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 ›
SXSW Online
The Cine-Men, Episode 47 – Resurrections in Cinema.
Since we’re in the time of year where some folks are celebrating either Passover or Easter, I pitched to Darryl the idea of exploring resurrections in cinema. Our reasonings may surprise you for what we choose. We also, of course,… 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 ›
Megan Park’s “The Fallout” doesn’t sensationalize school violence, but explores the aftermath. [SXSW Film Festival]
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland. These are words that have been burned into our collective minds as a nation as we struggle to deal with a society that puts gun rights over children’s lives. These are atrocities we’ve been forced to… Read More ›
South African horror film “Gaia” is 100% risk, earning the audience’s respect. [SXSW Film Festival]
There really aren’t enough African films in the international film circuit. Nollywood (Nigerian Film Industry) is certainly getting its flowers, but rarely do those films ever make their way onto American shores. Even most films we see about South Africa… Read More ›
Shunning convention at every turn, Justine Bateman’s “Violet” is a raw and blistering must-see film of 2021. [SXSW Film Festival]
After an already extensive career, Justine Bateman proves she’s nowhere close to done with her feature-length directorial debut, Violet, a film which is as easily an exploration of gender politics as it is of mental health. In the press notes,… Read More ›
“Language Lessons” offers an honest look into what a COVID-19 riddled world has become.” [SXSW Film Festival]
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 ›
Malcolm Ingram’s doc “Clerk.” is a loving mosaic to Kevin Smith, The Man Who Would Be King Geek. [SXSW Film Festival]
Before the Fengshen Cinematic Universe, the modern Monster Universe, the DCEU, or the MCU, there was the View Askewinverse. Before there was Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios) or Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian) as the pinnacles of geekdom, there was writer/director Kevin… Read More ›
Powered by Andrea Riseborough, “Here Before” will catch you completely off guard. [SXSW Film Festival]
Andrea Riseborough. That’s it; that’s the review. …okay fine, I’ll say more. If there’s anyone who has been a film festival genre darling in the past couple years, it’s been Andrea Riseborough. Her transformation from British prestige drama actress to… Read More ›
“Sound of Violence” fails to deliver on promising concept by sliding into familiar horror territory. [SXSW Film Festival]
On paper, Alex Noyer’s Sound of Violence has all the building blocks needed to succeed as a dark and twisted indie horror. The concept and synopsis sound fascinating, and the film expands upon themes Noyer has already explored for years…. Read More ›