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
-
Radiance Films releases director Kinji Fukasaku’s crime drama “Yakuza Graveyard” on Blu-ray for the first time.
Photosensitivity Warning: During an interrogation scene late into the film a brief but prolonged flashing sequence occurs. Within crime stories, there is a specific subgenre born from Japan: yakuza films. These stories center on the lives or operations of members… Read More ›
-
Crime dramedy “One Day as a Lion” roars its way to home video.
Crime stories get a lot of play in storytelling. Could be as classic as Othello or as modern as The Legend of Jack and Diane (2023); stories in which someone either gets in too deep, trusts the wrong person, or… Read More ›
-
88 Films gathers the first four films in the “In the Line of Duty” series in one collector’s set.
In the world of martial arts action, names like Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Boxer), Gordon Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury), Sammo Hung (Enter the Fat Dragon), Jackie Chan (Drunken Master), and Donnie Yen (Tiger… Read More ›
-
The Cine-Men, Episode 85: Road Trip Movies
In honor of The Cine-Men co-host Darryl Mansel and his lovely bride *finally* going on their honeymoon, I pitched the idea of talking about some of our favorite road trip films. I’m sure you’ll hear a few films you expect… Read More ›
-
The Criterion Collection re-releases Seijun Suzuki’s “Branded to Kill” in a newly remastered 4K UHD edition.
Since November 2021, physical media boutique distributor The Criterion Collection has included at least one in 4K UHD in their monthly new releases. These might be first-time additions to their collection (Terry Gilliam’s The Adventure of Baron Munchausen) or remasters… Read More ›
-
Driving and striving, “Rally Road Racers” aims to go the distance in a silly family-friendly adventure.
When it comes to automotive competition, there’re different forms of endurance racing. In the U.S., there’s NASCAR, whereas in Europe, there is Le Mans. But if you really want to push yourself as a driver, there’s the road rally, often… Read More ›
-
“Convoy Busters” Blu-ray Giveaway
This month Cauldron Films is releasing a 2K restoration of the action/adventure Convoy Busters with both archived and *new* materials! Distributor MVD Entertainment Group has generously given EoM one (1) Blu-ray copy to give away to a lucky individual. If… Read More ›
-
Documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” captures the perpetual-motion life of the actor through multi-media.
Biography pictures come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they take a more chronological approach (Malcolm X), sometimes they’re more focused on a specific moment in time (Chevalier), and, for others, it’s more interpretive (Rocketman). This doesn’t just apply to… Read More ›
-
“Young Ip Man” Blu-ray Giveaway
In the cinematic adventures of Ip Man, the notable real-life Chinese hero, he’s battled fellow masters, Japanese forces, corrupt businessmen, and more. Now, in a new story from director Li Liming, audiences watch as a young Ip Man tries to… Read More ›
-
Bite into the meat of Alberto Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” on home video thanks to Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One never knows the gems they’ll find at film festivals. Sometimes they’ll be greeted by low-stakes lo-fi supernatural chillers that don’t match your vibe, other times you get to know an action comedy that delights all the same on subsequent… Read More ›
-
Celebrate the Christopher Reeve Era of “Superman” films in a 4k UHD five-film collection from Warner Bros. Pictures.
You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly. – Superman: The Movie tagline Everyone has their heroes. Athletes, actors, activists, first-responders — individuals that represent the kind of ideal you want to become. Me, I wanted to be Superman. Not because he… Read More ›
-
The Cine-Men, Episode 84: Most Demanding Movies
While there’s nothing wrong with a film you can relax with, there’s nothing like a film that forces you to lean-in, sit-up, and pay attention. More often than not, these are the same movies which only really present their secrets… Read More ›
-
Indonesian actioner “Legend of Gatotkaca” is out on home video, courtesy of Well Go USA.
Myths, legends, and the stories that form the basis of regional culture are often the basis for artistic interpretation in music, books, and cinema. In America, there’s Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play Hamilton, reimagining the founding fathers as potentially far more honorable… Read More ›
-
New rom-com doesn’t tread new paths as it asks audiences to consider “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
Romance has been a part of storytelling for centuries. There’s a Greek myth that Zeus tore humanity from their original form of two heads, four arms, and four legs because he worried about their strength, thereby causing humanity to search… Read More ›
-
“Unwelcome” Blu-ray Giveaway
After originally being slated for release in 2021, director Jon Wright’s horror/thriller Unwelcome finally hit theaters in March of 2023. If you prefer to get your scares in the privacy of your own home, rejoice as Unwelcome is hitting shelves on… Read More ›
-
Attention A-holes: It’s time for one last ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy via “Volume 3.”
Say what you will about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but, in the early days, no one expected to be so taken by a collection of assassins, thieves, marauders, and murders brought to live action from the mind behind Tromeo and… Read More ›
-
Meet Me at the Movies: Episode 503
Always a delight to be invited to join the Meet Me at the Movies crew and this time it’s just to offer my thoughts on the newly-released Stephen Williams film Chevalier. I’m only in there for a few minutes, but make… Read More ›
-
Director Philip Barantini’s latest social-cultural dramatic thriller leaves us all “Accused.” [The Overlook Film Festival]
It used to be that when something horrible happened, citizenry had to wait for official word before they knew what was going on. This meant that their imaginations could run wild with speculation, their worst fears, their most depraved visualization,… Read More ›
-
Succumb to quantumania as the third “Ant-Man” adventure comes home.
Content Warning: Photosensitive viewers may have trouble enjoying Quantumania as there are many sequences involving flashing lights. The 31st Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) release is also the kick-off the fifth phase of the MCU as a whole and the second… Read More ›
-
“Scream VI” Digital Code Giveaway
For the first time in the Scream series, Ghostface left Woodsboro, an almost symbolic gesture as the filmmaking team Radio Silence fully took their reins of the now-legendary franchise in order to make it their own. EoM senior critic Hunter Heilman… Read More ›