Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 2

• Come for the cast in novel adaptation “Here Are the Young Men” and little else.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 2, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Coming of age stories come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re joyous, ridiculous tales like Weird Science (1985), dramatic like Baby, Don’t Cry (2021), or explorations of addiction and trauma like Trainspotting (1996). The story within writer/director Eoin Macken’s… Read More ›

• “It Takes Three” adapts the story of “Cyrano de Bergerac” with an ‘80s rom-com swagger.

  By Douglas Davidson on September 1, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  The biggest reason to stop telling people what films they should love or hate is primarily due to its icky gatekeeping factor, but, secondarily, there’s no telling what people will connect to and when. There are as many people out… Read More ›

• “In The Heights” 4K UHD Giveaway

  By Douglas Davidson on August 31, 2021 • ( 2 )

  

  The Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) adaptation of writer/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play (itself an adaptation) In The Heights landed in theaters and on HBO Max earlier this summer and, as of today, is available to own. Thanks to Warner Bros…. Read More ›

• Discover new life in “All the Moons (Todas las Lunas),” an enchanting and bittersweet vampire fantasy. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Mallory Moore on August 31, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  No country’s literature or filmography is short of romance stories. If a writer tells you they’re working on a piece about love, you’ll probably assume they’re talking about romantic love. We live in a culture that prioritizes romance and marriage,… Read More ›

• “The Last Matinee” satisfies with thrills and kills.

  By Thomas Manning on August 31, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  The great debate of the importance of the “theatrical experience” has been run into the ground as streaming services continue to expand and movie theater attendance becomes increasingly inconsistent. The industry was headed in this direction even before March 2020,… Read More ›

• Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 2: “The Boxtrolls.”

  By Douglas Davidson on August 30, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  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 ›

• Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 1: “Coraline.”

  By Douglas Davidson on August 29, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  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 ›

• Russian comedy “Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It” is a road trip horror comedy you’ve just gotta see. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Douglas Davidson on August 27, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Everyone has a thing that they look for before deciding if they want to engage with a piece of art. It could be the cover of an album that lures them in, the style of brush strokes crafting a painting,… Read More ›

• “The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 (8日で死んだ怪獣の12日の物語)” is a carefully produced, lovingly crafted COVID-related tale. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Hunter Heilman on August 27, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  I don’t mess with COVID-related content. I’ve lived it for the past 18 months and, when I watch a movie, I absolutely do not want to be reminded of it in any way. Locked Down? I refuse to watch it…. Read More ›

• Director Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” recontextualizes the mythos in a way that’ll excite some and frustrate others.

  By Douglas Davidson on August 27, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  The stories we tell matter. They carry weight with every word. They are derived from their individual meanings as well as the histories accompanying them. Stories keep people and events alive long after their physical forms are gone, enabling those… Read More ›

• Open Dialogue with “The Colony” writer/director Tim Fehlbaum.

  By Noel Manning on August 26, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Tim Fehlbaum is the writer/director for the Lionsgate/Saban sci-fi/action/drama The Colony. On this episode of Open Dialogue, Tim shares the unusual journey of making this film in the German Tidelands. Tim also offers interesting connections to the 1981 Wolfgang Petersen… Read More ›

• Open Dialogue with “The Colony” actor Nora Arnezeder.

  By Noel Manning on August 26, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Nora Arnezeder has worked as an acting talent in many film and episodic series; she’s currently shooting the Paramount+ series The Offer based on the making of The Godfather. Today, on Open Dialogue we dive in deep to the film… Read More ›

• “Baby, Don’t Cry” is a coming-of-age fable for those who don’t fit in. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Douglas Davidson on August 25, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  When most people hear the term “coming of age” to describe a film, they might jump to something like The Breakfast Club (1985), Sixteen Candles (1984), Weird Science (1985) or some other John Hughes film. They’re often films of self-exploration… Read More ›

• Zom-com “Brain Freeze” has its heart in the right place, yet still arrives DOA. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Hunter Heilman on August 25, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Fine, let’s just get it out of the way: I am not a very big fan of zombie films on the base level. There are many other things that can make a zombie film good, that I can identify with… Read More ›

• Undeniable cast chemistry shines bright against the dark forces at play in “When I Consume You.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Mallory Moore on August 24, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Do your worst childhood fears ever come back to haunt you? Does it feel like the monsters in your closet never left? Most of us outgrow our fear of shadows, monsters, and the dark, and we can now keep the… Read More ›

• “Yakuza Princess” offers a breakout performance from lead MASUMI. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

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

  

  The list of Yakuza-centric films runs the gamut from dramas like Lost Girls & Love Hotels (2020) to martial arts films like Chocolate (2008) to science-fiction horror like Versus (2000) to straight up thrillers like Black Rain (1989). What the… Read More ›

• “Be careful what you wish for, be certain what you pray for:” Religious intentions are put on trial in “The Righteous.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Mallory Moore on August 23, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  If you’re into Southern Gothic literature, you’ll go nuts over Mark O’Brien’s feature directorial debut, The Righteous, which screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month. Granted, it was filmed in Canada and not the American South, but… Read More ›

• “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” sends the MCU in an exciting and new unknown direction.

  By Douglas Davidson on August 23, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  There are many differences in American and Asian cinema, but none stand out as much as the way stunt sequences are used. More often than not, a stunt sequence in American-made films is more about wowing the audience than moving… Read More ›

• Q-Bits with “Ted Lasso” composer Tom Howe.

  By Thomas Manning on August 23, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  EoM contributor Thomas Manning recently had the opportunity to interview Tom Howe, music composer for the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. Now in its second season, this show continues to speak to the hearts and minds of audiences young… Read More ›

• Horror drama “Agnes” may not be for you, but you damn well better respect it. [Fantasia International Film Festival]

  By Hunter Heilman on August 22, 2021 • ( 0 )

  

  There’s a demented fascination with nuns in modern society that I feel is worth examining. It’s an alien world of pious faith that most cannot even begin to understand, but we have taken many steps in trying to. From Black… Read More ›

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