When a movie comes out that somehow brings something new and different to the genre and gets hailed as something interesting and innovative, of course there are going to be copycats and remakes and the like. That is exactly what… Read More ›
In Theaters
Heavyweight cast delivers a satisfying story in “The Miracle Club.”
When there is a cast of heavyweight actors, you know, at minimum, the movie is going to be incredibly acted, and if that satisfies the craving you have for a film, then so be it. However, if you’re looking for… Read More ›
If the option comes to accept “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” do it without hesitation.
When Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol dropped in 2011, I hadn’t seen any of the other films in the series, but the trailer’s promises of acrophobic suspense shot in full 70mm IMAX pulled me in. I was so enthralled by… Read More ›
25 films to check out during the Fantasia International Film Festival 2023.
For the fourth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering the Fantasia International Film Festival and we thought we’d offer up our recommendations of what to check out during the fest or what to keep an… Read More ›
“Biosphere” is fertile ground for a good time.
It’s always strange when a film, its release date set months or years in advance, syncs up with current events. Of course, a writer’s job is often to synthesize their experiences and see how they will evolve down the road,… Read More ›
Benedetta Porcaroli exudes main-character energy as the leading lady in Carolina Cavalli’s “Amanda.”
Carolina Cavalli’s Amanda couldn’t be titled anything else. The protagonist and titular character, 24-year-old Amanda, is the gravitational force that holds this quirky, quietly humorous, and, at times, meandering film together. Portrayed with delightful nuance by Benedetta Porcaroli (The Shadow… Read More ›
Adele Lim’s R-rated comedy is an absolute “Joy Ride.”
The R-rated studio sex comedy. Once a staple of the American film industry, this genre has since faded into semi-obscurity following a mixture of oversaturation (did we really need three Hangover (2009-2013) films?) and Gen Z finding their own comedic… Read More ›
Frank Marhsall’s documentary “Rather” reports on the man who covered history then and now. [Tribeca Film Festival]
As a Communications Major at the University of North Carolina at Asheville (Go Bulldogs!), there were two specific newscasters that came up in conversation: Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. Coincidentally, both were born roughly a decade apart, worked for… Read More ›
In a period of uncertain times, “Nimona” celebrates the rejects.
“Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” – German proverb. In the stories we tell, if there’s a hero, there’s a villain, someone for the bold and courageous to conquer; otherwise, how are they to be bold and courageous?… Read More ›
Music doc “Anthem” is frequently sobering, but lacks temerity. [Tribeca Film Festival]
It’s a strange thing to be a person of a country. You can’t just identify as yourself in the singular as too many things require you to announce in the binary if you’re in support of or against where you… Read More ›
Harrison Ford takes Indiana Jones for one last cinematic adventure in “Dial of Destiny.”
Indiana Jones is one of cinema’s most beloved franchises. Those films resonate with audiences on a massive scale. After three successful classics, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008) divided the fans. 15 years have passed and a fifth film,… Read More ›
“No Hard Feelings” astroglides on the chemistry between its two leads.
Jennifer Lawrence is known to have a funny off-screen persona. Her no-nonsense personality has made her a fan favorite celebrity for audiences. That funny personality has never shown in her performances, until now. No Hard Feelings is a raunchy R-rated… Read More ›
Writer/director Diana Galimzyanova hits the festival circuit with idiosyncratic “Plan 9 from Aliexpress.”
“You Won’t Understand A Single Thing.” There is not a more on-target tag in all of cinema history, I think, than this one attached to the new Diana Galimzyanova (The Lightest Darkness) project, Plan 9 from Aliexpress, currently on the… Read More ›
Documentary “Stan Lee” honors the life and legacy forged by The Man through his own words. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Before I dive into this review of the documentary simply titled Stan Lee, I just want to make a little bit of a note on myself and who I was as a child. It is particularly interesting that I always… Read More ›
“Extraction 2” goes harder and further than before in an action-packed thrill ride where the stakes are not only higher, but far more personal.
“Into every generation a slayer is born …” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer intro Steve McQueen. Carl Weathers. Michelle Yeoh. Sigourney Weaver. Danny Trejo. Jet Li. Gerard Butler. Milla Jovovich. Bruce Willis. Keanu Reeves. These are but a few of… Read More ›
“Elemental” is a predictable tale with expectedly stunning visuals.
When a film from Pixar is coming to theaters, it is a topic of conversation. Movies like Inside Out (2015), WALL-E (2008), Coco (2017), and Toy Story (1995), were emotionally moving adventures. Those films and several others set the bar… Read More ›
CGI weighs down a rather light-on-its-feet superhero story in “The Flash.”
No film in the summer of 2023 has the same level of anticipation as The Flash. Audiences are eager to see this “reset” of the DC universe as soon as possible. The addition of characters like Michael Keaton’s Batman and… Read More ›
John Slattery’s “Maggie Moore(s)” pulls off a blending of sweet rom-com and devilish murder mystery. [Tribeca Film Festival]
“Some of this actually happened…” This is the message that greets audiences after a rather tense opening in actor John Slattery’s (Mad Men/Iron Man 2) second feature film, the darkly comic mystery Maggie Moore(s). No matter how weird or wild… Read More ›
“The Space Race” empowers a long-buried piece of NASA’s history. [Tribeca Film Festival]
“Black history is American history. We forget it at our peril.” – Charlie Bolden, former NASA astronaut and administrator October 1st, 1958, NASA officially began operations working to break free from Earth and into orbit. It would be nearly 25… Read More ›
Space drama “I.S.S.” is a tense thriller never takes its foot off the gas pedal. [Tribeca Film Festival]
There is always something inherently interesting to see what someone’s first made screenplay actually ends up being, and for Nick Shafir, that ended up being I.S.S., directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Our Friend), and it certainly sets Nick up to be… Read More ›