Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 2

• “Crash Land” embraces the messy improv of life. [SXSW]

  By AJ Friar on March 28, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Crash Land can easily be pitched as Jackass with a ton of heart, but that shorthand barely scratches the surface of what makes the film resonate. Beneath its chaotic, stunt-driven exterior lies a surprisingly tender coming-of-age story that uses absurdity,… Read More ›

• “Forbidden Fruits” tempts and delivers on thrills, comedy, and horror.

  By justin waldman on March 27, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  With two Gen Z female leads, the archetypes of Mean Girls (2004), similar plot points as The Craft (1996), and is not as sexually driven as Jennifer’s Body (2009), Forbidden Fruits is a powder keg ready to explode in epic… Read More ›

• Run, run, run! It’s time to hide. “Ready or Not: Here I Come.”

  By Douglas Davidson on March 27, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  The directing team known as Radio Silence, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, have established themselves over the years as an assured hand in the horror space. From their contribution to the 2012 anthology series V/H/S to revitalizing the Scream series… Read More ›

• Invite the modern “Merrily We Roll Along” into your home via a proshot Broadway performance on Blu-ray.

  By Dalin Rowell on March 26, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  When you’re raised in a musical theatre loving family, you often are served a delicious buffet of Broadway talent. From the classic tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oklahoma!) to the ‘80s stylings of Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the… Read More ›

• Transgressive master Takashi Miike’s violent, mean-spirited “Agitator” gets a solo-edition home release with updated resolution by Radiance Films.

  By Blak Cinephile on March 26, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Trigger Warning: Agitator contains sequences of graphic violence and sexual assault that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. It’s a rather tall order to not expect a yakuza film with title Agitator to not … well, agitate you. But such… Read More ›

• Jenna MacMillan’s feature directorial debut “The Snake” is powered by the charismatic performance of its lead. [SXSW]

  By justin waldman on March 25, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Have you ever watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and wondered to yourself what would happen to the gang if they didn’t have each other? Well, if you have, and your particular interest laid with what would happen to Sweet… Read More ›

• Horror dramedy “Bagworm” takes audiences into the perceptions of the infected and addled mind of a wayward man. [SXSW]

  By justin waldman on March 25, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  There are movies that try to bend reality and change the way we see the world, and director Oliver Bernsen (Connective Tissue) and writer Henry Bernsen (When We Get to Heaven) certainly try to hammer down that misconception and what… Read More ›

• A classic sprawling epic of power and politics within a powerful crime syndicate, Sadao Nakajima’s “The Japanese Godfather Trilogy” finally arrives on Blu-ray, courtesy of Radiance Films.

  By Blak Cinephile on March 24, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Sadao Nakajima’s Japanese Godfather Trilogy is a collection of three yakuza films made between 1977 and 1978 based on the true story of Japan’s largest crime syndicate. Taking some inspiration (both thematically and visually) from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 gangster… Read More ›

• Filmmaker Mika Ninagawa’s directorial feature “Sakuran” joins the 88 Asia Collection with a befitting limited edition.

  By Douglas Davidson on March 24, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Adapting a work properly requires a confluence of events. It’s more than just translating one media into another as you need someone who understands the context of the source, who gets what it means to be moved to a new… Read More ›

• Meta thriller “And Her Body Was Never Found” is not #relationshipgoals, but it is a dynamic and cruel feature film directorial debut. [SXSW]

  By Douglas Davidson on March 23, 2026 • ( 1 )

  

  “L’enfer, c’est les autres.” – Jean-Paul Sartre in No Exit. Making movies is a large endeavor. Outside of the requirement for a creative idea, you also need the time to cultivate it, the financing to fund it, and the team… Read More ›

• “Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero” is a timeline of a vigilante from concept to present day. [SXSW]

  By justin waldman on March 22, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  If you’ve never heard of Phoenix Jones, there’re possibly two reasons as to why: you weren’t chronically online during his rise to fame and the timeline of events that followed, and you don’t know every MMA fighter to ever compete…. Read More ›

• “40 Years of Fuckin’ Up” captures the life and times of NOFX.

  By AJ Friar on March 21, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  NOFX’s 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up is a loud, irreverent, and surprisingly heartfelt documentary celebrating four decades of chaos from one of punk rock’s most enduring bands, NOFX. For longtime fans, the film lands with a bittersweet edge. The band… Read More ›

• “DRAGN” Digital Code Giveaway

  By Douglas Davidson on March 20, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Since the age of machines, horror stories have found various ways to incorporate them into our nightmares. Did the toaster become sentient? Is our relaxing trip to the local galleria about to turn into a chopping mall? Is that Furby… Read More ›

• Allow animated dramedy “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” to ascend to your home collection.

  By Douglas Davidson on March 20, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  At a point in the director interview for their film, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes), co-directors Maïlys Vallade (The Lighthouse Keeper) and Liane-Cho Han (Voodoo) discuss the Japanese belief that children under… Read More ›

• Stella Markert’s tragicomic “Thanks for Nothing” invites audience to embrace anarchy and themselves. [SXSW]

  By Douglas Davidson on March 20, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  “So many bright lights, they cast a shadow, but can I speak? Well, is it hard understanding, I’m incomplete? A life that’s so demanding I get so weak A love that’s so demanding I can’t speak …” – From “Famous… Read More ›

• “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” 4K UHD Giveaway

  By Douglas Davidson on March 19, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Last month, Cult Epics released another restoration from Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s catalogue of titles, the sci-fi romance The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Courtesy of Cult Epics, we reviewed the standard edition of their new 4K UHD restoration and, now,… Read More ›

• “Plantman & Blondie” commits fully to the absurdity for a wild and fun time. [SXSW]

  By AJ Friar on March 19, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film is destined to be one of this year’s breakout cult classics to emerge from the SXSW Film & TV Festival 2026. An offbeat comedy about friendship, purpose, and trying to grow something real… Read More ›

• Horror comedy “Fifteen” proudly owns its full identity as its leads attempt to find theirs. [SXSW]

  By justin waldman on March 18, 2026 • ( 1 )

  

  Growing up is hell. I can only fathom being a girl is that much more hellacious as that’s an entirely different game and strategy on how to fit in, be popular, and make friends. None of it is easy, all… Read More ›

• “Beyond the Duplex Planet” examines the creative experiment zine known as The Duplex Planet. [SXSW]

  By AJ Friar on March 18, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Beyond the Duplex Planet is a slow and methodical documentary that explores art, aging, and human connection through the work of writer and interviewer David Greenberger. In 1979, Greenberger was a recent art school graduate searching for direction when he took a… Read More ›

• The Criterion Collections brings the nuclear fallout of “Testament” back to life in a stunning restoration.

  By Blak Cinephile on March 17, 2026 • ( 0 )

  

  Originally made for television, Lynne Littman’s 1983 film Testament takes a human, grounded approach to the sensationalized topic of nuclear devastation. Based on the short story “The Last Testament” by Carol Amen, Testament is as prevalent today (given recent world… Read More ›

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