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
-
Return to “The Great Outdoors” in Kino Lorber’s first-time 4K UHD restoration of this Howard Deutch-directed family comedy.
Bear… bear… Big Bear… big bear chase meeeeeeee…! – Chet (John Candy) in The Great Outdoors In the modern era of comedy, there are few performers spoken of with the same reverence as John Candy. A Canadian actor and performer,… Read More ›
-
Mixed-format drama “A/way” wrestles with reconciling past and present self after a major loss.
The reason that most are nostalgic for the past is not because things were better “back then,” but because responsibilities were different. For those who kvetch about their present, it’s because their childhood didn’t involve worry about clothes, food, or… Read More ›
-
Maiden, Mother, Crone, Whore — they are all “The Bride!”
Trigger Warning: The Bride! incorporates several instances of violence against women that may be triggering for individuals who’ve experienced sexual assault. Additionally, there’s a scene in a club that utilizes flashing lights which may induce a reaction for those with… Read More ›
-
“Moss & Freud” Digital Code Giveaway
There was a time when no one in the world could go anywhere without seeing supermodel Kate Moss. During this period, artist Lucian Freud and Moss would work together, ultimately forming an unexpected relationship. Writer/director James Lucas makes his feature-film… Read More ›
-
Hoh?! “Speed Racer” on first-time 4K UHD offers the best iteration of the Wachowski Sisters’ cult classic family adventure.
Photosensitivity Warning: The 4K UHD disc of Speed Racer includes the following warning that, “[t]his film may cause seizures in viewers susceptible to photosensitivity epilepsy.” “Get that weak shit off my track.” – Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer in Speed… Read More ›
-
Meet Me at the Movies: Into the Horrorverse – The Overlook Film Festival Highlights
2023 marked the first time that I covered The Overlook Film Festival, a horror-centric four-day festival that takes place in New Orleans, LA. Since then, I’ve covered it three times, viewing films from throughout the world – some having their… Read More ›
-
Roher and Tyrell’s tech doc “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” doesn’t inspire the apocaloptimism it aspires to.
There have been a number of built-in computerized assistants since the wide-spread adoption of the personal computer. In my day, it was Clippy who popped up to offer guidance on the task you were seeking to complete. Then came Siri… Read More ›
-
Darkly comedic thriller “$POSITIONS” puts the consumptive nature of the United States on full display.
We all have our addictions. Of course, the term is about as misused in common discourse in the same way that proclaiming oneself as OCD or ADHD is, but, here, it’s true. Whether it’s checking digital notifications, ingesting caffeine, or… Read More ›
-
“Mortal Kombat II” is more Test Your Luck than Test Your Might.
For the last 34 years, the arcade sensation Mortal Kombat has lit up gamers in their quest to defeat the evil Shao Khan, emperor of Outworld, in his quest to claim Earthrealm for his own. Of course, one could side… Read More ›
-
Corey Yuen’s girls-with-guns crime actioner “She Shoots Straight” receives a Region A-accessible 2K HD restoration via 88 Films.
Trigger Warning: The film includes a moment of spousal rape that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. The scene in question is discussed in the following home review. Of the various action subgenres to come out of Hong Kong action… Read More ›
-
Spirit cat Luo Hiaohei returns with a new bold and moving adventure “The Legend of Hei 2,” on home video now.
Continuing a story is tricky enough without throwing in additional hurdles like cultural significance or an established long-running series. Anything established must be honored and, in so doing, can create limitations on what comes next. But that’s what co-writers/co-directors Gu… Read More ›
-
Disquieting and poignant amid beautifully grotesque scenes, Alberto Vázquez’s fantastical farce “Decorado” ponders the risk of questioning one’s reality and the reward of truth.
What matters more: that something *is* real or that it *feels* real? If we’re talking about art or a prosthetic, then the recreation may provide the satisfaction desired. Possessing mere artifice may be all that’s needed in order to achieve… Read More ›
-
Bryan Fuller’s fantastical gateway adventure “Dust Bunny” comes home, empowering a new generation of possible fans to start their horror journey.
The horrors that keep us up at night are, for better or worse, the ones we make ourselves. The regrets, the failures, the hopes, the dreams, all the good, all the bad, swirl together in the dark to coagulate into… Read More ›
-
Film Masters offers a newly-restored edition of Victor Halperin’s notorious horror tale “White Zombie.”
What was once a little niche, a little subversive, as a narrative tool, zombies are now so totally mainstream that they’ve become incorporated in everything including comic books (Marvel Zombies), video games (Call of Duty Zombies; Dying Light), and countless… Read More ›
-
Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” encourages you to watch with more than two hours of supplemental materials on the home release.
When Stephen King published his novel The Running Man under the name Richard Bachman in 1982, the book must’ve been seen like a piece of cynical dystopian fiction. Instead, like Jules Verne with the submarine and space shuttles, it turned… Read More ›
-
Dramedy “The Travel Companion” highlights the importance of collaboration over competition.
Life is a marathon. You don’t train for it, you probably don’t stretch enough, but it is a marathon. The mistake that most make is perceiving those around them as competition instead of rivals. Competitors are there to defeat you… Read More ›
-
Sci-fi satirical dark comedy “The Saviors” posits an inevitable destiny for all via humanity’s rush to cast heroes and villains. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: The opening sequence features flashing lights and quick-cut imagery that may be triggering for photosensitive individuals. “DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME!” – Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) in Young Frankenstein. In storytelling, there are two pretty… Read More ›
-
Gore Verbinski’s “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” arrives on physical formats which means it’s game on at home.
Photosensitivity Warning: The climax of the film includes an extended sequence of flashing that may prove triggering for photosensitive individuals. Take precautions. Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead … only try to realize the… Read More ›
-
Larry Fessenden’s “Habit” participates in a celebration of the director’s latest creature feature. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Writer/actor/director Larry Fessenden has been a steady presence in filmmaking for several decades now. Whether appearing in other people’s projects (Bringing Out the Dead; Good Boy), writing them (Until Dawn), or making them himself (Wendigo; The ABCs of Death 2),… Read More ›
-
“The Running Man” 4K UHD Digital Code Giveaway
Back in November 2025, filmmaker Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho) unveiled his kinetic adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Running Man, starring Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Michael Cera, Jayme Lawson, Daniel Erza, and many more. Paramount… Read More ›