Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Contributing Senior Film Critic: CLTure | Past Bylines at Pretty Vacant One, FilmFed, & Mountain Xpress | The Cine-Men podcast co-host | NC Film Critics Association, Southeastern Film Critics Association, & Critics Choice Association member | Rotten Tomatoes approved individual critic
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“Thirteen Lives” presents a scripted and altered version of the 2018 Tham Luang Cave rescue.
June 23rd, 2018: after a football practice, 12 teammates and their assistant coach decided to explore the nearby Tham Luang Cave in the Tham Luang – Khun Nam Namg Non Forest Park of Northern Thailand. Unexpectedly, a storm hit, flooding… Read More ›
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Coming available on home video, “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is rated E for Everyone and everyone will have a blast.
It didn’t matter that the Davidson household flew a Nintendo flag, when June 1991 came around, the allure of a certain high-speed blue mammal released by Sega for their Genesis machine was a little hard to ignore. The appeal of… Read More ›
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“We Are Living Things” explores life and society through layered metaphors.
Whom among us hasn’t felt lost and alone, even in a crowded room of people? In some cases, the larger the environment, the smaller one may feel due to the vastness of it all. In that case, seeking connection to… Read More ›
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Meet Me at the Movies: Episode 471 – Summer Movie Experiences, Vol 2
As promised, since so many films just couldn’t quite make the cut to be discussed in the first volume of Summer Movie Experiences at Meet Me at the Movies, here is volume 2! That’s right, The Cine-Men – Douglas Davidson… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 71: Favorite Netflix Originals.
With the release of The Gray Man on Netflix, your Cine-Men hosts, Darryl and Douglas, decided to go through the deep Netflix catalogue to identify three of their favorite Netflix Originals. Despite common conception, this task proved harder than anticipated. In… Read More ›
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Geller and Goldfine’s documentary “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” is a study on art and appropriation.
When an artist creates something, they retain little control over what happens next. It could be received warmly, coolly, or not at all. In some instances, it can be taken, reformed, and found in its new incarnation. In recent memory,… Read More ›
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Experimental action thriller “Carter” combines a myriad of technical techniques to diminishing effects.
One of the more unmentioned action thrillers by wider audiences is director/co-writer Jung Byung-gil’s The Villainess (2017). It’s a story about a female assassin, how she got to where she is, and how she attempts to extricate herself from the… Read More ›
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“The Killer” slays. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There’s a subgenre in film that features a very simple and comfortable setup: retired/reclusive individual meets a young individual, forms a bond (often reluctantly), young individual gets into trouble (usually kidnapped) causing the retired/reclusive individual to jump back into action…. Read More ›
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Well Go USA unleashes action/comedy “Baby Assassins” upon a grateful home release audience.
Since its international premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins hasn’t been far from mind. I discussed it on two Cine-Men episodes, gave it a highlight mention in the 2021 Sticky List, and made sure to include… Read More ›
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Horror/thriller “Missing” lacks the suspense it needs to pack a punch. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
After a release in 2021, first-time feature director Shinzô Katayama’s (Mother, third assistant director) horror/thriller Missing (さがす) is having its North American premiere during Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. The concept of the film seeks to join the likes of… Read More ›
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Det. Ma and the rest of the Major Crimes Unit return to catch criminals in the action comedy thriller “The Roundup.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Actor/writer/producer Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has been making movies since 2005. He’s had roles in The Good the Bad the Weird (2008), Mother Vengeance (2012), a scene-stealing role in Train to Busan (2016), and, of course, the… Read More ›
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Anachronistic musical fusion “Inu-Oh” adapts an old story to tell a very modern tale of artistic freedom and personal identity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
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Writer/director Andrew Semans’s psychological thriller “Resurrection” is a powerhouse of a film, holding the potential to devastate its audience.
There are a lot of things about parenthood that are kept from the general public. Most talk about the wonderful things that come from being a parent, like getting to see a first-time reaction to something or sharing an experience,… Read More ›
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“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” Digital Code Giveaway
As of today, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to own on both physical and digital formats, as well as streaming on Disney+. If you didn’t snag a copy yet, this giveaway may just be for you. Physical… Read More ›
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Gather your charcuterie and sit down with jungle adventure “The Lost City” on home video.
A deleted scene from the Aaron and Adam Nee-directed film The Lost City features romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) and book cover model Dash (Channing Tatum) talking before going to sleep in a shared hammock. In this brief moment,… Read More ›
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“They Live in the Grey” DVD Giveaway
Writer/director team The Vang Brothers follow up their 2016 horror film Bedeviled with supernatural thriller They Live in the Grey. After releasing on Shudder in February of 2022 and in partnership with RLJE Films, They Live in the Grey is coming… Read More ›
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You’ve heard of the restaurant at the end of the world. How about the rest stop at the end of existence? It’s “Glorious.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There have been many films conceived, shot, and released since COVID-19 quarantines more or less stopped the world. Some of them put the virus front-and-center (The End of Us), while others used the period as an opportunity to tell a… Read More ›
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“White Elephant” DVD Giveaway
Writer/director Jesse V. Johnson has produced some truly fun action films over the last few years: The Debt Collector (2018), Triple Threat (2019), Avengement (2019), and Hell Hath No Fury (2021), to name a few. His latest project is White Elephant, an action thriller centered… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 70: Top Five Films of 2022 (So Far).
As we’re officially halfway through the year, it’s time to discuss the films that are at the top The Cine-Men’s recommendation lists. We’ve got foreign films, blockbusters, documentaries, and more between the two of us! Of course, with the recent… Read More ›
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It’s just another Thursday in the star-studded action-thriller “The Gray Man” from directing duo the Russos.
Directing team the Russos (brothers Joe and Anthony) are no strangers to adapting works for cinema. If their work on 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier wasn’t enough to gain your attention, their directing of the end of the Marvel… Read More ›