Author Archives
UNC Charlotte '18 graduate | Film Intern at CLTure | North Carolina Film Critics Association member | Lover of bad teen horror movies and 90s pop music
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“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” nails the magic balance of being familiar yet its own among an established anthology of films.
When Matt Reeves concluded his prequel trilogy to Planet of the Apes in 2017 with the masterful War for the Planet of the Apes, it was basically understood that the story was ending there. It wrapped up the story of… Read More ›
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Caitlin Cronenberg’s “Humane” mixes the battle royale genre with a reverse whodunnit, creating an uncomfortably real-feeling fictional future.
The word on everyone’s lips in the entertainment industry these days is “nepotism,” and in turn, the term “nepo baby,” used to describe those with immense parental connections within the industry which give them a springboard into their own careers,… Read More ›
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“Abigail” is buckets of bloody fun even while treading familiar Radio Silence territory.
Radio Silence’s Abigail comes hot off the heels of two very unfortunate events surrounding its main cast. First, and easily the less tragic of the two, is the sheer publicity surrounding the firing of its main star Melissa Barrera from… Read More ›
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Very loosely based on a real story, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” provides the typical Ritchie mid-level romp.
Guy Ritchie has become something of a young Ridley Scott lately, not in any stylistic choices he’s making as a filmmaker, not at all, but merely in the sheer quantity of his output. In the past five years alone, Ritchie… Read More ›
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Alex Garland is back to his bar-raising ways with immersive “Civil War.”
The honeymoon phase of Alex Garland’s directorial career, beginning in 2015 with Ex Machina, felt unlike anything we had seen from a genre filmmaker in ages, a miracle of sorts. A long-time screenwriter and novelist, Garland’s foray into directing his… Read More ›
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Horror blockbuster “Exhuma (파묘)” unleashes stateside thanks to Well Go USA.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from horror films over the years, it’s to be cremated. I’m simply too tired and lazy to be an effective zombie, and I’m simply too apathetic to want to haunt anyone after my death…. Read More ›
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Despite elements which reduce the effectiveness, the poignantly crafted “The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne Animal)” remains an affecting watch.
With the Oscars now firmly behind us, for better or for worse, one might technically believe that the season of awards films are also behind us, too, at least for the next few months before Cannes gives us some early… Read More ›
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“Mean Girls” transitions from Millennial to Gen Z cliques with some growing pains in this cinematic adaptation of the musical production.
Contrary to the millennial pitchforks you will find unsheathed in the TikTok comment section of any ad for this film, Mean Girls is not a straight remake of the 2004 teen classic also titled Mean Girls, but rather an adaptation… Read More ›
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“Night Swim” can’t tread water to save its life
January has long since been the dumping ground for studio films that executives and test audiences have deemed to be the low points of their upcoming slates, whether it be cheap action films, cheesy horror films, unfunny comedies, or cliché… Read More ›
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The mysteries of “The Abyss” surface digitally in the new 4K UHD edition.
The last article I wrote for Elements of Madness, rather ironically, was a 4K home media review of another James Cameron film, Titanic, which hit 4K Blu-ray last month. Now, as if churning out the rest of his catalog and… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Cord Jefferson’s debut satire “American Fiction” is more than just a comedy.
Satire is becoming increasingly more difficult to pull off successfully in 2023. Whether it be because the barrier of entry for people to create content results in lower quality content, or maybe it’s everyone’s complete lack of media literacy to… Read More ›
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“Titanic” embarks on home video in 4K with a large cargo of special features.
It was such a strange sensation excitedly signing up for covering Titanic’s 4K Blu-ray release. I figured that delving into such a task would be easy for me as I (sometimes ashamedly) broadcast to the world that amongst everything else… Read More ›
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4K Home release of “Oppenheimer” explodes with special features as it flies off the shelves.
Honestly, what is there to say about Oppenheimer that hasn’t been plastered all over Twitter (currently rebranded to X) and Letterboxd ad infinitum? The last movie Christopher Nolan did without involvement from Warner Bros. Pictures was 1999’s Momento. During the… Read More ›
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Creature Feature “The Meg 2: The Trench” leaves much in the gloomy depths save for the HD audio track.
I really want to like the Meg movies, because, on paper, they really speak to my sensibilities when it comes to mindless summer blockbusters. I, like many (if the box office returns of late say anything), are tired of superhero… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Others” is the latest horror thriller to join The Criterion Collection.
In 2023, The Academy is still struggling to rock with horror in any major sense beyond a few lucky takers in titles like Misery (1990), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Get Out (2017), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), but rarely… Read More ›
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“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” Blu-ray satiates in spite of box office bleed out.
There was an immense feeling of betrayal once the critical response to The Last Voyage of the Demeter hit outlets the day before its release, and while a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t the worst score that a film could… Read More ›
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4K UHD release of “The Mist” is a new horror experience in black and white and with Atmos surround sound.
As I grow older, I find my taste in horror slowly but surely changing with each year, my taste for finding what could jolt me with the most adrenaline-pumping action in my youth slowly morphing into a preference for things… Read More ›
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Fans of “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” are in for a treat via 4K UHD.
When it comes to ‘90s slasher franchises, there is Scream (1996), and then there are the red-headed step-children that are every other franchise that came in its wake. Though, there is one that is more like a strawberry blonde step-child… Read More ›
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When it comes to “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines,” perhaps dead is better. [Fantastic Fest]
I’m fairly certain I might be the only person on Earth who feels this way, but I stand firm in that the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary is a better rendition of Stephen King’s source novel than that of the… Read More ›
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“The Exorcist” 4K UHD release may not be pretty on the outside but delivers in updated sound.
What is to be said about the recently late, great William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (or in the case of the actual title shown at the beginning of the film, William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, if you want to get technical… Read More ›