POPULARITY
Hosted by erik childress
90 episodes with erik childress
35 episodes with erik childress
12 episodes with erik childress
10 episodes with erik childress
11 episodes with erik childress
4 episodes with erik childress
6 episodes with erik childress
2 episodes with erik childress
The beginning of any month now seems like a light week for physical media, so Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski only have a few titles to talk about. They include the magnificent starpower of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in a comically Hitchcockian caper. Jack Nicholson does much more than order in a diner. There's an early LBGTQ film from William Friedkin and the financially successful but creatively bankrupt attempt at a live-action cartoon. Plus a new extensive documentary on John Carpenter's 1982 horror masterpiece tells you everything you wanted to know and then some.1:47 - Criterion (Charade (4K), Five Easy Pieces (4K))24:00 -- Cinematographe (The Boys in the Band 4K)33:16 - CreatorVC (The Thing Expanded)48:51 - Shout (The Flintstones (4K))1:04:55 - New TV on Blu-ray (Covert Affairs: The Complete Series, Doctor Who (2025): Season Two, The Creep Tapes (Season Two))1:09:14 - New Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Hoppers (4K), Protector)1:10:28 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Physical media fans from the 1980s will have a lot to rejoice upon this week (if you still carry a fondness for certain films of your youth) but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have plenty from various decades to add to your library this week. They include Bob Fosse's take on a free speech icon and the recent Academy Award winner for Best International Feature. Robert Wise's legendary haunted house film and a collection of classic cartoons. There is early work from Brian DePalma plus Art Carney as a private eye and Tony Randall in six roles. Plus, Peter finally caught up with Harry Hole. But for the nostalgia fans there is also the complete set of Sylvester Stallone's troubled war hero and Kevin Costner as the famed robber of the rich. John Lithgow adopts Bigfoot, Dan Aykroyd invades John Candy's vacation and Ron Howard delivers one of the quintessential comedies about family and parenting. Horror fans can take another New Years train ride with Jamie Lee Curtis or finally watch the “real” scenes of death your parents or video store may not have let you or lent you. Finally, a look at Joe Dante's Gremlins follow-up that 40+ years later still delights and still seeks a bigger audience.1:10 - Criterion (Lenny (4K), Sentimental Value (4K))13:19 - ClassicFlix (Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits, Volume 1)15:20 - Shout Factory (The Haunting (1963) (4K))23:07 - Warner Archive (The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Late Show)38:39 - Radiance (Hi, Mom! (4K))47:40 - Universal (Parenthood (4K))56:46 - Arrow (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (4K))1:07:32 - Lionsgate (Rambo (Complete Collection) 4K)1:18:35 - Kino (Brit Noir: Collection I, Terror Train (4K), The Great Outdoors (4K), Harry and the Hendersons (4K), The Snowman (4K))2:16:38 - Vinegar Syndrome (Faces of Death 4K, Explorers 4K)2:42:25 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Heel, Anything That Moves)2:44:54 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick welcomes movie critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back to the podcast to recap the Chicago Critics Film Festival, including their thoughts on Power Ballad and Tuner. They also review several new releases, including Keke Palmer's comedy I Love Boosters, the horror film Saccharine, and the latest Star Wars adventure, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick for a conversation about some truly bad celebrity excuses before they test their knowledge of early 2000s comedy classics with a fun quiz. And if you know the name of Ron Burgundy's dog, the title of this episode may already have given you a hint. [Ep 457]
Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven movie reviews for you this week. They include a scientist's connection to a tree (Silent Friend) and a woman discovering the horrifying truth of a new diet pill (Saccharine). Sacha Baron Cohen wakes up in a world run by women (Ladies First) and Boots Riley puts shoplifters against the fashion industry (I Love Boosters). André Øvredal gives us the horror film version of Lost In America when “van life” meets a demonic entity (Passenger). John Krasinski's Tom Clancy series returns with a stand-alone film (Jack Ryan: Ghost War) as does the world of Star Wars with its two breakout characters from the small screen (The Mandalorian and Grogu).1:40 - Silent Friend9:35 - Ladies First22:38 - I Love Boosters30:08 - Saccharine38:39 - Jack Ryan: Ghost War53:19 - Passenger1:09:01 - The Mandalorian and GroguCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 take you through another week of physical media starting with Lawrence Kasdan's sexy directorial debut getting an upgrade. Peter discovers a 1932 crime drama worthy of a blind buy. Hollywood is front and center in films from Peter Bogdanovich and Martin Ritt. Two of the best teenage films of the 21st century are here ranging from cheerleading to lycanthropy. Provocateurs get in front of a microphone in films from Oliver Stone and Adam Rifkin. They also take a look back at two box office misfires from major filmmakers including Robert Zemeckis' breathtaking version on Man On Wire and the Wachowski's Matrix follow-up that has developed quite the following over the years.1:10 - Criterion (Body Heat (4K))16:39 - Sony (Nickelodeon, The Front (4K), The Dark Backward, The Walk (4K))1:00:52 - Kino (Night World, Swashbuckler, Talk Radio)1:29:42 - Lionsgate (Ginger Snaps 4K)1:42:13 - Universal (Bring It On (7-Movie Collection))1:49:13 - Warner (The Conjuring Universe, Speed Racer (4K))2:04:12 – New TV on Blu-ray (Fallout (Season 2) (4K), Looney Tunes Cartoons (The Complete Series), Snowpiercer (The Complete Series))2:05:28 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Avatar: Fire & Ash (4K), Arco (4K), Scarlet (4K), The Bride! (2026) (4K), Sirat, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, The Napa Boys, Reminders of Him)2:07:56 – New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 return from the Chicago Critics Film Festival with nine new reviews this week including a string of documentaries. Steve looks at a partnership designed to bring some care back to healthcare (The Chaplain & The Doctor) and actor Ben Mackenzie laying waste to the scam of crypto (Everyone Is Lying To You for Money). Erik looks at a tragic 2022 accident that may not have been an accident (The Crash) and Steve joins in on the life and career of a comedy legend (Marty, Life Is Short). The guy behind the guy that is Vladimir Putin is examined in a new film by Oliver Assayas (The Wizard of the Kremlin) and a middle-aged mouse believes the corporate-driven world he lives in is not what it seems (Decorado). Two sisters go on a revenge trip against the father who scarred them (Is God Is) and a pair of mercenaries plot to extract a power broker in the latest film from Guy Richie (In the Grey). Finally, a guy tries to get his best friend to love him and it may not go as you might expect (Obsession).3:24 - The Chaplain & the Doctor10:04 - The Crash16:47 - Everyone Is Lying To You for Money29:04 - Marty, Life Is Short42:44 - The Wizard of the Kremlin53:30 - Decorado1:00:25 - Is God Is1:07:15 - In the Grey1:20:33 - ObsessionCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 were off last week at the Chicago Critics Film Festival but return to catch you up on the world of physical media. There are serial killers played by Matt Dillon and another stopped by Charles Bronson. Criterion puts out more Kurosawa and there's a documentary on George Stevens as well. A Disney animated film from the ‘50s gets the upgrade as does a sci-fi film from the era. A comedy classic and one of the great baseball films celebrate their 15th anniversaries. The pair look back at the lasting power of David Fincher's adaptation of male insecurity and culminate with one of the great action films of the 1980s and the TV series it spawned in its wake.1:36 - Criterion (Stray Dog (4K))5:04 - Warner Archive (George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey)7:41 - Universal (It Came from Outer Space (4K), Bridesmaids (4K))19:04 - Cult Epics (Girls 4K)22:51 - Disney (Alice In Wonderland (1951) (4K), Fight Club (4K Steelbook))37:44 - Sony (Moneyball (4K))46:48 - Kino (Bend of the River, 10 to Midnight (4K), A Kiss Before Dying (1991), Charli XCX: Alone Together)1:12:03 - Arrow (Blue Thunder (4K))1:26:35 - New TV on Blu-Ray) (Blue Thunder (The Complete Series), IT: Welcome to Derry (The Complete First Season), Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series)1:28:04 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Wuthering Heights (2026) 4K, GOAT (4K), Dracula, Obex, Solo Mio, Mistress Dispeller, I Can Only Imagine 2, Youngblood (2025), Twinless)1:29:49 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 will be at the Music Box Theatre handling the Chicago Critics Film Festival this week, but they managed to squeeze in seven reviews for movies you can see (after you attend the fest.) They include the latest from RZA behind the camera (One Spoon of Chocolate). Erik looks at a family on a road trip after behind evicted (Omaha) and another family with a troubled son seen through the eyes of their daughter (Blue Heron). Steve sees Adam Scott haunted by old secrets and possibly a witch (Hokum). Andy Serkis does a new animated adaptation of George Orwell's other classic (Animal Farm). Renny Harlin returns to planes and sharks (Deep Water) and the whole team returns to the journalistic side of fashion (The Devil Wears Prada 2).4:19 - One Spoon of Chocolate11:58 - Omaha19:05 - Hokum27:35 - Blue Heron33:15 - Animal Farm46:09 - Deep Water58:53 - The Devil Wears Prada 2CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick welcomes film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back to the podcast to review the latest releases, including Michael, the new biopic about the King of Pop, which does not exactly impress, the strange music fantasy Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway, the black comedy Over Your Dead Body, and the drama I Swear, about a man living with Tourette Syndrome. They also preview the movies and events coming to the 13th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre this May. Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick for another round of Pop Culture Trivia as they go head to head with British bon vivant and game show host Slap Slapply. It's always a blast when Slap shows up. [Ep 449]
There's no slowing down this week on the show as Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have nine reviews for you. They include a documentary on a female punk band (Pretty Ugly: The Story of the Lunachicks) and the Tourettes film that the BAFTAs just loved (I Swear). A woman on holiday decides if she wants to hook up with Charli XCX again (Erupcja), Anthony Mackie fights for the women of Arabia (Desert Warrior) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson must deal with a WWII bomb found in London (Fuze). Charlize Theron is hunted through the wilderness by Taron Egerton (Apex) while Jason Segel & Samara Weaving's plans to kill each other get interrupted (Over Your Dead Body). Anne Hathaway's singer needs a dress in the new film from David Lowery (Mother Mary) and the King of Pop gets part of a biopic from Antoine Fuqua and the Jackson estate (Michael).4:38 - Pretty Ugly: The Story of the Lunachicks11:56 - I Swear20:04 - Erupcja33:15 - Desert Warrior42:59 - Fuze54:02 - Apex1:06:46 - Over Your Dead Body1:18:11 - Mother Mary1:35:23 - MichaelCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Guest: Erik Childress Reviewed: Lee Cronin's The Mummy, Normal, Outcome Chicago Critics Film Fest Preview Monthly Theme: Keanu Reeves
It's another week of physical media and Erik Childress is joined again by Peter Sobczynski to take you through a selection of Universal classics featuring W.C. Fields. There is also an all-star cast crime-and-court film, Johnny Depp as a book detective and even some original J-horror. There is also Lee Marvin defining the role of Donald Westlake's anti-hero Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, the Bridges brothers and a couple pianos and, of all things, the signature Brian Bosworth action film.5:02 - Criterion (Point Blank (4K))20:48 - Universal (Million Dollar Legs, International House, Mississippi)Imprint (The Fabulous Baker Boys)Kino (The House of Seven Corpses (4K), Stone Cold (4K))Warner Bros. (Sleepers (4K))Lions Gate (The Ninth Gate 4K)Arrow (The Eye (4K))NEW (Send Help (4K), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (4K), Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (4K), Die My Love (4K), Primate, Shelter 4K, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Christy)CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 fly solo on most of the movies this week, but they still have nine titles to talk about. Lena Headey discovers she may have created the bullet that killed her son (Ballistic). A strange friendship develops between two disparate young men when one tries to maybe stop the other from committing a school shooting (Our Hero, Balthazar). Barbie Ferreira plays a music critic who gets involved with the band she is covering (Mile End Kicks). The latest comedy from Peter Farrelly has Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser as the creators of a very unusual condom (Balls Up). Keanu Reeves is a Hollywood star trying to prevent an embarrassing video from getting out (Outcome). There's a documentary about the creator of Saturday Night Live (Lorne). Bob Odenkirk is in action mode again taking on a whole town in the latest from Ben Wheatley (Normal). Steven Soderbergh's latest has Ian McKellen as an artist who hires a forger to finish his paintings (The Christophers). Finally, the director of Evil Dead Rise gets his name above the familiar title of his even more familiar horror film. (Lee Cronin's The Mummy).1:20 - Ballistic10:12 - Balls Up20:46 - Outcome32:17 - Mile End Kicks43:25 - Our Hero, Balthazar53:34 - Lorne1:03:16 - Normal1:16:33 - The Christophers1:24:40 - Lee Cronin's The MummyCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 have a lot to say about this week's batch of physical media. Maybe not as much as the most successful franchise entry amongst them, but certainly about Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy about thieves in love. Most definitely about Monty Python's religious-skewering masterpiece. But there is also the troubled transports carrying George Kennedy and the out-of-control one that ranks as one of the great action films of the 1980s. An obscure, hard-to-find comedy about UFO seekers is the first of two Fred Ward headliners this week which leads into two films the guys have some fondness for including Orion's attempt at an American James Bond and one of the very first masked do-gooders.4:29 - Criterion (Trouble in Paradise (1932) (4K), Monty Python's Life of Brian (4K))22:57 - Universal (Meet the Fockers (4K))29:46 - Kino (Death Ship (4K), Runaway Train (4K), UFOria 4K, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (4K), The Phantom (4K))1:41:12 - More New Titles (Becoming Led Zeppelin, Hearts of Darkness: The Making of the Final Friday, Midwinter Break)1:42:31 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick is back with fellow film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy to review a new round of movies, including the video game-inspired horror film Exit 8, another take on Hamlet, the reboot Faces of Death, and the rom-com You, Me & Tuscany. They also talk about the current box office and what's coming up at the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to catch up on how she celebrated her birthday before the conversation shifts into a fun run through some of the greatest movie one-liners ever, including “Leave the gun…take the cannoli” and “Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn,” along with a few more favorites. [Ep 445]
It's a light week for physical media but that doesn't mean that Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski don't have you covered. There is one of the great film noirs, particularly for fans of The Shawshank Redemption. A magnificent wonder in fantasy filmmaking from over a century ago that looks better than many films today. Meiko Kaji's martial arts double feature gets the Arrow treatment. Finally, exploitation fans will have a field day this week with the essential Russ Meyer film as well as the film personally endorsed by none other than Bill Murray.1:34 - Criterion: (Gilda (4K))Kino (The Thief of Bagdad (1924))RM Films (Faster Pussycat Kill Kill)Synapse (Frankenhooker 4K)Arrow (Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection)NEW (V/H/S Halloween, Mercy, Peacock, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo)CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 review six movies this week. Erik looks at a Netflix true crime documentary about the murder of a rising cyclist (The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson) as well as a couple trying to re-ignite a passion they moved on from (A Love Like This). There is a comedy about the friendship that develops between an aging actress and the unemployed neurotic who becomes her nanny (Fantasy Life). Two roommates sample a synthetic drug and only food can save them from the wacky side effects (Pizza Movie). The billion dollar Nintendo franchise returns with a sequel (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie). Finally Zendaya's secret may be enough to ruin her engagement to Robert Pattinson (The Drama).1:14 - The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson6:40 - Pizza Movie17:32 - A Love Like This22:48 - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie37:10 - Fantasy Life45:05 - The DramaCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Leading a very classic and cult-like week in physical media, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have got you covered. Unlike Madonna. It's a week filled Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Bob Hope (including one of our Why-Is-This-Not-On-Blu-Ray titles). There is also James Caan at his best, Jamie Foxx winning an Oscar and some cool martial arts titles. Dustin Hoffman trying to stop a virus, Ernest Borgnine trying to summon Satan and Adam Sandler as the son of said Satan. You also have an upgrade for Tobe Hooper's Stephen King adaptation. And getting back to Madonna, the guys can't help talk about the crazy, ridiculous erotic thriller now available in all its unrated 4K glory.1:16 - Criterion (A Man and a Woman, The Blade (4K))9:51 - Warner Archive (The Gay Divorcee, The Man Who Came to Dinner)22:52 - Universal (The Big Broadcast of 1938, Give Me a Sailor, Variety Girl)36:32 - Cinematographe (The Gambler 4K)45:10 - MGM (The Great Smokey Roadblock)49:35 - Kino (Ray 4K)56:06 - Shout (Outbreak (4K), Little Nicky (4K Steelbook))1:11:45 - Severin (The Devil's Rain 4K, Vampyros Lesbos (4K), She Killed in Ecstasy 4K)1:27:34 - Vinegar Syndrome (Body of Evidence 4K)1:40:51 - Arrow (Eiichi Kudo's Samurai Revolution Trilogy, Salem's Lot (4K))1:56:16 - New TV and Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, Greenland 2, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Marty Supreme (4K))1:57:38 – New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick brings film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back to the show to break down a batch of new movies, including They Will Kill You, Forbidden Fruits, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, and another fashion documentary, Marc By Sofia. Erik also shares a few highlights from what he caught at the SXSW Film Festival. Later on, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to talk about the classic TV special Scared Straight and react to a subscriber voicemail that somehow connects basketball and vasectomies. From there, things take a turn into Muppet territory, with both of them diving into their favorites, with Esma picking Rowlf and Nick going with Grover, along with some thoughts on the stranger imaginary characters and where they all came from. They even get into the living arrangements on Sesame Street, questioning whether Bert and Ernie are in a house or an apartment, and pointing out that Oscar might have the nicest setup of all for someone living in a trash can. [Ep 441]
Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have a busy, if not a great week, with 11 movie reviews for you. If documentaries are what you crave Steve has a trio for you with a potentially soon-to-be-outdated tale of how we're all going to die (The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptomist), one about a legendary rocker of the ‘80s (Billy Idol Should Be Dead) and another about a famed fashion designer by a Coppola or (Marc by Sofia). He also looks at the latest animated work from the creator of The Triplets of Belleville (A Magnificent Life). Marisa Tomei tries to prevent her daughter from making a big mistake (You're Dating a Narcissist!) while Julia Ducournau's latest has another mother trying to keep her daughter safe from a mysterious infection (Alpha). Steve Zahn chaperones his daughter to a dance competition (She Dances) while a group of young ballerinas try to fight their way out of a dirty European hotel (Pretty Lethal) and Zazie Beetz tries to do the same against immortal satan worshippers (They Will Kill You). Not to be outdone, a mean girl clique dabbles in witchcraft but eventually end up in Final Destination (Forbidden Fruits). Finally, Vince Vaughn tries to undo a fatal mistake in an action-comedy with a twist. (Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice)1:44 - The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptomist10:59 - You're Dating a Narcissist!19:05 - Billy Idol Should Be Dead30:04 - Pretty Lethal40:32 - She Dances50:09 - Alpha1:03:24 - A Magnificent Life1:10:19 - Forbidden Fruits1:21:16 - Marc by Sofia1:27:44 - They Will Kill You1:37:37 - Mike & Nick & Nick & AliceCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
After a week off, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski return to catch you all up on the world of physical media. This week there are war films and after-war films, both with Gene Hackman. There are movies with dogs and giant insects, Looney Tunes, Loony Porno and the lunacy of Antonio Margheriti. They discuss another underrated Coen Bros. film as well as a film that is not far removed from another of their loony classics. Criterion adds the latest Scorsese to their collection and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie fans should check out Matt Johnson's previous film. Finally, one of the goofiest of 1980s sword-and-sorcery films gets the glorious Arrow treatment and God bless them.1:19 - Criterion (Classe Tous Risques (The Big Risk) (4K), Killers of the Flower Moon (4K))16:52 - Warner Archive (Looney Tunes Collector's Vault (Volume 2))20:52 - Magnolia (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porno)25:57 - Severin (Antonio Margheriti and the Jungles of Doom 4K)32:43 - Kino (Jack Benny Comedy Classics, A Bridge Too Far (4K), Uncommon Valor (4K), House Calls, K2 (4K), Beethoven, Mimic 4K)1:26:33 - Radiance (Cutter's Way)1:35:32 - Shout (Hail, Caesar! (4K))1:46:59 - IFC (Blackberry)1:54:08 - Arrow (The Birthday (4K), Red Sonja (4K))2:20:36 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Anaconda (2025) (4K), The Housemaid (4K), Good Boy, Return to Silent Hill (4K), David, We Bury the Dead, Rebuilding, The Accidental Getaway Driver, Zodiac Killer Project, Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Cleaned)2:23:18 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Fresh from returning from this year's SXSW Film Festival, Erik Childress returns to review six movies with Steve Prokopy. They range from Mena Suvari as Elizabeth Bathory (Vampires of the Velvet Lounge) to a documentary on feminine representation in genre films (1000 Women In Horror). Rose Byrne is a homeless woman who loses her car (Tow) while Samara Weaving plays another deadly game of hide and seek (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and podcasters get some horrific audio problems (Undertone). Finally, Ryan Gosling goes into space to save the planet, but it is about the friend he makes along the way (Project Hail Mary).1:22 - Vampires of the Velvet Lounge11:21 - 1000 Women In Horror20:17 - Tow26:40 - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come36:11 - Undertone45:23 - Project Hail MaryCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick starts the show by reminding everyone about the event happening this Sunday at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. It's Oscar Day with Nick Digilio, hosted by Rick Kogan, with Oscar talk, a book signing, and plenty more. If you want to go, tickets are up now at museum.tv. Film critic Steve Prokopy joins Nick next while Erik Childress is off traveling to the SXSW Film & TV Festival. Nick and Steve dig into a batch of new releases including Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling, the horror film “Undertone,” the documentary “Andre Is an Idiot,” and the romantic drama “Reminders of Him.” There are a few surprises, a few disappointments, and plenty to argue about. Esmeralda Leon jumps in later and the conversation turns to Friday the 13th. There are three of them in 2026, which feels like a lot. That leads to a chat about bad luck, superstitions, and a ridiculous quiz Nick gives Esma about folklore and strange beliefs from around the world. It goes about as well as you'd expect. [Ep 437]
This week in physical media, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through a week that includes a pair of lesser Peter Sellers efforts as well as a Southern melodrama known more for the way Marlon Brando is beaten up. There is also some Billy Dee Williams and River Phoenix and a little Bunuel. Cult audiences have a lot to cheer this week from the horror of the late 70s to romance of the early 80s. Keanu Reeves squares off against Al Pacino's devil and there is a lot of love for Kenneth Branagh's Hitchcockian mystery that may still remain his best and most entertaining film.1:24 - Criterion (Viridiana (4K))6:18 - Alliance (The Chase)13:38 - Synapse (Blue Sunshine (4K))19:30 - Shout (Devil's Advocate (4K))29:39 - Kino (Scott Joplin, The Return of the Pink Panther (4K), The Prisoner of Zenda, Somewhere in Time (4K), A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, Dead Again (4K))1:20:46 - New TV & Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Resident Alien (The Complete Series), Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, Little Trouble Girls)1:21:42 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Not too big of a summary this time around since the title says it all and there's a lot to get to in terms of the episode proper. Every year around late February / early March, I call upon Chicago film critic buddies Collin Souter & Erik Childress to join me for an epic 5 hour+ episode discussing as many movies as we can, traveling back in time 30 years to cover an entire year.Clips, trailers, songs, quotes, excerpts, a trailer remix and more! Thank you Collin & Erik as always and thank you to the fans/listeners/subscribers for listening to this yearly tradition.Follow Collin https://letterboxd.com/cdsouterhttps://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/christmasmoviesactuallyhttps://www.collinsouter.comFollow Erikhttps://letterboxd.com/erikthemoviemanhttps://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/moviemadnesshttps://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/the-friendship-dilemma
Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven movie reviews for you this week including a remake of a 40-year old hockey film (Youngblood). A reckless young man is held captive like a dog (Heel) and a woman is held captive like a child (Dolly) while Milla Jovovich goes on the offensive to rescue her daughter from sex traffickers (Protector). Alan Ritchson faces off against an alien presence (War Machine). Pixar's latest has a girl who becomes a beaver (Hoppers) and Maggie Gyllenhaal offers her brand new take on an even older classic (The Bride!)HoppersYoungbloodDollyProtectorHeelWar MachineThe Bride!CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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 with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski they look at one of the rarely talked about Coen Bros. films, John Ford basically doing Red Dust again and Herschell Gordon Lewis' film about a Chicago garage band. There's also the Karate Kid series continuation, a Sundance short that became a Sundance film plus a whole bunch of Christopher Lee and Asia Argento.1:52 - Criterion (The Man Who Wasn't There)13:15 - Warner Archive (Mogambo)20:58 - AGFA (Blast-Off Girls)29:40 - Sony (D.E.B.S.)37:07 - Severin (The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection 3 (1960-2024))45:06 - Vinegar Syndrome (The Phantom of the Opera (1998) (4K))52:36 - Cinematographe (New Rose Hotel)58:33 - IFC (The Last Mistress)1:02:15 – New Television on Blu-ray (Cobra Kai (The Complete Series), Strange New Worlds Season 3)1:08:09 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Zootopia 2 (4K), The Running Man (2025) (4K), Hamnet (4K), Lurker, Merrily We Roll Along, Ella McCay)1:14:50 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
THRILLED to welcome Suzanne Vega back to the show. He has been a fan since her debut in 1985, and that longtime admiration shapes the conversation as they talk about her career, her new album “Flying With Angels,” and the current world tour. They also spend time on the film version of her one-woman show about Carson McCullers, “Lover, Beloved,” which is now available on PBS and airing this weekend. It's a relaxed, thoughtful exchange with an artist who has built a career on sharp writing and quiet power. Later, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy join Nick to talk about the decision to keep the new Scream installment away from critics, which rarely signals confidence. They also review several new releases, including Pillion, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, In the Blink of an Eye, and Dreams. It's music, movies, and a little industry skepticism, all packed into one lively episode. [Ep 432]
Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski take you through another week in physical media and it's a pretty great week. You can get one of Scorsese's first, Richard Pryor's last concert film and even some early Matt LeBlanc. Peter shows some fondness for Lori Petty's bizarre comic book adaptation and even a little Troma. One of Erik's “Why is this not on blu-ray” choices gets its debut courtesy of Synapse. 20 years before Jurassic Park there was the original Michael Crichton amusement park. The pair debate the legacy of a “prescient” media satire with the late, great Robert Duvall. Finally, not only can you get perhaps the best Tarzan film ever made but John Boorman's incredible telling of the King Arthur legend gets what will be amongst the great upgrades of the year.3:35 - Criterion (Network (4K))21:26 - Warner Archive (Tarzan and His Mate)33:03 - Severin (The Ghost (4K), Retribution, Lookin Italian)49:15 - Cinematographe (Boxcar Bertha 4K)59:43 - Synapse (T.A.G. The Assassination Game)1:09:50 - Sony (Richard Pryor: Here and Now (4K))1:15:19 - Vinegar Syndrome (Tank Girl (4K), Terror Firmer (4K))1:36:11 - Arrow (Westworld (4K), Excalibur (4K))CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
A trend certainly develops along this week's path of physical media with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. It is a week that offers musicals from Ernst Lubitsch, a double (or, actually, triple) dose of Van Damme and one of the craziest sci-fi horror films you will ever see. But it is also a week about truth and liberties. They go from the music side of the aisle in biopics about Benny Goodman and Jim Morrison. Diane Keaton takes you into the various depictions and mysteries of the afterlife. There is also another Tale of the Christ setting the record for the most Oscars for over 40 years as well as Ron Howard's Oscar-winning Best Picture. Finally there is the journalism of today with Jake Gyllenhaal and perhaps the greatest film about the profession celebrating its 50th anniversary.1:18 - Criterion (Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals, Cloud (4K))10:57 - WB (Ben-Hur (4K), All the President's Men (4K))30:12 - Shout (Nightcrawler (4K))36:47 - Universal (A Beautiful Mind (4K), The Benny Goodman Story)50:06 - Lionsgate (The Doors 4K)1:01:02 - Arrow (The Visitor (1979) (4K))1:10:55 - MVD (Double Impact (4K), Knock Off (4K))1:24:15 - Lightyear (Heaven (1987))1:32:19 - New TV & Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Dexter: Resurrection (Season One), Predator: Badlands (4K), Sisu: Road to Revenge (4K), Now You See Me, Now You Don't (4K), Rental Family, Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (4K), Deathstalker (2025), Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) (4K), Song Sung Blue, Regretting You, The Carpenter's Son)1:37:37 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNGBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
Nick is joined again by film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for a packed round of new movie reviews. They break down the latest take on Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the chaotic sci-fi satire Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die with Sam Rockwell, and the thriller Crime 101 featuring Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry. They also weigh in on the animated sports comedy Goat, with plenty of agreement, disagreement, and side tangents along the way. Esmeralda Leon jumps in later for a spirited conversation about Friday the 13th superstitions, which quickly turns into a deep dive on Jason Voorhees and his most memorable kills. There's a firm stance taken on the fact that he absolutely did not take Manhattan, along with a playful breakdown of how Jason and Freddy Krueger operate very differently and why those differences fuel their long-running feud. It's movie talk with a side of horror nerdery, exactly as it should be. [Ep 429]
Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the review beat with eight new titles this week. They include another video game adaptation (The Mortuary Assistant), Juliette Lewis becomes a chair (By Design) while an actual goat tries to become one (GOAT). The world is in trouble with green alien fungus (Cold Storage) as well as AI in Gore Verbinski's first film in nine years (Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die). Chris Hemsworth is feeling the heat as a thief from Mark Ruffalo and Halle Berry (Crime 101). The director of Blackberry returns what possibly could be the funniest film of 2026 (Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie) while Emerald Fennell returns with what definitely won't be. Depending on your definition of “funny.” (“Wuthering Heights”)1:15 - By Design8:35 - The Mortuary Assistant15:22 - GOAT21:39 - Cold Storage32:48 - Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die45:04 - Crime 1011:00:57 - Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie1:13:43 - “Wuthering Heights”CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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
A lot of rescheduling leaves not a lot to talk about this week in physical media but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski still power through. They include one of the most inventive (and expensive) comedies of all-time, a Johnnie To action film, Viggo Mortensen in one of his first starring roles. Finally, you have the cable staple that was the first pairing of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner that in more ways than one led to the title of this week's episode.3:10 - Criterion (Playtime (4K))17:06 - Alliance (Hanky Panky)30:10 - Shout (The Big Heat (1988) (4K))34:17 - Arrow (American Yakuza)44:27 – New Theatrical Title On Blu-ray (Nuremberg)45:59 - New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTUSE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
Sundance is leaving Park City and after attending since 2003, Erik Childress looks ahead to the festival's move to Boulder in 2027. But before then its; one last dance in Utah as Steve Prokopy and him countdown over 30 films they saw at the festival. New films from Olivia Wilde, Gregg Araki and Macon Blair. Ethan Hawke continues his roll with one of the best and biggest films while John Turturro gets one of the great roles of his career. Some of the best documentaries about Salman Rushdie, Marianne Faithfull, rescues, justice and girl scout cookies plus the first from John Wilson. All this and more in their wrap-up of this year's festival.4:10 – When a Witness Recants9:32 – The Weight16:41 – The Only Living Pickpocket In New York23:54 – The Invite28:32 – I Want Your Sex35:21 – Broken English40:21 – Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie45:32 – Everybody to Kenmure Street51:21 – The Shitheads56:41 – Josephine1:05:52 – The History of Concrete1:11:34 – Cookie Queens1:14:32 – Union County1:19:33 – Bedford Park1:22:44 – Wicker1:27:49 – The Incomer1:32:55 – Big Girls Don't Cry1:37:09 - Hanging By A Wire1:41:03 - More Titles From Steve & Erik (Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, Buddy, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, Antiheroine, Frank & Louis, How To Divorce During the War, Jane Elliott Against the World, The Musical, Run Amok, Once Upon a Time In Harlem, Time and Water, If I Go Will You Miss Me, The Gallerist, Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty, The Moment, Queen of Chess)1:52:09 – Thoughts on 2027CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTUSE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
After a brief hiatus for Sundance we are back to get you caught up on this week's physical media. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski look at a pair of enjoyable larks in the careers of John Woo and Jonathan Demme. There is the fun hangout movie that was just celebrated at the film festival where it had its premiere as well as one of the early Rolling Stones concert films. SXSW premiered one of the great twisted films about capitalistic depravity and Arrow does it justice here. There is also some twisted Dario Argento and a kid trying to hook up with Nicole Kidman. But this week is full of original films that were eventually remade including a western written by Elmore Leonard, the film which won William Hurt his Oscar, a Clark Gable film that he made twice, a dynamite thriller on a train, Charles Bronson as a cultured killer. Not but last least a classic rom-com that was remade that the guys have some very different opinions about.2:16 - Criterion (3:10 to Yuma (1957) (4K), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) (4K), House Party (4K), Birth (4K))31:44 - Warner Archive (Red Dust, The Narrow Margin)41:10 - Shout (Once a Thief (4K))51:14 - Vinegar Syndrome (Married to the Mob 4K, The Stendhal Syndrome 4K)1:09:33 - Arrow (Cheap Thrills)1:17:37 - Universal (Fifty Shades Trilogy 4K, Marry Me (4K))1:29:52 - Kino (Hold That Blonde, The Mechanic 4K, Sabrina (1995), The Hi-Lo Country, Let's Spend the Night Together 4K)2:09:35 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Hung Up On a Dream: The Zombies, Blue Moon, The Thing with Feathers)2:11:41 – New Blu-ray Announcements!CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTUSE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
Nick welcomes Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back fresh from Sundance with stories, opinions, and plenty to argue about. They break down what they saw at the festival, including early reactions to upcoming releases like the Courtney Love documentary Courtney Love, Olivia Wilde's new comedy The Invite featuring Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz, and Seth Rogen, and a film with the refreshingly subtle title of The Shitheads. A few new wide releases also get reviewed, along with a look at how the box office shook out over the weekend. Esmeralda Leon joins Nick later as the conversation wanders into everything else rattling around their heads. They talk about the return of Scrubs, the enduring stupidity of Morning Zoo prank calls, and the exhausting feeling of living in a world where it's getting harder to tell what's real and what's fake. Somewhere along the way, rabid chimpanzees ripping people's faces off come up, which feels about right for the times. [Ep 425]
Another week in physical media with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski and it is a loaded one. Criterion offers up some classic Errol Flynn and the final film of legend John Huston. You can also check out the first directorial effort of John Milius and one of the many men-in-a-car films of David Ayer. Speaking of vehicles, you can hear about one of the great chase sequences of the 1980s or the one that has some MF snakes in it. There's a history lesson in Ma and Pa Kettle plus the great Woody Woodpecker, a trio of Agatha Christie mysteries and a punk rock gem still worthy of discovery.Criterion (Captain Blood (4K), The Dead (4K))MGM (A Matter of Time, Dillinger)Universal (Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (1941-1972), Ma and Pa Kettle: Complete Comedy Collection)Fun City (Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (4K))Arrow (Snakes on a Plane (4K))Shout (End of Watch (4K))Kino (Man in a Cocked Hat, The Flesh and Blood Show, Diva (4K), Death on the Nile (1978) (4K), The Mirror Crack'd (4K), Evil Under the Sun (4K))TV (Doctor Who: Tom Baker (Season 2), Lucifer: The Complete Series)NEW (One Battle After Another (4K), Wicked: For Good (4K), Roofman (4K), Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Fackham Hall, Hunting Season, Keeper (4K))CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTUSE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTSSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
Nick is joined by film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for the first round of new movie reviews of 2026, and they jump right into a mixed bag of releases. The conversation covers the fourth entry in the horror franchise with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the historical musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee starring Amanda Seyfried, and the gritty cop thriller The Rip featuring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They also get into the urban vampire thriller Night Patrol and a few other titles, with plenty of honest reactions along the way. Before wrapping up, Erik and Steve look ahead to their upcoming trip to the Sundance Film Festival and what they're hoping to see this year. Things get sillier when Esmeralda Leon joins in and a couple of new voicemails roll in about the McRib lawsuit. That opens the door to a free-for-all discussion about some of the dumbest lawsuits ever filed, and why the fictional but highly confident Esmaolas Law Firm is clearly ready to take them all on and somehow win every case. [Ep 421]
Before heading off to Sundance next week, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy bring you ten new movie reviews. Erik looks at the anime adaptation of the text that inspired Edge of Tomorrow (All You Need Is Kill) and a Palestinian epic of family and loss that people need to see (All That's Left of You) while Steve checks out the latest film about family from the Dardenne Brothers (Young Mothers). On the documentary side there is the tale of a wrestler who was born with Crouzon's Syndrome (Standout: The Ben Kjar Story) and a two-parter on HBO Max about one of the absolute legends of comedy (Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!). Jodie Foster takes the lead again as a psychiatrist investigating her patient's death (A Private Life) and Amanda Seyfried leads with music as part of a shaky religious sect (The Testament of Ann Lee). Bad cops are at the center of the new film from the director of Lowlife (Night Patrol) and Matt Damon & Ben Affleck may also be at the center of Joe Carnahan's latest thriller (The Rip). Finally, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell approach the rage virus in vastly different ways in the continuation of the apocalyptic series (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple).1:44 - All You Need Is Kill8:36 - Young Mothers14:02 - All That's Left Of You21:01 - Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!36:40 - Standout: The Ben Kjar Story43:40 - A Private Life51:35 - Night Patrol1:03:01 - The Testament of Ann Lee1:12:34 - The Rip1:25:02 - 28 Years Later: The Bone TempleCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
Impact-Site-Verification: 1897387360It's the first new physical media roundup of 2026 with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. They include Jim Jarmusch's love-it-or-hate-it western and Val Kilmer's Native American murder mystery. They debate the volcano movies of 1997 and remind everyone of Kevin Spacey's alien movie. One of the great, seemingly forgotten, Stephen King adaptations gets an upgrade as does perhaps the best Steven Seagal film and another of John Woo's classics. A lot of great action and horror to start the new year.1:45 - Criterion (Dead Man (4K))13:19 - Sony (Thunderheart (4K))20:02 - Kino (Dante's Peak 4K, K-PAX)36:07 - Lionsgate (1408 (4K))44:03 - Arrow (Evil Dead Rise (4K), Under Siege (4K))1:10:38 - Shout (Bullet in the Head (4K))1:17:23 – New TV on Blu-ray (Shameless (The Complete Series), Falling Skies (The Complete Series))1:20:12 – New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (Tron: Ares (4K), Shelby Oaks, The Smashing Machine (4K), It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley, Naked Ambition, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk)1:22:47 – New Blu-ray AnnouncementsCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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 movie year of 2026 begins in earnest this week on the podcast with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy looking at ten films, some of which are expansions of 2025 releases. There's a Harry/Sally-like rom-com (People We Meet on Vacation). Steve checks out a documentary of a famed writer and Holocaust survivor (Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire), plus a pair of true stories with Lucy Liu caring for her schizophrenic son (Rosemead) and the tale of an emergency call from a six-year-old trapped in a car in Gaza (The Voice of Hind Rajab). The true stories continue with Kristen Stewart's harrowing directorial debut of a woman plagued with memories of sexual abuse (The Chronology of Water), Gus Van Sant's latest about a 1977 hostage situation (Dead Man's Wire) and Ralph Fiennes tries to get people to sing during WWI (The Choral). Two varying apocalypses occur with Daisy Ridley discovering that the victims of a catastrophic explosion are only mostly dead while Gerard Butler and his family have to leave their bunker (Greenland 2: Migration). With all that horror this week, the show wraps up with some chimpanzee terror (Primate).2:29 - Elie Wiesel: Soul On Fire8:46 - People We Meet on Vacation22:39 - Rosemead28:52 - The Chronology of Water41:02 - The Voice of Hind Rajab47:52 - Dead Man's Wire59:59 - The Choral1:09:46 - We Bury the Dead1:18:39 - Greenland 2: Migration1:25:41 - PrimateCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
A yearly tradition continues with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski carried over from our time with the late, great Sergio Mims as they ask the question that is the very title of these episodes. Both Erik and Peter have selected 10 titles each of films that are still languishing only on DVD and not in a higher-grade format (at least not in North America.) They include classic modern comedies of the ‘80s and ‘90s, a heist film, and one of the earliest appearances of a beloved comedian and the song that became their staple, not to mention a film based on an album. How about movies from some of the great independent voices of cinema, a coming-of-age film, an animated film nearly canceled by the Russians, and a thriller about a simple plan that turns into a conspiracy all leading up to one of the timeliest calls for a film you can imagine. Are you listening Criterion, studios and all the rights holders? Let's give these films the releases they deserve and continue to preserve physical media.2:59 – Peter's 1st Choice10:38 – Erik's 1st Choice14:42 – Peter's 2nd Choice22:39 – Erik's 2nd Choice28:02 – Peter's 3rd Choice36:40 - Erik's 3rd Choice42:33 - Peter's 4th Choice54:00 - Erik's 4th Choice1:00:24 - Peter's 5th Choice1:12:00 - Erik's 5th Choice1:19:13 - Peter's 6th Choice1:30:17 - Erik's 6th Choice1:33:33 - Peter's 7th Choice1:43:50 - Erik's 7th Choice1:52:48 - Peter's 8th Choice2:01:17 - Erik's 8th Choice2:06:31 - Peter's 9th Choice2:22:23 - Erik's 9th Choice2:29:38 - Peter's 10th Choice2:39:08 - Erik's 10th ChoiceCLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCASTSIGN UP FOR AUDIBLEBe sure to check outErik's Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten TomatoesCritics' Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, ILChicago 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. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. 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
As always, Kerry and Collin begin the year taking a look at a Nutcracker movie. This one celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, so the festivities for it starts now! "Nutcracker: The Motion Picture" was a theatrically-released performance film with an added touch of storybook-like innovation and imagination from the one and only Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are). Does it successfully work as a piece of storytelling and staged performance? How does it compare to the similar 1993 version Starring Macauley Culkin? What exactly is PDIP? All these questions, plus a look at the latest and greatest in physical media from the month of December with the Blu-ray Gift Exchange. Collin's favorite blu-rays from 2025. Movie Madness episode, featuring Collin Souter, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy, all running down their 15 favorite films of the year. Blu-rays covered: Warner: Ted Lasso - The Richmond Years (4K) "Boogie Nights" (1997) (4K) LionsGate: "Hearts Of Darkness - A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" (1991) (4K) FilmMasters: "The House On Haunted Hill" (1959) Warner Archive: Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series Wally Gator - The Complete Series "I Love Melvin" (1953) Criterion: "I Know Where I'm Going" (1945) (4K) Universal: "Skylark" (1941)
We sit down with film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for an extended, no-rush conversation about what 2025 looked like at the movies. It was a strange year, sometimes exciting, sometimes frustrating, and we dig into what worked, what didn't, and why the box office and streaming landscape felt so uneven. Trends, surprises, and a few head-scratching moments all get their turn. From there, things get very opinionated. Erik and Steve each roll out their picks for the best movies of 2025 and the worst, and yes, the disagreements come fast and loud. There are a handful of rare moments where they line up, plenty where they absolutely do not, and some strong feelings about how certain films landed or completely missed the mark. We also look ahead to what has us excited for 2026, and somehow, against all odds, everyone agrees on the single best movie of 2025. It's a long, passionate movie nerd conversation that takes its time and leaves no opinion unchallenged. [Ep 417]
As we always do to kick off the new year we take one more look at last year. Focused primarily on the positive (with maybe a couple parting shots), Steve Prokopy once again joins Erik Childress to countdown their top ten films along with their runners-up. They are once again overjoyed to continue their yearly tradition and welcome Collin Souter of the Christmas Movies Actually podcast to join them with his list. A lot of great films for everyone to catch up with plus shout-outs of more movies with a number of specialized categories where we honor everything from laughs to music, our best surprises and a few disappointments. May 2026 be even better. 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
Nick teams up with film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for an expanded round of movie talk as the year end release rush hits full speed. They dig into a packed slate that includes the newest chapter in James Cameron's Avatar saga, Timothée Chalamet's latest turn in Marty Supreme, and Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson fronting a Neil Diamond tribute band in Song Sung Blue. The conversation also covers Will Arnett as a down-on-his-luck stand-up comic in Is This Thing On?, Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid, and the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent, with a few more titles folded in along the way. With so many major releases landing at once, the discussion stretches out and takes its time, offering thoughtful reactions and plenty of back and forth between three longtime critics who know each other's tastes well. Esmeralda sits this one out, but the movie talk more than fills the space as the holiday film season kicks into high gear. [Ep 413]
Nick brings film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back for a run through several major new releases, including James L. Brooks' comedy drama “Ella McCay,” the animated sequel “Zootopia 2,” the latest “Knives Out” mystery “Wake Up Dead Man,” and the follow up to the video game horror hit “Five Nights at Freddy's 2.” Their conversation moves quickly, mixing sharp reactions with the kind of easy back and forth that comes from years of arguing about movies together. Esmeralda Leon joins Nick later for a round of holiday chatter, which turns into a story about a South Side spot that sells great Christmas trees and also lets you recycle them by feeding them to a herd of very enthusiastic goats. That leads to a tour of strange Christmas trees from around the world, including one built entirely from full bottles of Heineken. The holiday spirit takes on some unusual shapes, and Nick and Esma have plenty of fun with it. [Ep 409]
Nick is joined once again by film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for another round of movie talk and box office breakdowns. They look at the sluggish November numbers and review several new releases, including “Rental Family” starring Brendan Fraser, the long-awaited sequel to “Wicked,” George Clooney's tense drama “Jay Kelly,” and the over-the-top action spectacle “Sisu: Road to Revenge.” Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to spread the word about an upcoming holiday food drive on Chicago's northwest side. The two then dive into some more pop culture nostalgia with Bond movies, spooky 90s TV classics like “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and “Eerie, Indiana,” and plenty of laughs along the way. [Ep 405]
Nick is joined once again by film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for another round of sharp movie talk and box office insight. They review a packed slate of new releases, including Guillermo del Toro's bold new take on “Frankenstein,” the latest entry in the “Predator” saga, the Sydney Sweeney boxing biopic “Christy,” and Jennifer Lawrence's gripping psychological drama “Die My Love.” Later, Esmeralda Leon returns to share stories from the David Byrne concert she just attended — a wild, inspiring spectacle only Byrne could deliver. From there, she and Nick take a nostalgic detour through some of the weirdest, most obscure TV shows of the 1990s, like “Out of This World,” “Unhappily Ever After,” “Teen Angel,” and the unforgettable musical police drama “Cop Rock.” It's movies, music, and misfit television — all in one hilarious, high-energy episode. [Ep 401]
Nick welcomes film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for a special extended edition of their movie review segment, packed with more films than ever. The trio dives into an eclectic lineup of new releases, including Emma Stone's wild new odyssey “Bugonia,” the Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” George Romero's daughter's zombie comedy “Queens of the Dead,” and Kathryn Bigelow's explosive thriller “A House of Dynamite.” They also review “The Mastermind,” “Regretting You,” and plenty more fresh titles hitting theaters. The conversation then shifts to the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, as Erik and Steve share highlights and reactions from the event. They cover festival favorites like “Dead Man's Wire,” “We Are Pat,” “Rental Family,” Guillermo del Toro's “Frankenstein,” and “One Golden Summer.” With Esmeralda Leon off this week, Nick and the critics go full film nerd — from blockbusters to indie gems — in a jam-packed, movie-lover's dream episode. [Ep 397]
© 2020-2026 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
