Movie Madness

Physical Media weeks don't get much more packed this week and there is a lot to get to with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. Titles include a trio of youth tales involving the film that took back cheerleading, a slasher film getting a new updating soon and the infamous creation of the Brat Pack. There's a Hammer mystery, sci-fi and Peter Cushing as Doctor Who. Peter talks about a somewhat forgotten film noir with Robert Mitchum as well as a musical version of The Philadelphia Story. They look back with a bit of fondness for an innocuous spoof of singing cowboy movies plus the inaugural releases of Dreamworks. All of this is wrapped in a pair of upgrades for two films that played their Chicago Critics Film Festival including the Alex Proyas sci-fi film Roger Ebert called the best film of 1998 and the William Friedkin masterpiece lost for many years but is now immortalized in the Criterion Collection.3:45 - Criterion (Sorcerer (4K), Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (4K))25:39 - Warner Archive (His Kind of Woman, High Society (4K))40:23 - WB (Lethal Weapon (4K Steelbook))46:59 - Kino (Rustlers' Rhapsody, The Peacemaker (4K), Mousehunt (4K), Road Trip (4K))1:20:02 - Sony (St. Elmo's Fire (4K), I Know What You Did Last Summer (4K Steelbook))1:40:18 - Shout Factory (Bring It On (4K))1:48:11 - Severin (Jack the Ripper 4K, Unknown World (4K), Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection)2:03:19 - Arrow (Dark City (4K))2:14:17 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (The Monkey (4K), Novocaine (4K), A Minecraft Movie, Snow White (4K), Eephus)2:20:51 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTBe sure to check outChicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streamingPhysical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)Erik's Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Seven new movies are reviewed by Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy this week and most of them are documentaries. Steve takes a look at Disney's stage version of one of their biggest films (Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical) and a tale of more than two kitties (American Cats: The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly). Erik checks out the story of sexual assault within the sports programs of a major university (Surviving Ohio State) plus a daughter trying to learn more about her photographer mother (A Photographic Memory). As for the narrative features, they warn you of one of the very worst films of the year (Bride Hard). They also go back to Disney and Pixar for their latest sci-fi comedy (Elio) and then go back to the world of the rage virus even if it might not be the world you are expecting (28 Years Later).3:08 - Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical12:31 - Surviving Ohio State20:08 - American Cats: The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly26:01 - Bride Hard38:28 – A Photographic Memory50:04 - Elio1:00:53 - 28 Years LaterCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTBe sure to check outChicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streamingPhysical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)Erik's Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

The talk includes a less-talked-about film of the screwball era as well as one of the classic rom-coms of the ‘50s. There's another Tombstone story and a documentary about Thelonious Monk. A two decade old Charles Burnett film finally comes to light and a beloved Steve Martin comedy finally gets a Blu-ray release. There are Looney Tunes, bicyclists, underwater monsters, a whole lot of Jessica Fletcher and Christopher McQuarrie's directorial debut all there for your libraries.3:45 - Criterion (Midnight, Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser)16:28 - Kino (Law and Order, Sabrina 4K, Rock Pretty Baby, Promise Her Anything, DeepStar Six 4K, I, Madman)1:02:38 - Mill Creek (Rad)1:08:01 - Milestone (The Annihilation of Fish)1:15:12 - Lionsgate (All of Me, The Way of the Gun 4K)1:36:35 - Warner Bros. (Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Vol. 1)1:42:51 – New TV on Blu-ray (Murder She Wrote: The Complete Series)1:50:56 – New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTAlso be sure to check out…Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streamingPhysical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)Erik's Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight movie reviews for you this week. They include a pair of documentaries on a Scottish rock band who were more than their soundtrack contribution (Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible) and about New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister). A woman finds some disturbing secrets about her grandparents and society (Best Wishes To All) while Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson look for some hidden gold (The Unholy Trinity). A trio of improv performers go undercover for the cops (Deep Cover) while Julianne Moore covers up for daughter Sydney Sweeney (Echo Valley). Finally, Dakota Johnson has to choose between rich Pedro Pascal and poor Chris Evans (Materialists) while the latest in tracer cinema redoes a modern animated classic (How To Train Your Dragon).0:00 – Intro & Upcoming Events3:17 - Deep Cover11:40 - Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible20:53 - Prime Minister32:50 - Best Wishes To All41:48 - The Unholy Trinity50:22 - Echo Valley1:01:03 - Materialists1:17:59 - How To Train Your DragonCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski go over the history of Sidney Lumet's version of The Wiz. They look over the failed attempt to tell the story of Air America and the ridiculous entry into the cyber-thriller canon known for anything but the hacking. Then they go through a new set upgrading the original Sean Connery James Bond films and how they compare to the other versions throughout the years.For more James Bond talk go back to this episode with the great Sergio Mims talking about No Time To Die and his personal relationship to this iconic character.2:00 - Criterion (The Wiz 4K)21:09 - Lionsgate (Air America 4K)31:09 - Arrow (Swordfish 4K)43:56 - WB (Sean Connery 007 4K)1:22:11 New Theatrical & TV Titles on Blu-ray) (A Working Man, Drop, Borderline, In the Lost Lands, The Friend, Dexter - Original Sin: Season One, The Creep Tapes: Season One)1:26:26 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTAnd be sure to check outChicago Screening Schedule – All the films coming to theaters and streaming. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy go from the comically violent travails of adoptive parents Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells (I Don't Understand You) to yet another exorcism film with Al Pacino and Dan Stevens (The Ritual). The creature that once stalked Schwarzenegger now gets animated (Predator: Killer of Killers) and a shark-loving serial killer leads to a cat-and-mouse battle on a boat (Dangerous Animals). Wes Anderson delivers his latest (The Phoenician Scheme), Mike Flanagan adapts another Stephen King novella (The Life of Chuck) and the World of John Wick gets a little bigger (Ballerina). Find out what is worth your time.1:47 - I Don't Understand You13:20 - The Ritual25:13 - Predator: Killer of Killers35:43 - Dangerous Animals44:39 - The Phoenician Scheme57:00 - The Life of Chuck1:10:29 - BallerinaCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through another week of physical media. This week you can include masterworks from Paul Schrader, Terry Gilliam and Jonathan Demme on your shelves. There are also underrated works from George Romero and Mel Brooks as well as career work from Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. They talk about the oddness that ranges from Linda Blair on skates to Dennis Quaid as an infamous singer plus the one Sam Peckinpah film you may want to watch alone first.2:52 - Criterion (Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters 4K, Brazil 4K)22:27 - Cinematographe (Swimming to Cambodia)29:49 - Sandpiper (Roller Boogie, Great Balls of Fire, Malice, Life Stinks, Leaving Las Vegas)1:15:47 - Shout Factory (Monkey Shines 4K, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia 4K)1:40:54 - New Theatrical Titles & TV on Blu-ray (The Ballad of Wallis Island, Opus, Freaky Tales, When Evil Lurks, Doctor Who - Jon Pertwee: The Complete Season One)1:43:21 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Six films are on the slate this week for Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. They include a pair of documentaries about the making of The Day After (Television Event) and the frontman for U2 in a filmed version of his stage show (Bono: Stories of Surrender). A puppeteer must transition to samurai in the Old West (Tornado) while a group of billionaires struggle with the dangerous implications of one of their businesses (Mountainhead). The directors of Talk To Me deliver their latest bit of horror (Bring Her Back) while Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio team up for a new protégé (Karate Kid: Legends).1:21 - Television Event10:10 - Bono: Stories of Surrender18:57 - Tornado27:42 - Mountainhead37:46 - Bring Her Back50:25 - Karate Kid: LegendsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

It's a funny week for physical media. In that there are some tremendously funny movies in the mix but also some landmarks to put in your library. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through the work of Charles Burnett and the singular film by Kerry Conran. They take you through the multiple versions of a Ridley Scott epic, perhaps the best of the Musketeers films and the weird backstory of an SNL sequel. Warner Archive has a couple of biopics named after songs as well as Al Pacino's Oscar-winning role. A collection of Audie Murphy titles are followed up with a conversation of one of the 1980s' cable staples re-written by John Hughes. Finally, two of the best comedies of the past 30 years should be a double feature that everyone listening should want to make an evening out of.1:35 - Criterion (Killer of Sheep 4K, The Three Musketeers & The Four Musketeers 4K)18:16 - Disney (Kingdom of Heaven 4K)28:06 - Warner Archive (Lean on Me, La Vie en Rose)40:39 - IFC (Love Crime)44:22 - Shout (Scent of a Woman 4K, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 4K)1:02:22 - Kino (Audie Murphy Collection IV, Nate & Hayes, Wayne's World 2 4K, Kingpin 4K, Bottoms)1:58:29 - New TV on Blu-ray (Outlander Season 7, Yellowstone Season 5)1:59:56 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Memorial Day weekend offers a variety of options, some of them even good both in theaters and at home. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are here to talk you through nine of them. They include Cate Blanchett as a nun who may have discovered the second coming (The New Boy) and another film about resurrecting the dead (The Surrender). A musician you may have missed gets the documentary treatment (Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted), Netflix returns to the world of R.L. Stine (Fear Street: Prom Queen) and a writer may or may not find romance on a retreat (Jane Austen Wrecked My Life). Guy Ritchie takes an all-star cast in pursuit of life's treasure (Fountain of Youth) while Paul Reubens tells the story of his life (Pee-Wee As Himself). Disney tries another live-action remake (Lilo & Stitch) and Tom Cruise puts the last chapter on one of the great action franchises of all-time (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning).1:16 - The New Boy10:02 - The Surrender19:07 - Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted25:09 - Fear Street: Prom Queen37:45 - Jane Austen Wrecked My Life46:08 - Fountain of Youth56:02 - Pee-Wee As Himself1:08:42 - Lilo & Stitch1:22:12 - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

Memorial Day weekend offers a variety of options, some of them even good both in theaters and at home. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are here to talk you through nine of them. They include Cate Blanchett as a nun who may have discovered the second coming (The New Boy) and another film about resurrecting the dead (The Surrender). A musician you may have missed gets the documentary treatment (Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted), Netflix returns to the world of R.L. Stine (Fear Street: Prom Queen) and a writer may or may not find romance on a retreat (Jane Austen Wrecked My Life). Guy Ritchie takes an all-star cast in pursuit of life's treasure (Fountain of Youth) while Paul Reubens tells the story of his life (Pee-Wee As Himself). Disney tries another live-action remake (Lilo & Stitch) and Tom Cruise puts the last chapter on one of the great action franchises of all-time (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) 1:16 - The New Boy 10:02 - The Surrender 19:07 - Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted 25:09 - Fear Street: Prom Queen 37:45 - Jane Austen Wrecked My Life 46:08 - Fountain of Youth 56:02 - Pee-Wee As Himself 1:08:42 - Lilo & Stitch 1:22:12 - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning   CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

This week in physical media may be appealing to the cults out there. Whichever you belong to, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to guide you towards your particular following. Perhaps you are in the Richard E. Grant & Bruce Robinson cult. Or stay on that side of the pond with an Oscar-winning musical and a film that was the Bridgerton of its time in the way it uses music. Maybe you're in the late Friday the 13th cult and enjoy its post-Paramount days. Or you have a taste for a marathon of Blaxploitation. Whether you love movie doggies or mutated bears, its best to just avoid the sleeping bags this week. 1:38 - Criterion (Withnail & I 4K, How to Get Ahead in Advertising 4K) 14:36 - Sony (Oliver 4K, A Knight's Tale 4K) 26:29 - Arrow (Jason Goes to Hell 4K, Jason X 4K) 47:09 - Shout (Blaxploitation Classics Vol 1) 1:02:43 - Kino (Wonder Dogs, The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders, Prophecy 4K) 1:23:01 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (The Quiet Ones, Presence 4K) 1:24:15 - New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return to the review beat after a couple weeks off at the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Erik looks at a bunch of influencers terrorized by feral dogs (A Breed Apart) and the story that inspired a cult body horror film (The Darkside of Society). Steve looks at an influential moment for the hearing impaired (Deaf President Now) and The Weeknd's self-indulgent vanity project (Hurry Up Tomorrow). They also offer thoughts on a pair of films chosen for their festival including the strange transformation of a woman in an arranged marriage (Sister Midnight) and Tim Robinson trying to get a little too close to Paul Rudd (Friendship). Finally its been 14 years since Death has come-a-callin'. Could Final Destination: Bloodlines be the best of the franchise? 1:32 – A Breed Apart 9:28 - Deaf President Now! 15:23 – The Darkside of Society 22:58 - Hurry Up Tomorrow 33:37 - Sister Midnight 41:11 - Friendship 54:59 - Final Destination: Bloodlines 1:07:03 - Outro

After a week off for The Chicago Critics Film Festival, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski return to get you up to date on the latest in physical media world. They include one of the great musicals and a landmark in 60s cinema. Disney upgrades one of their animated hits before its live-action counterpart hits theater. See the film Robert Zemeckis made in-between shooting Cast Away. There is plenty of sleaze thanks to Pete Walker and Wings Hauser and a reunion of Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep. There is disaster sci-fi and upgrades for two of the all-time great horror films, one of them you may still have never gotten around to seeing. 1:53 - Criterion (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 4K, In the Heat of the Night 4K, Room 666/999) 16:25 - Disney (Lilo and Stitch 4K) 19:49 - Fun City (Falling in Love) 24:09 - Shout Factory (What Lies Beneath 4K) 30:36 - MVD (Tunnel Vision) 36:52 - Kino (Crack in the World, Pete Walker Crime Collection, Vice Squad)  58:18 - Arrow (The Andromeda Strain 4K) 1:06:39 - Lionsgate (May) 1:16:22 - Ignite (Re-Animator 4K) 1:33:02 - New TV & Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Dune Prophecy 4K, Landman: Season One, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Captain America: Brave New World, Mickey 17, Black Bag, Better Man, The End, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) 1:35:38 - New Blu-ray Announcements  CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FROM CRITERION BELOW Adventures of Antoine Doinel, The (4K) All We Imagine as Light Anora (4K) Barry Lyndon (4K) Basquiat (4K) Big Heat, The (4K) Brazil (4K) Carnal Knowledge (4K) Chungking Express (4K) How To Get Ahead In Advertising (4K) In the Heat of the Night (4K) Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring: Two Films by Claude Berri Killer of Sheep (4K) Midnight Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (4K) Prince of Broadway Room 666 / Room 999 Some Like It Hot (4K) Sorcerer (4K) Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (4K) Three Musketeers, The / The Four Musketeers (4K) Ugetsu (4K) Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (4K) Wind Will Carry Us, The Withnail and I (4K) Wiz, The (4K) You Can Count On Me (4K)

Marvel is hoping for both a critical and financial reboot with their latest summer opener and Erik Childress is joined once again by comic book expert, Erik Laws, to discuss. Laws delves into the history of the Thunderbolts and various incarnations in the comics. They talk about what they enjoyed about the film as well as elements that fell flat. A lot of credit goes to a pair of key performances in the film as Marvel banks on audiences responding to themes of alienation and depression in place of just the usual comic book action. Is that enough to make the film a cut above the post-Endgame era?

After weeks of light lineups in the physical media world, the end of April explores with a variety of titles that Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to guide you through. They include Sean Baker bookends from Criterion, blaxploitation and films from Russ Meyer. You got journeys to the Bermuda triangle and the gates of hell not to mention bullets and betrayal. Bill Murray enters the army and Michael Keaton goes to rehab. Plus Clint Eastwood has a trio of his films get the 4K upgrade.  1:52 - Criterion (Basquiat 4K, Prince of Broadway, Anora 4K) 18:09 – Warner Archive (Lili, Three the Hard Way, Clean and Sober) 33:23 - Arrow (V-Cinema Essentials) 36:53 - Grindhouse (The Beyond 4K) 45:10 - Severin (Night Train Murders 4K, Motorpsycho 4K, Up! 4K) 1:07:32 - Kino (The Bermuda Triangle, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) 1:21:47 - Shout (Timecop 4K) 1:27:44 - Sony (Stripes 4K, Gandhi 4K) 1:39:44 - Warner (Dirty Harry 4K, The Outlaw Josey Wales 4K, Pale Rider 4K) 2:02:36 – New TV on Blu-ray (The Wacky Races: The Complete Series, Star Trek: Section 31, Rick and Morty: The Anime) 2:04:07 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Birth/Rebirth, Last Breath, Paddington in Peru, The Visitor) 2:06:09 – New Blu-Ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Before taking off for the upcoming Chicago Critics Film Festival (May 2-8) which they program, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review nine movies this week. They include the latest from Francois Ozon (When Fall Is Coming) and a Jim Henson-like fantasy from A24 (The Legend of Ochi). Jack Quaid and Jeffrey Dean Morgan make for unique investigators of a kidnapping (Neighborhood Watch) and a new video game adaptation is decidedly less unique (Until Dawn). Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi have secrets in the 1950s (On Swift Horses) and we take a trip through the careers of one of the most famous comedy teams of all-time (Cheech & Chong's Last Movie). David Cronenberg takes us on a conspiratorial meditation on grief and death (The Shrouds) while Gareth Evans has Tom Hardy deliver so much death (Havoc) and, nine years later, Ben Affleck's lethal autistic numbers cruncher returns with bro Jon Bernthal  (The Accountant 2).  2:56 - When Fall Is Coming 9:44 - Neighborhood Watch 15:08 – The Legend of Ochi 19:42 - Havoc 33:46 - Until Dawn 41:19 - On Swift Horses 52:58 - Cheech & Chong's Last Movie 1:06:30 - The Shrouds 1:19:35 - The Accountant 2

Another light week for physical media but a fun one – especially for those nostalgic for the early ‘90s. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about Criterion's upgrade of a multi-part French masterpiece from the ‘80s. They share thoughts on The Most Dangerous Game riff that got snakebit by real-world tragedies and Covid. Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase try to prevent the assassination of the pope. No, not that one. One of the late Val Kilmer's most iconic performances gets the 4K upgrade. The duo also share their fondness for one of the most entertaining comic thriller team-ups of the era and discuss the history of the movie John Hughes tried to take his name off while Erik lent his name to the commentary track on the Blu-ray. 1:55 - Criterion (Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring 4K) 8:41 - Shout (The Hunt 4K) 13:54 - Kino (Foul Play 4K, Sneakers 4K, Career Opportunities 4K) 53:08 - Disney (Tombstone 4K) 1:06:03 - New TV On Blu-ray (Cheyenne: The Complete Series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise, Hysteria: Season One)  1:09:15 - New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight movie reviews this week including revisiting one of their favorites from Sundance, a twisted alternate version of Cinderella (The Ugly Stepsister). Steve looks at another cabin-in-the-woods-horror (Call of the Void), a documentary about drummers (Count Me In) and Catherine Deneuve as Beradette Chirac (The President's Wife). Erik looks at Severance's Britt Lower as a lonely librarian (Darkest Miriam) and Steve checks out the four-year art project of a group of squatters (Secret Mall Apartment). Ang Lee's landmark LBGTQ film gets a 21st century remake (The Wedding Banquet) and Ryan Coogler blends the Jim Crow south with vampires (Sinners). 0:00 - Intro 2:22 - The Ugly Stepsister 12:11 - Call of the Void 18:16 - Count Me In 24:07 - Darkest Miriam 30:22 - The President's Wife 36:11 - The Wedding Banquet 47:05 - Secret Mall Apartment 57:24 - Sinners 1:20:36 - Outro

It's been a little light out there for titles in physical media world but this week has no shortage of interesting ones and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk you through them. They include one of Wong-Kar Wai's most remembered films and John Sayles' foray into studio filmmaking in the ‘80s. John Wayne goes to war and then later goofs off with John Ford. There are new 4K editions of two of Steven Soderbergh's films plus one of Abel Ferrara's more treasured crime dramas. Then the pair wade into the controversies and legacy of Paul Verhoeven's Basic Instinct. 1:49 - Criterion (Chungking Express 4K) 7:57 - Kino (Sands of Iwo Jima 4K, Donovan's Reef 4K) 18:33 - Fun City (Baby, It's You) 27:21 – Lions Gate (King of New York 4K, Basic Instinct 4K) 56:04 – Warner Bros. (The Good German 4K, The Informant 4K) 1:14:19 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Heart Eyes) 1:16:53 - New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven movies to talk about this week. They range from a documentary about one of the music world's most talked about relationships (One to One: John & Yoko) and an animated story of Jesus told through the mouth of Dickens (The King of Kings). The Michaels – Cera & Angarano – go on a road trip (Sacramento) and Stephen Dorff tries to go legit in the Old West (Gunslingers). The director of Happy Death Day presents the world's worst first date (Drop) and CIA analyst Rami Malek tries to avenge his wife (The Amateur). Finally, Alex Garland takes us back into war in real time along with Ray Mendoza who lived it (Warfare).  0:00 - Intro 3:27 - One to One: John & Yoko 12:25 – The King of Kings 25:59 - Sacramento 36:14 - Gunslingers 46:11 - Drop 56:39 – The Amateur 1:09:07 – Warfare 1:20:19 - Outro

Another light week for physical media but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have you covered with one of the greatest comedies of all time and one of Peter Sellers' overlooked gems. There is film noir, a sorority massacre and a pair of films covered on The Friendship Dilemma podcast. They include Ryan Reynolds in the friend zone with Amy Smart and Shane Black getting paid to make Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson his mismatched mystery partners.  0:00 - Intro 3:59 - Criterion (Some Like It Hot 4K) 15:06 - Kino (I'm All Right, Jack / Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXV) 33:01 - Shout (Sorority House Massacre 4K) 39:50 - Warner Archive (Just Friends) 48:04 - Arrow (The Long Kiss Goodnight 4K) 1:03:44 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have reviews of eight new movies this week. They revisit one of the best films they saw at Sundance this year (The Ballad of Wallis Island) while Erik handles this week's latest video game adaptation (A Minecraft Movie). Public domain puts Steamboat Willie into horror (Screamboat) and how do they like dem apple on dat head (William Tell). Michael Shannon directs the aftermath of a school shooting (Eric Larue) and Paul Walter Hauser plays the infamous Press Your Luck champion (The Luckiest Man In America). The directors of Half Nelson and Captain Marvel make an ‘80s anthology (Freaky Tales) and, finally, Naomi Watts and a Great Dane grieve over the loss of Bill Murray (The Friend).  0:00 - Intro 1:37 - The Ballad of Wallis Island 10:44 - A Minecraft Movie 21:11 - Screamboat 32:11 - William Tell 39:53 - Eric Larue 53:40 - The Luckiest Man in America 1:10:14 - Freaky Tales 1:18:29 - The Friend 1:30:30 - Outro

If you missed a number of recent films in theaters then this is really the Blu-ray week for you. Beyond those, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski still have some titles for you to consider if you can't get enough of Nicholas Hoult in vampire films or you really like those new digital shorts on SNL. There's also the tale of graverobbers that took their work a little too far, an obscure relationship melodrama from the 1940s and an influential ghost story set against the backdrop of the Japanese Civil Wars. 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - Criterion (Ugetsu 4K) 8:22 - Film Masters (Lighthouse) 16:38 - Kino (Burke and Hare (1972)) 22:07 - Shout (Renfield 4K, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain) 33:54 - TV (Superman and Lois: The Complete Series) 34:26 - NEW (Companion, A Complete Unknown, Mufasa: The Lion King, Dog Man, Flight Risk, Into the Deep, Love Me, Love Hurts, One of Them Days,) 49:36 – New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Blu-rays, 4Ks, physical media galore this week as Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through another week. They include upgrades of a great Gene Hackman film and another from Alan Rudolph by Criterion. There's early work from Rudolph Valentino and the late George Armitage. Horror goes from brain-inhabiting slugs to a black mamba, child murders, cannibalism and eating the rich. There's also a pair of Chris Farley/David Spade films and a trio of deadly women including Ursula Andress, Kathleen Hughes and the immortal Lynda Carter.   0:00 - Intro 1:54 - Criterion (Night Moves 4K, Choose Me 4K) 21:23 - Warner Archive (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Hit Man) 32:05 - Shout Factory (Shaw Brothers Vol. 6, Night of the Creeps 4K) 41:19 - Blue Underground (Venom 4K) 50:56 - Arrow (Don't Torture a Duckling 4K) 58:36 - Severin (Delicatessen 4K, Antiviral 4K) 1:09:48 - Paramount (Tommy Boy 4K) 1:15:42 - Kino (Black Sheep 4K, The Glass Web 3D, The 10th Victim, Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw) 1:33:55 – New TV on Blu-ray (Magilla Gorilla: The Complete Series, Star Trek: Lower Decks - The Complete Series) 1:35:18 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (The Brutalist 4K, Babygirl 4K, Memoir of a Snail) 1:37:38 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy have nine movies for you this week. It all starts by hitting the way back machine for their 2023 review of a Sundance film delayed by the controversy over its star (Magazine Dreams). There is also an apocalyptic musical fantasy (O'Dessa) and Bill Skarsgard is trapped in Anthony Hopkins' fancy car (Locked). Sci-fi goes two ways with the bloody aftermath of an astronaut colony (Ash) and the process future couples go through to have a baby (The Assessment). Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo form a surrogate parental friendship (Bob Trevino Likes It). One of the great baseball movies is out there just in time for the season (Eephus). Robert DeNiro plays dual roles as real-life mobsters for Barry Levinson (The Alto Knights) and the Disney live-action remake machine churns out its latest (Snow White).  0:00 - Intro 1:46 - Magazine Dreams 18:06 - O'Dessa 26:09 - Locked 36:49 - Eephus 48:56 - Bob Trevino Likes It 59:18 - Ash 1:09:06 - The Assessment 1:22:00 - The Alto Knights 1:32:26 - Snow White 1:51:28 - Outro CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Erik Childress has been traveling to Austin for over 20 years for the annual South by Southwest Film Festival. He is back to tell you all about 19 films that he saw this year. Among the films you can see soon are the return of Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively to the world of simple favor. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega trying to survive the revenge of a unicorn and Nicolas Cage battles some territorial Australians. Hopefully audiences won't have to wait too long to see the solo directorial debut of Jay Duplass or the latest from Matt Johnson that pays homage to the world of Robert Zemeckis and Rosamund Pike & Matthew Rhys desperately try to get to the scene of their daughter's accident, Daisy Ridley has to dodge zombies and a pair of brothers take a leisurely stroll through San Francisco with their guitars in a single take. There are documentaries about Curtis Mayfield, Marc Maron, the horrors and fascism in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting and what to do when an A.I. Pioneer won't answer your questions. Erik reviews all that plus Michael Bay's parkour documentary in this recap of one of his favorite festivals.   0:00 – Intro 2:02 – Another Simple Favor 5:08 – Hallow Road 8:27 – Brother Verses Brother 11:19 – The Dutchman 14:03 – Death of a Unicorn 18:51 – American Sweatshop 22:18 – Uvalde Mom 25:22 – Forge 28:10 – We Bury the Dead 31:25 – Nirvanna the Band the Show – The Movie 35:59 – Deepfaking Sam Altman 39:40 – The Baltimorons 45:02 – For Worse 49:21 – The Surfer 53:14 – The Makings of Curtis Mayfield 54:27 – Make It Look Real 57:07 – Caper 59:50 – We Are Storror 1:03:59 – Are We Good? 1:07:02 - Outro

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to get you caught up on a couple weeks of new physical media. They include drama from Charlie Chaplin and Michael Mann's feature debut. Godzilla returns as does the creepy Roger Corman sci-fi of the early ‘80s. Renny Harlin brings the sharks, Skippy from Family Ties battles a heavy metal killer and Peter reminds us of another piece of ‘80s horror that some parents would like to forget. There is also more weirdness including Steve Allen studying sex, John Travolta investigating sex and Eddie Murphy brought in to save a comedy. All that might be nothing compared to the visualization of The Who's rock opera brought to life by Ken Russell. 0:00 - Intro 2:11 - Criterion (A Woman of Paris, Thief 4K, Godzilla vs Biollante 4K) 18:53 - Arrow (Deep Blue Sea 4K) 27:08 - Kino (College Confidential, The Godsend, Best Defense, The General's Daughter 4K, The Black Tulip, Half a Chance) 58:46 - Sony (Bon Voyage) 1:03:57 - Synapse (Trick or Treat 4K) 1:13:01 - Shout (Forbidden World 4K, Tommy 4K) 1:40:27 – New TV on Blu-ray (The Penguin 4K, The Last of Us 4K, Tulsa King Season 2) 1:45:38 – New Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Wildcat, Moana 2 4K, Wolf Man 4K) 1:48:00 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Movie reviews continue on the show with seven new releases this week. Steve Prokopy looks at the chaos of a young woman and her Zambian family (On Becoming a Guinea Fowl) while Samara Weaving plays a pop star dealing with a stalker (Borderline). John Malkovich is another pop star whom Ayo Edebiri discovers may be part of a cult (Opus). Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the world from zombies and aliens (The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie) while Chris Pratt and Millie Bobbie Brown live in a world of robots (The Electric State). Jack Quaid can feel no pain while trying to rescue his girlfriend (Novocaine) and Steven Soderbergh gives us Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as married spies (Black Bag). 0:00 - Intro 1:17 - On Becoming a Guinea Fowl 9:04 - Borderline 16:14 – The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie 23:41 – The Electric State 36:24 - Opus 50:17 - Novocaine 1:03:08 - Black Bag 1:14:59 - Outro

Physical media never takes a week off but sometimes they sleep in a little. Such as this light week that has Peter Sobczynski and Erik Childress starting off with a stone-cold classic thriller from Criterion upgraded to 4K. Kino has more film noir, a double feature with Agatha Christie AND Bert I. Gordon plus the terrifying presence of Klaus Kinski as a Nazi. There's an animated cat who gives massages and everyone's favorite bear in a rain slicker. 0:00 - Intro 6:53 - Criterion (The Wages of Fear 4K) 13:32 - Kino (Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXIV, Crawlspace, Endless Night/Picture Mommy Dead 4K) 34:56 - Shout (Ghost Cat Anzu) 39:21 - Warner (Paddington 2 4K) 43:41 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Gladiator II, Red One, Kraven the Hunter, Den of Thieves 2, The Count of Monte Cristo) 52:36 – New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Another light week of releases, but are any of them good? Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy talk you through five of them including a documentary on a better person in charge of the Washington Post (Becoming Katharine Graham). Ed Harris factors into two releases this week including a woman manifestsing her PTSD through her fellow soldier (My Dead Friend Zoe) and a crime comedy with an all-star cast (Riff Raff). There is also a bitcoin hostage thriller (Cold Wallet) and an underwater true story that the filmmaker has re-made from their own documentary (Last Breath).   0:00 - Intro 1:56 - Becoming Katharine Graham 7:24 - My Dead Friend Zoe 16:28 - Cold Wallet 22:37 - Riff Raff 32:17 - Last Breath 46:52 - Outro

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski run down titles you can get on physical media this week and, not gonna lie, there's a lot of baggage. There's the Mick Jagger film that say on the shelf for two years along with Lindsay Lohan's collaboration with Paul Schrader and William Friedkin's infamous Al Pacino murder mystery set within the gay community. Not to mention John Wayne playing Genghis Khan and the poor timing for an Eric Red horror film. But even controversy can be put aside for cinema sunshine. You can now get Milos Forman's Mozart film in its original theatrical incarnation. Maybe you don't even remember the issue parents had with one of the loveliest coming-of-age films of the ‘90s. And why would you say anything controversial about Carol Reed's masterpiece? All that plus Guillermo Del Toro's debut and the genius of poking fun at documentaries on this week's Blu-ray show. 0:00 – Intro 3:13 - Criterion (Performance 4K, Cronos 4K) 22:43 - Vinegar Syndrome (The Joy of Sex, Virtuosity 4K, The Canyons) 48:18 - Arrow (Cruising 4K) 1:05:54 - Kino (The Conqueror, Graveyard Shift 4K, Body Parts 4K) 1:24:14 - Sony (My Girl 4K) 1:37:39 - LionsGate (The Third Man 4K) 1:44:22 - Warner (Amadeus 4K) 1:55:51 – New Television on Blu-ray (Noble House, Documentary Now: The Complete Series) 2:01:01 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Hard Truths) 2:05:13 – New Blu-ray Announcements

It's a light week for movies so Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy work with what they have with four titles that you may or may not want to work with. They include a new Chicago horror film from director Mickey Keating (Invader). Daisy Ridley is a window washer who goes from pane to McClane when eco-terrorists take over her building (Cleaner). Christoph Waltz is an aging hitman with a protégé (Old Guy). Finally, Osgood Perkins is back with a Stephen King adaptation where things do not go well for anybody. (The Monkey)   0:00 - Intro 2:22 - Invader 9:26 - Cleaner 22:19 - Old Guy 31:00 - The Monkey 45:19 - Outro

It's physical media time with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guiding you through this week's releases which includes a pair of late indie staples from the ‘80s now in 4K. There's a pair of John Candy comedies from the same decade, Burt Reynolds directing a comedy about suicide and one about the life of Frances Farmer. Pick your poison in Richard Dreyfuss directing porn (within the movie) and the unspeakable horrors of Roger Corman mutant rapists. Keanu Reeves is a demon hunter and David Fincher gets upgrades for his underrated B-movie thriller and the origin story of another demon. 0:00 - Intro 2:37 - Criterion (Crossing Delancey 4K, Drugstore Cowboy 4K) 19:24 - Kino (Summer Rental, Uncle Buck 4K, Frances) 41:13 - MGM (Inserts, The  End, Uptown Girls) 1:01:51 - Shout (Humanoids from the Deep 4K) 1:13:16 - Warner (Constantine 4K) 1:21:52 - Sony (Panic Room 4K, The Social Network 4K) 1:41:21 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Last Summer, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Nosferatu, The Order, September 5, Weekend at Taipei) 1:46:15 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return to regular reviewing duties this week and they put a nine-spot on the board. There are a pair of documentaries involving Sly Stone (Sly Lives) and the Zep (Becoming Led Zeppelin). The director of Saint Frances & Ghostlight shows the horror of being a doctor (Rounding) while a young woman involved in one night stands may have been literally ghosted (The Dead Thing). Paolo Sorrentino has another tale of beauty (Parthenope) while Miles Teller & Anya Taylor-Joy snipe themselves into each other's hearts fighting monsters (The Gorge). Then it's a week of sequels including a continuation of Renee Zellweger's beloved character (Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy), everyone's favorite marmalade-loving bear (Paddington In Peru) and the tale of a new Captain and a new President (Captain America: Brave New World). 0:00 – Intro 1:13 - Becoming Led Zeppelin 7:54 - Rounding 17:02 - Sly Lives! 23:00 - The Dead Thing 32:25 - Parthenope 39:22 - Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy 55:43 - The Gorge 1:06:50 - Paddington in Peru 1:15:46 - Captain America: Brave New World 1:31:08 - Outro

The next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here and so is comic book expert Erik Laws to talk with Erik Childress on how it plays out. Does it follow through on some of the ideas raised by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or is it merely just continuing a story most many have forgotten about? Laws fills in the blanks left by the treatment of Shira Haas' Widow and the remnants of the Serpent Society. Is this a genuine new beginning for the Universe or does it continue the rut that has befallen the MCU since Endgame.

Erik Childress & Peter Sobczynski bring you this week's physical media roundup which includes a great upgrade for the family involving a cat and a mouse. Horror fans get some 4K upgrades from four different decades. Film Noir gets several different takes including through the mind of Woody Allen. A legendary black filmmaker championed over the years by Sergio Mims gets his whole collection. There are early appearances by Sam Elliott, Sean Penn and John Cusack along with a reappraisal of a current Oscar contender. A more positive reappraisal has been happening for years with a Shane Black film now in 4K and Peter takes us down the rabbit hole of the time Jean-Luc Godard made a Shakespeare adaptation for Cannon Films. 0:00 – Intro 3:09 - Criterion (King Lear) 17:26 - Warner Archive (Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection) 21:31 – Warner Bros. (The Nice Guys 4K) 30:18 - Kino (Oscar Micheaux: The Complete Collection, Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXIII (Rope of Sand / Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye / Never Love a Stranger), Play It Again Sam, Hot Pursuit) 57:11 - Fun City (Lifeguard, Racing with the Moon) 1:08:50 - Universal (Conclave 4K) 1:13:42 - Arrow (Alice Sweet Alice 4K) 1:22:52 - Shout Factory (Galaxy of Terror 4K, Ghosts of Mars 4K, The Last Voyage of the Demeter 4K) 1:35:21 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return after more than a week in Park City plus virtual screenings for this year's Sundance Film Festival and they are here to talk about 15 of their favorite films. They include a pair of body horror films about the terror of living happily ever after. There is also the horror of being a parent especially if you live next to the worst kind of Karen. Music plays a role in a lovely story about a washed-up folk singer and a lottery winner plus the heartbreaking tale of an artist taken away from us too quickly. There are more documentaries about the first deaf Oscar winner, teenagers who took on the environmental concerns of their community, the troubling legacy of To Catch a Predator and the consequences of delaying that colonoscopy.  Audiences were treated to standout performances from Dylan O'Brien and the genuine discovery of the debut by a name to remember, Eva Victor. All that plus generational tales of Palestine and the building and rebuilding of America.  0:00 - Intro 5:44 – The Ugly Stepsister 11:03 – The Ballad of Wallis Island 16:16 – It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley 20:04 – Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore 26:26 – The Perfect Neighbor 35:25 – Predators 43:04 – Twinless 48:33 – If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You 54:01 – Andre is an Idiot 57:48 – All That's Left Of You 1:01:08 – Rebuilding 1:05:33 – Together 1:11:03 – Middletown 1:15:33 – Sorry, Baby 1:23:10 – Train Dreams 1:31:47 – More Sundance Mentions 1:34:29 - Outro

After some time off for Sundance, Movie Madness returns to get you caught up on the latest and greatest in Blu-rays. Erik Childress talks to Peter Sobczynski about a couple 4K upgrades from Criterion for Paul Thomas Anderson and Anthony Mann. There are rom-coms with Cary Grant and Clark Gable while Al Pacino tries to find love with possibly a serial killer. They've got a possessed authoritarian in the White House (from 1933) and a killer whale on the loose. Music documentaries for Joan Jett and Joan Baez and one of Dario Argento's best. But it all comes down to a remastered version of a butchered Michael Mann film and a trio of upgrades for one of the kings of sexploitation, Russ Meyer. 0:00 - Intro 2:48 - Criterion (Winchester ‘73 4K, Punch Drunk Love 4K) 19:34 - Warner Archive (Gabriel Over the White House) 26:40 - Kino (Houseboat, Teacher's Pet, Shout at the Devil, Orca 4K, Sea of Love 4K, Whore) 1:09:47 - Magnolia (Bad Reputation, Joan Baez I am a Noise) 1:15:25 - Severin (Opera 4K, Vixen 4K, Supervixens 4K, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K) 1:56:33 - Vinegar Syndrome (The Keep 4K) 2:10:53 – New TV on Blu-ray: (House: Complete Series, Quantum Leap (2022): Complete Series, Frankenstein Jr. And the Impossibles: Complete Series, Wait Til Your Father Gets Home: Complete Series, Twin Peaks Z to A) 2:15:52 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (The Coffee Table, Hundreds of Beavers, Juror #2, A Real Pain, Werewolves, Wicked) 2:16:37 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Some great titles in physical media this week and Erik Childress is joined by Peter Sobczynski to convince you to pick them up. They include a great modern con artist noir from Criterion and a lost film from Paul Bartel. The ‘70s bring us some sexploitation horror and Sherlock Holmes hunts Jack the Ripper while the '80s gave us one of the most unique and divisive slasher films. Peter goes to bat for a pair of 4K upgrades from John Carpenter and Tarsem. Finally, there is a trio of new 4Ks from Quentin Tarantino that includes one of Peter's favorite films and one of Erik's favorite music cues. 0:00 - Intro 2:16 – Criterion (The Grifters 4K) 15:30 - Liberation Hall (Shelf Life) 26:29 - Kino (Fade-In, Invasion of the Bee Girls, Murder by Decree 4K, April Fool's Day 4K) 58:57 - Shout Factory (John Carpenter's Vampires 4K) 1:06:57 - Arrow (The Cell 4K) 1:19:45 - Lionsgate (Jackie Brown 4K, Kill Bill Vol. 1 4K, Kill Bill Vol 2 4K) 1:39:44 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Here, The Return, Rumours, Smile 2, The Substance, Venom: The Last Dance) 1:44:00 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at eight new movies this week including a unique documentary that combines a video game with Shakespeare (Grand Theft Hamlet). Julia Stiles makes her directorial debut with a romantic weepie (Wish You Were Here) and a locksmith goes on a wild evening (Night Call). Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald play spies who go off the grid and are sucked back into duty (Alarum) while Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz play spies who go off the grid and are sucked back into duty (Back in Action). There is the tale of the newsroom covering the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics (September 5) and a raunchy hangout film with Keke Palmer and SZA (One Of Them Days). Finally, Leigh Whannell continues the alterna-Dark Universe with a new take on a classic Universal monster (Wolf Man).  0:00 - Intro 1:02 - Grand Theft Hamlet 10:01 - Wish You Were Here 17:08 - Night Call 22:38 - Alarum 29:58 - Back In Action 42:07 - September 5 52:31 - One of Them Days 1:00:30 - Wolf Man 1:18:39 - Outro

The final pieces are in place as BAFTA and the Producers/Writers Guilds have unveiled their nominations. That means its time to give it a whirl at what the final Oscar lists are going to look like. Just how much did the BAFTAs influence the acting categories. Did the Writer's Guild really make a difference in predicting screenplays when half of them were disqualified? If the Producers Guild holds about an 80% predictability rate, which two films get left off? Erik Childress looks at no less than eight films that could be vying for one final Best Picture slot. While he feels confident in the other nine nominees, there is also the potential for an epic bunch of so-called snubbing in all the categories.

 Physical media is still here in 2025! Like every other year. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are back to run through the new releases with you. They include a pair of upgraded Kurosawas and Richard Pryor examining his life. John Turturro directs a musical, William Shatner does a horror film in Esperanto and the pair share some fondness for John Frankenheimer's final film. You will hear about the film that was literally like pulling teeth for Erik while two of Brad Pitt's best films get fantastic new packages. 0:00 - Intro 3:39 - Criterion (Yojimbo/Sanjuro 4K, The Mother and the Whore 4K, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling 4K) 21:55 - MGM (Romance and Cigarettes) 29:03 - Kino (That Funny Feeling, Reindeer Games 4K) 38:27 - Shout (Sanctum 4K) 45:49 - Arrow (Incubus 4K, Inglourious Basterds 4K) 1:06:56 - Warner (Seven 4K) 1:22:07 – New Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Saturday Night, We Live in Time, Armor, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, Sometimes I Think About Dying, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock) 1:25:34 – New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back to start 2025 with reviews…of a lot of 2024 movies. Albeit ones opening wider across the country now. But there are also some brand new releases including documentaries on a film that never was (George A. Romero's Resident Evil) and the songwriter who never wins an Oscar (Diane Warren: Relentless). Then a family is trapped amidst a pole reversal (Survive) and Adrien Brody tries to build a life in America (The Brutalist). Robbie Williams gets the musical biopic treatment as a chimpanzee (Better Man) while Julianne Moore & Tilda Swinton face a tough life together in Pedro Almodovar's latest (The Room Next Door). Pamela Anderson finds herself aging out in Vegas (The Last Showgirl) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives one of the year's best performances in the new film from Mike Leigh (Hard Truths). Finally, Gerard Butler returns as Big Nick to get the mastermind robber he lost the first time (Den of Thieves : Pantera).   0:00 - Intro 1:41 - George A. Romero's Resident Evil 9:35 - Diane Warren: Relentless 18:26 - Survive 24:29 – The Brutalist 40:50 - Better Man 57:19 – The Room Next Door 1:06:20 – The Last Showgirl 1:20:06 - Hard Truths 1:28:18 - Den of Thieves 2: Pantera 1:44:45 - Outro

An annual tradition that goes back to the days of WHPK Radio at the University of Chicago where Erik Childress joined Sergio Mims to discuss all things movies and certainly physical media, Erik is now joined by Peter Sobczynski for it to endure. Each of them has chosen ten films that to this day remain only on DVD (or not at all) that they believe deserve the upgrade. There are films about the circus, about priests and prostitution, love triangles and the dark side of Hollywood. There is politics and courtrooms, games of skill, concerts and debuts in front of and behind the camera. Even if they kinda know the answer to the main question, this is a time for everyone to work together to bring these works of art (and even some lesser art) to a proper format so they can be preserved, protected and enjoyed for generations to come. 0:00 – Intro 3:14 – Peter's 1st Title 12:03 – Erik's 1st Title 18:56 – Peter's 2nd Title 30:02 – Erik's 2nd Title 36:07 – Peter's 3rd Title 45:50 – Erik's 3rd Title 50:55 – Peter's 4th Title 1:02:05 – Erik's 4th Title 1:09:15 – Peter's 5th Title 1:20:05 – Erik's 5th Title 1:26:33 – Peter's 6th Title 1:35:56 – Erik's 6th Title 1:45:20 – Peter's 7th Title 1:59:31 – Erik's 7th Title 2:07:27 – Peter's 8th Title 2:19:15 – Erik's 8th Title 2:27:56 – Peter's 9th Title 2:36:06 – Erik's 9th Title 2:43:05 – Peter's 10th Title 2:56:38 – Erik's 10th Title 3:01:52 - Outro

Oscar voting has begun and the week before the unveiling of the nominations is jam-packed with implications. Various guilds to impact the Best Picture race from Producers to Directors to Writers. All that on top of the Screen Actors Guild announcement and how the BAFTA shortlists put the best case scenarios forwards for many in the acting categories. Did the Golden Globes impact the races (or at least people's viewing preferences)? The Best Actress could become a Thunderdome right up to the nominations on Jan. 17. Which performances have the most to gain and lose down the stretch and how many films are fighting for the final two or three Best Picture slots? All this on a penultimate bonus episode before final predictions next week.

What better way to kickoff 2025 than a look back at the some of the greatness of 2024. On this annual show, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy invite back Collin Souter so they can condense the entire year into the absolute best in their individual opinions. Only three films cracked all of their lists so there is a wide swath of analysis in a year that demanded it. Where is the common ground? What are the outliers? This is a great way to make your own lists on what to catch up on before we start doing it all again in the new year. 0:00 - Intro 4:01 – The Runners-up 17:09 – The Top Ten 1:19:45 – More Great Documentaries of 2024 1:23:26 – Special Best (and Worst) Categories for 2024 1:57:32 - Outro

On the final show of 2024, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy check out eight new movies that include a Danish serial killer from 1919 (The Girl with the Needle) and Nicole Kidman as a CEO who enters into an affair with an intern (Babygirl). Tyler Perry tells the story of undelivered mail during wartime (The Six Triple Eight) and the Sega Genesis hero returns to battle Jim Carrey (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). Robert Eggers offers his take on the Dracula legend (Nosferatu) and James Mangold tells another story of a musical artist (A Complete Unknown). Finally, Barry Jenkins helps tell a pair of wildly different tales. He writes Rachel Morrison's directorial debut of an Olympic female boxer (The Fire Inside) and then he takes the reins himself of Disney's prequel to one of their biggest stories (Mufasa: The Lion King). 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - The Girl with the Needle 7:30 - Babygirl 18:12 – The Six Triple Eight 26:55 - Nosferatu 38:58 - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 46:01 – The Fire Inside 57:27 – A Complete Unknown, 1:15:00 - Mufasa: The Lion King 1:32:25 - Outro

There will not be a lot of movement in the rankings through the end of the year. Not until we get into January when many of the major guilds and BAFTA add to the chorus of voices this awards season. So on this episode we look at why its unfortunate we have to consider the Critics Choice Association as one of those voices. For better or worse the numbers do factor in as many of the major races begin to take some shape. We will not be without surprises but Erik Childress offers some hope over worries that Marianne Jean-Baptiste might still be passed over for a nomination and he looks at the Oscar shortlists that were announced.

One last physical media show for 2024 and still time to get those last-minute Christmas gifts. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski take you through a bundle that includes two of the all-time masterpieces by John Ford and Francis Ford Coppola. Land is very much in the conversation from films by Ron Howard and Michael Winterbottom. There are aliens in the water, in the womb and something else aboard a submarine from WWII. We've got conspiracies, punks and missing thumbs plus the films of Steve De Jarnatt. John Wayne and Cary Grant in 4K plus a couple of solid Sylvester Stallone films including one from 50 years ago and another set in the future. Finally, one of the greatest TV shows of all-time gets the 4K upgrade it deserves as the duo recount some of their favorite episodes and moments from Seinfeld. 0:55 - Criterion (Evil Does Not Exist) 5:08 – Studio Canal (The Conversation 4K) 11:33 - Warner Archive (The Tall Target, Black Eye, Heavy Traffic) 20:33 - Sandpiper (The Lords of Flatbush, The Pope of Greenwich Village) 31:10 - Sony (The Talk of the Town 4K) 34:50 - Warner Bros. (The Searchers 4K) 43:33 - Kino (Hatari 4K, Cherry 2000, Miracle Mile, Internal Affairs 4K, Snake Eyes 4K, The Claim, The Beast Within, Below 4K) 1:38:42 - Shout Factory (Far and Away 4K, The Faculty 4K) 1:56:02 - Arrow (Demolition Man 4K) 2:09:46 – Seinfeld 4K 2:16:40 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray/DVD (Transformers One, Joker: Folie A Deux, Terrifier 3, Apartment 7A, Absolution, Piece by Piece, Sleep) 2:19:30 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy continue to wade into December's offerings with nine new films on the slate. They include the directorial debut of Jack Huston (Day of the Fight) and Eva Green leading a team of female operatives against ISIS (Dirty Angels). The director of The Act of Killing does an apocalyptic musical (The End) while the daughter of a synthesizer inventor takes a joyous and complicated journey learning about her deceased father (Resynator). Paul Schrader takes his own trip through the life of a dying Richard Gere (Oh, Canada) while Angelina Jolie takes us through that of opera's Callas (Maria). 46 years after Ralph Bakshi, Tolkien gets animated again (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) or you can stay home and watch TSA agent Taron Egerton face off against terrorist Jason Bateman in an airport (Carry On). Finally, Sony's Spider-Man spinoff anti-hero line of Marvel movies supposedly comes to an end (Kraven the Hunter). 0:00 - Intro 1:31 - Day of the Fight 9:40 - Dirty Angels 16:40 - The End 24:31 - Resynator 32:35 - Oh, Canada  41:26 - Maria  53:09 - The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 59:47 - Carry On  1:12:01 - Kraven the Hunter 1:26:51 - Outro