Let me paint you a picture: It’s May 1993 and Walt Disney, via distributor Buena Vista Pictures, is about to release a film co-written by Ed Solomon (Men in Black/Bill & Ted franchise), starring Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?),… Read More ›
In Theaters
For better or worse, doc “We Kill for Love” explores every nook and cranny of the erotic thriller cinematic genre. [The Overlook Film Festival]
I am all for documentaries that decide to explore every single facet of their and refuse to leave anything unturned as long as there are two caveats followed: the subject matter at hand is interesting and the way it is… Read More ›
There are riches to be found in the Emerald Triangle if you can survive “Trim Season.” [The Overlook Film Festival]
Horror stories are as much tales to titillate as they are to teach lessons. The fairytales of today — Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel — are far gentler than when they arose to popularity as… Read More ›
Alexis Jacknow’s “Clock” interrogates society’s preoccupation with procreation. [The Overlook Film Festival]
An off-shoot of 20th Century Studios, 20th Digital Studio works with Hulu to produce a series of horror-centric shorts for October that they call “Bite Size Halloween.” With submissions ranging in a variety of topics from several creators, only a… Read More ›
“Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism” will swallow your soul. [The Overlook Film Festival]
There is something that is truly horrifying about exorcisms and it usually is the horrors behind them. Something about being possessed by an entity is just something that makes my skin personally crawl, and seeing the more modern versions and… Read More ›
Léa Mysius’s fantasy thriller “The Five Devils (Les Cinq diables)” explores familial discord through an adolescent lens. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Who are you? This is a simple question that precedes an overly complex answer. You are not merely your thoughts, your feelings, your experiences, the sum total of everything you have encountered up until this moment, you are also everything… Read More ›
12 films to check out during The Overlook Film Festival 2023
For the first time, Elements of Madness will be covering The Overlook Film Festival 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 wider… Read More ›
“Last Stop Larrimah:” A cozy true crime doc for scandal junkies. [SXSW]
Last Stop Larrimah grabbed my attention right away from the description. It’s a stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary about the goings-on in Larrimah, a remote Australian town with only 10 residents. There were 11 until Paddy Moriarty went missing on December… Read More ›
Meet Me at the Movies: Review Extra – “Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.”
Did you know that Pinball machines used to be outlawed? I didn’t either, and when I saw the trailer of this lost piece of history, I knew I had to check out this film that took me back to a… Read More ›
“Citizen Sleuth” is an interesting exploration of the lines between true crime investigation and exploitation. [SXSW]
True Crime podcasts are a dicey guilty pleasure: on one hand, the reinterpretation/summary of gruesome and/or strange murders can be enticing to delve into; on the other hand, you risk crashing into the space of exploiting the tragic lives in… Read More ›
“With Love and a Major Organ”: A Rare Science Fiction Gem. [SXSW]
In the surreal and quirky With Love and a Major Organ, director Kim Albright deftly examines the difficulty of finding love and connection inside a world ruled by the algorithm. Based on a play by Julia Lederer, who also wrote… Read More ›
Shake hands with Anna Zlokovic’s feature debut “Appendage.” [SXSW]
As I get older, I am finding more things about my body that make me feel genuinely decrepit and gross. Whether it’s my newfound back pain, a new mole somewhere unexpected, or simply coming to the conclusion that my acne… Read More ›
Explore every nook of “299 Queen Street West” with Sean Menard’s new documentary. [SXSW]
If you grew up in Canada, specifically Toronto, the address 299 Queen Street West most likely held a special place in your heart as more likely than not you either fought your way through the pandemonium of crowds OR you… Read More ›
With a giggle and a wink, Tomas Gomez Bustillo’s “Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” asks audiences whether we notice that heaven is a place on earth. [SXSW]
How do you know if you’ve lived a good life? That’s a hard question to answer objectively because of the various cultural and social rules that come to define what “good” is. Do intentions really matter if someone gets hurt… Read More ›
Ally Pankiw’s “I Used to Be Funny” first feature is a provocative, intense, and deeply unsettling gut-punch. [SXSW]
In 2020, during the height of this pandemic were still finding ourselves in, I was sitting on my couch with my partner wondering what to do on the first night of TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) and Twitter was recommending… Read More ›
Director Vasilis Katsoupis’s “INSIDE” is a layered exploration of the things people value and how those things can separate us.
As with every generation, there is a separation in what’s considered normal or acceptable as one comes up into adulthood. Growing up, there was a sense that homes should be filled with photographs of posed family and pieces of art,… Read More ›
The waiting room from immigration hell awaits “Upon Entry.” [SXSW]
Nobody enjoys a waiting room. In a world accustomed to instant gratification, the experience feels intolerable, even if you have an appointment or assurances that your stay in that space is only temporary. Co-directors Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez… Read More ›
“Black Barbie: A Documentary” is a frustrating, fascinating documentary centered around the marginalized, underrepresented toy product. [SXSW]
Representation is a big pain point with many products in today’s consumer market, specifically those aimed towards kids. In walks Barbie, the iconic, independent, tall white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. The problem however lies with the young… Read More ›
“Pure O” stays raw in its showcasing of real-world impacts of mental health diagnoses. [SXSW]
Writing a screenplay is daunting in of itself; making it be semi-autobiographical is a whole other beast in of itself. Why make life easy though when you’ve decided to also direct your first feature while you’re the limelight of the… Read More ›
“Brooklyn 45” is a wonderful hybrid-genre film that brings war and trauma full circle. [SXSW]
The shadow of war, from the prehistoric days to the ultra-modern, technologically-advanced warfare of the present, has loomed large over the entirety of humanity. One could argue that war is the one thing seen consistently throughout history, seemingly touching every… Read More ›