Magic at the Movies

Contact the Show! As we target Monday November 2nd for the holiday schedule release...Mike and Mike (the one and only “Voice of Christmas”) Balsamo, take a look at the holiday movie lineup coming to the painted lady herself, the historic Tivoli Theatre. Christmas Day 1928 is the Tivoli’s birthday, so you could say the place has earned the right to take Christmas pretty seriously. And this year’s s...

Contact the Show! Mike and Jim dig into the secret sauce behind the Nathan Fielder / Elizabeth Holmes documentary that has quickly become one of the most fascinating cultural entries in this week’s lineup, YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING. We were lucky enough to preview the film for a week at Lake Theatre, giving us the chance to see it before its wider Classic Cinemas release this Thursday. The verdict? U...

Contact the Show! Mike is getting ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, all through the lens of one 1,100-seat, 98-year-old movie palace that has served Chicago’s western suburbs for nearly a century. And if you’re thinking old theatre, we’re saying, “Hell no!” This bobby dazzler has undergone a decades-long, painstaking facelift, and it shines as brightly today as it did on opening day...

Contact the Show! With Digger causing a recent kerfuffle in the critics’ room, Mike Schindler looks back at his career as a film projectionist and programmer to revisit movies that stumbled at the box office when they debuted, only to find redemption years later as cult classics. One of those films? The Tarantino-Rodriguez joint Grindhouse , which is getting an upcoming screening at Classic. And M...

Contact the Show! As October moves onto this week’s calendar, Mike Schindler touts the early access screenings of Verity and talks up Tom Cruise’s performance in Digger ... but what Mike REALLY wants to talk about is his beloved White Sox pennant sprint and how it gets him thinking about the BEST baseball movies ever made. Which films make his list? Will you agree, or will you think his off-the-po...

Contact the Show! Mike takes a trip into the MARVELous universe of MARVEL for a deep dive into AVENGERS: ENDGAME  ENCORE . He explores Infinity Vision and what it takes to meet the standards for those theatres, including the fact that all of our XQ and GDX auditoriums have met, and in most cases exceeded, the requirements. Mike has also taken another look at the film, which might be his sixth scre...

Contact the Show! Mike is back, and this week he phones a friend: his old projectionist pal Max. The two get together to talk about the upcoming Resident Evil , the latest big-screen trip into the world of video games. With Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons , at the helm, Mike and Max are feeling some serious tremors in the horror-verse. Could this be the Resident Evil movie...

Contact the Show! Mike was at a loss for a podcast topic this week, so he did what any cinephile would do: texted his movie-loving friend group and asked them what he should talk about. What followed was less of a plan and more of a cinematic road trip with several unexpected detours. Mike covers the movies opening this week, including HOPE, PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 and THE OASIS documentary, before some...

Contact the Show! Mike sits down to talk about his love affair with late-summer cinema, that wonderful stretch when the biggest blockbusters take a breather before the holiday season arrives, giving moviegoers a chance to discover, rediscover and fall in love with movies that have already had their moment in the spotlight. For theatres, it’s an opportunity to bring repertory titles back to the big...

Contact the Show! It seems the crew is taking a well-earned summer break, so we’re using the opportunity to revisit two episodes from 2024 that take a deep dive into our Premium Large Format presentation brand, XQ (or GDX at our Kendall location). First, Mike sits down with CEO Chris Johnson for a fascinating conversation about what makes XQ different. Then, we revisit a conversation with our now...

Contact the Show! Mike is MIA again, so we called in a ringer. This week on Magic at the Movies , the Dr. of Celluloid himself, Mark “Movies” Mazrimas , joins Jim for a deep dive into the end-of-summer movie slate at Classic Cinemas. The current champ, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY , continues its reign as the biggest movie in the world, while the Insidious franchise welcomes a new generation of horro...

Contact the Show! With Mike Schindler away, Jim Toth sits down with Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson for a candid, behind-the-office-door conversation about one of the most important, and most complicated, parts of the movie business: guest service. What does it really mean to make people feel valued? How much is great guest service worth financially? And how do you balance the cost of delivering...

Contact the Show! Spider-Man didn't just swing into theatres...he shattered records. With Mike MIA, Jim calls Mark Mazrimas in from the golf course to break down one of the biggest movie weekends in recent memory. Together, they dig into the incredible opening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day , compare it to other modern box office juggernauts, and explore what these numbers say about today'...

Contact the Show! Spider-Man swings back onto the big screen, and Mike is here to explain why Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be one of the biggest superhero events in years. Take a trip through the winding history of comic book movies as Mike explores the surprising twists, studio deals, and near misses of the early 2000s that almost kept many of Marvel's most beloved heroes from...

Contact the Show! Jim takes the recorder across town to catch Mike moonlighting as one of the house projectionists at the Tivoli Theatre, where The Odyssey is hitting the big screen the old-fashioned way: 35mm film, a projector, roughly 247,680 frames of film and a beam of light bright enough to rival the sun. Jim wasn't there long enough to do too much damage...almost. In addition to working...

Contact the Show! It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another dose of movie magic. This week, Mike is geeking out over one thing: 35mm film. With The Odyssey now playing on film, celluloid is once again passing through the sprockets of the mighty Tivoli Theatre's projector in Downers Grove for the first time in years. When something this epic happens, Mike can't help hims...

Contact the Show! Magic at the Movies takes a questionable detour into the world of remakes! With Mike away once again on official Classic Cinemas business, a few of the Home Office minions saw an opportunity… and seized control of the podcast studio. The result? Another potentially award-winning episode created by a highly unqualified braintrust with access to microphones. In celebration of the l...

Contact the Show! Mike is away at a conference this week, which means only one thing... the Original Gangster Minion of Classic Cinemas, Mark Mazrimas, is back behind the microphone! As we prepare for the arrival of Minions and Monsters on July 1, Mark takes over the podcast for a delightfully bananas deep dive into the history of the Minions, exploring where these lovable yellow agents of chaos c...

Contact the Show! This week, Mike welcomes dear friend of the show and dedicated champion for children across Illinois, Angelique Barthel of Variety of Illinois Children's Charity. Angelique stops by the studio to discuss Variety's adaptive activity programs, the life-changing impact they have on local children and families, and the exciting unveiling of the 2026 Variety Summer collectib...

Contact the Show! With Disclosure Day now in theatres, host, programmer, cinemaniac, and mad scientist inventor Dr. Mike Schindler unveiled his latest creation: Spielbracket .  Assisted by laboratory assistants (and occasional test subjects) Jim and Randy, Mike has devised a single-elimination tournament to determine the greatest Steven Spielberg film of all time. Will Jaws bite its way to the top...

Contact the Show! Mike sits down with longtime Chicago film critic Nick Digilio for a wide-ranging conversation that clicks along with the easy rhythm of a film projector! Two seasoned movie minds trading ideas, comparisons, and the occasional spirited disagreement. Together they explore the current slate of upcoming releases, revisit horror milestones, and dig into classic films from years past,...

Contact the Show! Mike sat down with Jim to talk about this week’s out-of-nowhere phenomenon, BACKROOMS. As they dissect their experiences with the film, they also dive into the growing wave of YouTube creators making the leap from phones and home screens to giant cinema auditoriums. Is this the new guard of filmmaking? Join the conversation as they explore the future of creator-driven movies and...

Contact the Show! Mike and Mark take a long walk through the absolutely packed Summer 2026 movie slate… and there are plenty of stops along the way. From meaningful conversations about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey , Pixar’s Toy Story 5 , Minions  &  Monsters , and Spider-Man: Brand New Day , to side quests involving Power Ballad , Scary Movie , The Death of Robin Hood , Jackass , and Master...

Contact the Show! We know a thing or two about first movies. We’re lucky enough to see them happen every day. 🍿 And when a Star Wars movie arrives in theatres, it creates a whole new generation of “FSWM” moments… First Star Wars Movie. On the latest Magic at the Movies podcast, Mike gathers the available (and opinionated) Classic Cinemas home office staff to answer one of the great moviegoing que...

Contact the Show! Mike takes the show on the road to Elk Grove Village to sit down with Smash Cut Cinema and F This Movie host Patrick Bromley to talk double features… and this one’s a brain-bender. Two films. Same year (1997). Two completely different Paul Andersons. 🎬 Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson) 🚀 Event Horizon (Paul W.S. Anderson) Yes. This is real. Yes. It’s happening. Smash Cut Cin...