Movie Madness

<p>On the final Movie Madness episode for 2025, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review nine movies for the holidays. They include a documentary about Seymour Hersh breaking the stories on human rights atrocities (Cover-Up) while Wagner Moura is up against political turmoil in Brazil (The Secret Agent). Even water polo has bullies as it turns out (The Plague) and the job market becomes actual murder in the latest from Chan Wook-Park (No Other Choice). Will Arnett separates from Laura Dern and tries stand-up comedy (Is This Thing On?) while Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson get together to perform Neil Diamond tunes (Song Sung Blue). Sydney Sweeney goes to work for Amanda Seyfried’s off-kilter family (The Housemaid) and Timothee Chalamat hustles his way to ping pong glory (Marty Supreme). Finally, James Cameron is back with the third of his Pandora films. Please let there not be a fourth (Avatar: Fire and Ash). We will return Jan. 2 with our choices for the best of the year with Collin Souter.</p><p>3:42 - Cover-Up</p><p>12:00 - The Plague</p><p>20:01 - <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4arwfDk">The Secret Agent</a></p><p>31:07 - Is This Thing On?</p><p>45:47 - Song Sung Blue</p><p>1:00:00 - No Other Choice</p><p>1:09:17 - <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/49889uY">The Housemaid</a></p><p>1:24:03 - Marty Supreme</p><p>1:39:30 - Avatar: Fire and Ash</p><p><strong>CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSxPPW"><strong>SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE</strong></a></p><p>Be sure to check out</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/author/erik-childress/"><strong>Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column</strong></a> – At Rotten Tomatoes</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://classiccinemas.com/events/critics-classics/79"><strong>Critics’ Classics Series</strong></a> – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://chicagofilmcritics.org/releases"><strong>Chicago Screening Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>All the films coming to theaters and streaming</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrhdhHReTCem-_NzGRGENIEK-meOeOXFpLJmBDarS9PjlD59lRvTjZOKKR2CX9KdWLq-dcO_l7VABh/pubhtml"><strong>Physical Media Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.</p><p>(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/erikchildress"><strong>Erik’s Linktree</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/movie-review-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts</strong></a> as well as in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/film-festival-podcasts/"><strong>Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/cinephile-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts</strong></a>. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://erikthemovieman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">erikthemovieman.substack.com</a>

<p>Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski close out the year in physical media with a lot of suggestions for your Christmas baskets. For the more adventurous who don’t mind a little darkness with their holidays you have Paul Thomas Anderson’s adult film industry epic and the booze-filled trip through sin city that won Nicolas Cage his Oscar. There is sci-fi anime, David Cronenberg’s tale of infection and the Wachowskis’ epic journey of conspiracy and souls. Joe Dante’s sprawling dare of a film experience finally comes home…if you can get it. For those who need to laugh, four of the classic Pink Panther films have been upgraded. And for the kid in all of us that we could all get in touch with these holidays, the original Turtles in a Half-Shell get a box set, Tim Burton’s timeless debut with Pee-Wee Herman and everyone’s favorite talking pig are all here for you. All this plus our thoughts on the tragic murder of Rob Reiner.</p><p>1:40 - A Tribute to Rob Reiner</p><p>5:44 - Criterion (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/48uI3nl">Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nzmmXO">David Byrne’s American Utopia (4K)</a>)</p><p>17:44 - Warner Archive (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3Xyz9y9">On Borrowed Time</a>)</p><p>23:14 – Warner Bros. (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nvdAcz">Boogie Nights (4K)</a>)</p><p>34:00 - Shout Factory (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/46JsoPI">Rabid (1977) (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4h7LMcK">Leaving Las Vegas (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/49cgkrC">Perfect Blue (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/48mYzWf">Cloud Atlas (4K)</a>)</p><p>1:07:51 - Kino (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47n5UnN">Scars of Dracula (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nOjzta">Walking Tall (2004) (4K)</a>, The <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nDtQrQ">Pink Panther (1963) (4K)</a>, A <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nxLDRd">Shot in the Dark (4K)</a>, The <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4on9O6l">Pink Panther Strikes Again (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4oFIRel">Revenge of the Pink Panther (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47ocaMe">Babe (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3X7JQrh">Babe: Pig in the City (4K)</a>)</p><p>2:15:52 - Arrow (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3WkMbia">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy (4K)</a>)</p><p>2:36:02 - Vinegar Syndrome (The Movie Orgy)</p><p>2:48:38 - New TV & Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4486QKF">Wally Gator: The Complete Series</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/482lUdU">Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4pHfgBA">Monk: The Complete Series</a>, A <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47uliPf">Big Bold Beautiful Journey</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/43mvc30">Black Phone 2 (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3KCe7vN">Bugonia (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4q9jnGe">Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47LK6m7">Good Night, and Good Luck: Live from Broadway</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3XJNQyq">Hot Spring Shark Attack</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3KXpr5T">Thank You Very Much</a>)</p><p><strong>CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSxPPW"><strong>SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE</strong></a></p><p>Be sure to check out</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/author/erik-childress/"><strong>Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column</strong></a> – At Rotten Tomatoes</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://classiccinemas.com/events/critics-classics/79"><strong>Critics’ Classics Series</strong></a> – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://chicagofilmcritics.org/releases"><strong>Chicago Screening Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>All the films coming to theaters and streaming</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrhdhHReTCem-_NzGRGENIEK-meOeOXFpLJmBDarS9PjlD59lRvTjZOKKR2CX9KdWLq-dcO_l7VABh/pubhtml"><strong>Physical Media Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.</p><p>(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/erikchildress"><strong>Erik’s Linktree</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/movie-review-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts</strong></a> as well as in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/film-festival-podcasts/"><strong>Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/cinephile-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts</strong></a>. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://erikthemovieman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">erikthemovieman.substack.com</a>

<p>As we approach the end of the year, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still have six reviews for this week. They include a documentary about the inventor of Pantone (The King of Color) as well as Mamoru Hosoda’s anime about a princess avenging her father’s death (Scarlet). The Ripley-like influencer from a 2022 thriller is on the prowl again (Influencers) as is the guy from the ‘80s who dressed like Santa Claus and killed a bunch of people but this time with a derivative twist (Silent Night, Deadly Night). The creator of Pushing Daisies and Hannibal makes his debut about a girl who hires a hitman to take care of the monster under her bed (Dust Bunny). Finally, the legendary James L. Brooks’ returns with his first film in 15 years and the guys have very different takes on it.</p><p>1:38 - The King of Color</p><p>9:09 - Silent Night, Deadly Night</p><p>18:46 - Scarlet</p><p>26:02 - <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4ad39Yb">Influencers</a></p><p>36:59 - <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4oXqwbP">Dust Bunny</a></p><p>45:36 - Ella McCay</p><p><strong>CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSxPPW"><strong>SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE</strong></a></p><p>Be sure to check out</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/author/erik-childress/"><strong>Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column</strong></a> – At Rotten Tomatoes</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://classiccinemas.com/events/critics-classics/79"><strong>Critics’ Classics Series</strong></a> – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://chicagofilmcritics.org/releases"><strong>Chicago Screening Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>All the films coming to theaters and streaming</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrhdhHReTCem-_NzGRGENIEK-meOeOXFpLJmBDarS9PjlD59lRvTjZOKKR2CX9KdWLq-dcO_l7VABh/pubhtml"><strong>Physical Media Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.</p><p>(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/erikchildress"><strong>Erik’s Linktree</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/movie-review-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts</strong></a> as well as in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/film-festival-podcasts/"><strong>Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/cinephile-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts</strong></a>. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://erikthemovieman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">erikthemovieman.substack.com</a>

<p>Just a few weeks until Christmas and there is plenty of physical media to fit under the tree as Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski’s roundup this week’s selections. They include a little Powell and Pressburger and some Oscar nominees from Penny Marshall and Mira Nair. There is some more from Dan Curtis, a giant snake and one of Robert Altman’s more obscure oddities. Lionsgate alone has one of the great making of documentaries of all time, Kevin Smith’s hilarious riff on religion and faith plus the film that makes Tarantino lash out on The Hunger Games. There are grandiose collections from the Shaw Brothers and the first name of mainstreamed erotica. Plus of pair of upgrade for Steven Spielberg from one of his glorious double-film years.</p><p>1:45 - Criterion (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4gYEiIO">I Know Where I’m Going! (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3KZDXJQ">Salaam Bombay! (4K)</a>)</p><p>9:34 - Film Masters (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4oKNwLD">Lady of Burlesque</a>)</p><p>12:24 - Kino (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSsR5K">Dead of Night (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4p6OGRO">Dan Curtis’ Gothic Tales</a>)</p><p>18:33 - Arrow (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3L0q6TC">Shawscope (Volume Four)</a>)</p><p>26:47 - Radiance (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/C-Stiggs-Robert-Altman/dp/B0FPMRF179/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25D4WOS5NLIQ5&#38;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jdpkg-E9BEkyoB3Vq0stMWJ4_sdNAFGgnLGox5drCsk4wIySzy-OaoyZMgRO-BgnBUhhgdFXkEwELUOZ8NLbH-er9QKEonwsB2dp0I47JYU.i9tQAI4SJbHGM6Mev3gTNOLzzYRhsFijgp8d42ubnzE&#38;dib_tag=se&#38;keywords=O.C.+%26+Stiggs&#38;qid=1765199132&#38;s=movies-tv&#38;sprefix=o.c.+%26+stiggs%2Cmovies-tv%2C93&#38;sr=1-1">O.C. and Stiggs</a>)</p><p>39:41 - Sony (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47hFH8M">Awakenings (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47dQ1jo">Anaconda (4K Steelbook)</a>)</p><p>56:07 - Lionsgate (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/49xw6gS">Hearts of Darkness (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nYBeyg">Dogma (25th Anniversary) (4K)</a>, Battle Royale 4K)</p><p>1:25:17 - Paramount (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/42l97Br">Minority Report (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nQB1hz">Catch Me If You Can (4K)</a>)</p><p>1:45:06 - Severin (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4pVazDP">Saga Erotica: The Emmanuelle Collection 4K</a>)</p><p>2:06:52 - New Theatrical Titles On Blu-ray (<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4pnneiT">Good Fortune (4K)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3X7Jpx9">I’m Still Here</a>, The <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/47lO0Sq">Strangers: Chapter 2</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4p5rzaI">Beast of War</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4pBDkp4">Dead of Winter (2025)</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/3Jv25nz">Rabbit Trap</a>, A <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4peUc4E">Savage Art</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4nRHU14">London Calling</a>)</p><p>2:09:33 - New Blu-ray Announcements</p><p><strong>CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSxPPW"><strong>SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE</strong></a></p><p>Be sure to check out</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/author/erik-childress/"><strong>Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column</strong></a> – At Rotten Tomatoes</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://classiccinemas.com/events/critics-classics/79"><strong>Critics’ Classics Series</strong></a> – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://chicagofilmcritics.org/releases"><strong>Chicago Screening Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>All the films coming to theaters and streaming</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrhdhHReTCem-_NzGRGENIEK-meOeOXFpLJmBDarS9PjlD59lRvTjZOKKR2CX9KdWLq-dcO_l7VABh/pubhtml"><strong>Physical Media Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.</p><p>(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/erikchildress"><strong>Erik’s Linktree</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/movie-review-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts</strong></a> as well as in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/film-festival-podcasts/"><strong>Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/cinephile-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts</strong></a>. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://erikthemovieman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">erikthemovieman.substack.com</a>

<p>Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy kick off December with 11 reviews for you. On the photography and journalism side Steve has a pair of documentaries to talk about (Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere, The New Yorker At 100) while Erik looks at the story of Christmas Tree sellers (The Merchants of Joy). There is a horror film about the trail of an infamous piece of footage (Man Finds Tape) as well as survivalist Mel Gibson protecting a woman from the cartel after her (Hunting Season). Michelle Pfeiffer goes for mom of the year during Christmas (Oh. What. Fun.) while Dangerous Liaisons meets a fairy tale setting (100 Nights of Hero). An infamous stage musical gets a filmed revival on film (Merrily We Roll Along) and Quentin Tarantino’s multi-volume martial arts epic gets pieced together as one (Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair). Finally the animatronic pizza place characters from the video game are back (Five Nights at Freddy’s 2) and George Clooney is a moviestar going through a three-quarter life crisis (Jay Kelly).</p><p>4:00 - Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere</p><p>10:23 - The New Yorker At 100</p><p>17:53 - The Merchants of Joy</p><p>25:16 - Man Finds Tape</p><p>34:29 - Hunting Season</p><p>40:17 - Oh. What. Fun.</p><p>49:22 - 100 Nights of Hero</p><p>1:01:09 - Merrily We Roll Along</p><p>1:08:09 - Five Nights at Freddy’s 2</p><p>1:19:38 - Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair</p><p>1:29:26 - Jay Kelly</p><p><strong>CLICK ON THE FILMS TO RENT OR PURCHASE AND HELP OUT THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4hSxPPW"><strong>SIGN UP FOR AUDIBLE</strong></a></p><p>Be sure to check out</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/author/erik-childress/"><strong>Erik’s Weekly Box Office Column</strong></a> – At Rotten Tomatoes</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://classiccinemas.com/events/critics-classics/79"><strong>Critics’ Classics Series</strong></a> – At Elk Grove Cinema in Elk Grove Village, IL</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://chicagofilmcritics.org/releases"><strong>Chicago Screening Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>All the films coming to theaters and streaming</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrhdhHReTCem-_NzGRGENIEK-meOeOXFpLJmBDarS9PjlD59lRvTjZOKKR2CX9KdWLq-dcO_l7VABh/pubhtml"><strong>Physical Media Schedule</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Click & Buy upcoming titles for your library.</p><p>(Direct purchases help the Movie Madness podcast with a few pennies.)</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/erikchildress"><strong>Erik’s Linktree</strong></a><strong> - </strong>Where you can follow Erik and his work anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>The Movie Madness Podcast has been recognized by Million Podcasts as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/movie-review-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Best Movie Review Podcasts</strong></a> as well as in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/film-festival-podcasts/"><strong>Top 60 Film Festival Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.millionpodcasts.com/cinephile-podcasts/"><strong>Top 100 Cinephile Podcasts</strong></a>. MillionPodcasts is an intelligently curated, all-in-one podcast database for discovering and contacting podcast hosts and producers in your niche perfect for PR pitches and collaborations.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://erikthemovieman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">erikthemovieman.substack.com</a>