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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88 Films releases another Yuen Biao 2K restoration with action comedy “Rosa.”
By the time 1986 arrived, Yuen Biao, one Hong Kong’s “Three Dragons,” had appeared in the Sammo Hung-co-directed Warrior’s Two (1978), lead Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung’s The Champions (1983), and co-starred in Jackie Chan’s Project A (1983) and Sammo Hung’s My… Read More ›
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Kim Soo-yong’s psychological thriller “Splendid Outing” gets preserved on a 4K HD Blu-ray release thanks to Radiance Films.
When people say that art should be political, what they really mean is that they don’t want to ingest films that might challenge their political views. They want to be entertained, not preached to. This is a childish perspective because… Read More ›
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Meet Me at the Movies – Reflections, Regrets & Redemption: “Jay Kelly” Review.
There are few greater joys than having the chance to chat with friends about a movie. To roll it around, turn it over, and discuss it – to see what the other sees, even if they disagree. It’s been a… Read More ›
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Jim O’Hanlon’s comedy will have you saying “Fackham Hall” whether you laugh or not.
There’s a strange love-hate relationship with the rich, especially when it comes to the past. Perhaps it’s escapism, perhaps it’s a desire to live in presumably more affluent times, but the notion that one could live and live well —… Read More ›
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Dark rom-com “Splitsville” follows a quartet of friends interlocked sexually, metaphysically, and legally.
From Lord Alfred Tennyson’s 1850 poem “In Memoriam A.H.H.,” the lovelorn often quote (or have quoted to them) “I hold it true, whate’er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never… Read More ›
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Cerebral thriller “Cinema of Sleep” posits that some dreams are worth existing within and some waking from and the danger is not knowing which is which.
A breath of our inspiration Is the life of each generation; A wondrous thing of our dreaming Unearthly, impossible seeming — The soldier, the king, and the peasant Are working together in one, Till our dream shall become their present,… Read More ›
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“Edward Scissorhands” gets the Dolby treatment in a first-time 4K UHD restoration.
After releasing anniversary/first-time 4K UHD editions of the first two TRON films, Tombstone (1993), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and many others, 20th Century Studios offers audiences a chance to celebrate the 35th anniversary of filmmaker Tim Burton’s Edward… Read More ›
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“The Island Closest to Heaven” Blu-ray Giveaway
Physical media boutique Cult Epics is releasing their third of four Nobuhiko Obayashi Teenage Idol movie, The Island Closest to Heaven, on November 25th on both Blu-ray and DVD. Courtesy of MVD Entertainment Group, EoM is giving away one (1) Blu-ray… Read More ›
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Darren Aronofsky’s darkly comedic crime thriller “Caught Stealing” is ready to do time in your home video collection.
“If you can’t bite, don’t show your teeth.” – Bubbe (Carol Kane) in Caught Stealing There are a number of ways to spin the “fish out of water” theme in stories. Sometimes it’s a tale where someone gets whisked away… Read More ›
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Timo Vuorensola’s sci-fi actioner “Altered” packs imagination, but none of the magic or madness one expects.
Stories are about as limited as one’s imagination. Peaceful creatures can find themselves on a quest to save the land, people of average heritage feel the pull to right wrongs, and villains can be born from the mildest of slights…. Read More ›
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Noah Baumbach’s dramedy “Jay Kelly” utilizes the language of cinema to interrogate the regrets of a life lived.
How does one define success? Not only is this a deeply personal question, it shifts and changes based on age and experience (to name a few factors). My children would define success as unlimited game time and Halloween candy with… Read More ›
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Mistaken identity dark comedy “The Ogre of Athens” comes available via Radiance Films in a 4K HD restoration.
Tales of mistaken identity are a feeding ground for all genres in cinema. There’s action (Galaxy Quest), comedy (The Big Lebowski), horror (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), thriller (Lucky Number Slevin), and drama (El Mariachi) — and these are just… Read More ›
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The lack of supplemental materials in this second of three planned tales will have you saying, “Honey Don’t!”
Starting with 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls, director/co-writer Ethan Coen with co-writer Tricia Cooke began what we now know is a trilogy of lesbian B-movies, a triptych of sorts, that include Honey Don’t! (2025) and the upcoming (and not-yet-dated) Go, Beavers!. These… Read More ›
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Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen 2007 crime actioner “Flash Point” gets re-released on Blu-ray by Well Go USA.
Actor Donnie Yen has an extensive filmography of dramas, actioners, comedies, fantasy titles, and thrillers, often overlapping the genres in the same film and delivering solid martial arts entertainment in the process. From In the Line of Duty 4 (1989)… Read More ›
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“The Running Man” — Darkly comic bombastic actioner or prescient thriller for the times? YOU DECIDE.
The year is 2025 and corporations own everything including the United States government. The populace does their best to survive on the scraps provided by their network masters, but a massive class divide has arisen, creating strife and distrust amongst… Read More ›
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Mamoru Oshii’s “Angel’s Egg” is honored with a 4K restoration in its 40th year.
“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let… Read More ›
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“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is released in 4K UHD for the first time to honor its 50th anniversary.
Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) saw a production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and set about trying to adapt it for film, however, it took so long in pre-production that not only did Kirk have to move on from the… Read More ›
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“The Mask” first-time 4K UHD edition from Arrow Videos is S-ssss-ssss-sssss-smokin’!
It’s 2025 and comedian/actor Jim Carrey is a staple of pop culture. His take on the Grinch gets played by audiences looking to kick off the festive season (for those who celebrate) each winter; his version of Doctor Robotnik introduced… Read More ›
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You have the right to remain amused with “The Naked Gun” on home video.
Policeman: Drunk, Frank? Frank Drebin Jr.: A little, just enough to wake me up. – Frank Jr. (Liam Neeson) in The Naked Gun Audiences crave laughter just like they do thrills, chills, drama, and romance. But where there’s a deluge… Read More ›
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Lohan and Curtis reunite in body swap comedy “Freakier Friday,” out on home video.
“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes ‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues…” – “What It’s Like” by Everlast (1998) The stories we tell ourselves are all predicated… Read More ›