Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Contributing Senior Film Critic: CLTure | Freelance Film Critic: Mountain XPress | Bylines at Pretty Vacant One and FilmFed | The Cine-Men podcast co-host | NC Film Critics Association, Southeastern Film Critics Association, & Critics Choice Association member | Rotten Tomatoes approved individual critic
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The Cine-Men, Episode 38: Release The Snyder Cut.
The latest episode of The Cine-Men is a special one and marks a change in how we’ve produced episodes. For the first time, we’re dedicating the entire show to one topic and we’re joined by a very special guest to… Read More ›
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Character drama “The King of Staten Island” comes home with plenty of in-depth bonus features.
Inspired in-part by his own real-life trauma, comedian Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live) crafted a story in partnership with director Judd Apatow (This is 40) and writer/producer Dave Sirus that presents a fictional tale of heartache, profound pain, and, ultimately,… Read More ›
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Explore the legend of pre-Civil War hero Shields Green via new home release “Emperor.”
The truth is often less exciting, less inspirational than fiction. My presumption for this is not because the truth lacks power, but that our individual imaginations build up ideas until they are larger than any one person or concept. It’s… Read More ›
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A mash-up of styles and approaches, Michael Almereyda’s “Telsa” attempts to capture the eccentric spirit of the brilliant inventor.
After premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, director Michael Almereyda’s (Marjorie Prime) experimental biopic Tesla is coming available to audiences. Much like the titular man, Almereyda’s film possesses idiosyncrasies as it mashes together a steam punk vibe, chronological anomalies,… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 37: School Days
August is about when most folks return to school and Fall 2020 is shaping up to be a humdinger of a return to school season as students and parents alike grapple with virtual education vs. in-person options. In our attempt… Read More ›
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“Words on Bathroom Walls” offers an astonishingly frank presentation of schizophrenia within a YA package.
Author Julia Walton’s 2017 young adult novel Words on Bathroom Walls centers on Adam Petrazelli, a high school senior whose dreams of culinary school seem destined for tragedy soon after he’s diagnosed with schizophrenia. Adapted for the big screen by… Read More ›
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Disney+’s “The One and Only Ivan” is a bittersweet tale that’ll encourage empathic development in younger audiences.
Sometime around 1964, an infant silverback gorilla was rescued from poachers, was brought to the U.S., and lived with a family in their home until he grew too large. At that point, the silverback, called Ivan, became the headlining act… Read More ›
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Sci-fi crime thriller “Project Power” asks what you’re willing to give up to become something more.
Superhero stories are in vogue right now between the mass popularity of big screen films from Marvel and DC and the programs, primarily DC properties, which are all over television and the fact that many of the showrunners, producers, and… Read More ›
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“The King of Staten Island” Digital Code Giveaway
Elements of Madness is excited to announce we’ve partnered with Universal Pictures on the upcoming home release of The King of Staten Island. In anticipation of the Blu-ray/DVD release on August 25th, we are giving away five (5) digital codes of… Read More ›
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Looking to take a risk on some at-home entertainment? Gamble on “Lucky Grandma.”
No matter what you think of how movies are being distributed in the COVID Era, there’s no denying the quality of the films finding their ways to audiences. If you don’t think there’s anything to watch, that may be because… Read More ›
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Documentary “Boys State” is a shockingly high-energy, edge of your seat experience.
Founded in 1935 by The American Legion, Boys State is an event in which young men from around the country gather in various cities for one week to get immersed in politics. In its lengthy history, past members like William… Read More ›
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Alexandra Shipp shines in supernatural romance “Endless.”
Let me describe to you a movie in brief: two young lovers are ripped apart as one dies tragically while the other tries to cope with life without their partner, except — and here’s the twist — the one who… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 36: Movie Monologues
Almost every film has a moment where a character either can’t take it any more, has to rally the troops, or otherwise share some extensive piece of information. It became so notable for a character to do this while riding… Read More ›
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Lech Majewski’s “Valley of the Gods” possesses high concepts which never coalesce.
There is, perhaps, nothing more frustrating for a cinephile than to finish a film wherein the pieces are stronger than the whole. Where you can understand the intent of a project, yet, whether by style, structure, or some other technical… Read More ›
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Overlords and dungeon masters can’t handle “Max Reload and the Nether Blasters.”
Sometimes a movie drops that you know is intended for the widest audience possible. These often take the form of a drama like 2019’s Astronaut, a romance like 2019’s Ode to Joy, or a comedy like 2020’s Palm Springs. There’s… Read More ›
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STX Entertainment’s “The Secret Garden” adapts the classic novel into something familiar, yet new.
In the years since its original publishing in 1911, author Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden has been replicated for stage and screen and has often been assigned for summer reading for many students, as was the case for this… Read More ›
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With Don Hahn’s “Howard,” the world becomes the custodian to Howard Ashman’s legacy.
For every actor, director, writer, composer, there’s typically a singular piece they call back to as the thing, the object that inspired within them the need to create. If you mention Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Little Mermaid (1989),… Read More ›
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Meet Me at the Movies, Episode 389
If there’s a hill I’ll die on, it’s that Batman Forever is not the horrid schlock-fest that it’s proclaimed to be. On this episode of Meet Me at the Movies, not only do I get the chance to talk about why… Read More ›
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“House of Hummingbird” is an exercise in patience with a profound emotional payoff.
There’s something ubiquitous about adolescence that makes coming-of-age stories. It doesn’t matter what era or culture they derive or take place within, because there’s something universal, even in their specificity: the social awkwardness, the longing for connection, the need to… Read More ›
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Comedy classic “Airplane!” celebrates its 40th anniversary by joining the Paramount Presents label.
July 2nd, 1980, a comedy from the minds behind The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) opened wide and forever took hold within the zeitgeist: Airplane!. Now you’re likely thinking, “Surely, you can’t be serious that it’s been 40 years since Airplane!… Read More ›