Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have the weekly movie reviews for you. A light week of just five movies, but the streamers should be happy. Mostly. Whether or not you head out to theaters for the big one is up to you. But they check on a couple films from Shudder including some horror from the Netherlands (Moloch) and a documentary on cult performance metal artists (This is Gwar). Erik weighs in on Ethan Hawke’s six-part docuseries on the careers and marriage of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward on HBO MAX (The Last Movie Stars). The duo review the latest algorithmic concoction from Netflix and the Russo Brothers (The Gray Man). Then, finally, they tell you whether Jordan Peele has gone 3-for-3 with his horror films or if his latest is an overstuffed, undersold bag of ideas (Nope).

Sergio Mims returns to the show to look at what is new out there in Blu-ray land. Along with Erik Childress they discuss some tremendous new 4K titles from Sony and Criterion. Erik makes the case for two other great crime tales on 4K that Sergio has just been so-so on. Sergio goes to bat for a new restoration of a film that was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and clearly believes was unfair. They also talk a new release of an early Richard Donner film and run through a cadre of new-to-Blu-ray titles from the ever-expanding Imprint that they believe is becoming one of the great companies delivering special edition physical media.

Real life trumps fiction this week on the movie review edition of the podcast. Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy discuss seven new movies including revisiting two of the best documentaries from the festival circuit this year. One involves the continued struggles of gun control after another tragedy (Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down) and another chronicles the relationship of two volcano researchers up close and personal (Fire of Love). Steve looks at the horrors of healing with Alice Krige (She Will) and Erik finds another kind of horror in concealing a life-threatening diagnosis (Don’t Make Me Go). Lesley Manville goes off in search of a Dior dress she desperately wants (Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris) and Dakota Johnson goes to Jane Austen land hoping to reclaim the love of her life while talking to us (Persuasion). Finally, the duo looks to find an answer to Where The Crawdads Sing and discover that they could not care less.

This year’s Tribeca Film Festival contained a number of noteworthy documentaries and some new features by rising filmmakers. Erik Childress is joined by Peter Sobczynski to discuss 16 of these films. They include real-life tales about embattled journalists, the effect of COVID on family businesses, historical heroes and modern-day athletes. There are also the latest films from filmmakers such as Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife), Alex Thompson (Saint Frances), Alexandre O. Philippe (Memory: The Origins of Alien) and Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers) as well as upcoming talents like Daniel Antebi, Sophie Gilbert and Alexandria Trewhitt. Erik also sets up a little preview of the upcoming month-long Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal taking place in July and into August.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy bring you the weekly movie reviews. Seven new films including a pair of music documentaries focused on a pair of Nick Cave albums (This Much I Know To Be True) and one of the most singular songs ever recorded – in many different ways (Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song). A couple goes off on a self-help retreat in the woods in a new horror film (The Summoned) and Claire Denis put another couple played by Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon through the ringer when a lusty ex is thrown into the equation (Both Sides of the Blade). Abducted In Plain Sight director Skye Borgman documents another tale of an evil predator and the people who were destroyed by him (Girl in the Picture). The co-director of Moana and Big Hero 6 delivers a Moby Dick-like tale that helps restores one of our duo’s faith in recent animated films (The Sea Beast). Finally all faith is destroyed in the latest Marvel entry as Erik and Steve agree it to be one of the worst, if not THE worst, in their Cinematic Universe (Thor: Love and Thunder).

Erik Laws of the AintThisTheFun podcast on YouTube returns to talk the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Erik Childress and, boy, are neither of them happy. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder gets the full business from the Eriks talking about the waste of two of the best actors working today and a most embarrassing turn by a third. Where does Gor, the God Butcher fit in with MCU villainy – or where should he have fit in. Can any of the deadly serious plotlines find room to breathe in a screenplay that is too busy bee-bop and scattin’ around to warrant any genuine conflict? Childress and Laws go scorched earth for over two hours and ask if this is an inflection point for Marvel fans. Is their loyalty endless or will what may be the worst film in their Universe give them pause the next time they are asked to defend it.

Eight new movie reviews this episode, at least from Steve Prokopy who saw all of them. Erik Childress saw half of them. Half of those even great. But which ones? There are two Antonio Banderas films this week with him in action mode (Code Name Banshee) and another as an egotistical actor being directed by Penelope Cruz (Official Competition). Scout Taylor-Compton tries to survive an evening in a house again (The Long Night) and Ralph Fiennes tries to survive in the Moroccan desert away from Jessica Chastain after they accidentally kill a local boy in the latest from John Michael McDonaugh (The Forgiven). Love is afoot in 19th century England (Mr. Malcolm’s List) and Joey King literally fights back against marriage in some time period (The Princess). Finally two films vie for family attention (Minions: The Rise of Gru, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On). Which one are you a bad parent for not taking your kids to? Also for an added bonus, Erik & Steve make their choices for the Best of the First Half of 2022, films and performances.

Six new movies get six new reviews from Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy this week. They include one about a group of friends playing adult Jumanji (Gatlopp) and a documentary about the government playing games after a disaster (Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes). Kevin Hart gets mistaken for hitman Woody Harrelson (The Man From Toronto) while two old friends return to bring out the best in stupid (Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe). A boy has to escape the clutches of a kidnapper played by Ethan Hawke (The Black House) and Baz Luhrmann tries to tell the story of the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll. Badly! (Elvis)

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.