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Year: 2015

‘Joy’ celebrates pursuing one’s dreams

“Joy” (2015). Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Dascha Polanco, Elisabeth Röhm, Susan Lucci, Laura Wright, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ken Howard, Melissa Rivers, Drena De Niro, Isabelle Crovetti-Cramp, Emily Nuñez, Madison Wolfe, Aundrea Gadsby, Gia Gadsby, Alexander Cook, Bates Wilder, Bill Thorpe, Marianne Leone, Donna Mills. Director: David O. Russell. Screenplay: David O. Russell. Story: Annie Mumolo and David O. Russell. Web site. Trailer. It’s a pretty safe bet to say that most of us have dreams we would like to see realized. But how many of us actually follow through even partially, let alone at all? Perhaps it’s because we don’t know how to make them happen. Or maybe we don’t have the gumption for what it takes. But perhaps it’s a matter of our outlook, the set of beliefs we hold about the viability of our dreams and how they can be made manifest. Those in search of inspiration on this front may find what they’re looking for in the new fact-based comedy-drama, “Joy.” Based on the lives of several successful women entrepreneurs (most notably inventor and cable television product sales mogul Joy Mangano), the film follows the misadventures, ...

Courage, hope and inspiration heralded in ‘The Danish Girl’

“The Danish Girl” (2015). Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw, Amber Heard, Adrian Schiller, Sebastian Koch, Pip Torrens. Director: Tom Hooper. Screenplay: Lucinda Coxon. Book: David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl. Web site. Trailer. To get through awkward times during our upbringing, most of us were probably advised at one point or another to “just be yourself,” a nebulous suggestion we likely found difficult to fathom. But consider what that might mean for someone who lacks a clear sense of his or her own identity, even when it comes to something as fundamental as gender. Imagine how frightening such a prospect would be. If you can appreciate that, then you’ll have an idea of what goes on in the mind of the protagonist in the new fact-based biopic, “The Danish Girl.” In 1926, life was good for Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife, Gerda (Alicia Vikander). The couple lived comfortably in Copenhagen as aspiring artists; Einar specialized in landscapes, and Gerda painted portraits. When not working, they enjoyed a lively social life, hobnobbing with the city’s social elite and members of the arts community, such as their good friend, Ulla (Amber Heard), a colorful though somewhat flighty ...
‘Youth’ explores what we make of life

‘Youth’ explores what we make of life

“Youth” (2015). Cast: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano, Rachel Weisz, Jane Fonda, Abe Macqueen, Dorji Wangchuk, Madalina Ghenea, Luna Mijovic, Roly Serrano, Wolfgang Michael, Ed Stoppard, Paloma Faith, Robert Seethaler, Lee Artin Boschin, Sumi Jo, Nate Dern, Alex Beckett, Mark Gessner, Tom Lipinski, Chloe Pirrie, Sonia Gessner, Emilia Jones, Heidi Maria Glössner, Helmut Förnbacher. Director: Paolo Sorrentino. Screenplay: Paolo Sorrentino. Web site. Trailer. The meaning of life is something that has mesmerized, perplexed and confounded mankind throughout the ages. And, much of the time, we come away from asking this question with no definitive conclusions. But making the effort to find answers is ultimately what counts, especially before the end arrives, an undertaking pursued in earnest by a colorful cast of characters in the moving new cinematic meditation, “Youth.” British composer and orchestra conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine), former maestro of the Venice Symphony, has spent years vacationing at a luxury spa in the Swiss Alps, enjoying the exquisite scenery and the company of his long-time friend, Hollywood filmmaker Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel). In some ways, the octogenarians have a lot in common, such as years of memories, mutual prostate problems, and the marriage of Fred’s daughter, Lena (Rachel ...
Spread Some Holiday Cheer!

Spread Some Holiday Cheer!

Why are these people smiling? They just got their copies of Get the Picture?!: Conscious Creation Goes to the Movies and Consciously Created Cinema: The Movie Lover’s Guide to the Law of Attraction! Photo by David Castillo Dominici, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net These books, available in print and ebook formats, make ideal gifts for movie lovers and followers of conscious creation/law of attraction principles, so pick up copies for everyone on your holiday shopping list – including yourself if that’s you! For a sample of Get the Picture?!, click here, and for a sample of Consciously Created Cinema, click here. To find our more about these titles, visit their dedicated web sites. For Get the Picture?!, click here, and for Consciously Created Cinema, click here. The books are available from all major online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo, among others. You can also keep up with the latest developments about these titles on Facebook, Pinterest and Google+, and be sure to follow me on Twitter (@Brent_Marchant). Happy Holidays, everybody, and best of luck with your creations in the New Year! For Get the Picture?! on Amazon, click hereFor Get the Picture?! on Barnes & Noble, click hereFor ...
Project Bring Me To Life Radio Show Now Available on Multiple Web Sites

Project Bring Me To Life Radio Show Now Available on Multiple Web Sites

In case you missed last week’s broadcast of my interview on the Project Bring Me To Life radio show with host Christopher Closson, you can now hear it in podcast format for on-demand listening from the following sources: iTunes, Stitcher, Spreaker, Reality Sandwich and Disinfo. And, while you’re at it, check out the show’s YouTube preview and my PBMTL profile on the web site’s home page. Tune in for a lively discussion about conscious creation/law of attraction principles in the movies ...
Another Holiday Gift

Another Holiday Gift

If once is fun, twice is nice, so, to say thank you again to my loyal readers who have supported me and my writing over the years (and to share my gratitude with those who are still learning about it), I’d like to present everyone a second gift for the holidays – an excerpt from my book, Consciously Created Cinema: The Movie Lover’s Guide to the Law of Attraction, my review of the emerging Christmas favorite, “The Blind Side.” * * * What You Don’t See Coming “The Blind Side” Year of Release: 2009Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head, Lily Collins,Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates, Adriane Lenox, Sharon Morris, Omar DorseyDirector: John Lee HancockScreenplay: John Lee HancockBook: Michael Lewis, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game Often in life we think we know where our lives are headed, but then something happens that takes us down a completely unexpected path. What we don’t see coming, however, can be truly transformative, taking us places we might never have envisioned (despite having drawn the conditions to us that make such events possible). Such a remarkable set of circumstances provides the basis for the touching, fact-based comedy-drama, “The Blind Side.” Based ...
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