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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

99:23

Episode 625: Comedy Is When ICE Falls Into An Open Sewer

Movie Madness ·

2026/01/16

Before heading off to Sundance next week, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy bring you ten new movie reviews. Erik looks at the anime adaptation of the text that inspired Edge of Tomorrow (All You Need Is Kill) and a Palestinian epic of family and loss that people need to see (All That’s Left of You) while Steve checks out the latest film about family from the Dardenne Brothers (Young Mothers). On the documentary side there is the tale of a wrestler who was born with Crouzon’s Syndrome (Standout: The

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87:01

Episode 624: You Shot Up My Battleship

Movie Madness ·

2026/01/12

Impact-Site-Verification: 1897387360It’s the first new physical media roundup of 2026 with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. They include Jim Jarmusch’s love-it-or-hate-it western and Val Kilmer’s Native American murder mystery. They debate the volcano movies of 1997 and remind everyone of Kevin Spacey’s alien movie. One of the great, seemingly forgotten, Stephen King adaptations gets an upgrade as does perhaps the best Steven Seagal film and another of John Woo’s classics. A lot of great action

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99:05

Episode 623: Scorched Earth, Crushed Souls & Ripped...

Movie Madness ·

2026/01/09

The movie year of 2026 begins in earnest this week on the podcast with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy looking at ten films, some of which are expansions of 2025 releases. There’s a Harry/Sally-like rom-com (People We Meet on Vacation). Steve checks out a documentary of a famed writer and Holocaust survivor (Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire), plus a pair of true stories with Lucy Liu caring for her schizophrenic son (Rosemead) and the tale of an emergency call from a six-year-old trapped in a car in Gaza

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172:54

Episode 622: Why Is This Not On Blu-ray? 2026

Movie Madness ·

2026/01/06

A yearly tradition continues with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski carried over from our time with the late, great Sergio Mims as they ask the question that is the very title of these episodes. Both Erik and Peter have selected 10 titles each of films that are still languishing only on DVD and not in a higher-grade format (at least not in North America.) They include classic modern comedies of the ‘80s and ‘90s, a heist film, and one of the earliest appearances of a beloved comedian and the song

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115:12

Episode 621: The Best Films of 2025

Movie Madness ·

2026/01/02

As we always do to kick off the new year we take one more look at last year. Focused primarily on the positive (with maybe a couple parting shots), Steve Prokopy once again joins Erik Childress to countdown their top ten films along with their runners-up. They are once again overjoyed to continue their yearly tradition and welcome Collin Souter of the Christmas Movies Actually podcast to join them with his list. A lot of great films for everyone to catch up with plus shout-outs of more movies with a

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116:28

Episode 620: James Cameron Blue Himself Again

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/19

On the final Movie Madness episode for 2025, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review nine movies for the holidays. They include a documentary about Seymour Hersh breaking the stories on human rights atrocities (Cover-Up) while Wagner Moura is up against political turmoil in Brazil (The Secret Agent). Even water polo has bullies as it turns out (The Plague) and the job market becomes actual murder in the latest from Chan Wook-Park (No Other Choice). Will Arnett separates from Laura Dern and tries

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171:59

Episode 619: That’ll Do For The Year In Blu

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/15

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski close out the year in physical media with a lot of suggestions for your Christmas baskets. For the more adventurous who don’t mind a little darkness with their holidays you have Paul Thomas Anderson’s adult film industry epic and the booze-filled trip through sin city that won Nicolas Cage his Oscar. There is sci-fi anime, David Cronenberg’s tale of infection and the Wachowskis’ epic journey of conspiracy and souls. Joe Dante’s sprawling dare of a film experience

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68:29

Episode 618: Will You Take The Ella McCay Challenge?

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/12

As we approach the end of the year, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still have six reviews for this week. They include a documentary about the inventor of Pantone (The King of Color) as well as Mamoru Hosoda’s anime about a princess avenging her father’s death (Scarlet). The Ripley-like influencer from a 2022 thriller is on the prowl again (Influencers) as is the guy from the ‘80s who dressed like Santa Claus and killed a bunch of people but this time with a derivative twist (Silent Night, Deadly

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132:49

Episode 617: You Pre-What Now?

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/09

Just a few weeks until Christmas and there is plenty of physical media to fit under the tree as Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski’s roundup this week’s selections. They include a little Powell and Pressburger and some Oscar nominees from Penny Marshall and Mira Nair. There is some more from Dan Curtis, a giant snake and one of Robert Altman’s more obscure oddities. Lionsgate alone has one of the great making of documentaries of all time, Kevin Smith’s hilarious riff on religion and faith plus the

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106:24

Episode 616: Christmas Means Trees, Existential...

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/05

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy kick off December with 11 reviews for you. On the photography and journalism side Steve has a pair of documentaries to talk about (Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere, The New Yorker At 100) while Erik looks at the story of Christmas Tree sellers (The Merchants of Joy). There is a horror film about the trail of an infamous piece of footage (Man Finds Tape) as well as survivalist Mel Gibson protecting a woman from the cartel after her (Hunting Season). Michelle Pfeiffer

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78:14

Episode 615: Lucinda Dickey: His Girl Friday Or Killer?

Movie Madness ·

2025/12/01

Black Friday may be behind us but December has so much to gift your loved ones. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have some great new suggestions this week on physical media. Parents have a chance to introduce their kids to the entire collection of Tom & Jerry while dad can revisit their ‘80s memories of Heather Thomas and Kim Cattrall. Speaking of which, Lucinda Dickey’s legendary mix of Flashdance and ninjas gets the 4K upgrade as does one of John Woo’s masterpieces and one of the greatest

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86:35

Episode 614: To Be…Or Not…Wake Up!

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/28

It’s Thanksgiving week and there are movies to see. Some great ones too and seven of them are covered this week by Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. Shih-Ching Tsou, a producer of Sean Baker’s films, returns behind the camera with a unique family drama on Netflix (Left-Handed Girl) where you can also see a fascinating journalistic mystery about the Vietnam War (The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo). Brendan Fraser takes on a unique acting challenge in Japan (Rental Family) while Miles Teller &

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111:53

Episode 613: Live To Tell The Juns “Fidelio”

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/25

Just in time for Black Friday week, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski get you caught up on this week’s collection of physical media. There’s no less than four classic Abbott and Costello titles and five Death Wish films. One of the great Jane Austen adaptation celebrates its 20th anniversary in 4K. Sean Penn battles his criminal father, Christopher Walken, while William Powell and Myrna Loy team up again outside of the Thin Man films. The sword and sandals are represented twice in the ‘80s from

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90:49

Episode 612: It’s Time To Start Running…Away From The...

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/21

Eight movies are reviewed this week with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy including a little catch-up from our previous week off. Steve checks out a Minka Kelly rom-com (Champagne Problems) and a film that owes a lot to the world of Euro-spy films (Reflection in a Dead Diamond). Speaking of which Mark Wahlberg’s Morgan family is back for their own European intrigue (The Family Plan 2) while a documentary charts the business angle that is thriving from school children being in actual danger (Thoughts

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97:02

Episode 611: De Plane! De Plane!

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/17

It’s a week in physical media that would make current Secretary of Transportation, Sean “I can’t guarantee safety” Duffy, blush. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski take you through a week that includes the film that sent The Color Purple home empty, one of the Mars movies of 2000-01 and a decade-old adaptation of a Broadway smash. There’s also another prestige Oscar winner from Merchant Ivory, the Marx Brothers go to the circus and Simon Pegg & Nick Frost pay tribute to science fiction. One of John

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118:37

Episode 610: We All Go A Little Cuckoo Sometimes

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/10

It’s a packed week on physical media this week, thanks at least to one filmmaker. But Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski have plenty of good stuff for your libraries this week. They include one of the great filmmaking documentaries with Werner Herzog. There are a pair of Oscar-winning Best Pictures making their 4K debuts as well as a pair of Jim Carrey upgrades. Alex Winter’s ‘90s cult film gets an incredible new package and one of Peter’s favorite directors gets a package worth celebrating. If

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97:17

Episode 609: If It Bleeds, We Can Milk It

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/07

Eight reviews are on the docket this week with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. They include a film about a recording of a photographer telling us about their day (Peter Hujar’s Day). Steve covers many of the elements with a documentary about one of the biggest franchises ever (Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films) and the hunts for millions in the tundra (Ice Fall). Sydney Sweeney becomes one of the most successful female boxers ever (Christy) and Russell Crowe is on trial for being Hitler’s

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88:55

Episode 608: Baby, This Ain’t No Flare Gun

Movie Madness ·

2025/11/03

Its physical media time again on the show with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski talking about the film that got Dillinger killed a pre-Lady Eve comic mystery with Barbary Stanwyck & Henry Fonda. Apple goes back to physical media to add an Oscar winner to your shelf. There’s an all-star cast in a late ‘70s Godfather wannabe plus Peter Hyams’ western in space. Tim Burton gets an upgrade for one of his very best films as does the great John Woo with an action film (and baby) for the ages. Plus

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89:18

Episode 607: I’ve Glimpsed Our Future…Go Back

Movie Madness ·

2025/10/31

It’s Halloween weekend and there isn’t a lot of horror but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still have eight films to talk about. They include a documentary about an archbishop who wrote the gay disco anthem of the ‘70s (I Was Born This Way) and another true story about drugs, family and revenge in the Ozarks (Violent Ends). There are some holiday-themed titles including a daughter realizing her mom may have fallen into a cult (Self-Help) and an animated Frankenstein-esque tale for kids (Stitch

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105:28

Episode 606: Have You Read Sutter Cane?

Movie Madness ·

2025/10/27

It’s another week of horror, weirdness and cult titles on physical media but also another addition from our annual “Why Is This Not On Blu-ray?” shows. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through this week on physical media including the works of Dan Curtis, Richard Stanley and Guillermo Del Toro. Abel Ferrara’s infamous revenge picture gets the upgrade as does one of the great Godzilla films. John Carpenter’s best film of the ‘90s gets its due praise while there is a deep dive into one of

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