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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

01:08:00

Episode 561: Death, Dogs And Tim Robinson Come For Us...

Movie Madness ·

2025/05/17

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return to the review beat after a couple weeks off at the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Erik looks at a bunch of influencers terrorized by feral dogs (A Breed Apart) and the story that inspired a cult body horror film (The Darkside of Society). Steve looks at an influential moment for the hearing impaired (Deaf President Now) and The Weeknd’s self-indulgent vanity project (Hurry Up Tomorrow). They also offer thoughts on a pair of films chosen for their festival

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01:38:55

Episode 560: There’s A Crack In The Planet (And The...

Movie Madness ·

2025/05/12

After a week off for The Chicago Critics Film Festival, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski return to get you up to date on the latest in physical media world. They include one of the great musicals and a landmark in 60s cinema. Disney upgrades one of their animated hits before its live-action counterpart hits theater. See the film Robert Zemeckis made in-between shooting Cast Away. There is plenty of sleaze thanks to Pete Walker and Wings Hauser and a reunion of Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep

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01:34:28

Episode 559: Thunderbolts*

Movie Madness ·

2025/05/02

Marvel is hoping for both a critical and financial reboot with their latest summer opener and Erik Childress is joined once again by comic book expert, Erik Laws, to discuss. Laws delves into the history of the Thunderbolts and various incarnations in the comics. They talk about what they enjoyed about the film as well as elements that fell flat. A lot of credit goes to a pair of key performances in the film as Marvel banks on audiences responding to themes of alienation and depression in place of

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02:09:53

Episode 558: It’s Rider’s Name Was Death

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/28

After weeks of light lineups in the physical media world, the end of April explores with a variety of titles that Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to guide you through. They include Sean Baker bookends from Criterion, blaxploitation and films from Russ Meyer. You got journeys to the Bermuda triangle and the gates of hell not to mention bullets and betrayal. Bill Murray enters the army and Michael Keaton goes to rehab. Plus Clint Eastwood has a trio of his films get the 4K upgrade. 1:52

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01:31:50

Episode 557: More Than One Foot In The Grave

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/26

Before taking off for the upcoming Chicago Critics Film Festival (May 2-8) which they program, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review nine movies this week. They include the latest from Francois Ozon (When Fall Is Coming) and a Jim Henson-like fantasy from A24 (The Legend of Ochi). Jack Quaid and Jeffrey Dean Morgan make for unique investigators of a kidnapping (Neighborhood Watch) and a new video game adaptation is decidedly less unique (Until Dawn). Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi have secrets

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01:11:16

Episode 556: Sneaking Around Target And The Old West

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/21

Another light week for physical media but a fun one – especially for those nostalgic for the early ‘90s. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk about Criterion’s upgrade of a multi-part French masterpiece from the ‘80s. They share thoughts on The Most Dangerous Game riff that got snakebit by real-world tragedies and Covid. Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase try to prevent the assassination of the pope. No, not that one. One of the late Val Kilmer’s most iconic performances gets the 4K upgrade. The

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01:21:55

Episode 555: I Want Your Blood And I Want Your Souls

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/19

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight movie reviews this week including revisiting one of their favorites from Sundance, a twisted alternate version of Cinderella (The Ugly Stepsister). Steve looks at another cabin-in-the-woods-horror (Call of the Void), a documentary about drummers (Count Me In) and Catherine Deneuve as Beradette Chirac (The President’s Wife). Erik looks at Severance’s Britt Lower as a lonely librarian (Darkest Miriam) and Steve checks out the four-year art project of a

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01:19:54

Episode 554: Instincts, Informants & Iwo Jima

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/14

It’s been a little light out there for titles in physical media world but this week has no shortage of interesting ones and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to talk you through them. They include one of Wong-Kar Wai’s most remembered films and John Sayles’ foray into studio filmmaking in the ‘80s. John Wayne goes to war and then later goofs off with John Ford. There are new 4K editions of two of Steven Soderbergh’s films plus one of Abel Ferrara’s more treasured crime dramas. Then the pair wade

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01:21:03

Episode 553: All’s Fair In Love And War

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/11

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven movies to talk about this week. They range from a documentary about one of the music world’s most talked about relationships (One to One: John & Yoko) and an animated story of Jesus told through the mouth of Dickens (The King of Kings). The Michaels – Cera & Angarano – go on a road trip (Sacramento) and Stephen Dorff tries to go legit in the Old West (Gunslingers). The director of Happy Death Day presents the world’s worst first date (Drop) and CIA

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01:07:10

Episode 552: Some Sweat When The Heat Is On

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/07

Another light week for physical media but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have you covered with one of the greatest comedies of all time and one of Peter Sellers’ overlooked gems. There is film noir, a sorority massacre and a pair of films covered on The Friendship Dilemma podcast. They include Ryan Reynolds in the friend zone with Amy Smart and Shane Black getting paid to make Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson his mismatched mystery partners. 0:00 - Intro 3:59 - Criterion (Some Like It Hot

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01:31:42

Episode 551: With Friends Like These Who Needs A Ballad?

Movie Madness ·

2025/04/04

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have reviews of eight new movies this week. They revisit one of the best films they saw at Sundance this year (The Ballad of Wallis Island) while Erik handles this week’s latest video game adaptation (A Minecraft Movie). Public domain puts Steamboat Willie into horror (Screamboat) and how do they like dem apple on dat head (William Tell). Michael Shannon directs the aftermath of a school shooting (Eric Larue) and Paul Walter Hauser plays the infamous Press Your Luck

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52:03

Episode 550: Ugetsu Everybody

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/31

If you missed a number of recent films in theaters then this is really the Blu-ray week for you. Beyond those, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski still have some titles for you to consider if you can’t get enough of Nicholas Hoult in vampire films or you really like those new digital shorts on SNL. There’s also the tale of graverobbers that took their work a little too far, an obscure relationship melodrama from the 1940s and an influential ghost story set against the backdrop of the Japanese

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01:41:10

Episode 549: Hackman And The Deadly Wonder Women

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/24

Blu-rays, 4Ks, physical media galore this week as Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through another week. They include upgrades of a great Gene Hackman film and another from Alan Rudolph by Criterion. There’s early work from Rudolph Valentino and the late George Armitage. Horror goes from brain-inhabiting slugs to a black mamba, child murders, cannibalism and eating the rich. There’s also a pair of Chris Farley/David Spade films and a trio of deadly women including Ursula Andress,

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01:53:20

Bill Skarsgard is trapped in Anthony Hopkins’ fancy...

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/21

Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy have nine movies for you this week. It all starts by hitting the way back machine for their 2023 review of a Sundance film delayed by the controversy over its star (Magazine Dreams). There is also an apocalyptic musical fantasy (O’Dessa) and Bill Skarsgard is trapped in Anthony Hopkins’ fancy car (Locked). Sci-fi goes two ways with the bloody aftermath of an astronaut colony (Ash) and the process future couples go through to have a baby (The Assessment). Barbie

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01:08:30

Episode 547: The 2025 SXSW Film Festival

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/19

Erik Childress has been traveling to Austin for over 20 years for the annual South by Southwest Film Festival. He is back to tell you all about 19 films that he saw this year. Among the films you can see soon are the return of Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively to the world of simple favor. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega trying to survive the revenge of a unicorn and Nicolas Cage battles some territorial Australians. Hopefully audiences won’t have to wait too long to see the solo directorial debut of Jay

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01:53:57

Episode 546: Light A Candle And You Will See Baked Beans

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/17

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to get you caught up on a couple weeks of new physical media. They include drama from Charlie Chaplin and Michael Mann’s feature debut. Godzilla returns as does the creepy Roger Corman sci-fi of the early ‘80s. Renny Harlin brings the sharks, Skippy from Family Ties battles a heavy metal killer and Peter reminds us of another piece of ‘80s horror that some parents would like to forget. There is also more weirdness including Steve Allen studying sex, John

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01:16:29

Episode 545: No Pain, Yes Black Bag

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/14

Movie reviews continue on the show with seven new releases this week. Steve Prokopy looks at the chaos of a young woman and her Zambian family (On Becoming a Guinea Fowl) while Samara Weaving plays a pop star dealing with a stalker (Borderline). John Malkovich is another pop star whom Ayo Edebiri discovers may be part of a cult (Opus). Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the world from zombies and aliens (The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie) while Chris Pratt and Millie Bobbie Brown

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55:26

Episode 544: From Las Piedras To Nearly Peru

Movie Madness ·

2025/03/03

Physical media never takes a week off but sometimes they sleep in a little. Such as this light week that has Peter Sobczynski and Erik Childress starting off with a stone-cold classic thriller from Criterion upgraded to 4K. Kino has more film noir, a double feature with Agatha Christie AND Bert I. Gordon plus the terrifying presence of Klaus Kinski as a Nazi. There’s an animated cat who gives massages and everyone’s favorite bear in a rain slicker. 0:00 - Intro 6:53 - Criterion (The Wages of Fear

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49:17

Episode 543: Don’t Hold Your Breath

Movie Madness ·

2025/02/28

Another light week of releases, but are any of them good? Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy talk you through five of them including a documentary on a better person in charge of the Washington Post (Becoming Katharine Graham). Ed Harris factors into two releases this week including a woman manifestsing her PTSD through her fellow soldier (My Dead Friend Zoe) and a crime comedy with an all-star cast (Riff Raff). There is also a bitcoin hostage thriller (Cold Wallet) and an underwater true story that

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02:07:12

Episode 542: Why Is Everything Controversial?

Movie Madness ·

2025/02/24

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski run down titles you can get on physical media this week and, not gonna lie, there’s a lot of baggage. There’s the Mick Jagger film that say on the shelf for two years along with Lindsay Lohan’s collaboration with Paul Schrader and William Friedkin’s infamous Al Pacino murder mystery set within the gay community. Not to mention John Wayne playing Genghis Khan and the poor timing for an Eric Red horror film. But even controversy can be put aside for cinema

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