cautionary tale

‘Bugonia’ urges us to ask, ‘what’s real and what isn’t?’

In an age where distinguishing what seems genuine from something that’s clandestinely veiled, it may be difficult to know what to believe. As a result, we might abandon any attempt to identify inherent (and potentially significant) differences. Or, by contrast, we may become so obsessed with reconciling the truth behind such discrepancies that we descend into a sea of paranoia and conspiracy theories, potentially seeing shadows at every turn and placing ourselves on the sidelines of reality with virtually no credibility to our names. In actuality, the “truth” probably resides somewhere in between, but where and how do we draw the lines of accurate and meaningful distinction?

Brent Marchant2025-11-09T19:41:06-05:00November 9th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

‘Peacock’ seeks the nature of the self and our existence

In this age of increasingly untrustworthy AI, rampant fake news and unabashedly self-serving social media, it’s becoming ever more difficult for many of us to distinguish what’s “real” and what isn’t these days, almost as if we’re stuck in a frightening new Orwellian paradigm. That’s significant, not only for how we perceive existence, but even in terms of how we experience and respond to it. In fact, these circumstances might even be looked upon as a metaphysical or existential nightmare. But how do we cope with such circumstances?

Brent Marchant2025-10-20T09:23:01-05:00October 20th, 2025|Character Study, Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Featured Post, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘The Roses’ advises ‘Don’t take love for granted’

When we’re fortunate enough to find ourselves in love, we should do all we can to cherish this blessing. After all, it seems like many more of us these days are having difficulty drawing this into our lives, so, when it’s present, we should do all we can to preserve and protect this precious commodity. Unfortunately, however, all too often we let incidentals get in the way of giving love its proper due.

Brent Marchant2025-10-20T08:21:13-05:00August 28th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Eddington’ analyzes beliefs gone wild

Some would say – and quite astutely at that – there’s plenty of madness to go around these days, and they’d be right. But where and when did this begin? Many would increasingly agree that a good place to start looking would be the COVID-19 Pandemic, a time when fear was ratcheted up, conspiracy theories ran amok, “protective” measures slid into excessive overreach, neighbors routinely spied on (and often made unsupported accusations about) neighbors, and people’s imaginations were let loose without restraint. What began as an alleged but widely legitimized public health crisis soon spilled over into myriad other areas of life as tempers, paranoia and disinformation flared to new heights. So why did this happen?

Brent Marchant2025-09-24T04:44:31-05:00July 28th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘The Assessment’ scrutinizes scrutiny

It often feels like we’re constantly being assessed, evaluated on everything from our creditworthiness to our work performance to our scholastic achievements. But imagine what it might be like if we were scrutinized on highly personal matters, with intrusive investigations into our most highly intimate concerns. Is it worth putting ourselves through such intrusive and potentially intensive inquiries?

Brent Marchant2025-07-31T04:47:48-05:00June 4th, 2025|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

Three documentaries about remarkable women

At a time when women have come under increasing infringement on their rights and their ability to be themselves, it’s encouraging to see filmmakers rising to the occasion to counter those misguided initiatives, to make it clear that they have much to offer and should not be prevented from doing so. Those contributions take various forms, and they’re now being showcased in three excellent new documentaries, all available for streaming online.

Brent Marchant2025-07-28T06:48:15-05:00May 29th, 2025|Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘All Shall Be Well’ grapples with fairness, inclusion

They say that “blood is thicker than water,” an observation that can make its presence apparent in many ways. This often becomes most obvious during times of crisis, when major decisions are called for, such as when a death occurs or an inheritance is involved (money being on the line frequently speaks volumes). And, in conjunction with those conditions, differences and disagreements frequently arise, making difficult situations more tense, perhaps even combative. So what accounts for this?

Brent Marchant2025-07-13T12:31:05-05:00April 25th, 2025|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, LGBTQ+, Movie Reviews|

‘I’m Still Here’ explores the virtues of hope

Hope is an undeniably powerful force, and a belief in it firmly cements our faith in it in our consciousness. It’s difficult to shake, too, hanging on persistently in our worldview. Admittedly, though, when circumstances challenge its validity and viability, that quality can come under fire, perhaps even prompting us to question its strength and resilience. But such conditions can also serve to affirm our convictions, to galvanize us in our views of the power of hope, particularly when it seems like that’s all we have going for us.

Brent Marchant2025-03-10T03:39:18-05:00February 14th, 2025|Biography, Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘His Three Daughters’ opens the door to reconciliation, healing

Sitting in on a loved one’s death watch can be a trying time in more ways than one can count, circumstances to which many of us can probably relate. It can be an especially stressful, even openly hostile, experience when incompatible family members are brought together for such an ordeal, one whose duration and developments are impossible to predict. Dealing with the impending grief associated with such situations can further fuel these discordant fires, making for severely strained relations. But, at some point, the onerous weight of these circumstances can unexpectedly crack open a door of opportunity.

Brent Marchant2024-11-25T08:59:03-05:00September 21st, 2024|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Civil War’ delivers a potent cautionary tale

Cautionary tales often have some of the most significant impact when brought to life on the big screen. These pictures generally deliver powerful, troubling, concern-filled messages with a sense of graphic, in-your-face urgency, all aimed at warning us of catastrophes potentially waiting to happen. And, when they reveal the nature of those calamities, they shock us into submission in the hope that we take steps to avoid them before they materialize.

Brent Marchant2024-05-19T21:50:09-05:00April 17th, 2024|Action-Adventure, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|