I'm pleased to announce that I'll be back on the radio this weekend, when I'll be a guest on "Tell Me Your Story," with host Richard Dugan, on KZSB AM 1290 in Santa Barbara, CA. The broadcast airs Sunday June 22 at its new time, 10 pm ET, 7 pm PT, on KZSB's web site or on the host's web site. And, if you can't catch the show on Sunday, listen to an expanded rebroadcast of the interview on Monday June 23 at 8 pm ET, 5 pm PT, on A2Zen.fm. Tune in for some lively chat!

Courtesy of my alma mater's WordPress page:http://maxwellalumni.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/brent-marchant-78-ba-hist-publishes-his-second-book-consciously-created-cinema/Thanks, Maxwell!

I'm pleased to announce that I've been named a regular contributor to New Age News magazine, a monthly online publication available on the Apple Newsstand! Look for my first submission in the upcoming July 2014 issue. And, in the meantime, visit the magazine's Facebook page or its web site, www.newagenewsmag.com.My sincere thanks to the Spiritual Writers Network for its valuable assistance in alerting me to this tremendous opportunity.

“Chef” (2014). Cast: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Sofía Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Emjay Anthony, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Amy Sedaris, Robert Downey Jr. Director: Jon Favreau. Screenplay: Jon Favreau. Web site. Trailer. What makes a venture succeed or fail? It often involves a mixture of intangible qualities, one that doesn’t necessarily follow any set formula but that nearly always draws upon certain traits most of us possess, like personal integrity, the ability to set priorities and a willingness to readily enjoy what we create. Identifying and acting upon those attributes, however, may prove quite challenging as a culinary master finds out for himself in the new independent comedy, “Chef.” High-profile Los Angeles chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is on [...]

“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 [...]