Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 19

• “Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy” is an ambitious fantasy adventure exploring the limitations of humanity. [Fantasia]

  By Douglas Davidson on August 1, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  A world invaded by monsters. Celestial observers meddling with humanity. Humans given the ability to upgrade their physical form by completing scenarios and defeating monsters, including acquiring specialty weapons. If this sounds like the 2016 web novel series Solo Leveling… Read More ›

• “Small Soldiers” is back and in 4K to remind everyone that everything else is just a toy.

  By Douglas Davidson on July 31, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  There are dueling sentiments in the cinephile community: not everything needs a new edition and film preservation on physical media matters. Given the shift toward digital consumption which removes ownership from the viewer and keeps it steadily in the hands… Read More ›

• “You Can Count on Me” is a downhome Criterion Collection release.

  By Andrew J. Eisenman on July 31, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  The best small-town dramas welcome the viewer back to a place they remember but never visited. The town itself has nothing and everything to do with this film, serving as a setting, a cage, and a refuge depending on who… Read More ›

• Horror comedy “Hell of a Summer” receives a decent home release edition for a subpar cinematic experience.

  By Douglas Davidson on July 31, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  If there’s anything that cinema has taught us, don’t be a camp counselor. Either they have to build morale for a rag-tag group of kids coming from disparate backgrounds in order to help defeat an opposing camp, have to play… Read More ›

• No matter how silly the idea of having another “The Naked Gun” movie might be to us, as movie-goers, we must be gracious and entertained consumers.

  By Douglas Davidson on July 30, 2025 • ( 4 )

  

  For audiences of a certain age, no one merges situational and absurdist comedy with pop culture references quite like ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), the brains behind cinematic comedies Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984), and The Naked… Read More ›

• “The Bad Guys 2” missteps with the second verse being the same as the first.

  By Gabe Lapalombella on July 30, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Upon its release in 2022, The Bad Guys proved to be a surprising smash hit. The reviews were quite positive, with praise on all accounts. This included the screenplay, voice performances, and very entertaining action. Add in a gross of… Read More ›

• “Final Destination: Bloodlines” breathes new Death into the franchise in a 4K Blu-ray home release.

  By Hunter Heilman on July 30, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  I could spend hours ruminating on all of the ways the Final Destination franchise shaped me as a lover of film from childhood, but eventually I would bore you with my stories of being afraid of the Final Destination 3… Read More ›

• Comedic short “Shrimp Fried Rice” may not contain shrimp (it totally does). [Fantasia]

  By justin waldman on July 29, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Sometimes filmed content needs 90+ minutes to tell its story effectively. Other times, it needs less. It all depends on the story that is being told, the ability of the actors in the project to convey the story in the… Read More ›

• A24’s home release of “Warfare” maintains the intensity of the theatrical experience.

  By AJ Friar on July 29, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Warfare is now available on physical media thanks to A24, and it’s a release that absolutely deserves a place in any serious film collector’s library. As a film, Warfare is one of the most heart-stopping, emotionally jarring war movies in… Read More ›

• Amid clunky execution, fantasy rom-com “ChaO” reminds that we are forever our own storytellers. [Fantasia]

  By Douglas Davidson on July 28, 2025 • ( 2 )

  

  We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams;— World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world… Read More ›

• Nothing can stop you from enjoying “Thunderbolts*” at home.

  By Douglas Davidson on July 27, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Trigger Warning: Thunderbolts* includes depictions of suicidal ideation and an exploration of depression. Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is official over and Six is set to kick off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps; but, before we… Read More ›

• Get ready to throw down in “The Forbidden City.” [Fantasia]

  By Douglas Davidson on July 26, 2025 • ( 2 )

  

  Since Cain slew Abel, it’s believed that humanity has continued to find ways to betray itself, regardless of the cost. As such, stories have found ways to exploit this element of the human condition as a means for narrative catalyst,… Read More ›

• Memorializing a rock icon: documentary “Kurt Cobain: All Apologies” is being re-released on DVD 20 years after his death.

  By Michelle Swope on July 26, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  On April 5, 1994, the lead singer of the alternative rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, died by suicide at the age of 27. His body was discovered three days later in a greenhouse above the garage in his home in… Read More ›

• “Oh, Hi!” utilizes its cringe and charm well for a generation-defining rom-com.

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

  

  Sophie Brooks (writer, story, producer, director) and Molly Gordon (lead, producer, story) took on several roles to bring arguably the most millennial/Gen Z movie imaginable. The film works so flawlessly well but is sure to get under the skin of… Read More ›

• “Terrestrial” is tethered too tightly to elevate to the heights it aspires to reach. [Fantasia]

  By justin waldman on July 24, 2025 • ( 2 )

  

  When you hear that the director of one of the most absurdist and out-there comedies that shouldn’t work but does is making a genre-bending science fiction comedy horror-esque movie, curiosity definitely peaks. However, there has to be something more to… Read More ›

• Revisit Morgan Freeman’s school drama “Lean on Me” in a brand-new HD edition via Warner Archive.

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

  

  “Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything.” – Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) on The West Wing Affirmative stories are nothing new. Stories that try to uplift audiences through the overcoming of adversity have brought about films like Brian’s Song… Read More ›

• Cosmatos and Stallone’s “Cobra” gets an ideal 4K transfer via Arrow Video.

  By justin waldman on July 23, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Sometimes movies fly under the radar for viewers, and some of those movies get branded as favorites or classics. When one of those movies has escaped my viewing experience one way or another and the 4K gets announced, my curiosity… Read More ›

• Comedy “The Floaters” captures the mishegoss of summer camp, even if it is pretty paint-by-numbers.

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

  

  Context Warning: The Floaters is an inherently Jewish film and I was raised in the Reform sect, so some things are going to be discussed that only those aware of the terms may understand. This warning is applied because the… Read More ›

• The Criterion Collection restores Mike Nichols’s “Carnal Knowledge” in 4K UHD and Blu-ray.

  By justin waldman on July 22, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Mike Nichols can be described as one of the best 21st century directors with titles under his belt like Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? (1966), The Graduate (1967), Working Girl (1988), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), and Carnal Knowledge (1971), so… Read More ›

• “Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards” walks the fine line between manga art direction and reality, bringing some fun along with it. [Fantasia]

  By Douglas Davidson on July 21, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Trigger Warning: An extended introduction sequence includes frequent brief flashing effects that may be difficult for photosensitive viewers. What does it mean to be a hero? Stories from around the world and throughout time try to navigate this question. Few… Read More ›

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