Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 14

• “Bride Hard” steams itself into a mostly flat event.

  By Gabe Lapalombella on September 27, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  On paper, certain movies have all of the ingredients that should prove to be a success. That includes a solid script, an engaging cast, and a capable director. Granted, that does not always mean it’s going to work out that… Read More ›

• June Squibb runs away with another film as “Eleanor the Great.”

  By Gabe Lapalombella on September 26, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  The career trajectory of actress June Squibb (Summer ‘03) has been fascinating to watch. While having worked in the industry for years, she first became a household name with 2013’s Alexander Payne film Nebraska which earned her numerous award nominations… Read More ›

• Filmmakers Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer invite audiences to experience psychotic drama “Honey Bunch.” [TIFF]

  By justin waldman on September 26, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Writers and directors Dusty Mancinelli and Madeline Sims-Fewer are back with another movie entrenched in trauma and decision-making. After their last outing, Violation (2020), which is a much more difficult watch content-wise, they deliver Honey Bunch which focuses on the… Read More ›

• Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill and Won’t Give Up the Ghost: Modern gothic drama “Went Up the Hill” explores grief and codependency.

  By Mallory Moore on September 25, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  The gothic ghost story subgenre explores new avenues in Went Up the Hill, a meditative and moody drama from director Samuel Van Grinsven. Set in New Zealand’s South Island, Went Up the Hill takes after its gothic predecessors by setting… Read More ›

• Wagner Moura gives an outstanding performance in “The Secret Agent,” an otherwise bogged-down thriller. [TIFF]

  By justin waldman on September 25, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau) is back with The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto) starring Wagner Moura (Civil War). A harrowing story of escape and refugee sanctuary, it feels more like a less comedic version of a serious take on… Read More ›

• Bring the Kikimora home as “Ballerina” arrives on physical and digital formats.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 24, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  As has been written many times, the phenomenon that is the John Wick series almost didn’t happen. The film was originally slated as a direct-to-video release, it was helmed by two first-time feature directors (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch), had… Read More ›

• Gail Maurice, Dana Solomon, and Derica Lafrance make their marks with “Blood Lines.” [TIFF]

  By justin waldman on September 24, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Family dramas are always difficult subjects and can either be rewarding or miss the mark entirely. Thankfully, Gail Maurice (Rosie) pulls off quadruple duty as writer, director, producer, and actor well, and leads Dana Solomon and Derica Lafrance (in their… Read More ›

• The Criterion Collection goes to 11 with its 4K “This is Spinal Tap” release.

  By AJ Friar on September 23, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  This Is Spinal Tap remains one of the funniest and most influential comedies ever made, a true landmark in both the mockumentary format and cinematic comedy as a whole. Directed by Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride; Stand by Me) in… Read More ›

• “Materialists” Blu-ray Giveaway

  By Douglas Davidson on September 23, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Writer/director Celine Song broke our hearts in 2023 with Past Lives and returned to theaters this year with another romantic drama, Materialists, possibly to do the same. If watching Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal in a love triangle sounds like… Read More ›

• “Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (Batman Azteca: Choque de imperios)” clings so tightly to its DC roots that it stifles the flair when it embraces its Mexican influence.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 23, 2025 • ( 2 )

  

  In 1991, DC Comics published Batman: Holy Terror, a tale featuring an alternate history for the United States in which it remained a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom. It shifts the origin story we know of Bruce Wayne into Batman… Read More ›

• Linus O’Brien takes us on a “Strange Journey” in exploring the enduring legacy of his father’s “Rocky Horror Show.”

  By Douglas Davidson on September 22, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  “So, come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab. I see you shiver with antici …” There are moments in our lives that we can recognize as (“…pation.”) life-changing; that we can see as the creation of… Read More ›

• Glenn McQuaid’s “The Restoration at Grayson Manor” is an alchemical mixture of melodrama and body horror which asserts some rehabs are best treated with napalm. [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 22, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Names mean something. They hold power. Names withheld can create mystery and names known can open doors. They are the things that can be passed down from generation to generation — be it a surname, a given name, a middle… Read More ›

• Martial arts dramedy “Ghost Killer,” Kensuke Sonomura’s third film, is ready to join up with your home collection.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 21, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Those keeping track of modern martial arts action know the name Kensuke Sonomura between his work as a stunt director and as a director. If it hits hard, looks badass, and helps move the narrative forward, you can almost guarantee… Read More ›

• Make it weird, make it big, make it bloody – make it “Deathstalker.” [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 20, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Photosensitivity Warning: There is a brief flashback sequence near the start of the film and a longer sequence during the climax wherein lights flash quite frequently. There’s no strobing and it’s somewhat predictable, but may still be triggering for photosensitive… Read More ›

• Surviving horror comedy “Coyotes” is simple: stay with your pack. [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 20, 2025 • ( 2 )

  

  “Il meglio è l’inimico del bene. (Perfect is the enemy of good.)” – Attributed to Voltaire in 1770. If we spend our time pursuing perfect, we’ll miss out on a great deal. What ideal we set up for ourselves —… Read More ›

• Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low” gets a 4K UHD added to its formats released by The Criterion Collection.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 20, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Everyone says that they want original stories to watch at the movies, but what they really mean is that they want good stories, engaging stories, stories that they can’t stop talking about or thinking about when they leave the theater…. Read More ›

• “The Man in My Basement” walks a delicate moral and ethical line. [TIFF]

  By justin waldman on September 20, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Co-writer/director Nadia Latif takes on double duty in their first feature while adapting Walter Mosley’s novel The Man in My Basement. While Mosley’s material has yielded something interesting in an adaptation before (Devil in a Blue Dress) and this adaptation… Read More ›

• Filmmaker Ken’ichi Ugana’s onryō tale “The Curse (咒死你)” blends cultural customs with modern conveniences in order to craft maximum carnage. [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 19, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  It’s not an uncommon practice for a filmmaker to release two films in a year. John Huston released The Treasure of the Sierra Madre the same year as Key Largo (1948), Akira Kurosawa released Scandal in the same year as… Read More ›

• Realities collide in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s fantastical drama “The Ice Tower.” [Fantastic Fest]

  By Douglas Davidson on September 19, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known for many a tale from The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. One title that’s well-known in the U.S. is his… Read More ›

• “Megadoc” brings the long messy tale of the making of “Megalopolis” to the big screen.

  By Andrew J. Eisenman on September 19, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Megalopolis is a film about Great Debates by Great Men. It has inescapable original sins for which the public will not even grant it the graceful reputation of “fine.” It debuted in a time when the efficacy of debates is… Read More ›

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