conflict

‘Eternity’ wrestles with the perils of hard choices

Life can sometimes present us with hard choices. However, strange as it might sound, death might actually hand us some even bigger ones. That might throw us for a huge, unexpected loop, especially if we go into the afterlife envisioning it as a stress-free experience, one assumed to be characterized by unending happiness and bliss. Such is the dilemma posed to a recently deceased woman who now faces a decision that’s not at all what she anticipated, a choice far greater and more difficult than anything she experienced while alive.

Brent Marchant2026-01-26T14:37:52-05:00November 24th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Can I Get a Witness?’ appraises the price of paradise

“Can I Get a Witness?” (2024 production, 2025 release). Cast: Sandra Oh, Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, Zaa Nkweta, Shaz Far, Casey Kenneth Wright, Yuki Morita, Ben Immanuel, Patrick Gallagher, Naika Toussaint, Andre Anthony, Oscar Chark, Jude Wilson, Cassandra Sawtell, Tedra Rogers, Ally Battaggia, Kymo Van Oers, Jovanna Burke. Director: Ann Marie Fleming. Screenplay: Ann Marie Fleming. Web site. Trailer. Successfully vanquishing global ills like environmental degradation, economic inequality, insufficient health care and armed conflict in order to purposely create an earthly paradise is undeniably an ambitious and virtuous goal that most of us would probably support. The benefits of creating a healthy, sustainably managed future are undeniable. But how far would we be willing to go to realize it? The [...]

Brent Marchant2025-09-03T16:55:22-05:00July 15th, 2025|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

‘Turtles’ asks, ‘Is love enough?’

Is love enough to sustain a relationship? It can certainly provide a powerful bond to keep partners together, but is that sufficient to maintain that connection when other issues arise (e.g., day-to-day life challenges, disagreements and disconnects about fundamental goals and aspirations, cohabitation conflicts, a growing lack of sexual intimacy, etc.)? These matters often come to a head when certain turning points in life are reached, such as health issues or retirement, especially when each partner holds different views about what that next stage of life is supposed to be all about. And, as is becoming increasingly apparent these days, these questions impact both traditional partnerships and same-sex couples. So what’s to be done?

Brent Marchant2025-08-06T19:42:59-05:00June 12th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, LGBTQ+, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Lee’ follows the call to commit

Many of us often find ourselves in the pursuit of callings that may seem out of character or that we don’t fully understand ourselves. These ventures frequently require true commitment on our part, yet we may also find ourselves perplexed by their seeming inexplicability. And, if we think about walking away from them, we simply can’t bring ourselves to do so. So what’s behind these ostensibly obsessive undertakings?

Brent Marchant2025-03-01T11:33:37-05:00December 30th, 2024|Biography, Character Study, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

Wrapping Up the 2024 Chicago Film Festival

With this year’s 60th edition of the Chicago International Film Festival in the books, I’ve completed my screenings for 2024. And here's what I thought.

Brent Marchant2025-03-27T03:08:47-05:00October 29th, 2024|Action-Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Film Festivals, Foreign, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi, Smart Horror|

‘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|

‘Green Border’ makes a desperate plea for humanity

There are so many things that can go wrong in life that it hardly seems wise, practical or prudent to go looking for ways to make our existence needlessly grueling. Yet, if we’re truly honest with ourselves, there are plenty of situations that can all too easily yield undue stress, pain and difficulty – and all as a result of our own making, too. But why would we do that?

Brent Marchant2024-11-09T22:22:07-05:00August 30th, 2024|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘Freud’s Last Session’ plumbs life’s big questions

In all truthfulness, how often do most of us take the time to contemplate life’s “big issues”? Given the importance and impact they have on us, one might think they’re something we should all examine in greater detail and on a more frequent basis than we probably do. Yet we often find ourselves distracted by the comparatively inconsequential minutiae of everyday life, setting aside those grand questions that we must all ultimately address for ourselves.

Brent Marchant2024-06-04T07:08:28-05:00May 17th, 2024|Biography, 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|

‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ charts a molehill’s evolution

We’ve all no doubt heard about the proverbial molehill unwittingly being made into a mountain. The inconsequential somehow manages to become overly (and unnecessarily) inflated, taking on undeserved significance. This usually comes about as a result of undue attention paid to it by those who have self-serving agendas that they want to see escalated and addressed to resolve petty or trumped-up grievances. And the result is a chaotic maelstrom characterized by overhyped shrieking and misplaced ridicule, often directed at the wrong parties or the wrong issues.

Brent Marchant2024-03-13T08:46:27-05:00February 18th, 2024|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|