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‘Hard Truths’ seeks the quest to cope

Many of us these days are experiencing a certain inexplicable unsettledness with our lives, a constant sense of frustration and restlessness that seems to defy explanation – or resolution. Because of those conditions, we may also find ourselves becoming increasingly aggravated, with our fuses growing progressively shorter. And, no matter what we might do to try and address these circumstances, it often feels like nothing works, that the irritation is perpetual and unrelenting.

Brent Marchant2025-04-22T06:15:50-05:00March 10th, 2025|Character Study, Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘A Real Pain’ chronicles the search for self

The search for self is a process that many of us believe we complete when we come of age. However, as we often later discover, it’s something we need to revisit as the circumstances of our lives evolve. In fact, we might find that this is an ongoing, life-long process that requires continual vigilance and assessment. That can be confusing, if not disconcerting, particularly if we assume we’ve arrived at all the answers we need at an earlier stage of life.

Brent Marchant2025-02-18T18:12:01-05:00December 12th, 2024|Comedy, Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Beyond Utopia’ charts the quest for freedom of thought

Imagine living in a country where citizens are effectively not allowed to think for themselves, where their beliefs are determined for them. And the dogma used to drill those thoughts into their minds is so formidable and so pervasive that most residents readily capitulate, even reaching a point where they gladly and willingly comply with the dictates planted in their consciousness. They accept conditions for what they are and even celebrate them, readily buying into the notion that they’re living in some kind of paradise, deplorable circumstances to the contrary notwithstanding. However, when individuals are coerced into a situation where it’s impossible to know – or even believe – any differently, it’s not surprising that they comply.

Brent Marchant2024-05-03T10:09:30-05:00March 24th, 2024|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’ grapples with a heartbreaking choice

What lengths would you go to for the one you love? When adverse situations arise, we can be left with difficult choices, the kind that frequently leave us between a rock and a hard place. No matter how much we care for a loved one, circumstances may thrust us into a position where Herculean efforts – with no guarantee of success – are often foisted upon us.

Brent Marchant2022-06-22T09:58:55-05:00May 12th, 2022|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews, Romance|

‘Mass’ outlines a process for healing and forgiveness

Getting past the pain in our lives is an arduous undertaking. Recovering from a terrible tragedy can be exceedingly difficult. Even talking about it can be grueling. But that’s what needs to happen if the survivors of such atrocities want to get past them.

Brent Marchant2022-03-29T09:31:15-05:00February 20th, 2022|Conscious Creation, Drama, 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|

‘The Hottest August’ showcases how to survey the bigger picture

“The Hottest August” (2019). Cast: Clare Coulter (narrator). Director: Brett Story. Web site. Trailer. What does the future hold? That’s a question many of us ask ourselves often, both individually and collectively. But how wide a view do we take when answering it, again, either individually or collectively? That’s a subject addressed in the experimental new documentary, “The Hottest August.” It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that, when we contemplate the future, we usually do so in terms of how it most directly affects us as individuals or in our peer groups. We think about our homes, our families, our communities, our professions and so forth, the aspects of our lives that have the most immediate impact. [...]

Brent Marchant2020-03-26T07:15:44-05:00February 25th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘Destroyer’ makes the case for making amends

‟Destroyerˮ (2018). Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Bradley Whitford, Sebastian Stan, James Jordan, Zach Villa, Scoot McNairy, Beau Knapp, Jade Pettyjohn, Toby Huss, Shamier Anderson. Director: Karyn Kusama. Screenplay: Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Web site. Trailer. The school of life can hand us some pretty tough lessons. If we fail in our efforts, we may come away from such experiences dejected. Those feelings can be particularly difficult to bear if we’re aware that our failings stem from wrongdoings that we might have (or should have) avoided, incidents that leave us wearing a badge of shame. And rectifying those missteps may prove quite the challenge as a downtrodden law enforcement professional discovers for herself in the gripping new [...]

Brent Marchant2019-02-28T12:02:54-05:00February 4th, 2019|Conscious Creation, Drama, 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|