This week in physical media definitely has a type and Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to let you know what to buy (or choose not to buy) this week. They include a trio of titles from Criterion including a recent Oscar winner. There is everything from Tsui Hark to Dolly Parton plus a dive into the creation of a sequel to one of the best and most successful comedies ever. Variations of zombies are created by Tom Savini, Danny Boyle and Tim Burton. Plus it is a helluva week for a capitulating studio to release a film about escaping the persecution from fascists.

No one is being silenced on this podcast and we are keeping free speech going by reviewing 11 films this week. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy go back to last year’s Fantastic Fest to revisit Alexandre O. Phillippe’s latest essay on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Chain Reactions). Mike Figgis goes behind the scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project (Megadoc) and there’s another documentary on a filmmaker who would probably be making ones for the Trump Administration today (Riefenstahl). In lighter fare, a virginal Lily Singh becomes a sex-ed professor (Doin’ It) and Josh Duhamel trains a LARPer to become a hitman (London Calling). Someone is killing babysitters again (Night of the Reaper) and Neil Marshall makes his funniest film (it’s not a comedy) (Compulsion). Billy Zane morphs into an iconic actor living in Tahiti (Waltzing with Brando), Lily James plays one of the founders of Tinder (Swiped) and Michael Chiklis plays a 59 year-old college football player (The Senior). Finally, we have an early review of the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson which is the timeliest film to ever deserve that term (One Battle After Another).

This week in physical media certainly plays to the cult audiences that embraced them. That may not include an inspirational Ron Howard sports movie or the unnecessary remakes on the pile but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski talk you through an early Lizzie Borden film and one of the craziest near-lost crime films of the ‘70s. There is fun stuff too from the film that launched the film careers of Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman to one of the greatest comedies and mockumentaries of all-time. Even Peter is down with this week’s geek offerings from Disney’s revolutionary move to computer animated effects in 1982 to the goofy sci-fi/fantasy from the director of Breaking Away.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the review beat with seven new films this week. Steve looks at a documentary about model and photographer Bunny Yeager (Naked Ambition) as well as the conclusion of everyone’s beloved big house (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale). Corey Hawkins deals with a mysterious offer from Willem Dafoe (The Man In My Basement) and Dev Patel gets put through the folk horror wringer (Rabbit Trap). The film which opened this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival is one of the best you will see this year (The Baltimorons). Stephen King’s Vietnam-era novel finally gets its adaptation from the director of The Hunger Games sequels (The Long Walk). Finally, 41 years in the making itself, everyone’s favorite dysfunctional rock trio returns (Spinal Tap II: The End Continues)

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski look ahead in the world of physical media and reveal what you can add to your library this week and next. For those who have seen Spike Lee’s remake, Highest 2 Lowest, Crtierion offers up the Kurosawa original in OK. You may have been issued it when you first bought your DVD player but now you can get the TV sci-fi adaptation with a unique stake in box office history. Universal has upgraded a pair of Best Actress-winning biopics and Warner upgrades a horror original in time for its final sequel. Oliver Stone has James Woods in one of his very best performances. Dwayne Johnson gets 4K’d in one of his few good movies. There are a pair of detective stories including the unfairly maligned sequel to Chinatown. Plus Walter Hill’s prison boxing film is also worth another look.

It is Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, and just before festival and awards season begins, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy serve up 12 films to review and talk about. The wayback machine gets set to 2023 when they first reviewed the absolutely lovely new film with David Strathairn and Jane Levy from Sundance now in theaters (A Little Prayer). The machine goes back even further to reminisce upon Prince’s concert film (Sign O’ The Times) and the 50^th anniversary Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece (Jaws) both back in theaters. Can a cycle of revenge be explained to a newborn (The Workout) and can there be another family version of an old tale (Robin and the Hoods)? What happens when a toxic workplace is all about the toxic internet (American Sweatshop) and what happens when a toxic fan worms his way into a singer’s entourage (Lurker)? A gaggle of British retirees team up to solve a crime and save their home (The Thursday Murder Club) and Peter Dinklage takes on Troma’s iconic hero in a new update (The Toxic Avenger). Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman suffer the consequences of marriage in another 1980s remake (The Roses) while the makers of The Climb take on open relationships with Dakota Johnson (Splitsville). Finally, Darren Aronofsky puts Austin Butler through the ringer in a new action comedy (Caught Stealing).

Physical media is serving up a smorgasbord of films with reevaluations and those that have found their audiences over the year. They include a pair of LBGTQ films hovering around their 20^th anniversaries. Horror remakes, prequels and sequel adjacent films as well a package of hard-to-find Larry Cohen projects. Martin Scorsese went to bat for a 1952 paranoia that was spoofed on MST3K while Quentin Tarantino found inspiration in the first of Shout Factory’s remastered Asian action releases. Michael Caine is a badass in a classic British crime film and one of the funniest films of all-time celebrates its 50^th Anniversary with a new edition.

The summer continues to wind down but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still have eight reviews for you this week. Steve takes a look at one of the most successful films of all-time, outside of the United States (Ne Zha 2) as well as a Sophie Turner thriller the studio apparently wanted nobody to see or even hear about (Trust) while Erik looks at the new romance from Lasse Hallstrom (The Map That Leads To You). Then its time for Samara Weaving as a getaway driver (Eenie Meanie) and Riz Ahmed providing cover for whistleblowers (Relay). A group of college kids try to avoid growing up (Pools) and a bunch of adults escape wartime society in the new film from Ron Howard (Eden). Finally, Ethan Coen gives it another shot without brother Joel and the results are again troubling (Honey, Don’t)

This week in physical media with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski they look at everything from Italian neo-realism to blaxploitation. There is also James Stewart and his invisible rabbit, Jane Austen and her lovelorn sisters plus a little Jess Franco. One of Leslie Nielsen’s lesser known parodies is discussed along with the Coneheads feature and one of Adam Sandler’s most beloved characters. Erik goes to bat for what he feels is an underappreciated Ron Howard film and Peter goes into the bizarro world of Xanadu.

It is another epic review week on the show with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy tackling 11 films. They range from a documentary about comedians navigating their worst condition (Anxiety Club) to an animated film about horny dogs (Fixed). A black family deals with the aftermath of an intruder in their home (The Knife) while a toxic dead mother intrudes on the bodies of her wife and son (Went Up The Hill) not to mention the widowed rancher trying to keep her family and business together (East of Wall). Two friends fight against being abducted by aliens in an apartment (Jimmy & Stiggs) while two infamous cable staples from 1985 get reimagined without imagination (Witchboard, Red Sonja). Bob Odenkirk returns as a man of action (Nobody 2). Vanessa Kirby spends all night trying to gather money to save her home (Night Always Comes) and Spike Lee reteams with Denzel Washington in the best remake of the week; let alone one from Akira Kurosawa (Highest 2 Lowest).