Memory is a fragile thing. Between the limits of personal perspective, the preference of protecting one’s sense of self, and time, memories shift and change until they solidify in our minds in the version that best serves us. But what… Read More ›
film festival
Sci-fi thriller “Ash” struggles to rise above its composite of source materials. [SXSW]
When it comes to narrative mysteries, truth and reality are all a matter of perception. Some things can be argued or compromised on, others are indisputable, but they are all a matter of perception. It’s in this vein that multihyphenate… Read More ›
Meet cutes in the age of the apps: “Step Back, Doors Closing” adapts the 24-hour romance concept for a Gen Z audience. [OFF]
In the era of dating apps, many singles still fantasize about finding their forever partner in a Hollywood-worthy meet cute that they can recount to their grandchildren someday. While it’s a lot easier to secure a date for the evening… Read More ›
Eight Boston Underground Film Festival 2025 films to investigate.
For the first time, Elements of Madness is officially covering the Boston Underground Film Festival and I thought I’d offer up a short-list of films I hope to check out during the fest or what to keep an eye out… Read More ›
Documentary “Arrest the Midwife” chronicles the work of three midwives of New York and their targeted prosecution. [SXSW]
The things we do to women. For centuries, at least within Western societies, women are considered pillars of their communities while also being second-class (or lesser) citizens. Their rights to vote, to own property, to be more than their father’s… Read More ›
Ben Leonberg’s “Good Boy” takes the horror tropes you know and revitalizes them via a new context that’s unpredictable and terrifying. [SXSW]
Photosensitivity Warning: Good Boy involves several night time sequences that occur during a storm, resulting in a great deal of lightning flashes. Those with light sensitivities should take precautions before viewing. Every genre has their tropes, but very few play… Read More ›
Kahane Corn Cooperman’s “Creede U.S.A.” is a surprisingly heartfelt and hopeful documentary about the power of empathy. [SXSW]
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid In the late 1800s, when silver was found by Nicholas C. Creede in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, the rush of people led to the boomtown known… Read More ›
Give yourself up to Julia Max’s family horror drama feature debut “The Surrender” and become open to hard truths. [SXSW]
“What has four legs, then two, and then three?” – The Riddle of the Sphynx. Despite the machinations and designs of the rich, egocentric, and vain, each human life is finite and is designed as such. We can expand life… Read More ›
New Eli Craig horror comedy “Clown in a Cornfield” builds a foundation of generational turnover on one statement: “Don’t f*@k with Frendo.” [SXSW]
“In every generation, there is a Chosen One …” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003) Writer/director Eli Craig is no stranger to comedic horror between 2010’s Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and 2017’s Little Evil. While the latter… Read More ›
Narrative hybrid “Brother Verses Brother” is a life-affirming, soul-crushing, musical journey that reminds us how art can save our lives. [SXSW]
“Art can save your life … Entertainment will never be your salvation … .” – Comedian Josh Jackson. In 2020, as COVID-19 resulted in lockdowns around the world, twin siblings Ari and Ethan Gold began corresponding with their father, Herbert,… Read More ›
Gerard Johnson’s “Odyssey” is a narrative thriller about misogyny and the real estate markets. [SXSW]
“Men are so quick to blame the gods: they say that we devise their misery. But they themselves- in their depravity- design grief greater than the griefs that fate assigns.” ― Homer, The Odyssey Pulling ones’ self up by bootstraps… Read More ›
The McManus Brothers’s “Redux Redux” explores grief as an ouroboros through a multiversal sci-fi thriller. [SXSW]
There was a time when the concept of a multiverse was left to modern philosophy and creative writing as the idea of worlds on top of worlds separated by frequency, many like our own except for the tiniest of differences,… Read More ›
In an era of hypernormalization, Geremy Jasper’s musical opera “O’Dessa” may just be the seed for revolution. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: Photosensitive viewers should take precautions before viewing as they are several brief sequences and two longer sequences involving flashing lights. “… to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable …” There’s a long tradition of using stories to… Read More ›
Lanfia Wal’s feature-length directorial debut “New Jack Fury” is a mouthpiece with plenty to say. [SXSW]
“Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” – Author Stephen King There’s a cyclical nature to things in entertainment. For instance, the things that are popular to you as a child tend to come back around as an adult,… Read More ›
25 SXSW 2025 films that spark my curiosity.
For the fifth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering SXSW and this time I’m covering it solo! Excited as I am, I thought I’d put together a list of the films I’m hoping to cover… Read More ›
Sci-fi dramedy “O Horizon” seeks to examine what analog grief looks like in a digital space. [SBIFF]
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 ›
How can you plan “To Kill a Wolf” when foe and friend share the same traits? [SBIFF]
Trigger Warning: The narrative of To Kill a Wolf grapples with difficult topics involving sexual abuse. The two earliest written versions of the Little Red Riding Hood story come from author Charles Perrault (1697) and from The Brothers Grimm (1800s), each providing… Read More ›
Documentary “Third Act” captures self-realizations and the discovery that they run generations-deep. [Sundance]
History can only be buried for so long before the truth comes out. This relates to large revelations (the purposeful attempts to control and reduce Indigenous populations through residential schools in the U.S. and Canada) and interpersonal discoveries that wield… Read More ›
Beware the creature of the night who promises peace in “Touch Me.” [Sundance]
Trigger Warning: The narrative of Touch Me grapples with difficult topics involving sexual abuse and addiction. Additionally, there are a few brief sequences of light-strobing that might be difficult for photosensitive viewers. “And crawling on the planet’s face, some insects,… Read More ›
Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller “Babygirl” reinvigorates the genre. [TIFF]
Going from directing a whodunnit millennial comedy in Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) to creating a power dynamic that blends Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999) (maybe that’s just because of the lead actress, but there are… Read More ›