Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig) leads a sickeningly ghastly life. As a Sonderkommando in the Auschwitz concentration camp, he’s been consigned to a special prison work crew charged with aiding his Nazi captors in the gruesome task of exterminating his fellow Jews.
Critics Choice Award
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Arts & Entertainment
‘The Big Short’ dissects a financial meltdown
by Brent Marchant January 22, 2016In 2005, virtually everyone in the financial services industry was living high on the hog. Despite the losses that occurred in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the economy rebounded strongly in the time since that fateful day in 2001. Money rolled in as if it were on a perpetual upward spiral, a nonstop gravy train that most insiders thought would never end. People in the business partied like there was no tomorrow, celebrating the good fortune that was now being looked on as unending and matter of fact.
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Arts & EntertainmentFamily & Relationships
‘Joy’ celebrates pursuing one’s dreams
by Brent Marchant December 31, 2015Based on the lives of several successful women entrepreneurs (most notably inventor and cable television product sales mogul Joy Mangano), the film follows the misadventures, exploits and accomplishments of a composite character simply named Joy (Jennifer Lawrence). When viewers first meet the film’s heroine, she lives a harried and frustrating life. As the divorced mother of two, she works a thankless job as an airline ticket counter agent, barely eking out a living to support her largely dysfunctional family.
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Arts & Entertainment
Courage, hope and inspiration heralded in ‘The Danish Girl’
by Brent Marchant December 24, 2015In 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 ballet dancer. But, above all, they were madly in love with one another. They were also anxious to start a family, a process that wasn’t going too well (but at which they nevertheless kept trying).
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Arts & EntertainmentHealth & Well-being
‘Youth’ explores what we make of life
by Brent Marchant December 18, 2015A lifelong movie fan and longtime metaphysics student, Brent Marchant is the author of “Get the Picture?!: Conscious Creation Goes to the Movies” and “Consciously Created Cinema: The Movie Lover’s Guide to the Law of Attraction,” both of which look at how conscious creation (a.k.a. the law of attraction) is illustrated through film.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: Conscious creation films fare well at Oscars
by Brent Marchant March 1, 2012Movies with conscious creation-related themes fared well once again at this year’s Oscars ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday night. There weren’t many surprises, however, with front-running nominees taking home most of the awards as expected.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: Dreams, preconceptions, identity under review in ‘Albert Nobbs’ by Brent Marchant
by Brent Marchant February 10, 2012Hotel waiter Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) is an oft-described strange little man. But then that’s probably because he’s not a man at all. Rather, Albert is a middle-aged woman who, because of the need to fend for herself financially, has been intentionally disguising herself as a member of the opposite sex since she was 14.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: ‘Extremely Loud…’ proves incredibly unsatisfying
by Brent Marchant January 27, 2012To be sure, there are some conscious creation themes explored in the film, most notably those related to facing fears, examining unexplored probabilities, understanding the nature of the reality we experience, embracing change by letting go and appreciating the inherent connectedness of all things. However, the passing and often-haphazard treatment they receive reminds viewers of just how many other pictures are out there that handle these subjects much more deftly and substantively.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: ‘The Artist’ explores the need to evolve by Brent Marchant
by Brent Marchant December 30, 2011Who would have thought that a silent, black-and-white film would stand a chance in today’s demanding movie market? But the decision to go with it has paid off handsomely in terms of critical acclaim and numerous accolades.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: Magic comes to life in ‘Hugo’ by Brent Marchant
by Brent Marchant December 16, 2011In many ways, “Hugo” is a primer on a variety of conscious creation principles. It clearly illustrates how our beliefs and expectations – for better or worse – yield the reality we each experience. Hugo, for example, is so convinced that the completion of his task is essential to his future well-being that he repeatedly draws circumstances to him that make fulfillment of his vision possible. He carries on, despite seeming obstacles, and he’s richly rewarded for his efforts.