Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back with this week’s movie review show. Not as many movies as last week but they have a lot to say nevertheless. From a documentary about legendary Second City master Del Close (For Madmen Only) to a twisting true tale of a hacker’s battle with the government (Enemies of the State), that is only the beginning. There is also a parkour-laden modern adaptation of Charles Dickens (Twist) as well as the first movie from the makers of The Djinn which they reviewed in Episode 227 (The Boy Behind the Door). But wait, there’s more and it’s all about the quests. Jake Johnson is on a quest for inner peace to inherit his mom’s cabin (Ride the Eagle). A collection of souls are on a quest to be born (Nine Days). Matt Damon is on a quest to clear his daughter of murder (Stillwater). Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are on a river quest based on a Disney ride (Jungle Cruise). And finally, David Lowery and Dev Patel take us through the magnificent quest of Sir Gawain in a film you will be hearing more from them about (The Green Knight).

Continuing the bestow the virtues of physical media, Erik Childress and Sergio Mims go another round with some great Blu-ray and 4K titles that you may want to put into your collection or at least check out for the first time. They include one of the best Stephen King adaptations and one of the more troubled Sam Peckinpah productions. A new blu-ray about the fascinatingly crazy Australian genre history and an even nuttier martial arts/costume drama/werewolf film. The pair both give it up for the long overdue treatment for one of James Caan’s greatest films. And while Sergio was anxiously awaiting to dance all night with one anticipated 4K release, it is another that he names as one of the best releases of the year.

Erik Childress is joined by comic book expert, Erik Laws, who had one of the worst comic book experiences watching what DC and Warner Bros. put in theaters with David Ayer’s Suicide Squad in 2016. (You can hear that on Episode 21 right here.) Not one to give up, Mr. Laws is back to check out James Gunn’s new reboot of the series. The pair discuss their thoughts on the film, whether or not Gunn has a ceiling with his template and if one of its primary characters is wearing out their welcome. Will this version generate enough good will to keep Gunn on board for future projects or will DC somehow screw this one up too.

Fondly we joke about not being able to do this on the radio like we used to, but find another show that offers up 13 movie reviews in a single episode. Cause that is what you get from Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy here including documentaries ranging from sharks to Woodstock ’99 and Alvin Ailey to Val Kilmer. There are vampires on a plane (Blood Red Sky), giant flies in a trunk (Mandibles) and the end of our world played for laughs (How It Ends) and drama (Settlers). Megan Fox is hunting a serial killer (Midnight in the Switchgrass), Ben Platt has a mentally ill sister screwing up his plans (Broken Diamonds) and Mark Wahlberg takes a cross-country walk for his gay son (Joe Bell). Finally the G.I. Joe franchise gets rebooted again with Snake Eyes and could there be a twist that gets Erik to finally like an M. Night Shyamalan movie (Old) after 22 years?

This week’s movie review episode with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy has it all. Sharks, pigs, roadrunners, gunfights, milkshakes and basketball. That would be selling it short though as the guys wade through eight films this week including documentaries featuring Eli Roth (Fin) and Anthony Bourdain (Roadrunner). They close the book on a Netflix trilogy (Fear Street Part 3 – 1666) and try to look past a bump in the road on a filmmaker they have appreciated (Die in a Gunfight). Karen Gillan leads a pack of armed female assassins in the John Wick-ish, Gunpowder Milkshake, while Nicolas Cage appears ready to go that route until his latest turns into something entirely different (Pig). Finally, there are two more sequels for the week including one hoping to continue a new franchise (Escape Room: Tournament of Champions) and another the pair hope ends immediately (Space Jam: A New Legacy).

It has been a while since Erik Childress and Sergio Mims informed you of the latest and greatest in Blu-rays, but they are back with a vengeance. In this episode, they go from Criterion and Tom Noonan’s directorial debut to films that were big parts of their childhood and made their adult selves feel that age again. There are musicals and westerns, Gun Hill and Walter Hill, mad monks, killer cats and big fish. They save plenty of room for big discussions about Joe Dante’s Explorers and Cameron Crowe’s Explorers while also digging into the new Indiana Jones set now available in glorious 4K. You will feel like a kid again and want to pick these films up to be part of the library that streaming cannot rob you of.

It may not be the epic review show they just did, but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still talk about four films you will want to hear before deciding to check out. Steve talks about another whale documentary; the latest from “Cropsey” and “The Sons of Sam” director (The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52). They let you know if the second installment of Netflix’s horror trilogy is any better than last week’s edition (Fear Street Part 2 – 1978) but have just as much to say about Shudder’s latest horror film (Son) and maybe even more. Finally, Steve gets to weigh in on his thoughts on Marvel’s latest after the two Eriks’ in-depth look at it a few episodes prior.

It was a long July 4th weekend and that meant a lot of movies. Erik Childress & Steve Prokopy may have whittled it down to an even dozen but that was still plenty for this epic review show. There is true crime (The Phantom), horror (Fear Street: Part 1 – 1984, Vicious Fun) and the fight over a heart (The God Committee). Steve looks in on Heidi Ewing’s tender love story (I Carry You With Me) and Erik determines where the latest from Steven Soderbergh fits in his “retirement” resume (No Sudden Move). There is also Megan Fox handcuffed to a dead body (Till Death), a couple of standout Sundance films from both 2020 & 2021 (Zola, Summer of Soul) as well as variations of the wars in our country from the past (America: The Motion Picture), the present (The Forever Purge) and the future (The Tomorrow War). Strap in and see which are worthy of your time.

Comic book expert Erik Laws is back in person to record this episode about the latest from Marvel Studios. He joins Erik Childress to talk about their new prequel/fill-in-the-blanks film about Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. They share their thoughts on the film and Laws fills in further blanks about the liberties taken with some of the new introductions here. Though both Florence Pugh and David Harbour should be pleased. Has the film come too late in the Universe or is it just Marvel and Disney trying to wipe out the red in their ledger when it comes to highlighting its female heroes. The discussion is all here.

THE MOVIE MADNESS PODCAST RETURNS! After a month’s hiatus, Erik Childress welcomes back Steve Prokopy to get caught up on the films they missed as well as this week’s new releases in theaters and on streaming. They discuss documentaries about whales (Fathom), progressive nuns (Rebel Hearts) as well as art and trauma (Mary J. Blige: My Life). Liam Neeson is a trucker on a mission (The Ice Road), Patrick Fugit is morally compromised to save his brother (My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To) and Ilana Glazer wants Pierce Brosnan to give her a baby (False Positive). Then if you like werewolf whodunits they have just the film for you (Werewolves Within). And if you are a fan of the Fast & Furious series then F9 is more for you than them.