Making a movie that is geared to children but still appeases the parents and the adults who are curious about the film is always a dangerous balance to achieve with the high risk of becoming too adult that it’s no… Read More ›
Recommendation
Walt Disney Studios’s home release “Wish” offers over an hour of in-depth materials exploring the creation of this celebratory 100th adventure and the history of the studio.
When not compared against the bountifulness of time, 100 years is a long time. Within the last 100, three generations of Davidsons followed the arrival of my grandfather. We have fought in two world wars (nearly crossed the line into… Read More ›
15 films to keep on your radar for SXSW 2024.
For the fourth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering SXSW and we thought we’d offer up our recommendations of what to check out during the fest or what to keep an eye out for in… Read More ›
Andrew Haigh’s nostalgic and tone-driven fantasy, “All of Us Strangers,” arrives on digital.
All of Us Strangers is about memories, grief, and love. It’s about reconciling the past with the present and navigating the space in between. If you missed the U.S. theatrical release in December, you can stream All of Us Strangers… Read More ›
Go see “House” already, it’s perfect. [Japanese Horror Fest]
Running from March 1st – 14th at Film Forum NYC, a 25-film Japanese Horror festival gives New Yorkers the chance to see Nobuhiko Obayashi’s (The Little Girl Who Conquered Time; His Motorbike, Her Island) House (1977). This Japanese blockbuster was… Read More ›
Catch the failure of America’s pandemic messaging in 4K with “Contagion.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., Steven Soderbergh’s (Ocean’s 11, Logan Lucky) Contagion (2011) shot to the top of the streaming charts. At the time, the CEO of Warner Brothers was going all in on their streaming service HBO… Read More ›
Adapted from the documentary of the same name, Taika Waititi’s sports dramedy “Next Goal Wins” is available to own now.
Sports films come in a variety of competitive forms including boxing, hockey, football, bobsled racing, and chess. With each one, the goal is the same: winning. But some of the great tales of competition don’t have winners, they have people… Read More ›
Mixed-genre adventure “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” is a strong start for the next big franchise you’ll hope for.
Back in October 2023, Well Go USA released director/co-writer Kim Seong-sik’s action/adventure fantasy thriller Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (천박사 퇴마 연구소: 설경의 비밀) into theaters. Given the influx of theatrical and streaming releases in October, it’s fair to… Read More ›
Go behind the scenes into a world of pure imagination via the home release of director Paul King’s “Wonka.”
Warner Bros. Pictures released three films at the end of 2023: two musicals (one a prequel and one an adaptation of a Broadway show adapting a film version of a book) and one superhero story. Though WB did advertise the… Read More ›
Radiance Films releases director Yasuharu Hasebe’s debut film, the spy spoof “Black Tight Killers,” in resplendent HD.
A war photographer, a stewardess, and a chance meeting set the stage for an 87-minute technicolor adventure of crime, mystery, and romance in director Yasuharu Hasebe’s (Retaliation) 1966 caper Black Tight Killers (俺にさわると危ないぜ). The first of several collaborations with lead… Read More ›
Radiance Films brings a forgotten “Great” back with “Allonsanfàn” on Blu-ray.
If you’ve never heard of the Italian Napoleonic drama Allonsanfàn before today, don’t worry, almost no one has. I had not heard of it until Radiance Films announced this Blu-ray release, and one of Vulture’s film critics Bilge Ebiri quote… Read More ›
New re-release of Dwayne Johnson’s “Faster” is an effective ‘70s action movie homage with a lack of behind-the-scenes insights.
Dwayne Johnson (Southland Tales) has become one of the biggest celebrities of our time. Johnson revitalized what it meant to be a modern-day action star. Before a career breakthrough in 2011’s Fast Five, he took on varying B-movie-esque roles. While… Read More ›
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases a first-time 4K UHD edition of Satoshi Kon’s “Paprika” worthy of the film’s reputation.
In the world of animation, there are well-known names like Walt Disney (Steamboat Willie) and Matt Groening (The Simpsons; Futurama), niche names like Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), and then there are names so large that they crafted entire houses around… Read More ›
Now justice has a new face, and it’s in 4K UHD thanks to Scream Factory’s release of “Darkman.”
Before he took audiences on an adventure through the Multiverse of Madness (2022), or swinging through the streets of New York several times with Spider-Man (2002, 2004, 2007), or battling the Army of Darkness (1992) in the medieval period, filmmaker… Read More ›
Arrow Video elevates the look and sound of “The Shaolin Plot,” now in 2K.
You gotta love ‘70s Kung-Fu cinema. Within the first 15 minutes of Huang Feng’s The Shaolin Plot, a man is killed with a chicken leg, an assassination attempt is flawlessly averted, and a disobedient guest’s head is cut off by… Read More ›
A clearer vision with a robust list of featurettes serve as great selling points for the new “Avatar: The Way of Water Collector’s Edition” 4K release.
How do you bounce back from making the highest grossing film of all time? How do you follow up to such a film with a sequel? Do you double down or do you subvert expectations and sweep the floor out… Read More ›
The world of Pandora has never looked more enhanced and beautiful than it does on the “Avatar: Collector’s Edition” 4K release.
One man, an uncharted world, romance, war, destiny. You could apply these five things to any big-budget adventure films that have been released over time. For this review, we’re discussing James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi adventure epic Avatar. The rundown: set… Read More ›
“Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny” rocks out on Blu-ray release from Shout! Studios.
Earlier this winter I embarked on a project of finishing all of the excessively thorough special features on my David Fincher movies, The Social Network (2010), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Gone Girl (2014), etc.. Hearing artists of… Read More ›
Paramount Pictures celebrates 4 years of cutting loose on the dance floor with a first-time 4K UHD edition of “Footloose.”
If you’re a child of the ‘80s, there are some songs that are deeply tied to your adolescence and almost all of them come from musician Kenny Loggins. “Danger Zone” from Top Gun (1986), “I’m Alright” from Caddyshack (1980), “Meet… Read More ›
Radiance Films welcome a new Damiano Damiani-directed film to their collection, the spy thriller “Goodbye & Amen.”
During the debut year for physical media boutique Radiance Films, a distributor interested in lesser-available/known international cinema, they released a wonderful three-film collection of director Damiano Damiani’s film dubbed “Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani.”… Read More ›