Trigger Warning for light, yet frequent strobing. There’s something familiar about every aspect of new animated family adventure sci-fi comedy The Mitchells vs. The Machines. The animation style is complex and layered, which is to be expected from Sony Pictures… Read More ›
Welcome to Fistful of Features, a celebration of film preservation through physical media and the discussion of cinematic treasures to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. I’m taking a different approach this time around and decided to focus on… Read More ›
There are a few moments in life where the dichotomy of promise and pressure collide as they do with family. Ideally, family are the folks who love and support you “no matter what,” yet, along with that, they also are… Read More ›
Sometimes, the movie experience you need most is the one with the least number of hurdles to get over. There’s a comfort that comes from a film that’s so straight-forward and streamlined that you can just kick back and enjoy… Read More ›
After watching the bittersweet and darkly humorous short musical Stuffed at SXSW Film Festival 2021, I just had to interview the creative team. It was truly the biggest surprise of the festival and won the special jury prize for Bold… Read More ›
Given the option of choosing a Melissa McCarthy-led drama or comedy, the former is near-guaranteed to be stellar while the latter can be hit/miss. She’s a fantastic actor and one whose willingness to embrace physical comedy is something akin to… Read More ›
SXSW 2021 has come and gone, offering accredited press a dizzying array of opportunities in which to indulge. While the Elements of Madness coverage team wrote a hearty portion of reviews, there were far more films worth seeing than we… Read More ›
A little over a year ago, mentioning the term “COVID comedy” as a film genre would have probably brought looks of confusion. Of course, events within the last 12 months or so have changed the entire motion of the world… Read More ›
There is a lot to take away from the official SXSW selection, Hysterical, a documentary feature directed by Andrea Nevins, which examines the culture of women in stand-up comedy. Just to set the scene, I am a straight, white male… Read More ›
Originally slated for a 2020 SXSW premiere, musical comedy Best Summer Ever from first-time feature directing partners Michael Parks Randa and Lauren Smitelli instead makes its world debut at the 2021 festival. Part Grease homage, part Disney Channel wannabe, part… Read More ›
On paper, a film like Language Lessons sounds like your typical love story waiting to happen. Two people (Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass) find the thing they’ve been looking for over the confines of a weekly Zoom call. The catch is… Read More ›
Being gay is one of the biggest gifts life has granted me, and the fact I’m able to sit here and say that shows just how far we’ve come as a society to where I, and so many other people,… Read More ›
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” — a proverb whose origin is unknown, though is believed to have evolved from a statement within Plato’s Republic, “our need will be the real creator.” True or not, when times get tough, when… Read More ›
Have you ever become instantly smitten with a film from the first few moments when it just felt like you’re vibing on the same level? With the rhythmic sounds of Oskar Cartaya’s “Get Up (Muévete)”, the audience is treated to… Read More ›
To paraphrase a line from director Craig Brewer’s (Dolemite Is My Name) Coming 2 America, Hollywood is nothing but superhero films, remakes, and sequels no one asked for. Without getting into the numerous ways that’s an oversimplification that ignores the… Read More ›
A silent lead. A gang of teenagers. A house of horrific animatronic monsters. With this trifecta, Willy’s Wonderland is either going to be the stuff of legends or nightmares. If you’re a fan of small budget horror films like Evil… Read More ›
Character actress Beth Grant has appeared in dozens of film and television shows throughout the years. She visits with Noel T. Manning II on Open Dialogue (courtesy of Meet Me at the Movies) to talk about her career; engage in… Read More ›
The latest project from Mister Lister Films is at once existential and profound, while completely self-indulgent. In their balance, both of these can be true, combining into a film that’s as heartbreaking as it is hilarious. Conceived, developed, and shot… Read More ›
Books are a frequent source of mining in cinema. Sometimes their adaptations becomes something larger than possibly imagined (The Shawshank Redemption), while others support the notion that the imagination of the reader trumps anything celluloid can conjure (Artemis Fowl). Audiences… Read More ›
Adam Stovall’s micro-budget flick, A Ghost Waits, makes a pretty convincing argument that romance and horror can work really well together. Stovall doesn’t simply juxtapose the genres or jump back and forth between sweet and horrific moments. Instead, he takes… Read More ›