Movie Madness

On this week’s Blu-ray episode, Peter Sobczynski talks with Erik Childress about some genuine classics, at least one new one, some forgotten relics and a genuine oddity. Criterion does Terry Gilliam right again with one of their childhood favorites in 4K. They revisit an Oscar-winning film from the ‘80s and whether it would be made the same way today. Kino has some really enjoyable stuff from Andrew Davis, Michael Crichton and a film that got buried during the disaster craze of the ’70s. Both Erich von Stroheim and William Hurt go Russian this week, more Shaw Brothers films arrive and Peter recounts the crazy tale of the Ormond family on their filmmaking journey from exploitation to Christian films.

0:00 - Intro

1:31 - Criterion (Time Bandits (4K))

10:06 - Flicker Alley (Foolish Wives)

15:18 - Indicator (From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family (1956-1984), Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault, 1959-1963)

23:45 - MVD (Witchtrap, Rain Man (4K))

33:30 - Kino (The Draughtsman's Contract, Juggernaut, The Great Train Robbery, Gorky Park, The Package)

1:05:07 - Sony (The Pope's Exorcist)

1:08:44 - Universal (Super Mario Bros. Movie, The (4K))

1:13:44 - Lions Gate (John Wick: Chapter 4)

1:17:10 - Shout! Factory (Shaw Brothers Collection: Volume One)

1:20:13 – New Blu-Ray Announcements

1:21:43 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have 11 film reviews for you this week including a whole bunch of documentaries. They include one about a male-order catalog (All Man: The International Male Story), one about album covers (Squaring the Circle) and a trio involving a bodybuilder who became a politician (Arnold), the career beyond Freddy Krueger (Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story) and a director’s obsession with a film from 1939 (Lynch/Oz). There are also films about an artist’s assistant (Daliland) and the creation of a spicy snack (Flamin’ Hot). There’s a new take on the Frankenstein story (The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster), a post-WWII séance (Brooklyn 45) and a whole other kind of horror, one of personal choice in Margaret Thatcher Land. Finally can the Autobots and Decepticons build on the good will of Bumblebee (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts).

0:00 - Intro

1:15 - All Man: The International Male Story

7:55 – The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

14:47 - Squaring the Circle

20:25 - Arnold

26:40 - Daliland

34:23 - Lynch/Oz 

42:49 - Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story 

57:42 - Brooklyn 45

1:08:12 - Blue Jean

1:18:02 - Flamin' Hot 

1:31:16 - Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

1:43:14 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the last remnants of the DC Cinematic Universe (or “Snyderverse”) as people have come to know it wind down, Erik Childress is joined by comic book expert Erik Laws to breakdown their latest standalone, semi-origin kiss-off tale. They address the controversy that arrives with it over the allegations of its star but then dig into the film’s multi-multiverses and where it goes wrong. Is the addition of Michael Keaton as Batman welcome or is it just another part of the nostalgia museum trying to signal your applause rather than earn it? Does the film earn any of its emotional beats or character turns? Are the action scenes memorable or is it all just more of the same? All these questions and more are discussed in the latest downward trend of the superhero genre.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While streaming companies get tax write-offs for dropping content, physical media lives on and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to tell you what you can pick up this week. They include a classic of French cinema from Criterion, another Sammo Hung title, a recent Nicolas Cage film as well as a good Nicolas Cage film. A pair of 60s & 70s era horror films of questionable tastes are here for you. Finally, show your age and your varying love for each chapter of the adventure films starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser.

0:00 - Intro

3:00 - Criterion (The Rules of the Game (4K))

6:10 - Decal (Mafia Mamma)

9:35 - Universal (Renfield, The Mummy Ultimate Trilogy (4K))

17:09 - Lions Gate (Lord of War (4K Steelbook))

19:38 - Arrow Films (Warriors Two)

21:13 - Shout! Factory (Private Parts, The Strangler)

31:49 - Paramount (Indy 4K)

39:47 – New Blu-ray Announcements

44:30 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steve Prokopy joins Erik Childress to review six new movies; many of which are worth your attention. Steve handles a new teenage friendship from actress-turned-director Charlotte LeBon (Falcon Lake) and the origin story of LeBron James (Shooting Stars). Another true story gets a riveting treatment from director Tina Satter and star Sydney Sweeney (Reality) while Rob Savage uses Stephen King to try and shock scare us again (The Boogeyman). Celine Song delivers one of the more masterful big screen debuts with a “one that got away” tale (Past Lives) that could make a perfect companion piece to one of the most manically-alive animated films you have ever experienced (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).

0:00 - Intro

4:20 - Falcon Lake

9:51 - Reality

27:47 - Shooting Stars

35:42 – The Boogeyman

48:10 - Past Lives 

1:03:11 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

1:24:52 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some genuine classics on physical media this week getting the 4K treatment. And others that are not. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to get you caught up on your libraries including Memorial Day releases from 1991 and 1993. One of the great singular directorial efforts of all-time arrives in 4K as does one of the classics from a comic legend. One of the best from Wes Craven gets the polish and there are also plenty of other titles from Alan Rudolph, Sidney Lumet, Peter Greenaway and Looney Tunes to keep you busy while Erik is relishing one of his favorite films from the summer of 1984 and you can listen to his full commentary track right here.

0:00 - Intro

1:08 - Criterion (Thelma & Louise)

6:25 - Severin (Drowning by Numbers, Danza Macabra Vol. One: The Italian Gothic Collection)

13:37 - Warner Archive (Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1, Hey There Its Yogi Bear, King Solomon's Mines)

22:40 - Kino (Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIV, The Night of the Hunter (4K))

30:28 - Universal (Inside, Spinning Gold)

39:48 - Sony (65 (4K),Cliffhanger (4K))

45:08 - Paramount (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (4K), Transformers Ultimate 6-Movie Collection (4K Steelbook), The Nutty Professor (1963) (4K))

55:28 - Shout! Factory (Trouble In Mind, The Morning After, The Haunting (1999) (4K), The People Under the Stairs (4K))    

1:09:18 - Arrow Films (The Last Starfighter (4K))

1:14:40 – New Blu-ray Announcements

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have nine movies to review on the show and the best one may be the one they told you about in January at Sundance from Nicole Holofcener and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings). A couple of harrowing documentaries come close involving how police turn the tables on survivors of sexual assault (Victim/Suspect) and a tale of domestic assault, opioids and ultimately justice (The Fire That Took Her). A pair of stand-up comedians have made movies about their dads (About My Father, The Machine) and Gerard Butler is on the run again (Kandahar). The pair could not resist a title that was too intriguing to pass up (Exorcism in Utero) and a new genre of horror continues in more ways than one (Influencer). Finally, Disney has another live-action remake of one of their animated classics. Just how far does The Little Mermaid sink on that list?

0:00 - Intro

1:02 - You Hurt My Feelings

14:24 - Exorcism in Utero

25:07 - Victim/Suspect 

37:36 – The Fire That Took Her

50:13 - Influencer 

1:00:10 – The Machine

1:10:54 - About My Father 

1:28:52 - Kandahar

1:35:29 – The Little Mermaid

1:52:30 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If ever there was a week to talk about the importance of physical media it is this one. Especially with the number of oddball titles you will probably never see on a streaming service. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk some of these rare titles including Alan Ladd as Jay Gatsby, a Paris cat man, Michael Parks in love with Ann-Margret, an old Jane Fonda film recently making headlines and a film written by Ruby Dee. There are also your general weird titles like perhaps a couple of the best films made by Roland Emmerich and Jason Statham as well as Peter’s choice for the best film transition in cinema history. Plus, if physical media is not there to preserve this week’s Criterion offering for generations, then what are we even doing?

0:00 - Intro

1:31 - Criterion (Petite Maman)

6:39 - Imprint (Bus Riley's Back In Town, The Catman of Paris, The Great Gatsby (1949), The Long Voyage Home, The Spiral Road, Stargate (Ultimate Edition), Uptight)

26:33 - Kino (Joy House, My Man Godfrey, The Worst Ones, Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece + Tintin and the Blue Oranges)

36:27 - Lions Gate (Crank (4K Steelbook))

38:44 - Warner Bros. (Creed III (4K), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (4K))

45:08 - Shout! Factory (Brotherhood of the Wolf (4K))

51:16 – New Blu-ray Announcements

56:19 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steve Prokopy returns to review ten new films with Erik Childress including documentaries on an 18-time MLB all-star (It Ain’t Over) and an infamous Playboy playmate (Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me). Penelope Cruz speaks Italian (L’Immensita) and Kenya Barris loses everything in translation for a remake (White Men Can’t Jump). Steve looks at the co-winner of the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes (The Eight Mountains) and they go back to the mountains to check out the directorial debut of Joe LoTruglio (Outpost). A sexual awakening and religion class again (The Starling Girl) while a dominatrix tries to get the most out of her client (Sanctuary). Paul Schrader returns with a diary and dark past (Master Gardener) and the whole gang returns for apparently now the pre-penultimate chapter of one of the most successful franchises of all-time. Money-wise at least (Fast X).

0:00 - Intro

6:54 - It Ain't Over 

16:20 - Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me

30:15 - L'Immensita 

34:54 - White Men Can't Jump

46:02 – The Eight Mountains

51:59 - Outpost

1:01:23 - The Starling Girl 

1:10:49 - Sanctuary 

1:23:57 - Master Gardener 

1:32:16 - Fast X

1:55:55 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Peter Sobczynski returns to update all the streamers on what is available on disc this week. They include a sadly all-too-timely Peter Bogdanovich film with Boris Karloff and early work from John Woo, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Peter discusses one of his all-time favorite musicals and Erik recalls a disturbing scene he used to see on cable all the time in a film from an unlikely director. Meg Ryan is cast against type and there is some overlap between Mark Wahlberg and Jason Statham in some new releases. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin team up again for a better effort than 80 For Brady and finally Kino has some more Burt Reynolds for you including one of his more entertaining works newly in 4K.

0:00 - Intro

1:25 - Criterion (Targets, Branded to Kill 4K)

8:31 - Arrow (Hand of Death)

10:48 - Shout! Factory (Endangered Species)

16:08 - RLJE (Children of the Corn)

18:12 - Lions Gate (Moving On, Operation Fortune)

25:25 - Paramount (Italian Job (4K), Shooter (4K))

30:00 - Mill Creek (In The Cut (20th Anniversary Director's Edition)

32:45 - Sandpiper (Absolute Beginners)

38:23 - Kino (Hustle, The Longest Yard (1974) (4K))

48:50 – New Blu-ray Announcements

52:28 - Outro

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.