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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Jennifer Garner’s back in action with “Peppermint”.
There’s something deeply cathartic about a well-made revenge flick. Watching the mayhem unfold on screen while the hero pursues victory like an unrelenting Valkyrie, dispatching adversaries with dogged determination until they all lie broken and defeated at their feet. These… Read More ›
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Semi-autobiographical drama “MDMA” demonstrates first-time director Angie Wang’s promise.
Autobiographical films can be a difficult nut to crack. Spend too much time with the minutiae, the audience can grow bored. Spend too little time, however, the audience has nothing to latch onto. There’s a delicate sweet spot wherein the… Read More ›
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Listen: The Cine-Men, Episode 5
Hosts Douglas Davidson and Darryl Mansel return to dig into their favorite opening scenes in cinema, as well as also provide a few Oscar updates, give you the lowdown on a few films to keep your eye out for in… Read More ›
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“Final Score” Win: Win.
The best thing about cinema is the varied options available. In the mood for something challenging? Pop in Blade Runner 2049 and prepare for a deep dive into a rich world of philosophical complexity. Perhaps you’d prefer something more madcap?… Read More ›
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Director Panos Cosmatos’s second feature “Mandy” is an epic tale of heavy metal, demons, and blood.
Some films need to be seen and experienced to be believed; where rumor becomes hype and gives way to the possibility of a false god or a new revelation. As with all things, where you fall depends on how well… Read More ›
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“We the Animals” explores family dynamics through the perspective of a child.
In a cinematic landscape filled with large, loud options, sometimes it’s the quietest ones that make the boldest impact. Such is the case with director Jeremiah Zagar’s We the Animals, an adaptation of Justin Torres’s 2011 award-winning novel of the… Read More ›
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Coming To Theaters: September 2018
The following list of 25 films represents merely a taste of the cinematic offerings available to you this month. In the mood for some horror? Head for the main office and see The Nun. Perhaps something new based on something familiar? Hope… Read More ›
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Go with a smile: “The Happytime Murders”.
If you were asked to name the first Muppet to pop into your head, the answer would inevitably be tied to your introductory experience. If you named Big Bird or Kermit, you likely know how to get to Sesame Street…. Read More ›
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Don’t sign up for this “Boarding School” experience.
The discomfort we find in sleeping in unfamiliar environments is utterly naturalistic. Without familiar smells, shapes, or sounds, the unknown deepens, opening our psyche up to terrors that make our skin crawl as a means of self-preservation. This alone would… Read More ›
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Listen: The Cine-Men, Episode 4
The latest podcast to enter the Poprika Podcast Network is The Cine-Men, hosted by Poprika founder Seed and EoM founder Douglas Davidson. The aim of the show is to discuss the films we’ve seen and those we haven’t in all the… Read More ›
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“Madeline’s Madeline” can be found at the crossroads of identity and madness.
Reality is a fickle thing. It requires the individual to trust that the world they engage with is the truth. Undeniably, what defines “truth” and “reality” is subjective due to perception. If perception is muddled, warped, or otherwise hindered, then… Read More ›
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“Arizona” takes off those rainbow shades, revealing a mischievous dark comedy underneath.
There are films where you know from the get-go that they are going to shock you and then there are films that come out of nowhere. Arizona, the latest from RLJE Films, unequivocally falls into the category of the later…. Read More ›
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Documentary “A Whale of a Tale” offers an unbiased look at globally scrutinized Japanese village Taiji.
Those that claim art cannot affect change haven’t lived under the scrutiny resulting from a painting, a song, or a story. They are blind to the way a community shifts its stance or approach because of a strongly worded letter…. Read More ›
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Listen: The Cine-Men, Episode 3
The latest podcast to enter the Poprika Podcast Network is The Cine-Men, hosted by Poprika founder Seed and EoM founder Douglas Davidson. The aim of the show is to discuss the films we’ve seen and those we haven’t in all the… Read More ›
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Six Must-See Films at the 2018 DC Black Film Festival.
The DC Black Film Festival returns on Thursday, August 16, 2018, with a kick-off event at the Capitol Hill Hotel before the film screenings begin at The Miracle Theatre. Over the course of its three-day run, the DC BFF will… Read More ›
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Unfortunately, technical prowess doesn’t outweigh narrative weakness with “Along Came The Devil”.
Horror films involving demonic possession seem to be one of the hottest trends in recent years. From the Conjuring series, the Insidious series, and the upcoming Suspiria remake, horror films about possession utilize supernatural elements recycled time and again in… Read More ›
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Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” is clarion call that the battles of the past are not over.
Director Spike Lee’s never been known to mince words and his latest project, BlacKkKlansman, will hit you like a sledgehammer in the gut. Lee utilizes the memoir of Ron Stallworth, the first black police officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to… Read More ›
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Listen: The Cine-Men, Episode 2
The latest podcast to enter the Poprika Podcast Network is The Cine-Men, hosted by Poprika founder Seed and EoM founder Douglas Davidson. The aim of the show is to discuss the films we’ve seen and those we haven’t in all the… Read More ›
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Portuguese dark arthouse film “The Forest of the Lost Souls” is worth a jaunt.
Horror fans looking for something more cerebral should check out the Portuguese dark arthouse film The Forest of the Lost Souls (A Floresta das Almas Perdidas) from first-time feature director José Pedro Lopes, dropping into select theaters August 3rd 2018…. Read More ›
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Light the fuse on “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and get ready for the ride of the summer.
There are few cinematic franchises as consistent in delivering action and thrills as the Mission: Impossible franchise. While not as institutionalized as the James Bond: 007 series nor as gratuitous as the Fast & Furious franchise, the Mission: Impossible films… Read More ›