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PODCAST

Movie Madness

Movie Madness is a weekly podcast hosted by Chicago film critic Erik Childress presenting movie reviews, interviews, film festival coverage, DVDs, awards, box office and much more! erikthemovieman.substack.com

tv & film visual arts

All Episodes

01:42:05

Episode 496: You Eat Guts?

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/19

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to talk physical media. This week you can go an early, personal work from Martha Coolidge and the debut western from Robert Benton. They talk thrillers that were ultimately remade with Amber Heard and Josh Hartnett plus the baffling dark comedy from Danny DeVito. Generational favorites range from an animated film from the ‘80s and a teen comedy from the ‘90s, but also don’t forget one of the great conspiracy films of the ’70s with some timely real-world

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01:53:30

Episode 495: You CAN Go Home Again

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/17

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have ten reviews this week including going back into the archive to check out a new version of an infamous epic (Caligula: The Ultimate Cut). Jean Reno gets a special visitor (My Penguin Friend) and a mother must protect her child from a creature and Devon Sawa (Consumed). Eliot Page is reluctant to return home after embracing his identity (Close to You) and Neil Marshall keeps making movies with Charlotte Kirk (Duchess). Elizabeth Banks has internet problems in

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01:39:07

Episode 494: Moe, Larry, Shemp, Curly – Take ‘Em Down!

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/12

Lots on the Blu-ray front this week and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk you through it. Criterion has a clean sweep nine-time Oscar winner in 4K and Arrow has something for the Sam Worthington fans out there. They talk fondly of a dark Seth Rogen effort and a much lighter comedy with violence that has given Rachel McAdams a line delivery for the ages. They’ve got some Mellville, Bava and Elvis. Peter has an early ‘90s horror film you may want to look at again. Dick Tracy gets a

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01:27:39

Episode 493: Bad Dads And Worse Husbands

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/10

After a three-week hiatus involving vacations and other commitments, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the weekly movie review stint. Naturally they begin with a film they reviewed at Sundance eight months ago but with good reason for reminder cause the title says it all (Good One). Steve looks at a film about Samuel Beckett (Dance First) and Erik handles a biopic of Milli Vanilli (Girl You Know It’s True). Matt Damon and Casey Affleck try to rob a corrupt politician (The Instigators) and

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01:15:45

Episode 492: Welles, Lola, Norris, Lasso (And San...

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/05

Films are getting the 4K upgrade this week on the physical media show. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about why Orson Welles made his fourth film along with the great fun of Run Lola Run. Perhaps the craziest tales are reserved for what became and almost became of one of Chuck Norris’ mid-80s Cannon fodder. There’s also a little Gucci, a little Lasso, some Babes and a breakdown of one of the most unlikeliest trilogies ever from its subject matter, its sweet endurance and ingenuity and

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01:34:21

Episode #491: Deadpool & Wolverine

Movie Madness ·

2024/08/02

On a special episode of the podcast, comic book expert Erik Laws returns to join Erik Childress to discuss the much ballyhooed release of Marvel’s team-up of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman meant to correct past sins and hopefully plug the creative and success leak of their recent output. Does the film live up to its promise? Are the stakes there or is it just a service for the fans? How does its cameos and surprises measure up and is it weird to take shots at what is supposed to be an ally now? They

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02:09:52

Episode 490: There’s No Way Out, You Can’t Stop The Nuts

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/29

This week in physical media expands the gauntlet between masterpieces, greatness, exploitation and outright garbage. In other words, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have a little something for everyone. They include a film from the ‘60s that was lost until the ‘90s, one of the first films from Jonathan Demme, one of the last films of Howard Hawks and hopefully not the last from Philip Kaufmann. There’s a box set of the works of Nico Mastorakis and a director’s cut featuring David Bowie and

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01:36:00

Episode 489: Time Of Your Life, Huh Kid?

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/15

Some great titles to put into your physical media library this week and Peter Sobczynski is here with Erik Childress to help guide you through them. It all begins with one of the great films of the 1980s that put Tom Cruise on the path to stardom. Tom Hanks missed an Oscar nom but delivered one of his best performances for Paul Greengrass and Ang Lee did get the Oscar but the Academy went for another film in 2005. There are also vehicles for Burt Reynolds, Dirk Benedict and the film that Ben Affleck

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01:34:42

Episode 488: Bullshit Or Not?

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/12

Before each of them take their respective vacations, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have nine movies for you to check out or throw away. They include Guy Pearce in a Lee Tamahori film about warring Maori tribes (The Convert) and Baltasar Kormákur decades-spanning romantic saga (Touch). Documentaries cover the range of the career of one of our great actresses (Faye) and the horrible behavior that derailed Louis C.K.’s, at least temporarily (Sorry/Not Sorry). Things get strange when Ewan McGregor’s

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01:16:11

Episode 487: It’s Turning Green

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/08

Peter Sobczynski has the rundown on this week’s physical media with Erik Childress. Leading the way are French classics by Jean-Pierre Melville and Patrice Leconte. They talk about the controversies surrounding Todd Solondz third feature and the strange hiatus of director Robert Butler. 4K tries to clean-up a second helping of the Ghoulies and a Thailand based creature feature “not to be confused with Alligator.” Finally they go back and forth on the 1996 mega-hit that finally spawned a sequel 28

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01:56:49

Episode 486: Choose Your Warrior Of Justice

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/06

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy do not skimp this week serving up 11 new reviews for you. Erik looks at Paul Raci as a spiritual guru who may have achieved a new kind of grief transcendence (The Secret Art of Human Flight) while Emma Roberts does Legally Blonde Goes To NASA (Space Cadet). Steve has a film about the Eichmann trial (June Zero) and that of a different kind of bloodsucker (Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person) which also partially sums up his review of Despicable Me 4

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01:39:39

Episode 485: Who’s That Talking To Me With Those...

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/01

There is not a lot to add to your physical media collection this week. But what there is you will want to get your hands on. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about the tortured history of one of Sam Peckinpah’s greatest westerns. Music stars in movies gets a little sillier with Weird Al Yankovic and Madonna. Silliness gets raised to an artform with the first of the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay collaborations. Though maybe not as silly as the accents from Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones in

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01:38:07

Episode 484: Shhhh! Costner Made A Daddio Movie

Movie Madness ·

2024/07/01

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight movie reviews for you this week. They include a new film about religious fanaticism from the filmmakers behind Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge (The Devil’s Bath) plus a documentary about the horrific legacy of a questionable John Wayne film (The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout). A Sundance film from 2023 with Lily Gladstone finally sees the light (Fancy Dance) and we get the second younger man/older woman rom-com in just a few months now with Nicole Kidman and

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01:38:35

Episode 483: Blue Velvet, Purple Rain (Plus Punch & Pie)

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/25

A pretty solid week for new Blu-ray and 4K arrivals that Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski talk you through. They include, arguably, David Lynch’s best film and the consequences if you choose an ice dancing show over it. Orson Welles’ first foray into cinematic Shakespeare as well as a special collection of the cavalcade of films released in the wake of Bruce Lee’s untimely passing. Joe Dante’s loving tribute to the movies of our youth gets the 4K upgrade as do the works of Trey Parker and Matt

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01:11:28

Episode 482: What Is So Funny About Peace, Love &...

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/22

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven films for you to hear about this week. Two you heard about before when June Squibb went into action mode on a phishing scam at Sundance (Thelma) and Rachel Sennott nannies a teenage girl (I Used To Be Funny). Still funny are the queer comedians featured in a new Netflix doc (Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution). Less funny is seeing Abbie Cornish in a twisty con game (Detained). Maybe a but funnier is Jessica Alba as a ”skilled special forces commando”

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01:52:11

Episode 481: Mother? Daughter? No, Not That One!

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/18

A lot of great titles for your physical media library and Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to guide you through it. They include the debut films from the Wachowskis and Jeff Nichols. Plenty of noir to go around this week courtesy of Kino, Paul Schrader and a look at the new 4K Chinatown package. They discuss some of the Robocop follow-ups, some early Hitchcock, disagree on The Karate Kid, talk James Woods and cocaine. And speaking of controversy and weirdness, Peter tells you all about

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01:26:20

Episode 480: Movies With All The Feels

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/15

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have no anxiety reviewing eight movies this week. Especially when one is a replay of a movie they raved about at Sundance and won the Audience Award at their Chicago Critics Film Festival this year (Ghostlight). But Steve also talks about Jude Law and Alicia Vikander in a story about Henry VIII (Firebrand) as well as Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham as a father and daughter revisiting Poland (Treasure). Erik checks out David Duchovny adapting his own novel (Reverse the

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01:12:25

Episode 479: Join Us Sometime When You Have No Class

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/10

It is a bit on the lackluster side of physical media releases this week but there are a few gems to get your wallets involved. Peter Sobczynski and Erik Childress talk about the final film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the final appearance of Alec Guinness. As series with four entries goes there is more love for Shrek than Species. The T&A teen comedy of the ‘80s gets a double feature and there are also stellar early efforts from Luc Besson and Denzel Washington. 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Criterion

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01:10:59

Episode 478: The Choice Is Not To Ride Or Watch

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/08

On this six-movie week, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy go back two years to revisit a Dakota Johnson comedy that debuted at Sundance in 2022 (Am I OK?). Erik goes back a couple of weeks to look at the true story of a Chinese immigrant turned eye surgeon (Sight). There are sharks in the Siene (Under Paris) and young women are getting whacked around a weed farm (Trim Season). The daughter of M. Night Shayamalan makes her feature directorial debut (The Watchers) and Martin Lawrence reteams with Will

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01:04:52

Episode 477: Fear, Loathing and Glory for Rango (Not...

Movie Madness ·

2024/06/04

It may be a light week on the physical media front but that’s also less money to spend and there is some choice stuff discussed by Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. They include Terry Gilliam’s seemingly impossible adaptation of a Hunter S. Thompson novel, more Johnny Depp in animated form, the tale of the first black regiment in the Civil War and Harvey Keitel in his most disturbing role. All available in 4K. There’s also a great Robert Mitchum western and an opportunity to remember Chicago’s

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