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‘Clemency’ pushes us to look at our personal morality

“Clemency” (2019). Cast: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce, Richard Schiff, Richard Gunn, Michael O’Neill, Vernee Watson, Dennis Haskins, LaMonica Garrett, Danielle Brooks, Michelle C. Bonilla, Alex Castillo, Alma Martinez. Director: Chinonye Chukwu. Screenplay: Chinonye Chukwu. Web site. Trailer. Life and death matters generally give us pause to reflect upon our outlook on life, especially from a moral standpoint. But what happens when we’re conflicted? Can we sort out our feelings to come up with beliefs that lead to the right decisions about such issues? Such is the dilemma faced by a high-ranking prison official in the intense new drama, “Clemency.” Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) has spent many years as the warden of a maximum security prison, and, from the [...]

Brent Marchant2020-02-26T12:37:19-05:00February 3rd, 2020|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Bombshell’ tests our resolve for the truth

“Bombshell” (2019). Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Mark Duplass, Mark Moses, Ben Lawson, Josh Lawson, Alanna Ubach, Kevin Dorff, Anne Ramsay, Jennifer Morrison, Liv Hewson, Rob Delaney, Amy Landecker, Nazanin Boniadi, Richard Kind, Holland Taylor. Archives: Donald Trump. Director: Jay Roach. Screenplay: Charles Randolph. Web site. Trailer. When patently unfair circumstances arise, many of us have a natural tendency to want to make them known, exposing the perpetrators for their misdeeds. But, when extenuating conditions – particularly those that could significantly impact us personally – intrude upon our willingness to step forward, we may find ourselves putting on the brakes when we don’t want to. Resolving such quandaries can [...]

Brent Marchant2020-01-29T14:14:12-05:00January 5th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Marriage Story’ showcases what makes a relationship succeed – or fail

“Marriage Story” (2019). Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever, Wallace Shawn, Azhy Robertson, Martha Kelly, Mark O’Brien, Robert Smigel, Brook Bloom. Director: Noah Baumbach. Screenplay: Noah Baumbach. Web site. Trailer. It’s sad when a relationship comes to an end, even when it’s the best thing for the partners involved. But matters can become that much worse when the parting becomes inflamed with heated rhetoric and venomous emotions, not only for those directly involved, but also for those touched by the fallout. Such is painful saga outlined in the gripping new family drama, “Marriage Story.” From all outward appearances, Charlie and Nicole Barber (Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson) have what seems to be a [...]

Brent Marchant2020-01-24T08:10:20-05:00December 27th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Official Secrets’ extols the virtues of integrity

“Official Secrets” (2019). Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifan, Adam Bakri, Jeremy Northam, Conleth Hill, John Heffernan, Indira Varma, Niccy Lin, Monica Dolan, Shaun Dooley, Katherine Kelly, Hattie Morahan, Clive Francis, Kenneth Cranham, Tamsin Greig, Peter Guinness, Ray Panthaki, Raad Rawi. Archives: George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Ari Fleischer, Peter Goldsmith. Director: Gavin Hood. Screenplay: Gregory Bernstein, Sara Bernstein and Gavin Hood. Book: Marcia Mitchell and Thomas Mitchell, The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion. Web site. Trailer. It's been said that one of the most valuable currencies we possess is our personal integrity. It’s a measure of who we are as [...]

Brent Marchant2019-11-08T15:55:04-05:00September 16th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Mike Wallace Is Here’ charts the quest for one’s calling

“Mike Wallace Is Here” (2019). Cast: Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Steve Kroft, Don Hewitt, Barbara Walters, Ed Bradley, Lesley Stahl, Dan Rather, Harry Reasoner, Chris Wallace, Bill O’Reilly, Larry King, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, Oprah Winfrey, Dick Cavett, Jacqueline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Salvador Dali, Eldon Edwards, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frank Lloyd Wright, Rod Serling, Jack Benny, Johnny Carson, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Billie Holiday, Shirley MacLaine, Barbra Streisand, Arthur Miller, Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, John Ehrlichman, Donald Trump, Leona Helmsley, William Westmoreland, John McCain, Ayatollah Khomeini, Vladimir Putin, Anwar Sadat, Jeffrey Wigand. Director: Avi Belkin. Web site. Trailer. Finding one’s calling in life is often challenging enough, but, in an emerging industry [...]

Brent Marchant2019-09-10T08:24:20-05:00August 15th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘Vice’ dissects the unbridled pursuit of power

“Vice” (2018). Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Eddie Marsan, Justin Kirk, LisaGay Hamilton, Don McManus, Lily Rabe, Matthew Jacobs, Kyle S. More, Kirk Bovill, Sam Massaro, John Hillner, William Goldman, Paul Yoo, Joseph Beck, Tony Graham, Alex Kingi, Terri Cavanaugh. Archive Footage: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Mike Pence, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jeff Sessions, Bill O’Reilly. Director: Adam McKay. Screenplay: Adam McKay. Web site. Trailer. Power makes much possible. It can be wielded to achieve tremendous, beneficial outcomes. It can also be mangled in contorted ways to fulfill self-serving ends. But, no matter how it’s employed, power comes with consequences of either a positive or [...]

Brent Marchant2019-01-21T00:55:43-05:00January 2nd, 2019|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|