Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Contributing Senior Film Critic: CLTure | Past Bylines at Pretty Vacant One, FilmFed, & Mountain Xpress | 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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Documentarian April Wright’s latest project will having you looking to go “Back to the Drive-in.”
The first drive-in theater opened in June 1933 in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Since then, drive-ins, originally referred to as “park-in” theaters, popped up around the country, offering a unique cinematic experience that’s been immortalized in films like Grease (1978), The… Read More ›
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Darkly comic thriller “Wild Men” examines the tolls of toxic masculinity.
Being a man sucks and this is why the patriarchy needs to go. Society, at least in America, subscribes to the idea that being a man requires a certain toughness, a rigidity, an emotional distance from things happening around them…. Read More ›
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Documentary “Howl of the Underdogs” explores the music and struggles of Norwegian metal band Madder Mortem.
Community is the first place an individual gains their identity and sense of self. Community can come from the country you live in, the state, the city, or your home. Community is what starts to shape what you value or,… Read More ›
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Pierre Pinaud’s “The Rose Maker” blooms fully thanks to bonus features included on home video.
Working in a trade is a lot like parenting. Not the tantrums or conflict portions, necessarily, but the guidance and cultivation that comes from helping to develop something into its best self. In director/co-writer Pierre Pinaud’s (On Air) new film… Read More ›
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“Murder at Yellowstone City” DVD Giveaway
Richard Gray’s dramatic western Murder at Yellowstone City, starring Gabriel Byrne, Nat Wolfe, Thomas Jane, and Isaiah Mustafa released in June and now it’s headed to home video. If you missed this straight-forward meat and potatoes thriller, the kind folks at… Read More ›
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“Jurassic World Dominion” 4K UHD Giveaway
Earlier this summer, director Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World Dominion hit theaters, concluding the Jurassic World trilogy. Now, Dominion is set to hit home video on August 16th with a 14-minute extended cut, a short film, and copious amounts of bonus features. If… Read More ›
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Next time on Crunchyroll Movie Night: an old foe returns in “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.”
It’s fair to say that in the pantheon of manga-adapted anime series, Dragon Ball is among the greats. Starting as part of Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump” in 1983, creator Akira Toriyama’s series has taken on many iterations (Dragon Ball, Dragon… Read More ›
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“Thirteen Lives” presents a scripted and altered version of the 2018 Tham Luang Cave rescue.
June 23rd, 2018: after a football practice, 12 teammates and their assistant coach decided to explore the nearby Tham Luang Cave in the Tham Luang – Khun Nam Namg Non Forest Park of Northern Thailand. Unexpectedly, a storm hit, flooding… Read More ›
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Coming available on home video, “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is rated E for Everyone and everyone will have a blast.
It didn’t matter that the Davidson household flew a Nintendo flag, when June 1991 came around, the allure of a certain high-speed blue mammal released by Sega for their Genesis machine was a little hard to ignore. The appeal of… Read More ›
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“We Are Living Things” explores life and society through layered metaphors.
Whom among us hasn’t felt lost and alone, even in a crowded room of people? In some cases, the larger the environment, the smaller one may feel due to the vastness of it all. In that case, seeking connection to… Read More ›
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Meet Me at the Movies: Episode 471 – Summer Movie Experiences, Vol 2
As promised, since so many films just couldn’t quite make the cut to be discussed in the first volume of Summer Movie Experiences at Meet Me at the Movies, here is volume 2! That’s right, The Cine-Men – Douglas Davidson… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 71: Favorite Netflix Originals.
With the release of The Gray Man on Netflix, your Cine-Men hosts, Darryl and Douglas, decided to go through the deep Netflix catalogue to identify three of their favorite Netflix Originals. Despite common conception, this task proved harder than anticipated. In… Read More ›
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Geller and Goldfine’s documentary “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” is a study on art and appropriation.
When an artist creates something, they retain little control over what happens next. It could be received warmly, coolly, or not at all. In some instances, it can be taken, reformed, and found in its new incarnation. In recent memory,… Read More ›
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Experimental action thriller “Carter” combines a myriad of technical techniques to diminishing effects.
One of the more unmentioned action thrillers by wider audiences is director/co-writer Jung Byung-gil’s The Villainess (2017). It’s a story about a female assassin, how she got to where she is, and how she attempts to extricate herself from the… Read More ›
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“The Killer” slays. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There’s a subgenre in film that features a very simple and comfortable setup: retired/reclusive individual meets a young individual, forms a bond (often reluctantly), young individual gets into trouble (usually kidnapped) causing the retired/reclusive individual to jump back into action…. Read More ›
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Well Go USA unleashes action/comedy “Baby Assassins” upon a grateful home release audience.
Since its international premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins hasn’t been far from mind. I discussed it on two Cine-Men episodes, gave it a highlight mention in the 2021 Sticky List, and made sure to include… Read More ›
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Horror/thriller “Missing” lacks the suspense it needs to pack a punch. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
After a release in 2021, first-time feature director Shinzô Katayama’s (Mother, third assistant director) horror/thriller Missing (さがす) is having its North American premiere during Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. The concept of the film seeks to join the likes of… Read More ›
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Det. Ma and the rest of the Major Crimes Unit return to catch criminals in the action comedy thriller “The Roundup.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Actor/writer/producer Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has been making movies since 2005. He’s had roles in The Good the Bad the Weird (2008), Mother Vengeance (2012), a scene-stealing role in Train to Busan (2016), and, of course, the… Read More ›
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Anachronistic musical fusion “Inu-Oh” adapts an old story to tell a very modern tale of artistic freedom and personal identity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
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Writer/director Andrew Semans’s psychological thriller “Resurrection” is a powerhouse of a film, holding the potential to devastate its audience.
There are a lot of things about parenthood that are kept from the general public. Most talk about the wonderful things that come from being a parent, like getting to see a first-time reaction to something or sharing an experience,… Read More ›