The two big sellers at this year’s Sundance film festival come home for everyone this week. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy revisit both Good Luck To You, Leo Grande and Cha Cha Real Smooth along with six other fresh reviews this week. They include another Sundance film about a man and his robot (Brian and Charles) as well as Phil Tippett’s thirty-year journey to bring his stop-motion feature to life (Mad God). Jennifer Lopez has a film about her and some Super Bowl thing she did while chasing an Oscar (Halftime) while Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening are retirees in search of a shared jackpot (Jerry and Marge Go Large). Chris Hemsworth is testing a new drug on Miles Teller in one future (Spiderhead) and in another – set in the past – we discover the story of where Buzz the toy came from (Lightyear).

Never say die when it comes to physical media! Erik Childress and Sergio Mims have the latest and greatest here from jackasses to ordinary people. Jekylls, Hydes, Frankensteins, Werewolves and W.C. Fields. In particular there are a lot of great titles coming out in 4K including a John Landis classic and even an argument for an underrated Kenneth Branagh film. One of the greatest musicals of all time gets the treatment as does one of the greatest westerns of all time. If that’s not fact, its legend. Erik talks about the glory of the first time he saw a newly minted The Untouchables on VHS and Sergio recounts his experience of seeing John McNaughton’s Wild Things in the theater the first time. A lot of great titles this episode so get your wallets ready.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have a half-dozen movie reviews this week that actually touch upon two franchises, an important documentary and even a couple of unexpected surprises. If you want to know more about the pre-Ghostbusters era of Ray Parker Jr. there is now a film about that (Who You Gonna Call?). Henry Czerny is a former priest is visited by a stranger with a connection to his past (The Righteous). A shy teen desperately seeks out his first kiss to finally get that dang electronic collar off his neck (Wyrm). There were two films at Sundance about the underground Chicago abortion group, but you only need to see one of them (The Janes). Adam Sandler is a basketball scout with a hot new prospect he mentors (Hustle). And finally the dinosaurs are part of our world now and Erik and Steve have a lot to say about the so-called final entry in this series (Jurassic World: Dominion).

The latest and greatest in Blu-rays returns to the podcast with Sergio Mims and a lot to catch up on. There is late era Sam Peckinpah and Steve McQueen not to mention some early-era Kevin Costner and perhaps inspiration for a young Alfonso Cuaron. Criterion 4Ks one of the greatest of all noirs and space documentaries. Kino gives the same treatment to Clint Eastwood and Sidney Poitier. And finally – yes, FINALLY! – one of the great Walter Hill films Sergio and Erik have been begging to get an upgrade from its shoddy DVD transfer is finally here and they are thrilled.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy saw a lot of different movies this week. But that means you get 11 reviews from them even if its not a great lineup. Erik finds one big positive at the center of Sean Patrick Flanery’s directorial debut (Frank & Penelope) and Steve has a few non-negative things to say about the latest with Bruce Willis (White Elephant). There are fantastical narratives about the missing minutes of the Nixon tapes (18 ½) and the creation of a famous tower (Eiffel). Erik gets completely annoyed with the latest Blumhouse horror (Unhuman) and surprisingly unannoyed with the central character of the new horror film from Rob “Host” Savage (Dashcam). Gay relationships take center stage in comedy (Fire Island) and the true story of war poet Siegfried Sassoon in the latest from director Terence Davies (Benediction). Straight-to-video called and want the new Elsa Pataky action film from Netflix back (Interceptor) and “It Follows”’ Maika Monroe contends with another dangerous stalker (Watcher). Finally, David Cronenberg returns to the big screen after eight years and the guys see something new in it along with something old (Crimes of the Future).

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy return after a week off to catch-up on reviewing 12 new movies for you. They include a baseball documentary that premiered at SXSW this year (Facing Nolan), a new film written by Paul Schrader (There Are No Saints) and the great Haley Lu Richardson stars in a film about revisiting family trauma (Montana Story). They also revisit a Sundance comedy about two black friends trying not to get blamed when a white girl passes out in their house (Emergency) and one of the choices from the Chicago Critics Film Festival is a documentary about the longest hostage standoff in New York history (Hold Your Fire). Someone who never held their fire is given the four-hour documentary treatment by Judd Apatow (George Carlin’s American Dream). Four is also the number of television shows getting the feature length treatment including a pair of sequels (Downton Abbey: A New Era, Jackass 4.5) and two animated ones (Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, The Bob’s Burgers Movie). Erik and Steve have divergent thoughts on the new Alex Garland film (Men) but they are certainly wingmen when it comes to throwing cold water on the latest legacy sequel (Top Gun: Maverick).

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy will be at the Chicago Critics Film Festival this week, but they still managed to find time for ten new movie reviews. Well, one old one as they reviewed Ninja Thyberg’s powerful film about the porn industry at last year’s Sundance (Pleasure). This week did have a lot of other ickiness to it though including an erotic thriller no-show with Ashley Benson (Private Property) and the documentary about Dr. Religious Wacko who personally inseminated his patients (Our Father). Then maybe icky in a good way is at least one kids-who-can’t-control-their-own-powers film (The Innocents) and another about a virus running violently amok influencing the worst parts of our brains (The Sadness). But Steve also talks a positive pandemic story about music (Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story) while Erik looks at Christina Ricci trying to protect her son from an entity in a lake (Monstrous) and Rebel Wilson wakes up after 20 years in a coma and still wants to be prom queen (Senior Year). Then for those looking for a breezy true matinee tale of war, the guys may have one for you (Operation Mincemeat). However if you were hoping Blumhouse Productions would offer something better than the 1984 adaptation of a Stephen King novel, you better listen to what Erik & Steve have to say about it first (Firestarter).

While Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy prepare for the upcoming Chicago Critics Film Festival, they got in a little time for a short show of reviews. This week the discussion steers to just four titles including a horror film involving an island and supernatural elements (Shepherd) and a documentary takes a shot at redemption for the man who clubbed Nancy Kerrigan’s knee (My Hero the Hitman). To go along with the discussion with Erik Laws on episode 305, Steve gets his chance to weigh in on Sam Raimi’s new Marvel film (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). But the timeliness of a new film dealing with the illegality of abortion in 1960s France really strikes home this week and the duo want you to know about it…so you can know (Happening).

Sam Raimi returns to the world of Marvel for his first directorial effort since 2013 and comic book expert Erik Laws returns to join Erik Childress to breakdown this sequel to Doctor Strange. Or sequel to Wandavision? Whatever it is it is a lot and the Eriks may recognize the very specific Raimi touches he brings to the Cinematic Universe, but is it enough to overcome what Childress believes is a big problem for Marvel going forward. Does their own multiverse interfere with the storytelling especially if they were unwilling to truly dive into the new one they have opened up? Is the film a manic ride that fulfills the horror quota of their expanding genres or is its screenplay the equivalent of notes on a whiteboard with no lines drawn between them? Childress and Laws address it all and more (including spoilers) so are they on to something or just gone a little mad themselves?

It is that time of year again. Actually the first time since 2019 that the Chicago Critics Film Festival has hosted an entire week at the Music Box Theatre. Their return for a weekend in 2021 was a success but the festival co-produced by Erik Childress returns to full glory May 13-19 and along with Sergio Mims they breakdown, day by day, every film selected for the event. Two very special film festival events are discussed during this episode. Along with the CCFF which remains in its 9th year the only film festival entirely curated by working film critics, the duo talk about Sergio’s experience as a presenter at this year’s Turner Classic Movies Festival. Visit www.musicboxtheatre.com for tickets & passes.