Movie Madness

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

We continue our march through awards season madness as we look at a fresh batch of nominations and announcements that have started to part the clouds a little on how its all playing out. Thanks to LA, Chicago and even lesser on-the-level groups like the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review (whose statistics can nevertheless not be entirely denied) Erik Childress runs you down the current depth charts on the Big 8 categories which can certainly change week-to-week. 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 Madness Podcast presents this bonus extension of the show with a dive into the 2024-25 awards season. A breakdown of the various groups with their victories and nominations in an effort to present an ongoing State-of-the-Race up until the final Oscar nominations on Jan. 17, 2025. Statistics, commentary and a running scoreboard are in store for you starting with announcements from the Gothams and the New York Film Critics. Strap in cause its going to be a ride. 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 continue to add to your Christmas carts with a variety of great gift ideas for the movie lovers in your life. They talk about the Coen Bros. big Oscar winner and Fellini’s most beloved film now both in 4K. Peter goes to bat for Abel Ferrara’s vampire tale and a Henry James adaptation from this year. Erik talks the 10th Anniversary of a Christopher Nolan film and offers some defense of Ron Howard’s collaboration with Geoge Lucas and Seth MacFarlane’s debut. A Martha Coolidge film that was part of the Why-Is-This-Not-On-Blu-Ray series finally gets its due and a controversial 1980s horror film gets an upgrade. Finally Peter shows love to a rockin’ high school movie as well the Cracking Collection of Wallace & Gromit. 0:00 - Intro 1:25 - Criterion (No Country for Old Men 4K, 8 1/2 4K, The Beast) 24:30 - Arrow (The Addiction 4K) 35:28 - Disney (Willow 4K) 46:39 - Paramount (Interstellar 4K) 1:00:11 - Kino (Rambling Rose, Daytime Revolution) 1:16:55 - Shout (Rock n Ro

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have nine films to talk about this week. They include Kyle Mooney’s take on the computer glitch of 1999 (Y2K) and what happens when a supermoon infects the world (Werewolves). Ralph Fiennes completes Homer’s odyssey (The Return) while Nick Frost just wants to take his family on vacation to see a scary Swedish tradition (Get Away). There is the true story of one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles (Unstoppable) and the drug-fueled scribblings of William Burroughs through the eyes of Daniel Craig (Queer). Jude Law gruffly goes after white supremacists in the 1980s (The Order).The potential end of the world is told without words and through animated animals (Flow) while Amy Adams may be turning into an animal in a film that tries to use all the words to define motherhood (Nightbitch).   0:00 - Intro 1:12 - Y2K 8:24 - Werewolves 18:22 – The Return 23:54 - Get Away 30:55 - Flow 38:32 - Unstoppable 50:48 - Queer 1:00:50 – The Order 1:12:19 - Nightbitch 1:23:02 – Next Week’s M

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be gone but the physical media buying season is in full effect for the movie lovers in your life. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski go through the week’s offerings. Sure they include the infamous later films of Ed Wood have been unearthed along with a “Reefer Madness for the Sexual Revolution” plus a goofy Michael Crichton adaptation. But there are also masterpieces from Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog plus a pair of beloved horror and sci-fi comedies. Not to mention an overlooked film from Sam Raimi and the great pre-South Park musical from Trey Parker and Matt Stone.  0:00 - Intro 1:00 - Criterion (Paris, Texas 4K) 10:28 - Shout Factory (Aguirre: The Wrath of God 4K, The Gift 4K) 22:04 - Kino (The Visit 4K) 30:05 - Sony (Legends of the Fall 4K) 34:43 - Paramount (Galaxy Quest 4K) 45:05 - Universal (Shaun of the Dead 4K Steelbook) 56:04 - Severin (Hard Wood, Scala) 1:07:38 - Vinegar Syndrome (Looking for Mr Goodbar 4K, Cannibal: The Musical 4K, Congo 4K) 1:29:38 –

It’s Thanksgiving week and the pickings are slim on the movie front. But Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy may have something for you to watch with the family. Hint that it involves a pair of music documentaries focusing on the arrival of Liverpool’s finest to the States (Beatles ’64) to the soothing sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s (Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary). You can also hear about the latest from David Gordon Green as Ben Stiller attends to his ill-behaved nephews (Nutcrackers) and the new film from the Farrelly Bros. involving Jack Black answering a young boy’s Christmas call as Satan (Dear Santa). Finally, Disney turns one of their beloved films into a series and then back into a theatrical sequel (Moana 2).   0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Beatles '64 8:25 - Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary 17:32 - Nutcrackers 29:20 - Dear Santa 38:07 - Moana 2 45:53 - Outro 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

Just in time for Black Friday, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski takes you through a swath of new physical media and collections. They include two of the best films in the careers of Peter Bogdanovich and Guillermo Del Toro (and yes the best from Rob Cohen too.) There’s a pair of underrated films from the great William Friedkin and martial arts collections from Stephen Chow and the Shaw Brothers. Go on the road with Hope and Crosby and take a journey with an underseen adventure story. Not to mention dancing, the Thin Man, a whole bunch of Looney Tunes and one of the most infamous box office tales ever. 0:00 - Intro 1:08 - Criterion (Paper Moon 4K, The Shape of Water 4K) 16:33 - Vinegar Syndrome (The Tenant 4K, Fear Dot Com) 27:48 - MVD (Zyzzyx Road 4K) 39:43 - Arrow (Shawscope V. 3) 44:52 - Shout (Stephen Chow Collection, Dragon 4K, Bones and All 4K) 59:04 - Kino (Revenge of the Zombies, The Martian Chronicles, Mountains of the Moon, The Hunted 4K, Bug 4K, On the Road with Hope and Crosby) 1:33:51 -

It’s the week before Thanksgiving and there are some heavy-hitters in theaters and trio of new Netflix titles for those stay-at-home viewers. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy cover eight movies for you this week including a fascinating documentary on a woman who may have crafted the soundtrack to your life (The World According to Allee Willis) and another about a unique love affair involving music and mascots (Adrianne and the Castle). Sylvester Stallone tries to take Jason Patric’s armored car (Armor) while Thomasin McKenzie and Bill Nighy show you who the true mother and father of IVF were (Joy). Denzel Washington’s family adapts August Wilson (The Piano Lesson) and Alan Menken returns to score an all-star cast in a nifty Netflix animated film (Spellbound). Finally, it may not be Barbenheimer but Ridley Scott returns to Rome with a new vengeance (Gladiator II) and the first act of a Broadway sensation finally makes it to the big screen (Wicked: Part One). 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - The World According to Allee W

Christmas stockings should be filled with what is on the physical media slate this week. Erik Childress is joined by Peter Sobczynski to take you through everything including Barbra Streisand’s big Oscar win and one of the great adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel. Great things come in threes including Clint Eastwood and the works of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker. They also come in twos with Buster Keaton and the works of Jim Henson. Though speaking of three, Warner Bros. has one of the 4K trifectas of the year with a Mel Brooks classic, one of Hitchcock’s most purely entertaining and James Cameron’s legendary breakthrough. Finally not to dampen the holiday mood but the film that may just be Sam Raimi’s finest achievement with the great Bill Paxton gets a new 4K upgrade as well. 0:00 - Intro 1:24 – Criterion (Funny Girl 4K, Riyuichi Sakamoto: Opus) 10:46 – Sony (Little Women 4K) 15:55 – Kino (Seven Chances & Sherlock Jr, The Visitors, Two Mules for Sister Sara 4K, Play Misty for Me 4K, The Eige

Mid-November and kind of a mid-week for releases, but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy do have five reviews for you including a pair of documentaries on two icons in the film and music world (Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes, Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley). They look at the latest from Andrea Arnold (Bird) and try to look at the new musical from Jacques Audiard apart from its controversies (Emilia Perez). Finally, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans team up to rescue Santa Claus from the Christmas Witch. Yes, really (Red One).   0:00 - Intro 1:38 - Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes 8:43 - Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley 21:37 - Bird 29:54 - Emilia Perez 42:28 - Red One 55:27 – Next Week’s Titles & Outro 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 good stuff on the physical media beat for those starting to make their Christmas lists. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to guide you through the lot which includes gangster and samurai classics from Criterion. There’s also a trio of 1980s puberty-starters and a reevaluation of the fourth Body Snatchers adaptation. You can also get new 4K releases of Steven Spielberg’s debut theatrical feature and one of Oliver Stone’s finest achievements.   0:00 - Intro 1:09 - Criterion (Scarface 4K, Seven Samurai 4K) 17:25 - Universal (The Sugarland Express 4K) 29:44 - Fun City (Paradise, Heavenly Bodies) 44:28 - Arrow (Elvira 4K, The Invasion 4K) 1:04:25 - Shout (Born on the Fourth of July) 1:15:16 - Kino (Maniac, Circus of Horrors, One Two Three, Arabesque 4K, Merchant Ivory, Roseland) 1:43:00 – New Blu-Ray Announcements This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.substack.com

It’s a nine-movie week on the show with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy looking at a historical atrocity (Stockholm Bloodbath), WWII through the eyes of a boy (Blitz) and Pierce Brosnan as a 92 year-old veteran trying to atone for D-Day (The Last Rifleman). A 70+ year old is sent undercover in a money laundering scam – or is he? – in a documentary chosen for last year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival (Starring Jerry As Himself). Get into the spirit of the holiday season with one film based on a beloved book (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) and another trying to give you a mood (Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point). Cillian Murphy sees bad nuns in Ireland (Small Things Like These) and Anthony Mackie teams up with Morena Baccarin to battle creatures who don’t like heights (Elevation). Finally, one of year’s best movies pits two Mormon female missionaries against Hugh Grant’s religion buster (Heretic). 0:00 - Intro 1:21 - Stockholm Bloodbath 6:53 – The Last Rifleman 12:14 – The Best Christmas Pageant Ever 21:35 -

Halloween is over, which means Christmas is creepin’ upon us so who better to start making your shopping lists with than Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski on this week’s physical media show. They include a pair of Christmas films including a perennial classic and a more modern one with a Wham twist. The king of the monsters has its origin upgraded to 4K by Criterion. Samuel L. Jackson goes to Yemen and Mel Gibson goes to Vietnam in a pair of military films just before Veterans Day. One of the original babysitter horror films gets a 4K upgrade and you can also see the first French adaptation remade as a particularly awful Ashley Judd film. Finally, there are a trio of film documentaries ranging from Powell and Pressburger to The Monster Squad to the year 1982 plus one of the all-time classic sitcoms gets the Blu-ray treatment. 0:00 - Intro 0:58 – Criterion (Godzilla 4K) 6:29 – Universal (Last Christmas 4K) 13:23 – Paramount (White Christmas 4K, We Were Soldiers 4K) 26:08 – Kino (Rules of Engagement 4K,

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return for a little crossover show including new titles this week and a recap of films from this year’s Chicago International Film Festival; some of which you can see right now. Reviews this week include a documentary on a legendary composer (Music By John Williams), one of the best animated films of the year (Memoir of a Snail) and the immigrant experience told through a heated kitchen (La Cocina). There is also the latest film from Clint Eastwood that Warner Bros. is burying (Juror #2) and a Forrest Gump reunion from Robert Zemeckis (Here). Then they look at ten more festival entries ranging from politics to coups and terrorists. Erik sees one of the best baseball films in years and Steve checks out a documentary about one of the great bands of the ‘90s. It’s a great mix of movies giving you something to look forward to both soon and later. 0:00 – Intro 1:50 – Juror #2 12:10 – Music By John Williams 27:10 – Memoir of a Snail 35:34 - La Cocina 46:58 – Here 1:02:13 – S

The horror month of physical media closes out Halloween with a couple choice titles, though the horror-adjacent ones may be even better. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk a trio of film noir and a giallo film with Audrey Hepburn and James Mason. One of the great heist movies is here along with an all-timer true crime film from David Fincher. Wes Craven and Sam Raimi get the 4K upgrade as does a cult anthology that almost didn’t see the light of day. But the real joy may be in reminding everyone of a sequel too often left off the discussion of films vastly superior to the original. And that’s altogether ooky. 0:00 - Intro 1:13 – Kino (Dark Side of Cinema XXII, Topkapi) 15:30 - Vinegar Syndrome (Bloodline 4K) 27:05 – Paramount (Addams Family Values 4K, Zodiac 4K) 44:57 - Shout Factory (Shocker 4K, Drag Me to Hell 4K) 1:00:44 – Arrow (Trick or Treat 4K) 1:17:13 – New Blu-ray Announcements This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

We are still in the month of horror and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about all the horrific and supernatural offerings getting upgrades this month. Not to mention Harmony Korine and Rob Lowe as a hockey player. But moving on from that the pair discuss the Hellraiser series and their lack of enthusiasm for even M. Night Shyamalan’s better films. They talk about the surprise hit of the summer of 1990, one of the films that established the horror genre and another that took it to such uncomfortable lengths Erik has to dare himself to watch it. There’s also Robert Zemeckis, Joe “3-star” Johnston and even some ‘80s teen shenanigans not involving death and murder.  0:00 - Intro 1:25 – Criterion (Gummo) 6:43 – Kino (Up the Creek, Youngblood, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari) 29:50 – Disney (The Sixth Sense 4K, Signs 4K) 47:29 – Paramount (Ghost 4K) 59:13 - Warner Archive (The Hitcher 4K) 1:12:46 – Arrow (Hellraiser Quartet of Torment 4K ) 1:32:44 - Shout: Death Becomes Her 4K/The Wolfman 4K 1:56

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to get you caught up on all the upgraded (not elevated) horror that you can add to your physical media library this week. But first there is some Jackie Chan, Rian Johnson, Jon Favreau and Sidney Lumet. Oh yes and some Hitchcock and Borchardt. But for your Halloween parties you can get probably the best J-horror remake from Gore Verbinski. Wes Craven delivers one of the most iconic horror characters of all-time. George Romero returns to the Land of the Dead and Tobe Hooper’s landmark cinematic achievement celebrates its 50th Anniversary. 0:00 - Intro 1:07 - 88 Films (Project A Collection 4K) 9:27 - Kino (Garbo Talks, Brick 4K, Cowboys and Aliens 4K) 25:09 - Sony (American Movie 4K) 34:21 - Paramount (To Catch a Thief 4K, The Ring 4K) 46:36 - WB (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K) 1:06:04 - Shout (Land of the Dead 4K) 1:19:32 - Dark Sky (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4K) 1:35:01 – New Blu-ray Announcements This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy dive into 11 films this week including a documentary that debuted three years ago at SXSW about a unique theatrical production (Alien On Stage). There is also a documentary about Pharrell Williams told through Legos (Piece By Piece) and another chronicling the week John & Yoko took over the Mike Douglas show (Daytime Revolution). A dysfunctional family tries to get through the weekend in Chicago (All Happy Families) and another has a loss in theirs exploited by an evil entity (Daddy’s Head). A high school student devises an elaborate cheating scheme (Bad Genius) while a missing child sets off a mysterious manhunt (Caddo Lake). Laura Dern hooks up with a Hemsworth (Lonely Planet) while Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s relationship is presented in a fractured timeline (We Live In Time). Finally you have your choice of evil this week in the third chapter of Art the Clown (Terrifier 3) or the beginning of Donald Trump (The Apprentice) 0:00 - Intro 1:09 - Alien On Stage 13

While there is not much on the physical media side this week there are definitely some choice titles to upgrade into your collection. It is also October and that means horror. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about a must-own double feature from Criterion from the genre’s yesteryear as well as Tim Burton’s solid tribute to Hammer horror. Not to mention Lara Flynn Boyle getting blown off a roof. Alas though there is also some solid new theatrical horror titles on disc now as well as Peter Berg’s finest directorial effort getting an upgrade. 0:00 - Intro 1:49 – Criterion (I Walked with a Zombie, The Seventh Victim 4K) 16:03 – Kino (Riot in a Women’s Prison) 21:04 – Universal (Friday Night Lights 4K) 27:00 - Shout Factory (Devil 4K) 35:42 – Paramount (Sleepy Hollow 4K) 45:16 – New TV & Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray 57:02 – New Blu-ray Announcements This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit erikthemovieman.sub