There are some films, some stories, which continue to find new audiences, year after year, generation after generation. They’re passed down, some as traditions, some as markers for reaching a certain age. Looking backward, there’s a notion that there’s nary… Read More ›
Films To Watch
Director Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” maintains the magic of the absurdist mystery in this setting outing. [Film Fest 919]
Three years ago, Rian Johnson’s humble follow-up to …let’s just say, polarizing… Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out in the form of Knives Out. Unlike said film set in a galaxy far far away, the consensus on Knives Out… Read More ›
The horror comes home with “Barbarian” available on digital.
It would be silly to think that in the year 2022 life wouldn’t somehow become an imitation of that childhood trauma (or, for the very few, memory) of playing Monopoly and realizing you never were the one with the gazillion… Read More ›
“Top Gun: Maverick” delivers on just about every level imaginable and then exceeds it: plus ultra.
As more and more legacy sequels release due to studios mining their IPs for anything they think will resonate with audiences off the name alone, a follow-up to director Tony Scott’s Top Gun (1986) seemed all the more inevitable each… Read More ›
Illustrator-turned-director loundraw impresses with short film “Summer Ghost,” available from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One of the greater mysteries in life is whether or not there’s something after the living world. It’s a question that’s been explored through faith, philosophy, and art. Depending on the community or culture you come up within, the afterlife… Read More ›
Boutique distributor Cult Epics provides a lovely restoration of writer/director Just Jaeckin’s romantic comedy “The Last Romantic Lover.”
By 1978, writer/director Just Jaeckin was known for his erotic films Emmanuelle (1974), The Story of O (1975), and Madame Claude (1977). Seeking a break from this, Jaeckin developed romantic comedy Le dernier amant romantique (The Last Romantic Lover) with… Read More ›
“Halloween Ends” explores the changing shape of evil as it closes out David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” trilogy.
It all began in 1978 on Halloween Night for Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as she survived an attack by Michael Myers (Nick Castle), though her friends were not so lucky. This story, co-written by Debra Hill and John Carpenter… Read More ›
Just in time for Shaun the Sheep’s 25 anniversary, Shout! Factory releases “Farmageddon” on shelves for the first-time in North America.
Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit characters first appeared in 1989’s A Grand Day Out and have gone on to spawn and spin-off other productions. One such character, Shaun the Sheep, was a central part of 1995’s A Close Shave and… Read More ›
Anthology film “Give Me An A” is an artful expression of rage, disappointment, and fear. [Fantastic Fest]
June 24th, 2022: the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision to make abortion in the U.S. legal. This is not only a blow to the modern Women’s Rights Movement, but it also opened the door for the Supreme… Read More ›
“Unidentified” offers a unique perspective on the concept of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ [Fantastic Fest]
During Fantastic Fest 2022, there is a segment of films the festival placed under a section titled “Burnt Ends.” To paraphrase the section description, it includes a selection of films that may have been made on a shoe-string budget, they… Read More ›
10 films to check out during the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2022.
For the very first time, Elements of Madness will be remotely covering the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. In the run-up to the event, we wanted to highlight 10 films screening during the festival that we’re either most excited to see… Read More ›
The Criterion Collection adds a 4K UHD option for their restoration of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.”
Boutique physical media distributor The Criterion Collection began offering 4K UHD editions of their monthly releases starting in November 2021 with Citizen Kane (1941) and Mulholland Dr. (2001). Since then, each month, a new 4K UHD edition has been released,… Read More ›
In honor of the 25th Anniversary, take a stab at the brand-new 4K UHD edition of “Scream 2.”
In its history, horror has covered a wide range of styles, formats, and tones. It was only a matter of time before the genre would turn inward to look at itself, which it did with aplomb in 1996’s Wes Craven-directed… Read More ›
“DC League of Super-Pets” delivers for the adult and child superhero fans alike.
There’s an old adage that man’s best friend is his dog. It should be no surprise, then, that in March of 1955, writer Otto Binder and artist Curt Swan introduced Krypto in Adventure Comics #210, a story featuring Superboy. Over… Read More ›
Oliver Park’s “The Offering” unleashes horrors upon the cast as tribute to the audience. [Fantastic Fest]
For what appears to be his first time directing a full feature and writing a full feature, Oliver Park certainly does not shy away from the shock and awe factor while honing his craft into Jewish lore and horrors. For… Read More ›
Honor, pain, and cuddles are just the beginning of Alberto Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars.” [Fantastic Fest]
If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise If you go down in the woods today, you’d better go in disguise For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain because… Read More ›
Darius Marder’s award-winning “Sound of Metal” joins the Criterion Collection.
Of the many things that occurred as a result of COVID-19 in 2020, as it related to the film industry, was that movies were either pushed over and over, rescheduled to a later date entirely, or sold to streamers. Films… Read More ›
Rock out with “Thor: Love and Thunder” anytime on home video and Disney+.
At the time of its release, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) was unlike any other Marvel Studios release to date. It embraced the visual style of writer/artist Jack Kirby, it dared to remove the seriousness of the prior two outings, and it… Read More ›
For its 40th anniversary, a 4K UHD edition of “Poltergeist” is heeerrrreee.
You always remember your first. Some are scary, some are bloody, most are just plain bad, but everyone remembers their first…horror movie. For my pivotal moment of exposure, I dropped in on my sister’s slumber party with her middle school… Read More ›
If a custom-made Dior dress is a bit out of your price range, purchase a copy of “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” on DVD or Blu-ray instead.
There’s no right or wrong way to make a feel-good movie. But there are certain elements that will make one feel-good film much more successful and enjoyable than another. Feel-good films require precise storytelling techniques and a little extra wow-factor… Read More ›