Movie Madness

Erik Childress

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

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 662: Heaven, Hell and John Waters

    This week in physical media, Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski look at John Waters getting the Criterion treatment. There are a pair of middle-of-the-road (at best) upgrades for Adam Sandler as well as a film with his Bulletproof co-star. James Garner and Bruce Willis in a Hollywood western murder mystery misfire but thankfully Clint Eastwood is also here to save the day. There is the Takashi Miike film that makes good use of the term “not for the squeamish.” And while the subject matter of one death after another did not bode well for a Robin Williams film about heaven and hell, the duo make the case that it was worth a revisit. 1:33 - Criterion (Desperate Living (4K), Hairspray (1987) (4K)) 31:57 - Alliance (Sunset) 41:09 - Kino (Hang ‘Em High (4K), Major Payne) 1:00:15 - Sony (50 First Dates (4K), Click (4K)) 1:17:40 - Shout (What Dreams May Come (4K)) 1:37:51 - Arrow (Audition (4K)) 1:54:38 – New TV on Blu-ray (Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution (Steelbook), I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Complete Series) 1:56:23 - New Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Alpha (2025), Magellan, Mr. K, Pools, The Last Showgirl) 2:01:10 - New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    2h 5m
  2. 6d ago

    Episode 661: Legends & Memories To Infinity and Beyond

    There is no shortage of movies to talk about this week so Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy take on 12 of them for you. They include a pair of documentaries ranging from missing Disney memorabilia (Stolen Kingdom) to an Icelandic memory piece connected to the melting of the glaciers (Time and Water). Grief and travel intersect between a mother and a daughter (Honeyjoon) as well as in the new Edward Burns golf film (Finnegan’s Foursome). A mom’s mysterious illness doesn’t bode well for another family (The Voices of Our Mother) and the loss of her sister through cancer finds Zoey Deutsch romance (Voicemails for Isabelle)? Hayley Kiyoko turns her song into a book and now into a movie (Girls Like Girls) but young gay men must confront their own demon in more brutal ways (Leviticus). A murder in Saudi Arabia prompts a true crime enthusiast into action (Unidentified). Hugh Jackman and the director of Pig shows us the end of a legend (The Death of Robin Hood). Last, but certainly not least, the original Pixar gang is back for another timely comic adventure (Toy Story 5) and we hope it is not the last. Review Catch-Up Finnegan’s Foursome The Voices of Our Mother Honeyjoon Stolen Kingdom Voicemails for Isabelle Time and Water Unidentified Girls Like Girls Leviticus The Death of Robin Hood Toy Story 5 CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 48m
  3. Jun 15

    Episode 660: You Ever Feel Like A Can Full Of Smashed A******s?

    Another full week in physical media captured by Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski. Within they discuss the debut of director Lisa Cholodenko and the history of one of Erich von Stroheim’s final works as a filmmaker. Sidney Poitier plays a militant revolutionary and Lin Manuel Miranda’s historical musical are here. In the wake of Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day might we recommend Charlie Sheen solving an alien conspiracy. They talk about the film which may have been part of the last hurrah of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s run as a box office megastar. Finally one of the great atomic age monster movies and the third in George Romero’s zombie films round out the week. 3:15 - Criterion (High Art) 11:12 - Milestone (Queen Kelly) 21:08 - Lionsgate (The Arrival 4K) 30:44 - Kino (Unearthly Stranger, A Man Could Get Killed, The Lost Man) 47:55 - Disney (Hamilton (4K)) 54:01 - Warner (Eraser (4K)) 1:06:42 - Shout (Them! (4K), Day of the Dead (1985) (Collector’s Edition) (4K)) TV (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Complete First Season, Dark Winds (Season 4), Difficult People: The Complete Series) New (Scream 7 (4K Steelbook), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (4K), Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (4K), You, Me & Tuscany) CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 52m
  4. Jun 12

    Episode 659: The New Spielberg Is Out There

    It may be a light week in quantity for Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy but it’s a heavy one in quality. Maybe not so much with the tale of young women encountering bad dudes on vacation (Find Your Friends). But there is also a documentary on a very notable band from the ‘80s (Boy George & Culture Club). If you want to get your action on, someone on the show believes it may be one of the best martial arts films you will ever see (The Furious). Finally, Steven Spielberg returns for his latest masterwork about otherworldly visitors and whether or not we’re ready (Disclosure Day). 0:55 - Review Catch-Up 12:27 - Boy George & Culture Club 28:24 - Find Your Friends 44:55 - The Furious 57:29 - Disclosure Day CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 28m
  5. Jun 8

    Episode 658: Chubby Rain II: Neighbors & Aliens

    Physical media has some upgraded gems this week so Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski get into some appreciative conversation. They include a James Garner detective tale that may have been the precursor to The Rockford Files. The final film of Wes Craven’s career gets relitigated over its decade-long reevaluation. Christopher Walken delivers maybe the nuttiest performance of his career. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant close out ‘90s rom-coms in style. Joe Dante and Tom Hanks take a skewer to suburban placation that may be even more relevant today. Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy are one of the great comic pairings ever in an all-timer Hollywood satire. Finally, on the eve of Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg gets an 8-film box set. What would be in yours? Arrow (Marlowe (1969) (4K)) Lionsgate (Scream 4 4K) Shout (Communion, The Burbs (4K), Bowfinger (4K)) Universal (Notting Hill (4K), Steven Spielberg: The Spotlight Collection (4K)) NEW (A Magnificent Life, Lorne) CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 35m
  6. Jun 5

    Episode 657: Good Journeys And Bad Ones To Remember In September

    Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy dive into seven movies this week. They begin with the latest music documentary from Questlove (Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial vs. That’s The Weight of the World). Creatures attack from the water this water including sharks (Chum) and hippos (Hungry). Jennifer Lopez stars with Brett Goldstein in a Netflix rom-com that may not be what you are expecting (Office Romance). Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner are lovers and con artists on the road (Carolina Caroline). The Wayans return to their most successful franchise (Scary Movie). Finally, another Mattel toy line gets the modern big screen treatment and fans are in for a treat (Masters of the Universe) 1:00 - Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s The Weight of the World) 15:05 - Hungry 23:11 - Chum 34:57 - Office Romance 46:00 - Carolina Caroline 56:36 - Scary Movie 1:13:01 - Masters of the Universe CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 36m
  7. Jun 1

    Episode 656: Who Goes There?

    The beginning of any month now seems like a light week for physical media, so Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski only have a few titles to talk about. They include the magnificent starpower of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in a comically Hitchcockian caper. Jack Nicholson does much more than order in a diner. There’s an early LBGTQ film from William Friedkin and the financially successful but creatively bankrupt attempt at a live-action cartoon. Plus a new extensive documentary on John Carpenter’s 1982 horror masterpiece tells you everything you wanted to know and then some. 1:47 - Criterion (Charade (4K), Five Easy Pieces (4K)) 24:00 -- Cinematographe (The Boys in the Band 4K) 33:16 - CreatorVC (The Thing Expanded) 48:51 - Shout (The Flintstones (4K)) 1:04:55 - New TV on Blu-ray (Covert Affairs: The Complete Series, Doctor Who (2025): Season Two, The Creep Tapes (Season Two)) 1:09:14 - New Theatrical Titles on Blu-ray (Hoppers (4K), Protector) 1:10:28 - New Blu-ray Announcements CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 12m
  8. May 29

    Episode 655: Do You Hear What I Hear?

    Ending May on a high note (at least in number of reviews) Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy cover 11 films for you this week. Steve looks at a documentary about an autistic dancer exploring her new diagnosis through her art (Room to Move), as well as a mother haunted by postpartum depression (Nesting). Erik took a little time to see John Travolta’s directing debut adapting his children’s book about airplanes (Propeller One-Way Night Coach). There is also the latest collaboration between Mads Mikkelsen & Anders Thomas Jensen (The Last Viking) and a WWII film about the weather forecast for D-Day (Pressure). Katie Aselton explores grieving a traumatic loss (Magic Hour) while a mother discovers her son sent his assistant to do the same after losing her husband (Miss You, Love You). A gifted pianist-turned-piano-repairman uses his unique talent for crime (Tuner) while Paul Rudd’s songwriter has one stolen by Nick Jonas in the latest from John Carney (Power Ballad). “Clean comic” Nate Bargatze makes his big-screen debut in a Mr. Mom riff (The Breadwinner) and 20 year-old Kane Parsons may have made the next horror film everyone will be talking about (Backrooms). 1:20 - Room to Move 9:29 - Propeller One-Way Night Coach 16:12 - Nesting 23:37 - Miss You, Love You 34:18 - The Last Viking 43:30 - Magic Hour 53:43 - Pressure 1:01:07 - Tuner 1:11:59 - Power Ballad 1:25:02 - The Breadwinner 1:40:37 - Backrooms CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST OR BUY FROM MOVIEZYNG Be sure to check out Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column – At Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Classics Series – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL Chicago Screening Schedule - All the films coming to theaters and streaming Physical Media Schedule - Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library. (Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.) Erik’s Linktree - Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere. The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts as well as in the Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts and Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations. USE COUPON “MOVIEMADNESS” TO GET 10% OFF ALL DUBBY PRODUCTS SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE 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

    1h 56m
4
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

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

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