Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 118

• “Baby Assassins” is a bubbly action crime comedy that’s not afraid to kick a lot of ass. [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 25, 2021 • ( 3 )

  

  If you’ve ever sat absorbing something for the first time — a song, a book, a play, a movie — and thought to yourself, “I can’t wait to revisit this,” then you’ll have some sense of what will await you… Read More ›

• A Conversation with “Bingo Hell” director/co-writer Gigi Saul Guerero.

  By Thomas Manning on September 24, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  In this conversation, EoM contributor Thomas Manning speaks with director Gigi Saul Guerreo about her new horror film Bingo Hell, a Blumhouse production distributed through Amazon Studios. Over the course of their discussion, Guerrero speaks about her creative partnership with… Read More ›

• If you can get on its frequency, Bertrand Mandico’s fantasy western “After Blue (Dirty Paradise)” is a surreal ride. [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 24, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Thanks to the recent release of James Wan’s Malignant (2021), there’s been a lot of talk within certain circles about the desire to see big swings in cinema that create vigorous division over something good but safe. Having not seen… Read More ›

• A riveting thriller from start to finish comes down to “The Execution.” [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 23, 2021 • ( 3 )

  

  Between 1978 – 1990, a series of brutal murders were committed by Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, totaling more than 50 women and children before he was captured, convicted, and executed via firing-squad. This absolute horror serves as the narrative… Read More ›

• Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 4: “Kubo and the Two Strings.”

  By Douglas Davidson on September 23, 2021 • ( 1 )

  

  For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›

• Beloved Hong Kong director Johnnie To joins The Criterion Collection with 2004 genre-hybrid “Throw Down.”

  By Douglas Davidson on September 22, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  If you’re well-versed in Hong Kong cinema, then the name Johnnie To will carry a great deal of weight. Among those who know, his films like A Hero Never Dies (1998), PTU (2003), and Election (2005) exemplify the Kong Kong… Read More ›

• The latest entry in the Fast Saga, “F9,” comes home with a director’s cut and 80 minutes of bonus materials.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 21, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  After blasting into theaters June of 2021, F9 is ready to drop into your house. The nineth film in the main series and the 10th film overall, F9 not only sees the return of writer/director Justin Lin (Fast & Furious… Read More ›

• Celebrate 50 years of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” with a first-time 4K UHD release.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 20, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Published in 1962, Anthony Burgess’s dark satire A Clockwork Orange hit the streets of England with a 21-chapter tale of a teenager’s prevalence for extreme violence and antisocial behavior. Written in a Russian-influenced language called “Nasdat,” most of what central… Read More ›

• “Lady of the Manor” possesses the potential for a high-spirited comedy but tumbles in the execution.

  By Thomas Manning on September 17, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Comedy is one of the most subjective forms of art. What one viewer finds to be right up their alley might completely turn another viewer off. When a film plays around with a blend of comedy subgenres, it is even… Read More ›

• The Cine-Men, Episode 55 – Director’s Cuts. 

  By Douglas Davidson on September 17, 2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Sometimes what the studio/distributor releases just doesn’t live up to what the director envisioned. Because of that, we’ve seen countless tweaks, re-edits, and conversions done on films from The Shining to Star Wars. On this latest Cine-Men episode, Darryl and I discuss… Read More ›

• Go on a swashbuckling animated macabre adventure in the adaptation of “Petite Vampire.”

  By Douglas Davidson on September 16, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  There are many things about cinema that The Cine-Men co-host Darryl Mansel laments, but the one that he laments the most is the lack of swashbuckler films. Disney’s recent Jungle Cruise possesses traits of these films, though mostly due to… Read More ›

• Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 3: “ParaNorman.”

  By Douglas Davidson on September 15, 2021 • ( 1 )

  

  For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›

• Fistful of Features goes where no fan has gone before: 4K UHD with the first four “Star Trek” films.

  By Sean McClannahan on September 15, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Welcome to Fistful of Features, a celebration of film preservation through physical media and the discussion of cinematic treasures to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. Today we’ll be discussing two great Star Trek films and two mediocre ones… Read More ›

• Enjoy the first and final solo mission for “Black Widow” on home video now.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 14, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  After a great deal of delay, the expected final theatrical outing for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, hit theaters and Disney+’s Premium Access tier July of 2021. Some found it arriving too late to be impactful, some found it… Read More ›

• Equal parts devastating and inspiriting, “What She Said” is a powerful directorial debut.

  By Thomas Manning on September 14, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Reactions to trauma are specific to each person and situation. No two people respond to a harrowing event in the exact same fashion because the human experience and each person’s perception of the world around them is so unique. When… Read More ›

• 4K restoration of Frank Perry’s “Mommie Dearest” joins the Paramount Presents label.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 14, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Actor Joan Crawford started acting in 1925 with the short The Casting Couch and worked her last job in a guest role on the television series The Sixth Sense in 1972, five years before her passing. In addition to acting,… Read More ›

• The HDR in the 4K UHD remaster of “The Shawshank Redemption” will dramatically shift how you react to the film you know.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 13, 2021 • ( 1 )

  

  “Get busy livin’ or get busy dying.” One of the more famous phrases in cinema history and originally uttered by Tim Robbins’s Andy Dufresne, the only innocent man in all of Shawshank Prison, is more often recalled as said by… Read More ›

• The Cine-Men, Episode 54 – Favorite Melee Scenes

  By Douglas Davidson on September 12, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  After an unexpected month-long hiatus in which Douglas covered the Fantasia International Film Festival and Darryl got engaged (heck yeah!), The Cine-Men return to talk about their favorite melee scenes! Before we get to that goodness (& Douglas totally screws… Read More ›

• Guy Noland’s “Stage Managed” offers a pilot that raises the kinds of questions only a full season can answer. [Dances With Films Festival]

  By Thomas Manning on September 12, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Making a movie or television show in the style of a mockumentary can be very challenging. It takes the right combination of a sharp script, talent behind the camera, an editor who knows exactly what they’re doing, and pinpoint precision… Read More ›

• “Holidays At All Cost (Vacances á Tout Prix)” has enough unique flourishes to make a well-worn journey worth the travel. [Dances With Films Festival]

  By Thomas Manning on September 10, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Vacations are meant to be an enjoyable time of rest, relaxation, and quality time with one’s family. Of course, when you get to a certain age, odds are that you will find yourself having gone through your fair share of… Read More ›

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