In this life there are few things worse than being misunderstood, to possess the feeling that those around you can’t see about you what you see in yourself. This schism between social reflection and personal identity has been the source… Read More ›
film festival
Documentarian Julien Faraut successfully preserves the incredible story of the 1964 Japanese volleyball team, even if the presentation lacks the energy the true story deserves. [North Bend Film Festival]
Storytelling is all about execution. You can have the most fascinating, compelling, edge-of-your-seat concept, but, if the execution flounders, nothing else matters. Take the story about the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo which saw the introduction of volleyball as an… Read More ›
Norwegian comedy “Ninjababy” blends humor and animation, illustrating the complexities of navigating an unexpected pregnancy. [North Bend Film Festival]
Mixed media films are not particularly unique in and of themselves, but, when done well, they add an element of otherworldliness or imagination to the story. The rotoscoping in Waking Life (2001) empowers the scene with Timothy “Speed” Levitch to… Read More ›
Adventurous, heartrending, and undeniably raw, “CODE NAME: Nagasaki” offers a reimagined documentary told through the language of cinema. [North Bend Film Festival]
When it comes to self-discovery, there is no one right path, no universal means for those who walk this earth to become comfortable with themselves. This is the struggle, the burden we all share, whether we’ll admit it or not…. Read More ›
“Peace by Chocolate” isn’t tempered to satiate an instant craving, but to preserve a legacy. [Tribeca Festival]
Immigrant stories are treated as all-to-common and extraordinary in the same breath, especially in the United States and Canada. The majority of people who live in both countries did not originate there and each possess a legacy of doing terrible… Read More ›
Allow the joy of documentary “Lily Topples the World” to knock you over. [SXSW Film Festival]
Documentaries that manage to introduce a new audience to something niche and relatively uncommon (while retaining entertainment value and artistic excellence) instantly earn my admiration. From director Jeremy Workman and executive producer Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Topples the World shows… Read More ›
Director Mary Wharton’s documentary “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free” is good for the heart and soul. [SXSW Film Festival]
From director Mary Wharton, the documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free feels like a secret glimpse into a lost part of history. Considering that we are less than three decades removed from the time period of this film’s focus,… 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 ›
Flashes of brilliance in co-directors Mallory Everton and Stephen Meek’s “Recovery” are diminished by inconsistency. [SXSW Film Festival]
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 ›
Jacob Gentry’s jazzy tech noir “Broadcast Signal Intrusion” takes us down a rabbit hole. [SXSW Film Festival]
Imagine being in the middle of a favorite television program, only to have your television hijacked by unwanted and disturbing images. While the interruption doesn’t last long, what appeared on screen you can’t unsee. While this sounds like an old… Read More ›
A Conversation with “For The Record” showrunner/actor Julian De Zotti and Actress Anna Hopkins. [SXSW Film Festival]
Elements of Madness contributor Thomas Manning recently spoke with showrunner/actor Julian De Zotti and actress Anna Hopkins about the new anthology series For the Record, which premiered at SXSW 2021. Over the course of their 10-minute conversation, they discuss the… Read More ›
Meet Me at the Movies: Episode 420, SXSW 2021 & More.
It’s been a few months since the last time I could join the Meet Me at the Movies Team and, yet, it never feels like it. The MAM Team is so welcoming, you’d never know I last jointed them in… Read More ›
Documentary “The Hunt for Planet B” begins with the amazing minds at home. [SXSW Film Festival]
Are we alone in the universe? This is the question that drives some people to search the stars and others to question your sanity. “Why would there be others like us?” some may wonder, “For we are divine creatures thanks… Read More ›
Bonkers B-Movie gore fest “Jakob’s Wife” is brimming with bloodlust. [SXSW Film Festival]
Immediately after I finished watching Jakob’s Wife, I sat there in a state of confusion, perplexed by the madness of what I just witnessed. A jumbled mess of incohesive thoughts and emotions floated around in my mind as I tried… Read More ›
Documentary “Hysterical” is a showcase of the sheer fearlessness and tenacity of female comics. [SXSW Film Festival]
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 ›
The unique benefits of “The Spine of Night” outweigh its sometimes impenetrable downsides. [SXSW Film Festival]
Of the nominations for Best Animated Film at this year’s Academy Awards, Onward, Over the Moon, Shaun The Sheep: Farmageddon, Soul, and Wolfwalkers, not a single one of them was made for anything but family audiences in mind. It’s a… Read More ›
Riveting documentary “Introducing, Selma Blair” captures the spirit of a person unbroken. [SXSW Film Festival]
There’s a point about two-thirds of the way through Introducing, Selma Blair where the titular Selma Blair is recounting her career based on her magazine appearances, including an admittedly unfortunate Seventeen Magazine cover, a stunning Italian Vogue cover, and the… Read More ›
“Best Summer Ever” is may be cheesy, but it’ll sweep you up in its charm nonetheless. [SXSW Film Festival]
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 ›
Documentary “Alien on Stage” charms from lights down to the final curtain call. [SXSW Film Festival]
If you’re like me, you’ve been obsessed with the North Bergen High School’s production of Alien two years ago. The New Jersey high school, with the film and a dream as inspiration, crafted a unique and (by high school standards)… Read More ›
Failing to live up to its promise, “Offseason” feels more like a pale imitation to other works. [SXSW Film Festival]
If you ever even mutter the words “silent” and “hill” within seven words of each other in a sentence within a 10-meter radius of me, buckle in because I’m going to tell you everything I know about the Silent Hill… Read More ›