Movie Madness

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have done one final review show for 2022 and close it out with some biggies. It was quite a year for documentaries and they finish with four new ones including the story of a natural disaster tragedy (The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari), the face of the Psychic Readers Network (Call Me Miss Cleo), a relationship between author and editor (Turn Every Page – The Adven...

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to close out the Blu-ray & DVD book for 2022 with a number of new titles for your Christmas lists. They include Criterion editions of a Todd Haynes music doc and the Chicago-set inspiration for a memorable TV show. A lot of horror for the holidays recently in theaters along with women warriors and a singing crocodile. Peter looks at a misguided gang film starr...

On the penultimate review episode of 2022, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at nine new movies. They include documentaries about the theater after Covid (Broadway Rising) and the life of Al Sharpton (Loudmouth). Someone made a bloody horror film about The Grinch (The Mean One) and another Oscar-winning director again tries to turn a wooden boy into a good boy (Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio)....

Things get weird on the show this week with a vast array of new Blu-rays to talk about. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to talk perfect films for the holiday by Bob Clark and Michael Haneke? Things get meta with both Kevin Smith and Nicolas Cage. New Tarantino in 4K and Walter Hill as well gives Peter an opportunity to talk about how he first encountered Roger Ebert. Erik gets to discu...

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight reviews for you to kick off the final month of 2022. They begin with an author recalling his activist patriarch (Memories Of My Father) and Robert Downey Jr. paying tribute to the indie cinema legend that he grew up with as well (Sr.) The director of Jakob’s Wife is back with a twisted serial killer trip (A Wounded Fawn) and there is a new adaptation of...

Peter Sobczynski returns to look at this week’s editions to the physical media calendar with Erik Childress. There’s a film that played at their Chicago Critics Film Festival this year and the one that beat out Reservoir Dogs at Sundance. Kirk Douglas as a detective and Esther Williams out of water. A pair of gory horror entries from Vinegar Syndrome about a guy killing Santa Clauses and a new 4K...

On this holiday week edition, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at the films in theaters (if briefly) for Thanksgiving. One that you can catch on Shudder is Noan Segan’s Paper Moon-like vampire tale (Blood Relatives), then you can go to theaters if you choose to see Luca Guadagino’s tale of young love and cannibalism (Bones and All). If you don’t want to wait for Amazon Prime, check out this y...

It’s the Blu-ray time of the week and Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to talk a whole bunch of 4Ks for your Black Friday shopping. Take advantage of the Barnes and Noble Criterion sale to grab one of the best films from Pixar and one of the best from Spike Lee. Shout Factory has new editions of genre cult classics from Neil Jordan and Norman Jewison while Vinegar syndrome delivers a 4K...

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the movie review beat with nine new titles this week. On the Disney Plus front Steve looks at a new doc on an animated icon (Mickey: The Story of a Mouse) and Erik checks out a sequel 15 years in the making (Disenchanted). Russell Crowe directs a film not about poker (Poker Face) and Frank Grillo stars in a film that is barely about a car (Lamborghini:...

Sergio Mims and Erik Childress discussed DVDs and Blu-rays for two decades on the radio and on this podcast. To honor his recent untimely passing, we wanted to continue this tradition and shine a light on the world of physical media that he was so passionate in preserving. For that, Erik is joined by Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com to once again bring you all the latest and greatest for your ho...

Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy have five movie reviews for you this week. A little calm before the end-of-the-year storm. They include one with a pair of acting legends, Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek, paired with their acting children (Sam & Kate) and a documentary from Elvis Mitchell on the history of black film (Is That Black Enough For You?)  Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds team up for a new m...

Comic book expert Erik Laws is back with Erik Childress to discuss the bittersweet return to the land of Wakanda. Unfortunately, that return is more bitter than sweet as they talk about the numerous missed opportunities in trying to eulogize its fallen star, Chadwick Boseman, and the scurry of Shuri to ultimately replace him. Marvel may have finally found themselves with the opportunity to elevate...

The weekly movie reviews hit the dozen mark again with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. They remind you of this year’s Sundance entry from indie sci-fi masters Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Something In The Dirt). Eva Green is either going nuts or has a very bad nanny (Nocebo) and Andrea Riseborough stars in a film that may get itself compared to Rocky Horror (Please Baby Please). The pair wa...

Sergio Mims, our noted film scholar and friend, was well on his way to becoming “King Commentary” with all his official contributions to Blu-rays for Kino, Vinegar Syndrome and others. During the pandemic at the peak of lockdown, Collin Souter of Christmas Movies Actually, suggested that our good friend record one for Disney’s controversial 1940 film, Song of the South. Sergio did not hesitate and...

Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy play a little catch-up this week on some films that have been playing in limited release. One film they suggest you don’t catch up on from Sundance (Call Jane) still gives rise to another that you absolutely should. Among the rest Steve looks at a new documentary on the famous trumpeter (Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues) and the focus on the mother of an infamously mu...

After a week off, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return to bring you their thoughts on the latest in theaters and on streaming and catch up on at least one film from the break. Another catch up is on their review of another great music doc that they recommended from SXSW this year (The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile). The horror anthology series returns (V/H/S/99) and Jessica...

October continues with horror both real and imagined this week as Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review eight new movies. They include a reminder of Andrea Riseborough’s stirring portrayal of the road to alcoholic recovery (To Leslie) and Mila Kunis’ far less stirring turn as a survivor of multiple traumas (Luckiest Girl Alive). Shawn Mendes is the voice of a singing croc (Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile)...

The first show of October begins with nine movie reviews from Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. Appropriately kicking off with an actor auditioning to be a demonologist (Devil’s Workshop) and a pair of best friends dealing with a demon of their own (My Best Friend’s Exorcism). Kate Hudson befriends an escaped woman with telekinesis (Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon) and a documentary looks at the care...

Another loaded week has Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy looking at nine new movies. They include another guy-joins-shadowy-government-agency film (Section 8) and a tale of another famous (in Canada) bank robber tale with Josh Duhamel (Bandit). The star of The Babadook takes on another rocky tale of motherhood (The Justice of Bunny King), Adelaide Clemens must come to terms with having her first c...

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy catch-up on two weeks-worth of movies. 13 movies to be precise and many of them have a lot in common. Justin Long is in two films where he should be staying away from a house, one where he is trying to get laid (House of Darkness) and another that he is trying to sell that Erik has some specific thoughts on (Barbarian). Not to mention the smart house that is trying...

Theaters are facing a drought this autumn season and over Labor Day Weekend Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have seven movies to review. They include a reimagining from filmmaker Francois Ozon (Peter Von Kant) and a quest to bring Hitler’s remains to Stalin (Burial). The Umbrella Academy’s Tom Hopper and Kat Graham double-book a place in Verona (Love In The Villa) and Javier Bardem seeks an award...

When Sergio Mims asked me to program his classical music show for WHPK Radio dedicated to composer John Williams, I knew it was a daunting assignment. How can you sum up the career of a legend in three hours? How can one convey what his compositions have meant to not only me but countless moviegoers (and even TV viewers) over the years? What follows is the journey that I went on highlighting many...

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy clear out August with reviews of nine new films starting with an assist from show regular Sergio Mims when they all reviewed the new John Boyega bank robbery tale (Breaking). It’s not Avatar but water plays a big part this week with a Dead Calm-like tale of lies on a boat (Into the Deep), more noir homage from Neil LaBute when a guy trying to stay out of trouble se...

The summer season may be winding down but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy found 11 movies to talk about this week. They revisit their thoughts on the bizarre Alison Brie/Aubrey Plaza Italy film from SXSW (Spin Me Round). Steve checks out a couple of documentaries about Indigenous leaders trying to take back the Amazon rainforest (The Territory) and one on the career of musical artist, Courtney Ba...

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at nine new movies this week and not only are most of them only available in theaters at the moment but nearly all of them have women leading the way in front of or behind the camera. One of those is a documentary about the effect pandemic had on theaters – for the better (Back to the Drive-In). There are two very different films about teenage female bonding (...