madness

‘The Plague’ matches wits with disempowerment

Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a bully’s wrath can understand the hurt, anxiety and self-esteem issues that frequently accompany such physical and emotional trauma. The abusive taunting, teasing, mockery and ostracism that come with such cruel treatment can leave its victims devastated for years afterward, making it difficult, if not impossible, to recover. And this doesn’t even account for the awkwardness that the abused go through in seeking to assimilate into society and its everyday course of conduct. However, such incidents – as painful as they can be – frequently lead to valuable life lessons in empowerment and overcoming adversity.

Brent Marchant2026-03-08T18:57:44-05:00January 26th, 2026|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews, Smart Horror|

‘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|

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|

‘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 Berrigans’ venerates walking one’s talk

Sticking to one’s principles is undeniably a noble pursuit. Walking one’s talk is indeed to be commended for its honesty and integrity. But living up to that aspiration can be quite the challenge, especially when one adheres to an outlook that draws the ire of others, particularly those in positions of power. However, if an impactful statement is to be made, following this course is essential, despite the dangers and difficulties,

Brent Marchant2022-09-11T19:42:33-05:00August 3rd, 2022|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ chillingly instructs us in life’s hard lessons

Some life experiences can involve truly hard pills to swallow. In fact, they can be so arduous to undergo that we may wonder why we’re having to endure such ordeals, especially when they involve elements we find unthinkable.

Brent Marchant2021-05-12T11:56:12-05:00April 21st, 2021|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘Honey Boy’ explores the mixed signals behind tough love

“Honey Boy” (2019). Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe, Byron Bowers, Laura San Giacomo, FKA Twigs, Natasha Lyonne, Clifton Collins Jr., Mario Ponce, Martin Starr. Director: Alma Har’el. Screenplay: Shia LaBeouf. Web site. Trailer. Growing up under strict parents can be difficult. Their dictates can be a lot to handle, especially when it seems like there’s no getting away from them. And it can be that much more challenging when they dole out seemingly unusual, wholly irrational demands, particularly when combined with questionable behavior and physical abuse. However, as troubling as such conditions may be, sometimes there is a method to that madness, even if it goes unexplained. Such seemingly “tough love” is often misinterpreted as something else entirely, its [...]

Brent Marchant2020-01-22T10:32:05-05:00December 22nd, 2019|Conscious Creation, Drama, 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|

‘At Eternity’s Gate’ muses on the call to create

“At Eternity’s Gate” (2018). Cast: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Stella Schnabel, Vladimir Consigny, Emmanuelle Seigner, Lolita Chammah, Niels Arestrup, Anne Consigny, Amira Casar. Director: Julian Schnabel. Screenplay: Jean-Claude Carrière, Louise Kugelberg and Julian Schnabel. Web site. Trailer. The power of creation is truly magnificent. Seeing intangible concepts materialize into tangible manifestations is a miraculous sight to behold. And it’s especially impressive when we consider the infinite range of possibilities that can be made real. However, for those of us who bring such outcomes into being, appreciating the range of what we can create can be overwhelming, perhaps even more than we can realistically handle. Getting a grip on such boundless possibilities could prove maddening, [...]

Brent Marchant2019-01-09T11:49:02-05:00December 6th, 2018|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|