The Good Shepherd follows a young, dedicated, and occasionally merciless fictional CIA agent named Edward Wilson (Matt Damon). Tracking his early years at Yale in the secret Skull and Bones society to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the film… Read More ›
Most folks know a dystopia when they see one. It’s not all Escape from New York (1991), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), or The Hunger Games (2012); sometimes it looks exactly like your regular life does just with more distinct… Read More ›
There’s something about an ensemble cast that can make a movie. We’re talking from the lead actor to the barely there scene-stealers, the right collection of actors can elevate even the dullest of tales while they can send a strong… Read More ›
Each award season brings frustration as a film that one loves (for any reason) doesn’t make it onto the short list — it gets snubbed. In a sea of talented performances, gifted crew, and dazzling creative leadership, there’s always going… Read More ›
For the fourth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering The Overlook Film Festival and, this year, am joined by EoM Contributor Justin Waldman. This year’s slate of titles includes several we’ve seen, so our recommendation… Read More ›
If you were to take The Shining (1980) and replace the psychosis with a completely different trip of mental anguish, then you’d get Eugeino Mira’s The Birthday (2004). It focuses on Norman (Corey Feldman) who’s hopelessly in love with his… Read More ›
Having *never* seen Tobe Hooper’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) prior to the Arrow 4K UHD release, I was surprised to notice that disk 1 (disk A) featured the miniseries versus the movie itself, so I changed disks… Read More ›
Every generation needs a stoner comedy that is so outlandishly insane and dumb yet brilliant that it stands the test of time by being ridiculous and entertaining. The early 2000s had both Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000) and Harold and… Read More ›
Everything you have in this life is because of where you started. Some people have a leg up by being born into a wealthy family (and can afford to get bailed out time and again), while others struggle to afford… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
Trigger Warning: Agitator contains sequences of graphic violence and sexual assault that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. It’s a rather tall order to not expect a yakuza film with title Agitator to not … well, agitate you. But such… Read More ›
Sadao Nakajima’s Japanese Godfather Trilogy is a collection of three yakuza films made between 1977 and 1978 based on the true story of Japan’s largest crime syndicate. Taking some inspiration (both thematically and visually) from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 gangster… Read More ›
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 ›
“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 ›
NOFX’s 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up is a loud, irreverent, and surprisingly heartfelt documentary celebrating four decades of chaos from one of punk rock’s most enduring bands, NOFX. For longtime fans, the film lands with a bittersweet edge. The band… Read More ›
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 ›
Originally made for television, Lynne Littman’s 1983 film Testament takes a human, grounded approach to the sensationalized topic of nuclear devastation. Based on the short story “The Last Testament” by Carol Amen, Testament is as prevalent today (given recent world… Read More ›
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 ›
“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 ›