On this mini-episode of the podcast we check in on the box office. Though The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Dark Phoenix led the way, both could be part of a larger trend of sequel rejection. But is that entirely true or are they just bad? We begin to investigate. Also find out which films they have the most in common with audiences and critics and does Disney have a plan in place for Avengers: Endgame to beat Avatar’s global record?

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Steve Prokopy joins this episode to talk about this year’s Cinepocalypse Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago which is quickly becoming one of the most noted genre fests in the country. Hear all about special guests ranging from Michael Ironside to Joe Bob Briggs, numerous archival screenings, one of the best horror films that premiered at Sundance this year and how a gory possessed dinosaur film became just another forgotten PG-13 curiosity.

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After the event with Tom Skerritt at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Erik Childress and Sergio Mims can’t help but take another look at the new 4K release of Alien. Also discussed on 4K are the Batman films from Tim Burton & Joel Schumacher which leads into a dive of which of them were actually good. Twilight Time offers up some great westerns, David Lynch and Gaspar Noe get some praise for rough watches and as revenge pictures go, Liam Neeson has an underrated one, Olivia Wilde a much overlooked one and a third tries to beat Quentin Tarantino and fails miserably.

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In the first mini-episode of the podcast, Erik Childress serves up a number of unique stats correlating to the recent releases at the box office. Along with Sergio Mims they breakdown the potential failure of Warner Bros.’ Godzilla: King of the Monsters, how Rocketman is faring compared to other rock biopics and while Ma may be part of a success story beyond Blumhouse, Tate Taylor’s ignorance in his oeuvre remains astounding.

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For the latest batch of new Blu-rays, Erik Childress and Sergio Mims offer a pair of documentaries about wildly different filmmakers, discuss the latest from Criterion highlighting an action legend and a 60 year-old film that is more relevant today than ever. They also tie-in the cinema moments that traumatized them as kids, how audiences reacted to Alien in the summer of 1979 and the ongoing debate of great art vs. artists with baggage. Then to wrap things up, there is even a defense of Robert Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen, particularly in the light of some atrocious sequels being offered from the same studio.

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Shout! Factory is one of our favorite companies here on the podcast. Their mixture of genre classics and modern ones is a constant pleasure, no matter the quality of the film themselves. So as their release output piled up over the past few weeks, Erik Childress and Sergio Mims decided to dedicate an entire show to 18 of their recent titles. Vampires, werewolves, witches, serial killers, viruses, giant insects, rats, poison ivy, kung fu and a Manitou. What more do you need? Cause there is more.

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Catching up once again on Blu-rays, Erik Childress & Sergio Mims talk up some titles you may have missed in theaters during awards season. Mixed in with new titles from Twilight Time and Indicator, plus some Warner Archive titles that make Sergio giddy, they get into what happened with Steve McQueen’s Widows and proclaim their love again for Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk. But Creed II is not the only sequel they will discuss as it is time to turn off the lights, lock the door and get into a lot of…discussion about the one, but not only, Emmanuelle.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in earnest in 2008 with Iron Man and it is now concluding with Avengers: Endgame. Comic book expert Erik Laws joins Erik Childress to discuss this epic journey through every beat of its epic conclusion. Spoilers are abound here so you are warned because the only way to talk about it is to read between the lines of what Endgame pays off in nearly every scene. References to both the series and the comics, Alan Silvestri’s winks to past scores, and relationships that come full circle with all the excitement and emotion it can dish out. Even the Eriks’ favorite movies are shouted out and one of them may have been close to a heart attack. Learn about all this and more through a jam-packed show.

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