Author Archives
My escape has been a movie theatre for as long as I can quite frankly remember. My dad swears by the fact that I saw Aladdin in theatres (despite it being in theatres 13 months before I was born, but hey movie magic I guess?). Growing up I was incredibly fortunate to have a projector room in my childhood home with surround sound where I would spend my formative years, watching absolutely anything I could get my eyes on. There was never a movie that I didn't at least try to watch, as being young only certain things captured my attention. I would get lost in that room for hours, sometimes even days. As well I lived down the street from my local multiplex so anytime a new movie would come out whether it be the newest superhero movie, James Bond movie, Scary Movie or anything that captured my interest I was there Friday at 5pm seeing the newest thing and if it was good, most likely revisiting with friends that weekend. I grew up in front of the silver screen, graduated University from the film studies program, and have been writing for numerous publications for the past decade. I look forward to continuing to write, explore new films, and indulge in all the offerings the movies have to bring to us. As Vin Diesel said in the welcome back advertisement, "For more than a hundred years there's one place where we all came together to be entertained, to escape, to escape, to go somewhere new -- the movies"
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“Hold Your Breath” keeps you in a chokehold until the very end. [TIFF]
No one has ever questioned Sarah Paulson’s (Serenity; Ocean’s 8) ability to breathe life into something, and with her newest film, Hold Your Breath, this streak will continue as she is effortlessly brilliant in it and genuinely transforms the movie… Read More ›
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Mike Flanagan adapts one of Stephen King’s non-horror works with great aplomb in “The Life of Chuck.” [TIFF]
If you’ve ever read, listened to, or watched an interview with Stephen King about the adaptations of his works, he typically hates them for one reason or another, but usually because they stray enough from the source material to make… Read More ›
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Steven Kostanski delivers another ‘80s-set comedy horror in “Frankie Freako.”
From the director of “The Veggie Masher” from V/H/S/94 (2021), Canadian sci-fi horror The Void (2016), and one of the best campy monster movies, PG: Psycho Goreman (2020), comes a movie that feels directly ripped out of the 1980s in… Read More ›
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“Paramount Scares Vol. 2” manifests with four fun titles and extras.
Want to know what happens when you have a barrel of apples and a dozen or so apples have worms and are spoiled? The entire barrel ends up becoming trash and all that hard work has gone to waste. The… Read More ›
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Documentary “Piece by Piece” leaves you feeling “Happy” exploring the magic of musician/producer Pharrell Williams. [TIFF]
Morgan Neville is no stranger to documentaries, nor musical documentaries, but his newest certainly provokes something new and manages to create a wonderfully whimsical documentary that captures the personality and soul of the subject matter at hand. Neville’s other works… Read More ›
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Thanks to The Criterion Collection, “All of Us Strangers” receives a proper physical release.
We live in a world, it seems, where every single thing anyone ever does gets criticized and argued about no matter how absolutely fantastic and incredible things are. No matter what a company or someone does, there’s always going to… Read More ›
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Fargeat, Moore, Quaid, and Qualley congeal to deliver the chaotic horror that is “The Substance.” [TIFF]
If you’re a horror fan and exist on planet Earth, get ready to bow down to Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) and consume every fk’d up thing she ever dares to make. Her newest film, The Substance, blows away the audience by… Read More ›
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Tragic, whimsical romance “Daniela Forever” perfectly doses audiences with Nacho Vigalondo’s trademark story-telling. [TIFF]
Have you heard of writer/director Nacho Vigalondo? If you haven’t, you’re truly missing out. While he’s certainly not new to the scene, he has cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to weird, insane, crazy… Read More ›
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“Presence” unsettles with its unique on-screen perspective and haunts long after. [TIFF]
While some audiences may think that Steven Soderbergh (Kimi; Ocean’s Eleven) may have lost the spark he once had, one thing is for certain — the choices of what he decides to partake in creatively in some capacity are all… Read More ›
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Sci-fi romance “You Are Not Alone” is a unique study of characters, alienation, redemption, and hope. [TIFF]
Science fiction comes in a variety of subgenres and the first feature from Philippe Lupien and Marie-Hélène Viens breaks into the subgenre of science fiction romance, creating an other-worldly experience for the audience. While the end result may be something… Read More ›
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José Lourenço’s feature debut “Young Werther” will charm most audiences, rom-com or otherwise. [TIFF]
It is not an unfair statement to say that I am fond of the romantic comedy genre; it hits a sweet spot for my personal taste and certainly can be charming and enjoyable even if it is far-fetched and schlocky…. Read More ›
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A full pew of talent on all sides of the pulpit delivers a flawless thriller in “Conclave.” [TIFF]
How does one, specifically Edward Berger, follow up All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)? With one of the most interesting and captivating stories about selecting a new Pope and the events that happen during the conclave. For a task… Read More ›
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Drama “Really Happy Someday” captures how the process of becoming your true self is far from linear. [TIFF]
Having been a fan of musical theatre practically my entire life, I can only assume the trepidations, hardships, and sheer determination and power one needs to go through being a live performer and dealing with the day-to-day challenges. There is… Read More ›
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“Anora” writer/director Sean Baker does what he does best in bringing out incredible performances from his cast. [TIFF]
I want to preface this with the fact that I am a fan of Sean Baker (writer, director, producer, editor). I think his last three movies (Tangerine (2015), Florida Project (2017), and Red Rocket (2021)) are all incredible pieces of… Read More ›
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Apocalyptic musical “The End” is both chaotic and balanced to mixed results. [TIFF]
Musicals about the apocalypse or the end of the world are certainly not new territory, but they all succeed to various mileage. While there is no world where a Mad Max-type movie is going to put to song, Joshua Oppenheimer’s… Read More ›
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Actor Kaniehtiio Horn establishes herself as a fierce writer and director in her debut feature “Seeds.” [TIFF]
Directing and writing your first feature is certainly a daunting task, but to also star in the vehicle, making yourself a triple threat, is certainly a large task. However, Kaniehtiio Horn (Possessor; Alice, Darling) not only decides to grab that… Read More ›
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29 films I’m excited to cover during Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
For the very first time, Elements of Madness has boots on the ground for Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with me, EoM Contributor Justin Waldman, handling coverage. As such, I’ve been asked to share the list of films I’m either… Read More ›


