Magic at the Movies

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...

Contact the Show! Mike sits down with Alan Gilbertson, who joined Classic Cinemas 36 years ago after already establishing himself as a projectionist in the industry. Now, on the verge of retirement, Alan looks back at a career that spans one of the most transformative eras in cinema exhibition. From carbon arcs and hand-threading 35mm film… to today’s high-contrast laser projection and object-base...

Contact the Show! This week on MATM, Mike and Jim dive headfirst into the world of cinematic sound, THX trailers that rattled your ribcage, and the surprisingly tangled hyperspace lanes connecting Lucasfilm, Star Wars , film edits, and somehow... Seth Rogen. In conjunction with the Downers Grove Historical Society, Jim is premiering a new documentary exploring the life and contributions of Tomlins...

Contact the Show! CinemaCon 2026 brought out the stars—Mike was there (along with Jim) to witness the glory of modern Hollywood. From the latest packed studio slates to unforgettable stage moments featuring celebrity royalty like Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Robert Downey Jr., Nicole Kidman, Christopher Nolan...even Snoop Dogg, this episode dives into everything coming soon to Classic Cinemas via...

Contact the Show! While we’re in Las Vegas taking in everything CinemaCon has to offer, we’re getting a front-row seat to the movies, stars, and cinema tech that the studios and the industry have in store for us here at Classic Cinemas. We’ll be back next week with a huge update on everything we saw (and everything we’re allowed to report on). In the meantime, enjoy Mike’s dispatch—straight from t...

Contact the Show! Mike returns with a look at April anniversaries, highlighted by a major milestone: the 90th anniversary of Classic Cinemas’ Lake Theatre in Oak Park. He dives into the story of the Lake and the thoughtfully curated anniversary series that celebrates it—beginning with Modern Times, a silent-era classic that sets the stage for 90 years of moviegoing. From there, the lineup travels...

Contact the Show! We welcome Mike back to the driver’s seat 🎬 After a few months off—plus a new baby and his first move in 17 years—Mike is settling in… and spending a lot of time deciding which movie posters make the cut. There are 8 spots. He has about 100,000 poster options. See if you can keep up—or offer a better pick. 👀 He also dives into this week’s hits hitting Classic Screens as soon as...

Contact the Show! Hip hip hooray—100 episodes! 🎉 To celebrate, guest host Mark Mazrimas and CEO Chris Johnson welcome back Mike Schindler from paternity leave, following the arrival of his new baby girl. After nearly five months behind the mic, Mark hands the reins back as the trio comes together for a milestone episode. They dive into all things movies, including the strong opening of Project Ha...

Contact the Show! Just one episode away from the big 100th episode (and the long-awaited return of Mike Schindler), Mark sits down with Classic Cinemas’ new Director of Operations, Daniel Alleman, for a conversation rooted in operational excellence and a shared love of movies. Daniel shares his journey to Classic Cinemas, what excites him about stepping into the role, and the opportunities he sees...

Contact the Show! With Mike Schindler (still) on paternity leave, Mark welcomes Special Ops Director Randy Pollock to the mic for a stroll down memory lane as Oscar season approaches. Randy and Mark swap stories from years of red carpet experiences, including celebrity encounters with Tom Cruise, Paul Newman, and an under-the-weather Robert De Niro . The conversation also circles back to this week...

Contact the Show! Today on the podcast, Mark, still holding down the fort for Mike, sits down with one of our long-tenured General Managers, Bob Parella of Classic Cinemas La Grange XQ, for a conversation that blends movie passion, theatre memories, and a little exhibition philosophy. Bob shares what keeps him motivated after all these years in the business, his go-to movie snack, and what will ke...

Contact the Show! Mark is still in the host chair and welcomes longtime friend and film industry insider Dave Sikich for a love letter to one of Hollywood’s most recognizable backlots: Chicago. From The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to The Fugitive and The Dark Knight , this movie-loving duo reels through the films that turned our streets, skylines, and neighborhoods into cinematic i...

Contact the Show! With Mike still out on paternity leave, Mark once again steps up to the mic, joined by his favorite librarian and resident literary brain, Jessi Wakefield. Together, they turn the page on Hollywood’s ongoing love affair with the written word. From this week’s releases Wuthering Heights and Crime 101 to a 2026 lineup packed with page-to-screen heavyweights like Project Hail Mary ,...

Contact the Show! With Mike still on baby duty, Mark Mazrimas steps into the host chair this week, joined by our resident office Galentines and rom-com authorities, Beth and Heather. Together, they share their all-time favorite romantic comedies, their Valentine’s Day plans, and the timeless movie moments that still make hearts skip a beat. The conversation revisits classics like About Last Night...

Contact the Show! With Mike out on baby duty (still), Mark Mazrimas steps in this week as we dig into the critically acclaimed Send Help , a darkly comic survival horror that strands its characters on a deserted island. Mark takes a deep dive into what makes director Sam Raimi uniquely suited to tackle this twisted premise, tracing the creative DNA through standout films like Evil Dead, Spider-Man...

Contact the Show! With Mike still out on baby duty, Mark makes a call to LA LA Land to catch up with dear friend, author, and film expert Mike McClellan.  (Please excuse the call audio quality… that one’s on Jim.) The timing couldn’t be better. With the Oscars just around the corner, there are plenty of smart takes, predictions, and insights to help you sharpen your pencils, stack your ballots, an...

Contact the Show! With Mike Schindler still on baby duty (and sleep being but a distant memory), Mark and Randy seize control of the microphones and celebrate 100 years of movie anniversaries. This episode looks ahead to the films turning many a milestone age in 2026 — including Shrek , Rocky , Mission: Impossible , and Crocodile Dundee just to name a few. Expect deep trivia, questionable impressi...