Elements of Madness

Recent Posts - page 31

• Intimate documentary “Everybody Dance” beautifully showcases life-changing program for disabled dancers.

  By Michelle Swope on February 28, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  People who live with disabilities are often made to feel invisible. In fact, society in general considers people with disabilities to be disposable, many times not wanting to even be reminded of their existence, when all people who live with… Read More ›

• Arrow Video delivers a worthy 4K release of the 1980 dark thriller “Cruising.”

  By justin waldman on February 27, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Trigger Warning: The narrative centers violence upon the LGBTQIA+ community and this may be distressing for sensitive viewers. If you’re reading this and, like me, you’ve heard of William Friedkin’s Cruising with Al Pacino (Heat), but have never seen it… Read More ›

• Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivers a masterclass performance in Mike Leigh’s somber slice-of-life dramedy “Hard Truths.”

  By Blak Cinephile on February 26, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  “I don’t understand you. But I love you.” These are key words said towards the climax of Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, a somber slice-of-life film about two disparate sisters in a Black British family. Mike Leigh, a veteran indie darling… Read More ›

• Invite “Nosferatu” in and plunge into Robert Eggers’s gothic horror any time at home.

  By Dalin Rowell on February 26, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Ever since 2015’s The Witch, Director Robert Eggers has proved his genre supremacy. Whether it be the quirky horrors of The Lighthouse (2019) or the violent Viking delights in The Northman (2022), every movie in Egger’s catalog continues to showcase… Read More ›

• The deadly film “Hokuriku Proxy War” debuts on Blu-ray by way of Radiance Films.

  By Andrew J. Eisenman on February 25, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  There is an all-time great story of betrayal, recklessness, and tragedy told about the events that took place among the yakuza of Japan’s snowy north coast, and it’s told through around 50 minutes of interviews included as special features on… Read More ›

• Criterion’s 4K edition of “Cronos” offers nothing new past the restoration.

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

  

  If anyone knows me, then you know I champion Criterion and their releases. They’re usually some of the best of the best, bar none to any other release in terms of quality of release (and quality control) and features. While… Read More ›

• “Amadeus” still rocks at 40: Warner Bros. debuts exhilarating 4K restoration of the theatrical cut.

  By Michelle Swope on February 25, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  The ‘80s were a decade of decadence. Whimsical fashion, music, and media reigned pop culture. This was especially true with the films of the era. The year 1984 saw Warner Bros. release both Purple Rain, a semi-biographical concert film starring… Read More ›

• Largely-forgotten low-budget experimental martial arts actioner “Furious” receives a collectible SD edition via Visual Vengeance.

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

  

  While action has been a staple element of cinema since its creation, not all films which use action are viewed the same. For some reason, the bigger the budget, the larger the presumption that the film is good or “of… Read More ›

• “Mermaid Legend” dives into revenge on Blu-ray from Third Window Films.

  By Andrew J. Eisenman on February 23, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Content Warning: This film contains sexual violence and semi-explicit sex acts that may be unnerving for sensitive viewers. Mermaid Legend (1984) is the prize film in Third Window Film’s newest wave of their Blu-ray releases of The Directors Company movies…. Read More ›

• Sci-fi dramedy “O Horizon” seeks to examine what analog grief looks like in a digital space. [SBIFF]

  By Douglas Davidson on February 22, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  There is no one way to grieve. There are certainly customs and traditions within communities and cultures, but there’s no single way in which each person is meant to process loss. With the digital age, though, the manner in which… Read More ›

• A Conversation with “Big Boys” writer/director Corey Sherman.

  By Thomas Manning on February 21, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  In this edition of EoM Presents, Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning talks with writer and director Corey Sherman about his debut feature film Big Boys. This queer coming-of-age comedy has been nominated at the GLAAD Media Awards in addition to the… Read More ›

• “Old Guy” misses the mark on promises suggested by its premise and cast.

  By justin waldman on February 21, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Old Guy, directed by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; Con Air; Expendables 2) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), at least piqued my interest as an entertaining, silly, action movie with a cast that includes Lucy Liu… Read More ›

• “Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse” explores the magnitude of significance of Spiegelman and his graphic novel “Maus.”

  By justin waldman on February 21, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  When I was in university (all those years ago), I took a class that was essentially called “Understanding Comics” which explored comics as a medium — how it told stories, how it evolved, where it is now, and so on,… Read More ›

• “Millers in Marriage” cranks family drama up to 11.

  By justin waldman on February 20, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  No matter what the subject matter at hand is, throwing it into a family dynamic automatically adds an additional level of intensity, uncomfortableness, and familiarity. Usually, the best versions of these dynamics focus on some terrible tragedy past or present… Read More ›

• Daisy Ridley-led action thriller “Cleaner” smartly delivers highwire action on well-worn framework.

  By Douglas Davidson on February 19, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  If there’s one thing that the movie industry knows how to do, it’s how to compare a new project to an old one. Often times, that means describing a new film as simply “Die Hard in a [blank].” Of course,… Read More ›

• Ethics and morals, ambition and purpose are examined in the tense, journalism thriller “September 5,” now on home video.

  By Blak Cinephile on February 18, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  When creating a film about the morality and ethics of journalism, centering a story around the Munich massacre of 1972 is an inspired choice. September 5 (2024), co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony), is a film about an… Read More ›

• “The Monkey” is a blood-soaked laugh-riot.

  By Andrew J. Eisenman on February 17, 2025 • ( 1 )

  

  Theo James, even when he’s good, such as in White Lotus season two (2022) or the ill-fated HBO adaption of The Time Traveler’s Wife (2022), has apparently been miscast his entire career until The Monkey (2025). Usually playing a George… Read More ›

• Justin Kurzel’s true crime adaptation “The Order” comes home on Blu-ray.

  By Gabe Lapalombella on February 17, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  The neo-western/crime drama has become a cinema staple. Early classic examples include Lone Star (1952), Hud (1963), and Paris, Texas (1984). More recent films like No Country for Old Men (2007), Sicario (2015), Hell or High Water (2016), and Wind… Read More ›

• You’ve waited 20 years for “Constantine” in 4K UHD. What’s another 20 seconds?

  By Douglas Davidson on February 16, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Angela Dodson: Well, this has been real educational, but … I don’t believe in the devil. John Constantine: You should. He believes in you. – Constantine (2005) Unlike now, comic book adaptations used to be far less prevalent and didn’t… Read More ›

• Kinji Fukasaku’s fantasy actioner “Legend of the Eight Samurai” gets added to Eureka Entertainment’s “Masters of Cinema” series in a 4K HD restoration.

  By Douglas Davidson on February 15, 2025 • ( 0 )

  

  Trigger Warning: There are several sequences involving protracted strobing or flashing lights, so photosensitive viewers should take precautions before queuing up the film. According to Kenta Fukasaku, son of Kinji Fukasaku, the filmmaker’s 1983 action fantasy Legend of the Eight… Read More ›

• ‹ Older Entries
• Newer Entries ›