Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Past Bylines at CLTure, Pretty Vacant One, FilmFed, & Mountain Xpress | NC Film Critics Association, Southeastern Film Critics Association, & Critics Choice Association member | Rotten Tomatoes approved individual critic
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Ryuya Syzuki’s contemplative existential drama “Jinsei” arrives on home video with few supplemental materials.
How does one measure a life? Through the seasons of change? Through their age? Through their responsibility? In the scope of all things, how does one determine how well or poorly someone lived their life? You could live for a… Read More ›
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Heading to Sweethaven worked out well for Popeye in Robert Altman’s live-action adaptation, but what about for you in 4K UHD?
Just because a film doesn’t succeed at the box office, doesn’t mean it fails to resonate with audiences. Despite making millions of dollars, 2026 titles like Supergirl and Masters of the Universe are being labeled as failures for not meeting… Read More ›
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Kentaro Hagiwara’s manga adaptation “Wind Breaker” transforms shōnen entertainment into a theatrical Blue Sky experience. [Fantasia]
What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to hold power? Is it the means to defeat a thousand foes and to draw fear from opposition *or* is it to be able to protect all who matter… Read More ›
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Chinese legend is adapted into a modern bombastic action adventure with heart in Mu Zhengyang’s directorial debut “All Wishes Come True!”
Over the last seven years, Chinese studios have tapped the 16th century Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods) to craft stories in live-action (Creation of the Gods trilogy) and animated (Legend of the White Snake; New Gods: Yang Jian; Ne Zha)…. Read More ›
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In the case of “Coyote vs. ACME,” we find them toony, looney, and hilariously on-point with their social satire. Case Dismissed.
In 1949, history was made with the debut of Wile E. Coyote and his enteral pursuant Road Runner in the Chuck Jones-directed (Hair-Raising Hare), Michael Maltese-written (Duck Amuck) Fast and Furry-ous. For seven minutes, audiences came to know the hilarity… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Vincent Grashaw’s true crime prison dramedy “Bruton” is a lesson in what we should leave behind to reach what matters. [Locarno Film Festival]
There’s a saying that “truth is stranger than fiction” and that’s because reality has no editor or studio rep calling something too unbelievable to remain in the script. Right now, what’s happening in the world, specifically within the United States,… Read More ›
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“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” aspires to push our friendly neighborhood web-head into new territory using well-worn motifs.
“I see your face with every punch I take And every bone I break, it’s all for you And my worst pains are words I cannot say Still I will always fight on for you” – From “Gifts and Curses”… Read More ›
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Amaze, amaze! “Project Hail Mary” arrives on home video with a few supplemental materials to begin your galactic mission.
Photosensitivity Warning: There are several sequences involving flashing lights, including the immediate opening of the film, which may cause issues for photosensitive viewers. Please take precautions before watching the film. Hope is a powerful thing. In the darkest of nights,… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier’s darkly comic crime drama “Coup de torchon” joins The Criterion Collection with a brand-new 4K HD restoration.
“All Crimes Are Collective.” – Title of the included essay by Professor Lynn A. Higgins. A society is nothing more than a collection of individuals who agree on rules. This is obvious, of course, and, quite frequently, presumed, which is… Read More ›
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Lionsgate Limited offers a first-time 4K UHD edition that celebrates the happy-sad musical, coming-of-age tale “Sing Street.”
“For our art, Cosmo. You can never do anything by half.” — Raphina to Conor in Sing Street There are films that, once seen, never leave you. It could be because of the shared experience of seeing something that feels… Read More ›
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Techno-action thriller “God Skin” examines the choiceless choices people face. [Fantasia]
No matter how well off we think we are, each of us are one bad day away from mountains of debt. This is especially true in areas where medical bills can mount, forcing people to make choiceless choices regarding what… Read More ›
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Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” recontextualizes the heroic epic poem into a melancholic exploration of regret and consequence.
Review Warning: The following review will do its best to refrain from specific details as it relates to the filmmaker’s intention, but the source material is so woven into modern storytelling in a variety of ways that not discussing the… Read More ›
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The “Crime City” series shifts to Japan with head-bashing action thriller “TOKYO BURST.” [Fantasia]
In 2017, director Kang Yun-sung’s based-on-a-true-story The Outlaws introduced audiences to Detective Ma (Don Lee), colloquially known as “Beast Cop” for the way he resolves conflicts within his district with his power-packed fists. Watching Ma tackle Chinese gangsters trying to… Read More ›
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Via Vision Entertainment calls school back into session with a brand-new 4K UHD restoration of Robert Mandel’s “The Substitute.”
For a period of time, setting stories within schools was pretty common. Whether in television (Welcome Back, Kotter; Saved by the Bell) or film (Dead Poets Society; Summer School), the relationship of teacher and student was utilized to explore everything… Read More ›
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Explore the various realms free from kombat with “Mortal Kombat II” on home video.
The Mortal Kombat series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias managed to survive parental outrage over the violence, the destruction of arcades during the rise of at-home gaming, and even, remarkably, Annihilation (1997). Yet, even with its expansion of… Read More ›
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Open up wide and let “Corpus” in. [Fantasia]
“And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you only hold me tight We’ll be holding on forever And we’ll only be making it right ‘Cause we’ll never be wrong Together, we can… Read More ›
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The only thing stopping Springtime for Hitler is “The Last Temptation of Becky.” [Fantasia]
“You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin’.” – Lt. Aldo Raine in Inglourious Basterds (2009) There are a few things in cinema that most audiences agree on:… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Kenichi Kutsuna’s animated video game adaptation “Sekiro: No Defeat” beautifully captures its jidaigeki roots through classic animation and action. [Fantasia]
What does it mean to live an honorable life? Is it honoring yourself? Honoring your community? Existing by a code? These may sound like old-fashioned queries, the sort of things that warriors or soldiers asked themselves when written by poets,… Read More ›
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“Due West” Digital Code Giveaway
After a stint on the festival circuit, director Evan Miller’s drama Due West starring Adrianne Palicki (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Henry Thomas (Doctor Sleep) is set to come available for home viewing. Courtesy of Cineverse, EoM is giving away… Read More ›
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Nick Taylor’s doc “RUBBERHEAD: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson” successfully unveils the magic of making movies but not of the subject himself. [Fantasia]
Movies are a place for escape, but also for self-discovery. They take us to unseen lands, places of pure imagination, situations in which the amazing and the horrible occur in equal measure, containing the ability to excite us in ways… Read More ›