driving force

‘Disclosure Day’ delivers revelations on multiple levels

“Disclosure” can be an awfully loaded word, one that carries connotations on multiple levels, both big and small, but nearly always with personally meaningful ramifications. However, sometimes those implications may be so subtle that they’re not easy to spot, grasp or understand, even though that does not diminish their importance. It’s also interesting to note how they’re frequently revealed simultaneously, heightening their impact, especially if they’re considered in tandem with one another, a circumstance that may be hard to ignore. Such are the dynamics at work in the latest offering from iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg, “Disclosure Day,” handily the director’s best picture in years.

Brent Marchant2026-09-07T11:01:55-05:00June 17th, 2026|Action-Adventure, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

‘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 Marchant2026-01-17T12:53:16-05:00November 9th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi|

‘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|

‘Thelma’ advises ‘Don’t mess with seniors!’

According to playwright David Mamet, “Age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.” The kind of wisdom that comes from experience can be tapped and put to use in many ways, particularly when others try to pull the wool over the eyes of those who’ve been around for a while and have had ample opportunity to stockpile such seasoned and shrewd sagacity.

Brent Marchant2024-08-22T08:49:23-05:00June 29th, 2024|Action-Adventure, Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘A Life’s Work’ celebrates the power of belief

Many of us have trouble seeing into the future, sometimes no more than just a week or so in advance. That lack inherently leaves us wondering what’s next and how to plan for it. As a result, we often tend to go from moment to moment, unaware of what awaits us around the corner until we actually find ourselves in the midst of it. But not everyone operates that way

Brent Marchant2023-05-07T22:27:43-05:00April 5th, 2023|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘The Weasels’ Tale’ details the rigors of personal integrity

“The Weasels’ Tale” (“El cuento de las comadrejas”) (2019 production, 2020 release). Cast: Graciela Borges, Oscar Martínez, Luis Brandoni, Marcos Mundstock, Clara Lago, Nicolás Francella, Luz Cipriota, Anwar Yoma, Manuel Martínez Sobrado, Ayelén Dotti, Nicolás Fiore, Adriana Marcela Garibaldi, Dana Gabriela Basso. Director: Juan José Campanella. Screenplay: Juan José Campanella, Augusto Giustozzi, Darren Kloomok and José A. Martínez Suárez. Source Material: Augusto Giustozzi and José A. Martínez Suárez, screenplay, “Los muchachos de antes no usaban arsénico” (“The Boys Before Didn’t Use Arsenic”). Web site. Trailer. Operating from a standpoint of integrity can be difficult enough under the best of conditions, but, when extenuating circumstances adversely impinge upon it, that can make matters much more challenging. Indeed, it can be hard [...]

Brent Marchant2021-02-15T23:58:26-05:00January 9th, 2021|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews|

‘God of the Piano’ tackles the perils of desperation

“God of the Piano” (2019 production, 2020 release). Cast: Naama Preis, Andi Lev, Ron Bitterman, Ze’ev Shimshoni, Alon Openhaim, Shimon Mimran, Leora Rivlin, Itay Zipor. Director: Itay Tal. Screenplay: Itay Tal. Web site. Trailer. Preserving a family legacy is certainly a noble goal. It provides a sense of continuity that links the generations and gives a family its character, reputation and even notoriety. But how far is one willing to go to keep up the tradition? At what point does a goal turn into an obsession? And what are the costs of going too far? Those are among the issues raised and addressed in the captivating new Israeli psychological thriller, “God of the Piano.” Anat Tal (Naama Preis) comes from [...]

Brent Marchant2020-12-13T04:22:28-05:00October 27th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘This Changes Everything’ examines remedies for a glaring disparity

“This Changes Everything” (2018 production, 2019 release). Cast: Marisa Tomei, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Chloë Grace Moretz, Meryl Streep, Zoe Saldana, Cate Blanchett, Gillian Anderson, Rashida Jones, Sharon Stone, Amandla Stenberg, Heather Graham, Rosario Dawson, Geena Davis, Mary-Louise Parker, Sandra Oh, Tiffany Haddish, Taraji P. Henson, Rose McGowan, Brit Marling, Ellen Pompeo, Amber Tamblyn, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Cruz, Lena Dunham, Marg Helgenberger, Tracee Ellis Ross, Judd Apatow, Alan Alda, Paul Feig, Shonda Rhimes, Jill Soloway, Patty Jenkins, Catherine Hardwicke, Mira Nair, Kimberly Peirce, Lesli Linka Glatter, Julie Dash, Lynne Littman, Maria Giese, Cherien Dabis, Courtney Kemp Agboh, Callie Khouri, Anita Hill, Kalpana Kotagal, Melissa Goodman, Maureen Ryan, Howard Rodman, Clifford Alexander. Director: Tom Donahue. Web site. Trailer. Movies and [...]

Brent Marchant2019-08-23T16:00:52-05:00July 29th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘Dark Phoenix’ probes the impact of underlying intents

“Dark Phoenix” (2019), Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Scott Shepherd, Hannah Anderson, Summer Fontana, Ato Essandoh, Brian d’Arcy James. Director: Simon Kinberg. Screenplay: Simon Kinberg. Story: John Byrne, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” Comic Book Source: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Web site. Trailer. When we converse with someone, we like to think we understand the meaning behind everything they’re saying. But are we truly grasping the beliefs, intents and motivations underlying their statements? And what about their actions and gestures – can we say the same about those, too? Sometimes we need to take a closer look to make [...]

Brent Marchant2019-07-23T09:34:00-05:00June 19th, 2019|Action-Adventure, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews|

‘Pig’ asks, ‘What’s the price of popularity?’

“Pig” (“Khook”) (2018 production, 2019 release). Cast: Hassan Majooni, Leila Hatami, Leili Rashidi, Parinaz Izadyar, Siamak Ansari, Ainaz Azarhoush, Ali Bagheri, Mina Jafarzadeh, Ali Masaffa. Director: Mani Haghighi, Screenplay: Mani Haghighi. Web site. Trailer. What does it mean to be liked? That can be a loaded question, depending on the context. But, in an age of omnipresent social media (and the social ostracism that often accompanies it, which can take myriad forms, again depending on the context), that question can become even more precarious. And, on top of all that, our responses to those circumstances can be truly mind-boggling. These are just some of the issues faced by an insecure citizen in an insecure society in the offbeat new Iranian [...]

Brent Marchant2019-03-20T09:24:13-05:00February 28th, 2019|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Movie Reviews|