One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
There have been many films conceived, shot, and released since COVID-19 quarantines more or less stopped the world. Some of them put the virus front-and-center (The End of Us), while others used the period as an opportunity to tell a… Read More ›
Folklore is easily the earliest form of storytelling we have. Some folklore is intended to serve as lessons in morality or ethics, designed to push a people into certain behaviors, while others are merely stories passed down through the generations… Read More ›
It is not the destiny of every artist to be known beyond the reaches of their imagination. It’s a sad truth that sometimes, well past an artist’s prime or even after their life has ended, is when someone’s catalogue of… Read More ›
In 2017, writer/director Shin’ichirô Ueda released unto the world One Cut of the Dead, his adaptation of Ryoichi Wada’s play “Ghost in the Box!”. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s an absolute marvel that’s an inventive lo-fi zombie film… Read More ›
For the third year in a row, Elements of Madness will be remotely covering the Fantasia International Film Festival. In the run-up to the event, we wanted to highlight 16 films screening during the festival that we’re either most excited… Read More ›
I was lucky enough to catch the action-thriller Seobok during the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival and quite enjoyed how it balanced the various elements to craft an action-packed, yet thoughtful tale. Retitled to Seobok: Project Clone, Lee Yong-ju’s film is headed… Read More ›
After an unexpected month-long hiatus in which Douglas covered the Fantasia International Film Festival and Darryl got engaged (heck yeah!), The Cine-Men return to talk about their favorite melee scenes! Before we get to that goodness (& Douglas totally screws… Read More ›
It’s not every day we get the chance to chat with a loved one who has passed on. Skeptics would say that we never get that opportunity. If you’ve lost someone important to you, you’ve probably at least imagined having… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
From Rosemary’s Baby to False Positive, Psycho to Mommie Dearest, motherhood and the horror genre are a match made in heaven. The labyrinth of psycho-socio-political issues surrounding motherhood, pregnancy, and the mother-child relationship has truly found its home in horror… Read More ›
Japan is gonna Japan whether or not you want Japan to Japan, and when it Japans, it Japans hard. That in and of itself could be the singular tagline for Masashi Yamamoto’s Wonderful Paradise (脳天パラダイス), celebrating its North American premiere… Read More ›