Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Contributing Senior Film Critic: CLTure | Past Bylines at Pretty Vacant One and FilmFed | 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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Writer/director Tyler Taormina’s dreamlike mosaic, “Happer’s Comet,” eschews formality for the metaphysical. [BAMcinemaFest]
Writer/director Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye) returned home to New York to move in with his family during the initial lockdown period in 2020. During that time, with help from friends, online strangers, and his family, Taormina spent four months… Read More ›
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Who wouldn’t love a little “True Romance” in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision?
When it came to the films of the late ‘80s into the ‘00s, there was nothing like a Tony Scott film. He took us on the highway to the danger zone (Top Gun (1986)), he brought the boys back together… Read More ›
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Director Rita Baghadadi’s “Sirens” throws you into the middle of the lives of co-lead guitarists of the Middle East’s only all-female metal band. [BAMcinemaFest]
Art is one of the first tools of protesters. It appears in the form of protest tags, signs, and banners. It appears in clothing, philosophy, and in song. In 1987, Avram Finkelstein, Brian Howard, Oliver Johnston, Charles Kreloff, Chris Lione,… Read More ›
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“Downton Abbey: A New Era” Blu-ray Giveaway
Created by Julian Fellowes, the Downton Abbey series has run, to date, for six seasons and two theatrical releases. Distributed by Focus Features, the latest film, A New Era, hit U.K. theaters in April 2022 and U.S. theaters in May 2022,… Read More ›
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In the mood for a meat-and-potatoes western? Look no further than “Murder at Yellowstone City.”
The mysterious stranger, the weathered lawman, the preacher with a past: each of these tropes has been used countless times to tell tales of war, revenge, and redemption. They’re tropes due to their frequency, implying a laziness in creativity, but,… Read More ›
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Director Kyra Sedgwick’s “Space Oddity” implores audiences not to travel in a tin can alone. [Tribeca Film Festival]
“For here Am I sitting in a tin can Far above the world Planet Earth is blue And there’s nothing I can do – David Bowie, “Space Oddity.” With all the arguments about what is or isn’t the natural order,… Read More ›
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“Gatlopp: Hell of a Game” is best played with parties of two or more.
When you get together with old friends, one of two things can happen: you realize that you’ve grown apart or you click together like no time passed. Both are beautiful and tragic in their own way, but it seems safer… Read More ›
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Dramedy “Pink Moon” may not grip you, but it’ll worm its way into your ear like a tune you can’t quite identify. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Astronomically speaking, a “Pink Moon” is the full moon of spring, appearing in April. The moon itself doesn’t change in color, but it gets its name from blooming phlox, a pinkish flower. Because of the period in which the Pink… Read More ›
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“Ip Man: The Awakening” accomplishes anything but that for its audience.
There have been several actors who’ve personified the Wing Chun master Ip Man on the big screen. Ip Chun, Man’s son, portrayed Man as Bruce Lee’s mentor in the 1976 film Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth. Wang Luoyong (Rollerball)… Read More ›
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No need to pull a heist, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is sending the “The Bad Guys” to your home.
Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Mr. Piranha, and Ms. Tarantula. Without hesitation, any cinephile will think you’re talking about Quentin Tarantino characters whose origins either come from Reservoir Dogs (1993) or Pulp Fiction (1994). In reality, these are the… Read More ›
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Fantastical drama “Blaze” is the burning fire that rages at the audacity of humankind to take what isn’t theirs. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Trigger Warning: S/A is a central feature of the film, along with the trial and survival process. Additionally, those with photosensitivities should be aware of scenes with strobing. Every day, being a woman gets harder and harder. If their rights… Read More ›
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“The Cellar” Blu-ray Giveaway
Thrills and chills come from all kinds of places. In the case of Brendan Muldowney’s The Cellar, he drew inspiration from the supernatural, the scientific, and the downright human to develop his story that debuted at SXSW 2022 before it was… Read More ›
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“Ip Man: The Awakening” Blu-ray Giveaway
Wing Chun Master Ip Man has been the source of many films and television programs over the years with notable performances from Donnie Yen and Tony Leung among them. Now taking on the mantle is My Father is a Hero actor… Read More ›
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Jennifer Lopez-focused documentary “Halftime” offers a surprising chastisement for the entertainment industry which devours celebrity. [Tribeca Film Festival]
To most folks, Super Bowl LIV, the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, was a game like any other, an opportunity to cheer on their favorite team, to denounce their enemy, or gather together with friends and eat… Read More ›
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Director Laura Checkoway’s “The Cave of Adullam” highlights the power of emotional regulation to break generational trauma. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Transformation of any kind requires not confidence, but commitment. Anyone who’s observed small children as their minds develop will tell you that it’s a miracle that the majority of us survive into adulthood given the commitment to explore one’s surroundings…. Read More ›
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Before there could be “Toy Story,” there was “Lightyear.”
In 1995, Pixar’s first film, Toy Story, tapped into the imaginations of filmgoers young and old through an adventurous animated story of friendship told from the perspective of toys, specifically, a group of toys owned by a young boy, Andy… Read More ›
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Any time is morbin’ time with “Morbius” on home video.
Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the vampiric villain Dr. Michael Morbius was debuted by Marvel Comics as an adversary to Spider-Man in 1971. Since then, Morbius has shifted from enemy of Spider-Man and vampire hunter Blade… Read More ›
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When one realizes that there’s always a “Next Exit,” life becomes an unending journey, not a quest with a hard stop. [Tribeca Film Festival]
**Trigger Warning: Next Exit explores concepts of life and death, which involves discussion/examination of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and euthanasia.** “On this bridge,” Lorca warns, “life is not a dream. Beware. And beware. And beware.” And so many think because Then… Read More ›
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“Hostile Territory” Blu-ray Giveaway
Earlier this spring, actor/writer/director Brian Presley’s Hostile Territory landed in select theaters. Now, through Well Go USA, Presley’s tale of hope and reclamation is coming available on physical formats. If you’d like to check out the film, Well Go USA has… Read More ›
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Celebrate 60 years of Sir David Lean’s epic drama “Lawrence of Arabia” with a limited edition steelbook 4K UHD release from Sony Pictures.
“Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” ― Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9; Yerushalmi Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a. To celebrate… Read More ›