can now get answers straight from the author’s mouth. Visit my GoodReads.com profile page and check out the new “Ask the Author” feature. I’ve already answered a few sample questions, but, if there’s something specific you’d like to know, fire me a query and I’ll get back to you. Happy reading! ...

“Life Itself” (2014). Cast: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Gene Siskel (archive footage), Martin Scorsese, Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Ramin Bahrani, Greg Nava, Ava Duvernay, A.O. Scott, Richard Corliss, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Marlene Iglitzen, Thea Flaum, Nancy De Los Santos, Roger Simon, John McHugh, Stephen Stanton (voice). Director: Steve James. Book: Life Itself: A Memoir, Roger Ebert. Web site. Trailer. It’s a rare occasion when someone comes along who ends up being a genuine game changer in his or her particular field of endeavor. But, when such individuals make their presence felt, they leave an indelible mark on their craft, changing it forever. In the field of film criticism, that distinction belongs to Roger Ebert (1942-2013), who almost single-handedly altered the way we look at movies and whose storied life is now the subject of the engaging new documentary, “Life Itself.” Based on Ebert’s autobiography, director Steve James’s documentary chronicles his subject’s life story from his teenage years as neighborhood reporter for a self-published newspaper to his acclaimed career as America’s top movie critic to his heartbreaking yet ever-hopeful battle against terminal cancer. In presenting Roger’s story, James serves up a wealth of archival material, coupled with narrated segments from Ebert’s memoir, ...

I’m pleased to announce that the July edition of New Age News magazine containing my first article, Conscious Creation and the Silver Screen, is now available from the iTunes Store! Check out this jam-packed issue by clicking here ...

“Ivory Tower” (2014). Featured Experts: Richard Arum, Bennet Bergman, Jamshed Bharucha, David Boone, Brooke Brewster, Governor Jerry Brown, Kyrie Byer, Anthony Carnevale, Clayton Christensen, Michael Crow, Andrew Delbanco, Bob Estrin, Drew Faust, Stefanie Gray, John Hennessy, Anya Kamenetz, Daphne Koller, David Malan, Amirah Mitchell, Michael Roth, Lisa Rucinski, Victoria Sobel, Elizabeth Stark, Catherine Stevens, John Stuart, Peter Thiel, Sebastian Thurn, Ben Weeks. Director: Andrew Rossi. Writer: Andrew Rossi. Web site. Trailer. “Fed Up” (2014). Narrator: Katie Couric. Featured Experts: Kelly Brownell, President Bill Clinton, Senator Tom Harkin, Mark Hyman, David Kessler, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Robert Lustig, Michael Pollan, Michele Simon, Margo Wootan. Director: Stephanie Soechtig. Writers: Mark Monroe and Stephanie Soechtig. Web site. Trailer. Our everyday existence has many components that we consider essential for our personal growth, if not our very survival. Many times, however, we take these things for granted, giving little thought to them, including why they’ve taken the forms that they have (or that we’ve had a substantial hand in their realization). So, when these creations start to go awry, we’re often befuddled at how they’ve materialized as they have. “Why,” we rhetorically ask ourselves, “have these staples of existence assumed such unsuitable forms?” That’s a heady ...

“The Grand Seduction” (2014). Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Taylor Kitsch, Gordon Pinsent, Liane Balaban, Mark Critch, Mary Walsh, Matt Watts, Anna Hopkins (voice). Director: Don McKellar. Screenplay: Michael Dowse and Ken Scott. Web site. Trailer. Working together for the common good can be quite a challenge, especially when the deck seems stacked against us. However, with proper focus and intent, amazing results are possible as the residents of a small Canadian town find out for themselves in the delightful new comedy, “The Grand Seduction.” The tiny port town of Tickle Head, Newfoundland is a shadow of its former self. With the collapse of the cod industry, the once-proud village of hard-working fishermen, regrettably, has been reduced to a community of aging, unemployed welfare recipients. The locals begrudgingly accept their monthly government support checks to sustain themselves, but they’d much rather be earning their keep if the opportunity were to present itself. They hold out hope that something good will happen, but it seems like the odds are perpetually stacked against them. A glimmer of hope emerges, however, when the community learns it could be in line to become the site of a new petroleum product recycling plant. There’s just one catch ...