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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Techno-thriller “Empathy, Inc.” puts the question of identity up for examination.
The things we want out of life don’t often go the way we planned. Sometimes it feels like planning is just a way people go about trying to control an outcome. Even now, with apps, gadgets, and tech of all… Read More ›
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The Cine-Men, Episode 19
It’s been a few weeks since the last episode dropped, so we made sure to make it particularly entertaining. We decided to dive into our favorite heist films, a harder topic to explore than I expected, whereas Darryl took to… Read More ›
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Be careful when you peel back the layers in “Freaks,” what looks back may frighten.
After spending some time on the festival circuit in 2018, and providing a fan screening during 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con, genre-bending Freaks finally gets the theatrical treatment. Freaks relies far more on character work than action and writing/directing team Zack… Read More ›
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Are two Aladdins better than one? With two home release versions available, you can decide for yourself.
There’re two ways to look at re-releases and remakes: the nihilist “cash grab” view or optimistic “opportunity for new audience” view. The chorus is rarely louder about this issue than when it comes to the live-action/photorealistic adaptions Walt Disney Studios… Read More ›
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“It: Chapter Two” ends where It begins.
No matter how much we want it to, the past rarely stays behind. A song, a story, a face, anything which might elicit the slightly remembrance, and we’re right back in that moment like it’s yesterday. Of the many themes… Read More ›
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Patreon Special Episode: Douglas Davidson vs. Brian Martin
As one half of The Cine-Men, you’ve likely heard of, if not listened to, The Cine-Men which posts here on EoM. What you may not be aware of is that The Cine-Men is not the only show to air on the Poprika… Read More ›
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Coming To Theaters: September 2019
Fall officially arrives September 23rd and the films hitting theaters this month are starting to lean into the season. That means horror films from studios small and large to get audiences hyped for Halloween, as well as artistic fare which… Read More ›
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“Luke & Jo” utilizes the right place/right time trope as a jumping off point to examine internal struggles.
Loneliness is a universal condition. It begins as a notion that tickles in the back of our minds before drilling deep into the bones, settling in our soul. The shame is that one does not need to be alone to… Read More ›
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Dramatic thriller “Luce” plays your expectations against you at every turn.
Audiences cultivate a certain expectation depending on the film distributor. With Warner Bros. Pictures, odds are you’re getting something fairly mainstream; whereas A24 almost always releases genre-pushing indies. In the middle lies Neon, where it handles mainstream documentaries like Apollo… Read More ›
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Don’t Romjin Calm! Join the “Satanic Panic”!
Horror is one of those genres that never goes out of style. It draws inspiration from the things which we fear collectively and gives it form. 1978’s Halloween was born out of the move from city centers to suburbia. 1954’s… Read More ›
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New audiences or old will be delighted by the singing, dancing, and surprisingly adult topics tackled in “Descendants 3.”
There are so many films which cross your path in a lifetime that it becomes a gamble deciphering the good from the bad. This is why we apply subjective filters when making our selections. The upside is that it helps… Read More ›
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Thriller “3 Lives” explores just how many lives are destroyed when one is assaulted.
**Trigger Warning: While not discussed in detail, the film does center on a female character post-rape and that aspect will be explored within.** Director Juliane Block is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. Her 2018 film, 8 Remains, examines toxic… Read More ›
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Watch the birth of a modern superhero in 2019 Student Academy Award nominee short film “Balloon”.
Adolescence is difficult for a lot of reasons. It’s not just the physical or chemical changes that make things hard, but the social ones, too. Suddenly the things that didn’t seem to matter are all that matter in determining how… Read More ›
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The special features make all in difference in the home release of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.”
If you’re the type of person who’s into monster movies of any kind, then you’re likely to recognize Godzilla as the king of them all. Since 1954, the creature from Japan has represented man’s violence against nature, even if the… Read More ›
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Expectations and perception collide in Mike Gan’s “Burn,” a provocative view into human nature and connection.
Looking at the catalogue of films writer/director Mike Gan has developed, each film appears to deal with the darker sides of humanity. This is not to say that there aren’t protagonists, but that they are muddied and never completely wholesome…. Read More ›
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Generational conflicts play out as bloody mayhem in Richard Bates Jr.’s “Tone-Deaf”.
Probably for as long as there have been parents and children, there’s been a war waging between generations. Parents tend to think that the ones coming up have no regard for way things used to be and children think it’s… Read More ›
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“Ready Or Not,” here comes the bride.
Every family has their traditions, the little things that they do in order to carry forward to the future the notions of the past. Where things tend to get tricky is when someone marries in. Suddenly it’s not about one… Read More ›
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YA adaptation “The Sun Is Also a Star” indulges in romance more than the real world.
While there’re varying degrees with which one can look at themselves in relation to the universe, there are two distinct perspectives which stand in opposition. Either the universe is an uncaring, vast space born out of chaos and we are… Read More ›
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Manga adaptation “Kingdom” is not just for the fans, but for adventure-seekers everywhere.
For the uninitiated, watching the trailer for director Shinsuke Sato’s (Inuyashiki) Kingdom will be confusing and potentially befuddling. Frankly, it’s just a whirlwind of content as text lays out the plot amid rapid images from the film all while “Wasted… Read More ›
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Mitch McLeod’s “Silhouette” packs big budget tension in a small budget film.
No matter the genre, the most compelling stories are the ones which tap into something primal in the audience. Fear, delight, rage, and joy are ingrained in us as a means of survival in an uncontrollable cosmos. A good writer… Read More ›