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
-
Realities collide in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s fantastical drama “The Ice Tower.” [Fantastic Fest]
Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known for many a tale from The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. One title that’s well-known in the U.S. is his… Read More ›
-
“Dakota” Blu-ray Giveaway
Continuing their restoration work with Scorpio Films titles, physical media boutique Cult Epics offers the final Wim Verstappen-directed title for Scorpio, the adventure/drama Dakota. Available on both Blu-ray and DVD formats, EoM is pleased to giveaway one (1) Blu-ray edition, courtesy… Read More ›
-
Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 jidaigeki tale “The Betrayal (大殺陣 雄呂血)” receives a first-time Blu-ray edition from Radiance Films worthy of its influence.
Photosensitivity Warning: Occasionally black and white films will possess a flicker and its continuous presence within The Betrayal may prove disorienting to photosensitive viewers. One of the greatest mistakes in humanity is incuriosity, this notion that all you know is… Read More ›
-
Straddling two worlds, “Tin Soldier” is unable to be more than a prop for an as-expected action thriller.
Trigger Warning: Tin Soldier deals with a number of issues related to trauma-induced by war and the film incorporates several visual and sound elements intended to convey such psychological trauma that may trigger sensitive viewers. In the United States, members… Read More ›
-
22 Fantastic Fest 2025 films to build a schedule around.
2025 brings with it the 20th Fantastic Fest and the fifth time that I’m covering the festival for EoM. Past fests brought personal favorites like The Execution (2021), Baby Assassins (2021), Unicorn Wars (2022), The Last Stop in Yuma County… Read More ›
-
Morality comedy “Death of a Unicorn” charges onward to home video.
How much do you need? Not want, but need. The basics of living include food, water, and shelter. In the times we live in, it may be fair to extend that further to include medical care and internet access (can’t… Read More ›
-
Manga Breathing First Form — “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” reaches the first part of its three-part cinematic finale in the blood-soaked “Infinity Castle.”
Manga author Koyoharu Gotouge’s fantasy adventure shonen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) first published in February 2016, introducing audiences to Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy living in Taishō era Japan with his mother and siblings, making their living as… Read More ›
-
Confidence crime thriller “Yadang: The Snitch” comes to home video, inspiring you to question who you trust the whole way.
Photosensitivity Warning: There are several party sequences and instances involving the press wherein lights either flash or strobe. Be advised. Everyone has a favorite type of story. For some, it’s romances; others, comedies; and, others still, horror. In my top… Read More ›
-
Psychological sports thriller “The Cut” takes the legs out from under otherwise well-executed mental and physical breakdowns.
Much like the horror or fantasy genres, sports films are often filled with metaphors. In most cases, the competition is about more than the event itself, it’s about something larger for the character(s) or the idea it represents. In modern… Read More ›
-
The robust performances within escape room horror thriller “Locked” can’t enhance its shallow philosophy.
What would you do to right a wrong? What wrong would you do to make something right? Where is the line by which a good person becomes bad and what rationale do they provide to defend themselves? In truth, from… Read More ›
-
Explore the multitudes of Charles Krantz in the home release edition of Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck.”
“I Contain Multitudes.” These three words are not just a Walt Whitman quote or the title of Act I within director Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King short story adaptation The Life of Chuck or the mantra that Chuck tells himself throughout… Read More ›
-
Catch a strong tail wind and grab the new 4K UHD edition of Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”
November 2003 saw the release of director/co-writer Peter Weir’s (The Truman Show; Dead Poets Society) nautical wartime tale Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, an indirect adaptation of the stories from the Patrick O’Brian Master and Commander… Read More ›
-
Filmmaker Josh Roush’s “Long Lonesome History: The Story of Michael Parks” is a loving memorial to a lost and treasured friend.
On May 9th, 2017, actor Michael Parks, born Harry Samuel Parks, passed away. Among the many things he left behind, his entertainment-based legacy includes notable roles in television and cinema as well as a career in music. His performances were… Read More ›
-
The mop of justice returns with filmmaker Macon Blair’s “The Toxic Avenger” adaptation.
The tagline for Macon Blair’s 2023 adaptation of Lloyd Kaufman’s The Toxic Avenger is “The Hero We Need Now,” and this rings even more true upon its wider theatrical release in 2025. Environmental protections are down in favor of corporate… Read More ›
-
Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” negotiated a home release but with meager offerings in bonus features.
Storyteller Wes Anderson broke onto the scene with 1994’s Bottle Rocket and hasn’t really looked back. He’s developed a signature style while assembling what’s best described as a theatrical troupe, a set of actors who relish the chance to return… Read More ›
-
Horror thriller “Burning” utilizes multiple perspectives to showcase how little we know about the people around us. [Fantasia]
In storytelling, the most obvious thing is that the narrative is based on perception, but it’s also the thing that we most take for granted as an audience. We presume that what we see, what we hear, is what happens;… Read More ›
-
Filmmaker Youssef Chahine is welcomed into the Criterion Collection with a 4K HD restoration of his 1958 crime thriller “Cairo Station.”
Film scholar Joseph Fahim describes director Youssef Chahine’s 1958 crime thriller Cairo Station (باب الحديد) as a film that failed to connect with audiences and was viewed as a failure upon its initial release. He also states that the film… Read More ›
-
You may not know you’re “Transcending Dimensions,” but you’ll certainly feel it. [Fantasia]
Photosensitivity Warning: There are three instances of powerful strobing/flashing lights that may trigger a painful response in audiences: two shortly after the title card appears and one in the climatic sequence of the film. Japanese filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda has built… Read More ›
-
Carlson Young’s new thriller “Trust” showcases the torrid lengths men will go to deny responsibility.
If even a fraction of the things done to women happened to men, the world would be a decidedly different place. Rather than offered equal respect, they are demeaned and denigrated regularly; expected to take it on the chin without… Read More ›
-
Polish filmmaker Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s 1973 feature debut “Through and Through” gets a 2K restoration from Radiance Films.
What would you do for love? Would you fight? Would you protect? What would you build? What would you sacrifice? Polish filmmaker Grzegorz Królikiewicz (The Dancing Hawk), having previously made a series of short films, released his feature debut, Through… Read More ›