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‘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 Apprentice’ chronicles the roots of a President’s rise to power

It’s virtually impossible these days to pick up a newspaper (remember what those are?) or visit an online news site without seeing something about Donald Trump. Regardless of what one thinks about the President, his presence in our lives, journalism and very existence is ubiquitous. And, because of that, there’s essentially no way of getting away from him. Having been elected to a second term, he obviously had (and, in many circles, still has) his legions of devoted supporters. By contrast, in light of recent events, such as the No Kings demonstrations, and steadily declining poll numbers, he also has more than his share of detractors. Those on each side of the fence clearly know how to affirm their loyalty to their views. It’s a comparatively easy task for his backers. But, for those who disagree with his policies and practices, what does it take to make their opposing arguments most effective against such a powerful political force?

Brent Marchant2025-11-09T19:05:09-05:00September 24th, 2025|Biography, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘We Were Dangerous’ celebrates the inner rebel

At the risk of gross oversimplification, nearly all of the world’s residents can be divided into two camps – those who are only too willing to comply with society’s dictates to keep from rocking the boat and those who insist on being themselves, no matter what, even if that means ruffling some feathers and flaunting their uncontainable individuality. Unfortunately, those who fall into the latter camp are often met with staunch opposition, frequently including efforts aimed at stifling their actions, beliefs and behavior, even for the slightest of deviations from conventional expectations.

Brent Marchant2025-10-13T01:26:21-05:00August 20th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, LGBTQ+, Movie Reviews|

‘Words of War’ courageously exposes a terrible truth

As much as one would like to believe that humanity is capable of great things, we’ve also seen many instances where the opposite, unfortunately, is true. And, to make matters worse, many of those unsettling developments remain out of view, hidden in the shadows – that is, until someone comes along to courageously expose them. Those revelations often come at tremendous personal cost, too, but, when the world becomes aware of such horrors, opportunities for change, justice and healing begin to emerge. Such are the hopes offered up the gripping new fact-based historical drama, “Words of War.”

Brent Marchant2025-09-27T18:55:38-05:00August 6th, 2025|Biography, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Eric LaRue’ explores coping under fire

When one lives in a small town, it’s not uncommon for everyone to seemingly know everybody else’s business, a circumstance that can be inconvenient, frustrating or annoying. But, worse than that, if one is somehow associated with an incident that’s tragic, scandalous or unspeakable, dealing with the fallout of such conditions (and the associated consequences) can be wholly intolerable. So how does one cope in scenarios like this?

Brent Marchant2025-09-24T06:25:53-05:00July 31st, 2025|Character Study, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘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|

‘How to Make Millions’ puts life into perspective

There are things in life more important than money, but sometimes we lose sight of that, unwittingly allowing our perspectives to become seriously skewed. Unfortunately, this usually happens most often when family-related considerations are involved. And those flawed perceptions, in turn, can become even further distorted when money is tied up with those familial matters, particularly when inheritance concerns loom. Such is the case for a Chinese-Thai family facing the prospects of what will happen to the assets of its terminally ill matriarch.

Brent Marchant2025-08-28T07:39:09-05:00July 13th, 2025|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘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|

‘Flow’ urges us to intuit our way to success

Sometimes the simplest yet most profound messages come to us from the unlikeliest of sources. In many cases, those messengers deliver their insights metaphorically and unwittingly, with an almost “innocent” nature, as if to give license to the notion of “out of the mouths of babes.” So imagine how valuable that information can be when its impact is significant and inspired and comes at a time when the stakes are at their highest.

Brent Marchant2025-05-29T22:28:12-05:00April 4th, 2025|Animation, Conscious Creation, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ showcases the healing power of letting go

Engaging in acts of forgiveness can be among the most difficult life tasks that any of us undertake. In nearly every case, we’re called upon to absolve those who have harmed us. In many instances, we might feel so violated by these misdeeds that we simply don’t want to extend any type of grace toward our transgressors, even if they’re contrite about wanting to make amends. And, the greater the degree of the offenses committed against us, the more challenging such absolutions can be. But, despite these inclinations toward holding grudges, we should nevertheless make the effort to ask ourselves, “What do we gain by holding on to the hurt?”

Brent Marchant2025-03-05T06:08:48-05:00January 20th, 2025|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|