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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Today’s the day to watch psychological horror thriller “The Woman in the Yard” on home video.
Content Warning: The Woman in the Yard deals with concepts of grief, suicide ideation, and parental struggle. Since 2005’s House of Wax remake, filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra has alternated between straight horror titles (Orphan), thrillers (Carry-On), and more family-friendly fare (Jungle… Read More ›
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Christopher McQuarrie’s directorial debut, “The Way of the Gun,” gets added to the Lionsgate Limited 4K UHD collection with a steelbook lenticular edition.
Before filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie accepted the mission four times (Mission: Impossible franchise) and before he adapted Lee Child’s nomadic former MP for the big screen (Jack Reacher (2012)), he started out with his own creation, the neo-western The Way of… Read More ›
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“Deep Cover” goes mission: critical by forgetting a basic rule of delivery — don’t ask for the laugh. [Tribeca]
Given the opportunity to work with strangers or friends, chances are “friends” is going to win out every time. Doing so provides a comfortability to do things one might not ordinarily do, or, at the very least, allow one to… Read More ›
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Marc Webb’s “Snow White” on home video is a good start for audiences to find a life that’s fearless, fair, brave, and true.
There’s this strange argument that comes up anytime a remake is announced regarding the “justification” for it. There was a time when this reviewer felt the same, especially as the remake was often of a beloved title or, at the… Read More ›
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Radiance Films adds a first-time Blu-ray edition of Tai Katō’s revenge horror “The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost” to their collection.
When people talk about stories standing the test of time, at least in America, it’s usually in a hyperbolic sense, talking about the awesome impact and influence that a specific tale has infiltrated since conception. We certainly have stories to… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Po-Chih Leong’s wartime dramatic actioner “Hong Kong 1941” joins Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series with a strong HD restoration.
In the history of the world, there have been indigenous peoples and there have been colonizers. In some cases, it’s viewed as a matter of perspective, but, by and large, if a people originated from a location, they are the… Read More ›
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RZA’s satirical crime thriller “One Spoon of Chocolate” straddles the line between grindhouse hyperreality and horrifying realism. [Tribeca]
Content Warning: One Spoon of Chocolate features several instances of violence against Black bodies that may prove triggering for sensitive viewers. Musician RZA made his full feature directorial debut with 2012’s The Man with the Iron Fists, a Shaw Brothers-style… Read More ›
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“Drop” 4K Digital Code Giveaway
Between the two Happy Death Day films and Freaky (2020), director Christopher Landon has developed a solid reputation for delivering frights in equal measure to the entertainment. After a premiere at SXSW 2025, Landon’s latest project, Drop, hit theaters in April and now… Read More ›
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Director Hideo Gosha’s iteration of “Gate of Flesh” gets added to the 88 Asia Collection with a solid presentation both on and off disc.
From September 2nd, 1945, until April 28th, 1952, the U.S. American military, backed by the U.K., occupied Japan in order to supervise the surrender of their competition in World War II. It’s easy for U.S. history today to recall the… Read More ›
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Uttera Singh’s feature directorial debut dramedy “Pinch” views universal issues through a specific cultural lens. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual abuse in the following review. Regardless of time and place, some people will only seek to take advantage. All they need is an opportunity and the belief that no one will turn them in and… Read More ›
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Propulsive and raw music doc “Metallica Saved My Life” requires no prior exposure or knowledge of the band, the only entry fee being empathy. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Metallica Saved My Life features a variety of flourishes in the editing that include light bursts that may prove impactful for photosensitive viewers. Concert footage does also include expected flashing lights, but nothing out of the ordinary. Some… Read More ›
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Arrow Video’s “Swordfish” 4K UHD remaster is more of a blip than a bang.
Trigger Warning: The following review touches on topics directly related to the narrative involving death, terrorism, and sexual assault. The summer of 2001 was the perfect time for the release of Swordfish. Audiences had been primed for it thanks to… Read More ›
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When “Man Finds Tape,” seeing is disbelieving. [Tribeca]
Under the oral traditions of yesteryear, the things humans couldn’t explain or understand, the things for which there was little proof beyond anecdote, fell under myths and legends. Now, however, in the digital age, when it’s so easy for anyone… Read More ›
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Rowan Haber’s comedic exploration into the character proudly proclaims “We Are Pat.” [Tribeca]
A lot of people say, “What’s that?” It’s Pat! A lot of people ask, “Who’s he? Or she?” A ma’am or a sir, accept him or her or whatever it might be. It’s time for androgyny. Here comes Pat! –… Read More ›
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Documentary “The End of Quiet” uses a microcosm to ask big questions about the cost of modernity. [Tribeca]
In the modern era, noise is constant and everywhere. Doesn’t matter if you live in urban, suburban, or rural areas, if you’ve got some kind of signal transmission, it produces sound, whether you can hear it or not. Recognizing the… Read More ›
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Audiences find the groove emanating within Logic’s feature film directorial debut, workplace comedy “Paradise Records.” [Tribeca]
A little word of advice, my friend. Sometimes you gotta let those hard-to-reach chips go. – Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) in Clerks. One night, while attending a youth group function, someone decided, for reasons lost to the annals of time,… Read More ›
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Like a good trap, Predator animated anthology “Killer of Killers” proves to be an extraordinary mix of gorgeous violence and narrative propulsion. [Tribeca]
Since 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg released his addition to the Predator franchise, Prey, in 2022 on Hulu, audiences have grown ever more hungry for new Predator stories. Sure, audiences have four other films to explore, plus two Alien… Read More ›
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Filmmaker José María Cabral’s documentary “42nd Street” raises more questions than it answers.
There are certain places in this world that draw people to them. The ones to come to immediately to mind in the U.S. are Los Angeles, California, or New York City, New York, as cornerstones of music, theater, and entertainment… Read More ›
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“K-19: The Widowmaker” 4K UHD Giveaway
In honor of actor Liam Neeson’s birthday on June 7th, Shout! TV is planning a celebratory stream of films on the channel including: K-19: The Widowmaker, Honest Thief, The Grey, and The Marksman. But should only the birthday boy get… Read More ›
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28 Tribeca Film Festival 2025 films that we’d love to explore.
Tribeca Film Festival 2025 marks the fourth time that Elements of Madness is covering the festival and we’re excited to get started. Having combed through the festival guide, we’ve put together a list of films that caught our interest or… Read More ›