In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning chats with writer, director, producer, and editor Bruce Bellocchi about his directorial debut The Legend of Jack and Diane. Bellocchi speaks about the evolution of his decades-long… Read More ›
crime drama
True crime adaptation “American Murderer” raises the kinds of questions even justice may not answer.
No matter how close we are to someone, they’ll never truly know us. We can get close, sharing secrets others don’t know or confiding intrusive thoughts we might otherwise not, but without an actual mindmeld, it’s impossible for someone to… Read More ›
Paramount Pictures’s 4K UHD release of “Pulp Fiction” may just be the $5 milkshake you’re craving.
When one speaks of writer/actor/director Quentin Tarantino, the film in which they first meet his cinematic universe often colors how they view him and his work. If it’s his first film, Reservoir Dogs (1991), they likely speak with reverence as… Read More ›
You’ll give your right ear for the 4K UHD edition “Reservoir Dogs” from Lionsgate.
Creatives don’t always have to have a large resume in order to make a big impact. Sometimes it’s what they do with the small contributions they offer that makes the difference. Such is the case with writer/actor/director Quentin Tarantino whose… Read More ›
Learn all about the Chicago Way in first-new 4K UHD clarity in the Paramount Pictures 35th anniversary edition of “The Untouchables.”
Looking back on history, we have a way of making the average person appear exceptional. This isn’t to suggest that there are no remarkable people, but that humans have a way of memorializing things so that good guys become famous… Read More ›
“Clean” Blu-ray Giveaway
Released in January, Adrien Brody starred in the dramatic thriller Clean, which he co-wrote with director Paul Solet. If you missed this redemption story when it dropped or are just prefer to own the cinematic stories you watch, Clean will hit… Read More ›
“Emily the Criminal” eschews the familiar thriller trappings, decrying the subjugation of self, making for a memorable heist of identity. [Sundance Film Festival]
From May 11th, 2016 – August 19th, 2018, there was a one-man Broadway show titled In & Of Itself in which actor/magician/trickster Derek DelGaudio first challenged his audience to pick a single word identifier for themselves to finish the phrase… Read More ›
“South of Heaven” DVD Giveaway
Earlier this year director Aharon Keshales released his crime drama South of Heaven into theaters, as well as on VOD and digital. EoM contributor Thomas Manning called South of Heaven an “audacious thriller” in its initial release and, now, the crime drama… Read More ›
A Conversation with “Red Stone” actors Michael Cudlitz and Neal McDonough.
In this interview, EoM contributor Thomas Manning speaks with actors Michael Cudlitz and Neal McDonough about their new crime drama film Red Stone, written and directed by Derek Presley. During their conversation, Cudlitz and McDonough speak about their professional relationship… Read More ›
The HDR in the 4K UHD remaster of “The Shawshank Redemption” will dramatically shift how you react to the film you know.
“Get busy livin’ or get busy dying.” One of the more famous phrases in cinema history and originally uttered by Tim Robbins’s Andy Dufresne, the only innocent man in all of Shawshank Prison, is more often recalled as said by… Read More ›
Styled like a documentary, dramatic fiction “Dark Blood” feels like watching the spiritual obliteration of innocence.
Few films have shaken me quite like Harold Trompetero’s Dark Blood has. Uncut Gems (2019) left me vibrating from anxiety; If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) left me stunned, silently crying over the credits; Violet (2021) left me raw,… Read More ›
Absent special features to enhance it, Guy Ritchie’s “Wrath of Man” remains a solid experience on a rewatch.
May 2021 saw the release of a new Guy Ritchie-directed thriller, Wrath of Man, with actor Jason Statham in the lead role. It’s the first time this duo had worked together since 2005’s Revolver and both offer some of their… Read More ›
“Wrath of Man” Blu-ray Giveway
Guy Ritchie’s thriller Wrath of Man landed in theaters in May, taking audiences for an unexpected ride. They thought there were getting a standard Jason Statham-led actioner, but got something much darker, violent, and explosive. If you missed it in… Read More ›
Director Samuel Fuller’s Cold War noir “Pickup on South Street” is one of the latest films restored for The Criterion Collection.
The line between politics and art is often fine, if not entirely overlapped. This is most obvious in stories from Marvel Comics’s X-Men, a series exploring the ultimate minority group trying to make peace against great xenophobia. In a similar… Read More ›
Guy Ritchie’s “Wrath of Man” is mean, gritty, and surprising in its restraint.
Writer/director Guy Ritchie last dazzled audiences (or, at least this reviewer) with the fairly up-tempo 2019 Matthew McConaughey crime-thriller-comedy The Gentlemen. A film which, despite a few faults, reminded audiences how much of a good time they can have exploring… Read More ›
Ran Slavin’s feature debut, “Call for Dreams,” is “A Page of Madness” for the 21st century.
According to the press notes for Call for Dreams, Israeli director Ran Slavin started the project in pursuit of a “new cinematic form.” Slavin began with the idea to collect dreams from strangers that he could use as inspiration for… Read More ›
Two features and five shorts to keep an eye out for. [SXSW Film Festival]
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 ›
“In The Land of Lost Angels” is an indisputable debut for writer/director Bishrel Mashbat.
When one looks back on a director’s early works, you can usually see the beginnings of whatever will become their signature POV or narrative approach. In The Land of Lost Angels is the first feature film from writer/director Bishrel Mashbat,… Read More ›
Akira Kurosawa Series: A Look Back on “Stray Dog.”
By the end of Akira Kurosawa’s 1949 detective drama, Stray Dog, there is not a character that escapes the fray without rolling around in the mud, figuratively and literally. Every decision has consequences, and every action has a reaction. Some, more… Read More ›
Be careful out there. If you “Flinch,” you’ll catch a bullet.
If you’re familiar with Cameron Van Hoy, it may be because of his work as Eddie Alvarez in STARZ’s Crash or as Deputy Duke in the hilarious slasher-comedy Tragedy Girls (2017). With luck, thanks to his feature-length directorial debut Flinch,… Read More ›