demise

‘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|

‘Our Father, the Devil’ asks, ‘When is it too late to do the right thing?’

It’s truly astounding how mankind is capable of both tremendous greatness and despicable savagery. How can one species lay claim to both? What’s more, how can both traits be found within a single individual? Yet, in a surprisingly large number of instances, that ends up being the case.

Brent Marchant2023-10-22T16:28:53-05:00September 9th, 2023|Character Study, Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘Renfield’ explores taking back one’s personal power

No one likes to go through life without access to one’s personal power. Doing so leaves us vulnerable to being taken for granted and under the thumb of others who care only about themselves and have no regard for us. So how do we extricate ourselves from such situations?

Brent Marchant2023-05-24T09:21:17-05:00April 25th, 2023|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews, Smart Horror|

‘Mrs. Harris’ shows how dreams come true

We all have dreams, and we’d like to see them realized. However, many of us believe they’re unreachable objectives, pie-in-the-sky goals that can be envisioned but never experienced. But must that be the case? Is there no chance of them ever being materialized?

Brent Marchant2022-09-12T11:35:08-05:00August 8th, 2022|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Macbeth’ chronicles the perils of unchecked ambition

Getting ahead in life is certainly admirable, but what happens when that drive gets seriously out of hand? Can we stifle the mayhem that’s sure to result? That’s especially problematic when the fate of a nation and its leadership are at stake.

Brent Marchant2022-02-20T23:17:46-05:00January 19th, 2022|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Supernova’ debates holding on vs. letting go

Knowing when to hold on and when to let go can be a frustrating, anxiety-ridden exercise, especially under highly charged conditions. The feelings involved might even leave us emotionally paralyzed, unable to make a decision in either direction, simply because we’re left overwhelmed and locked in place.

Brent Marchant2021-07-12T13:47:13-05:00June 11th, 2021|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Blackbird’ wrestles with matters of life and death

“Blackbird” (2019 production, 2020 release). Cast: Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Anson Boon. Director: Roger Michell. Screenplay: Christian Torpe. Web site. Trailer. We’re all aware that our lifetimes are finite in nature and that they will one day come to an end. But, as our lives unfold, many of us become progressively more concerned with how that end will ultimately come about. Will it be on terms of our own choosing? Or will we relegated to circumstances that are out of our control? And how much input will we have in determining the details of the process? Those are among the questions raised in the moving new end of life drama, [...]

Brent Marchant2021-03-04T02:34:08-05:00September 25th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘The 11th Green’ wrestles with the nature of truth, beliefs

“The 11th Green” (2020). Cast: Campbell Scott, Agnes Bruckner, George Gerdes, Leith M. Burke, Tom Stokes, April Grace, Ian Hart, Currie Graham, David Clennon, Monte Markham, Kathryn Lee Scott, Tom Connelly, Eli Cusick, Imani McNorton, Peter Tingstrom. Archive Footage: Harry S. Truman. Director: Christopher Munch. Screenplay: Christopher Munch. Web site. Trailer. We all know the truth when we see it, don’t we? After all, it’s a fixed, finite concept that’s applicable to all of us, isn’t it? Or is it something more nebulous, a moving target that shifts over time? Moreover, is it something that compliantly falls in line with our observations and beliefs, or is it subject to manipulation as a result of the influence of outside sources? Indeed, [...]

Brent Marchant2020-08-12T10:57:36-05:00July 4th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

‘Judy’ profiles a fighter in search of a comeback

“Judy” (2019). Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, Darci Shaw, Bella Ramsey, Lewin Lloyd, Gemma-Leah Devereux, Royce Pierreson, Richard Cordery, Andy Nyman, Daniel Corqueira, John Dagleish, Adrian Lukis, Tom Durant Pritchard, Gus Barry, Jodie McNee, Ed Stoppard. Director: Rupert Goold. Screenplay: Tom Edge. Play: Peter Quilter, End of the Rainbow. Web site. Trailer. Everybody loves someone trying to make a comeback, especially when it’s a beloved entertainer. Audiences appreciate the effort, particularly when the talent is genuine and heartfelt. But launching a personal renaissance can be challenging if it’s burdened by baggage from the past, a bittersweet saga detailed in the new, fact-based biopic, “Judy.” In winter 1968, singer-actress Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) had fallen [...]

Brent Marchant2019-12-08T08:03:47-05:00October 7th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Late Night’ celebrates the joys of reinvention

“Late Night” (2019). Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Denis O’Hare, Max Casella, Paul Walter Hauser, John Early, Jia Patel, Luke Slattery, Ike Barinholtz, Marc Kudisch, Amy Ryan, Bill Maher, Seth Meyers, Jake Tapper. Director: Nisha Ganatra. Screenplay: Mindy Kaling. Web site. Trailer. No matter how much we may enjoy something, be it food, entertainment or our wardrobe, sometimes we want to shake things up a bit, trying out new offerings to stay fresh and invigorating. For that to happen, however, we often depend on others to make those new options available to us. Meanwhile, the purveyors of those commodities who fail to change with the times may easily be left behind when innovators step [...]

Brent Marchant2019-07-29T12:45:27-05:00July 2nd, 2019|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews|