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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Filmmaker Tsui Hark’s violent wuxia deconstruction “The Blade” joins The Criterion Collection with a first-time 4K UHD restoration.
Martial arts fans have it so good right now; it’s truly incredible. With deals being made to restore and re-print various titles out of Hong Kong, what was once hard to find (Hard Boiled) and barely accessible on HD (Rumble… Read More ›
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“Evil Nun” DVD Giveaway
After a September 2025 release, filmmaker Jose Prendes’s (Monster Mash) Evil Nun is receiving a DVD edition via Greenfield Media 1. Trying to get your hands on this Asylum title is way less effort than being a final girl in her… Read More ›
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Jonás Cuarón’s novel adaptation “Campeón Gabacho” exalts the power of hope and community at a time we need it most. [SXSW]
Despite all the arguments for America First ideology as a way to preserve the United States with the ideology formed on a basis of Christian Nationalism, it’s a belief system that cannot stand in the wake of actual data and… Read More ›
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“The Key” 4K UHD Giveaway
Over the last few years, physical media boutique Cult Epics has released a series of restorations of filmmaker Tinto Brass’s catalogue, the latest of which is his 1983 erotic romance The Key. Courtesy of Cult Epics, EoM is giving away… Read More ›
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Run, run, run! It’s time to hide. “Ready or Not: Here I Come.”
The directing team known as Radio Silence, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, have established themselves over the years as an assured hand in the horror space. From their contribution to the 2012 anthology series V/H/S to revitalizing the Scream series… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Mika Ninagawa’s directorial feature “Sakuran” joins the 88 Asia Collection with a befitting limited edition.
Adapting a work properly requires a confluence of events. It’s more than just translating one media into another as you need someone who understands the context of the source, who gets what it means to be moved to a new… Read More ›
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Meta thriller “And Her Body Was Never Found” is not #relationshipgoals, but it is a dynamic and cruel feature film directorial debut. [SXSW]
“L’enfer, c’est les autres.” – Jean-Paul Sartre in No Exit. Making movies is a large endeavor. Outside of the requirement for a creative idea, you also need the time to cultivate it, the financing to fund it, and the team… Read More ›
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“DRAGN” Digital Code Giveaway
Since the age of machines, horror stories have found various ways to incorporate them into our nightmares. Did the toaster become sentient? Is our relaxing trip to the local galleria about to turn into a chopping mall? Is that Furby… Read More ›
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Allow animated dramedy “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” to ascend to your home collection.
At a point in the director interview for their film, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes), co-directors Maïlys Vallade (The Lighthouse Keeper) and Liane-Cho Han (Voodoo) discuss the Japanese belief that children under… Read More ›
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Stella Markert’s tragicomic “Thanks for Nothing” invites audience to embrace anarchy and themselves. [SXSW]
“So many bright lights, they cast a shadow, but can I speak? Well, is it hard understanding, I’m incomplete? A life that’s so demanding I get so weak A love that’s so demanding I can’t speak …” – From “Famous… Read More ›
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“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” 4K UHD Giveaway
Last month, Cult Epics released another restoration from Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s catalogue of titles, the sci-fi romance The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Courtesy of Cult Epics, we reviewed the standard edition of their new 4K UHD restoration and, now,… Read More ›
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Horror comedy adaptation “Over Your Dead Body” has legs thanks to a very game cast and is elevated by devastating stunt work. [SXSW]
“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche Trigger Warning: There’s a brief sequence in which sexual assault is threatened that may be… Read More ›
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“The Dads” is a moving and galvanizing feature that expands on Luchina Fisher’s original short. [SXSW]
8% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender according to an Oct 2025 Pew Research Center article based on a summer 2024 survey. There are reportedly over 342 million people living in the United States, which means… Read More ›
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Ghost procedural “Never After Dark” offers a fresh perspective on a well-worn genre. [SXSW]
When it comes to the occult, there are about as many famous fictional investigators as there are ways to approach a ghost story. There’s Daffy Duck (voiced by Mel Blanc) bringing the silly, while John Constantine is more serious. There’s… Read More ›
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Skip out on Sunday Church and head straight for the punk rock hilarity of teen comedy “Edie Arnold is a Loser.” [SXSW]
“Teenage girls are like mysterious, dark, and dangerous …” – Keely Jones, Ted Lasso First films are not barometers by which all subsequent films must account, but they play a massive role in the expectations audiences create. If a first… Read More ›
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Maya Annik Bedward’s “Black Zombie” is a strong piece in the restoration of dignity to Black and Vodou cultures criminalized by media representation. [SXSW]
Zombies are everywhere. They’re on your television set, in your movie theaters, in your comics, in your novels, in your video games, and, yes, even in Minecraft nerdcore tunes. Why? What’s the obsession with zombies and where did they come… Read More ›
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Depression lies and Peter Warren’s directorial debut “Kill Me” might, too. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: Kill Me features explorations of mental health and suicidal ideation, as well as depictions of attempted suicide that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation (active or passive),… Read More ›
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It’s showtime anytime with “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” on home video.
Since Scott Cawthorn’s horror survival game Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF) released in 2011, a fan base has arisen around the murderous animatronics and the new security guards whom try to make it through their shifts. Including the initial outing,… Read More ›
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Mumblecore dramedy “Danny Is My Boyfriend” encapsulates the quixotic nature of heartbreak. [Slamdance]
“Oh, and I don’t know I don’t know what he’s after But he’s so beautiful Such a beautiful disaster And if I could hold on Through the tears and the laughter Would it be beautiful Or just a beautiful disaster?”… Read More ›
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Co-directors Jacob Hatley and Tom Vickers cinema verité doc “Clovers” explores the notion of self-determinism within the citizens of Asheboro, NC. [Slamdance]
In 2024, filmmaker Jacob Hatley released crime drama Rowdy Friends, a tale featuring a mixture of professional and non-actors set in rural North Carolina. This film centered J.D. Cranford playing a version of himself after he left prison and went… Read More ›