The Cinema Scribe

Most of us would probably agree that learning lessons is an important part of our life experience. However, at the same time, most of us would also likely concur that we seldom know what those lessons will be, what their messages are or how they will be delivered. Could they emerge from the circumstances that appear? Will they stem from the people who cross our paths? Or could it be in some other...

Philosophers and metaphysicians are generally quick to agree that we’re all fundamentally connected, both to one another and to everything around us, that there’s a certain universality binding all there is in our existence. But how many of us actually take the time to truly recognize, consider and appreciate this or what makes this attainable? Maybe this calls for stepping away from our everyday...

In a throw-away age like the one in which we live, virtually everything is vulnerable. In fact, we can become so accustomed to this way of thinking that it becomes an ingrained mindset, one in which we come to believe that anything perceived as not being expediently useful is potentially disposable. But how far are we willing to go with this? Indeed, aren’t there inherent dangers that we might tak...

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 inspiring and comes at a time wh...

Choice is arguably the most precious personal resource we possess. It makes so much possible, and it provides us with so many opportunities to seek the fulfillment of what we hold most dear. Because of that, however, there may well be times when what we choose to embrace and invoke won’t be agreeable to others. But, then, the choices in question are ours and fundamentally not subject to the approv...

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...

Hope is an undeniably powerful force, and a belief in it firmly cements our faith in it in our consciousness. It’s difficult to shake, too, hanging on persistently in our worldview. Admittedly, though, when circumstances challenge its validity and viability, that quality can come under fire, perhaps even prompting us to question its strength and resilience. But such conditions can also serve to af...

Many of us often find ourselves in the pursuit of callings that may seem out of character or that we don’t fully understand ourselves. These ventures frequently require true commitment on our part, yet we may also find ourselves perplexed by their seeming inexplicability. And, if we think about walking away from them, we simply can’t bring ourselves to do so. The call to commit is simply too stron...

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. And, the greater the degree of the offenses committed against us, the more chal...

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 arri...

Creating and leading a life of fulfillment frequently requires the judicious use of our personal power. That can be challenging in light of what it takes to pull that off. We must be suitably focused yet handle the particulars involved with a deft touch. However, if we fail at that, it’s easy to become frustrated, possibly overpowering our efforts that potentially yield deleterious side effects, i...

There are times in our lives when nearly all of us exceed the limits of our capabilities (and often quite unexpectedly at that). But that can be a tremendous blessing, especially when we’re confronted by circumstances where such aptitudes are called for. Find out more in a review of the delightful and insightful new animated feature, "The Wild Robot".

Friendship is one of those subjects that doesn’t receive nearly enough meaningful attention in the movies. Yet, when we look at its prevalence in life and the many forms it can take, it certainly provides plenty of fodder for engaging storytelling, given that it’s a topic we can all ultimately relate to – and in myriad ways at that. And films that explore unusual and fascinating expressions of thi...

There are many ways we can live our lives, but the one quality that most of us strive for is to find out what makes that existence – and, consequently, us – great. We frequently encounter many fits and starts, and, no matter what “progress” we might like to think we’re making, we’re still often plagued by doubt and second-guessing. So how do we ultimately arrive at a definitively fulfilling answer...

Sitting in on a loved one’s death watch can be a trying time in more ways than one can count, circumstances to which many of us can probably relate. It can be an especially stressful, even openly hostile, experience when incompatible family members are brought together for such an ordeal, one whose duration and developments are impossible to predict. Dealing with the impending grief associated wit...

An old saying maintains that we can pick our friends but not our family. But is that really so? It might seem that way at times, especially in situations where we struggle mightily to get along with them and put up with their annoyances and quirks. However, one could also contend that the individuals we incarnate with are present in our lives to help us learn valuable lessons in areas like coopera...

What makes us successful as creative beings? That’s a question that scholars, philosophers and artists have been asking rhetorically for eons. Much, of course, depends on the nature of the creation. A lot also depends on the traits and temperaments of the creators. But the actual mix of attributes necessary for achieving such fulfillment may ultimately be difficult to define – or, as the French mi...

When everything gets taken away from one’s life, it must be nearly impossible to find something that provides a meaningful reason to carry on. The pervasive sense of hopelessness that sets in makes it difficult to establish a purpose in one’s existence. And so it often is for the incarcerated, individuals faced with an uncertain future of indeterminate duration. One can’t help but wonder whether e...

In an age where personal accountability has become increasingly hard to come by, it’s comforting to know that it’s never too late to grow up. Granted, willingly assuming responsibility for our actions and attitudes may not always be easy, pleasant or fun, but it’s something we all must ultimately do, no matter how much we may not want to. Once we do, however, we may discover aspects of ourselves t...

No matter how well life may treat us, almost everyone undergoes a memorable, fulfilling experience that, unfortunately, doesn’t last as long as we thought (or hoped) it would. These scenarios – usually romantic in nature – leave such profound, enduring impressions on us that we can’t shake them when they end, often abruptly and somewhat unceremoniously. We tend to look back upon them fondly, but w...

According to playwright David Mamet, “Age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.” The kind of wisdom that comes from life experience can be tapped and put to use in many ways, particularly when others try to pull the wool over the eyes of those who’ve been around for a while and have had ample opportunity to stockpile such seasoned and shrewd sagacity. And, when that aptitude is comb...

Death. It’s a subject that many of us don’t want to deal with, let alone feel comfortable talking about. It can be especially difficult when it involves someone we care deeply about. Yet death is the one fate we all ultimately share, so it’s not something we can conveniently try to avoid. Given that, then, this is an eventuality that we must all find a way to accept. Find out more in a review of t...

When answers are elusive, we often become frustrated that we can’t find them. That can be especially aggravating when the sought-after solutions are meant to address particularly difficult questions. We’re thus left wondering what to do. However, at times like these, we often resort to embarking on physical or spiritual journeys to tangible or metaphorical destinations that are believed to possess...

In all truthfulness, how often do most of us take the time to contemplate life’s “big issues”? Given the importance and impact they have on us, one might think they’re something we should all examine in greater detail and on a more frequent basis than we probably do. Yet we often find ourselves distracted by the comparatively inconsequential minutiae of everyday life, setting aside those grand que...

Childhood is the time of life when we form our views about how the world works and what it potentially has in store for us. It presents us with a variety of options for how we come to regard it, either positively or negatively or somewhere in between, a perspective often determined by the circumstances to which we’re exposed. But what matters most in all this is what we end up doing with our belie...