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

• Don’t crash a “Monster Party”. You never know what’ll awaken.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 31, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  October may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the mayhem ends. If you want to keep the murder train running even when everyone else is turning toward giving thanks, look no further than RLJE Films’s latest feature,… Read More ›

• Bittersweet musical comedy “Unlovable” is far from it.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 30, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Ugly. Unworthy. Unlovable. These words burn inside us, whether they possess any truth or not, turning to ashes every semblance of self-worth we own. For some, it’s enough to recognize the strength within themselves to prevent true psychological destruction; however,… Read More ›

• “Bohemian Rhapsody” – It’s a kind of tragic.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 29, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  In all of our lives, there are things which sum up everything about us. Whether it be a poem, a picture, a book, a film, or a song, these things become emblematic of who we are at our core. These… Read More ›

• “The Darkest Minds” fails to deliver on its potential in its race to be a blockbuster.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 26, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Adapting novels into films is nothing new, but ever since Warner Bros. began the Harry Potter films, a near seismic shift occurred and the search for a new Young Adult box office dominator began. However, for every The Hunger Games,… Read More ›

• A solid cast, script, and direction make for a fun “Ride”.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 24, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  In today’s service-based economy, it’s all about creating the best experience for your customers in order for them to return. Gone is the authentic customer service experience, replaced with a script meant to feel honest. More often than not, we… Read More ›

• Electrifying and poignant, “Five Fingers for Marseilles” explores the cost of violence on the soul.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 22, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  With new movies coming available nearly every day, it’s nigh impossible to see everything. Where technology saves audiences the world over is in the unprecedented access that streaming offers through on-demand or digital services to films the audience might otherwise… Read More ›

• Foster and Fanning bring “Galveston” to life.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 19, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  More often than not, the best stories are the ones that take risks, that play with convention, and defy expectations. Other times, the risks fail to pay off and leave the audience with a diminishing sense of fulfillment. So rarely… Read More ›

• Eco-thriller “Strange Nature” terrifies in all the wrong ways.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 15, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Whatever aspect of the film industry you’re in, you’re in because you love it. It could be the creation of creatures, the set design, or the costumes that lured you in or maybe it’s crafting the stories performed, being the… Read More ›

• “Camp Manna” is a solid addition to the pantheon of camp comedies.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 12, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Camp is a place of awakenings, a place of self-discovery through challenges physical and emotional. It’s where individuals have a chance to explore or even redefine themselves. Many of these journeys have been memorialized in film through favorites Meatballs, The… Read More ›

• Listen: The Cine-Men, Episode 6

  By Douglas Davidson on October 11, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  In this slightly longer than normal episode, hosts Douglas Davidson and Darryl Mansel discuss their latest watches – First Man, A Star Is Born, Venom, Bad Times at the El Royale, Galveston, Camp Manna – take a detour into the DCEU, and dig into their… Read More ›

• More than a remake, “A Star Is Born” sings its own tune.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 10, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  At a key moment in A Star Is Born, Bobby Maine (Sam Elliott) says that “music is essentially 12 notes between any octave.” He explains that music is a cycle of repetition every musician, every storyteller, utilizes over and over,… Read More ›

• Director Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” explores the man behind the legend.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 8, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  There’s something undeniably alluring about space. The way it feels both intimately close and desperately far; in range of our eyes, yet out from our hands. To quest beyond our atmosphere, to journey into the deep black, to discover what… Read More ›

• “Knuckleball” is a pitch you won’t see coming.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 5, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Ever wondered what the 1990 classic Home Alone would’ve been like if it weren’t a kids’ movie? That seems to be the starting point for director Michael Peterson’s thriller Knuckleball, which sees a clever 12-year-old stave off the murderous advances… Read More ›

• Director Jenni Gold’s “CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion” examines the complex nature of disabled representation.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 4, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  Without question, there’s something about storytelling that connects with audiences in a visceral way. A good story, no matter the medium, enables readers, listeners, or viewers to go on journeys of incredible fantasy or to observe moments of historical, even… Read More ›

• Coming To Theaters: October 2018

  By Douglas Davidson on October 3, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Award season is officially underway with A Star Is Born, The Old Man & the Gun, First Man, Beautiful Boy, and more hitting theaters this month. But it’s also October, which means it’s time for the ghosts and ghouls to come out to play…. Read More ›

• Character-driven drama “Poor Boy” is a good idea with countless missed potential.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 2, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  Some ideas sounds better on paper than they do in execution. In one character study, a devoted boyfriend discovers his girlfriend is cheating on him (The Room), whereas in a genre-mashup space western, a warrior monk and a farm boy… Read More ›

• “Morning, Noon & Night” examines the selected view of normalizing addictions.

  By Douglas Davidson on October 1, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Not all stories possess a grand meaning or purpose, no matter how well staged or acted. Not all stories need to be. Sometimes it’s enough to present a story in which the audience observes the choices they make and, in… Read More ›

• “Summer ‘03” is a hilariously honest coming-of-age story from a female POV.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 26, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  Nostalgia is a tricky thing. It has a way of sugar-coating things – songs, books, toys, even experiences – so that all we remember is the way we think we felt about it. The older we get, the more frequent… Read More ›

• Get ready to jump to hyperspace: “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is available now.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 24, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  Solo: A Star Wars Story may have been doomed to fail from the beginning. Prequels, in general, are tricky propositions. The entire concept is intended to shed new light on existing characters while also providing extensive back story. This is… Read More ›

• Heed the call of “The Song of Sway Lake” where time wants to stand still.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 19, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Close your eyes and picture the best day in your life. Imagine the sights, the smells, and the sounds. Remember how it all felt on your skin. On your nerves. On your bones. As you open your eyes, you remember… Read More ›