Elements of Madness

Few continue to make quality family films like Aardman Animations. While it matters whether or not the film resonates with you to determine enjoyment, one cannot deny the attention to detail both in the crafting of the stop-motion animation and the narratives themselves. Now, with summer coming to a close, eyes are on fall and the ghastly adventures that they tend to bring.

Sometimes adapting a novel that is non-linear and with multiple characters intertwined is a daunting task, but Benjamin Naishtat (Puan) decided not only to adapt and direct the adaptation of Hernan Ronsino’s pseudo-gangster coming-of-age story focused on a group of four friends at different stages of their lives to mixed results.

In October 1993, DC Comics did the unthinkable. With Superman #75, they killed Superman in his battle with the enigmatic beast known as Doomsday. It was a choice that shook comic book fans and made news around the world.

Trigger Warning: The movie In Alaska deals with suicidal ideation and attempts to inflict self-harm. The newest outing from writers/directors Vinnie Karetak (The Boys) and Jaap van Heusden (The Man from Rome) is definitely a tough watch, and one that brushes on a lot of sensitive topics, and some that genuinely do not get talked enough about — one that, especially in this day and age, requires empathy, tolerance, and understanding.

“You shouldn’t have touched anything from that basement.” – Mia (Jane Levy) in Evil Dead There are certain tenets one must abide by if one wants to survive a horror film: don’t go alone, don’t say “I’ll be right back,” don’t touch the box, don’t read the forbidden words, and, of course, don’t go to the cabin in the woods. But audiences don’t necessarily go to see horror films for the characters to make the smart choice. Sometimes they go for the mayhem itself.

Do you find yourself craving video games but either don’t have the time/patience/energy to sink into a console and game? Or do you just prefer to watch your favourite YouTuber rip through the new Call of Duty and watch them just absolutely annihilate the game?

The 26th edition of Fantastic Fest is preparing to kick off and this is the sixth time I’m covering the festival. This acclaimed genre fest has introduced me to some of my new favorites, which makes digging through a new crop of titles all the more exciting. In advance of fest start, here’s a short list of 20 films that hold the potential of being *your* new favorite, so be sure to examine your schedule and see where you can fit what.

Since 2010’s Despicable Me released and the world got “Happy” with the yellow, well-intentioned-yet-evil, indestructible minions, Illumination has gone on to make them the face of the studio. Beyond the usual merchandising, they’ve been part of each Despicable sequel, received a total of three features, and appeared in mini-movies, specials, and more.

Filmmaker Katie Harbin has two short films that recently played at the Asheville Film Festival: Going Home and CSI: Crazy B!*#h. Writer/director Katie Harbin. Photo courtesy of Katie Harbin. EoM Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning attended the fest and met Harbin, and the two later connected for an extended interview over Zoom.

I’m a lifelong cinephile, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I had never gotten around to watching a film by Jean-Luc Godard. The French-Swiss filmmaker, well-known as one of the pioneers of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, has been on my watch list for a long time, but another filmmaker gave me the nudge I needed to finally sit down and watch my first Godard film.