Movie Madness

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

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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, W***e)

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

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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

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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

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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.

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 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 W***e 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

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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

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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

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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

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