The first batch of movie reviews for 2023 from Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy arrives with quite the show. 14 reviews in all ranging from some late acclaimed 2022 catch-ups from the international scene (Broker, Saint Omer) and another mystery with Edgar Allan Poe as a participant (The Pale Blue Eye). Erik describes what could be the nuttiest plotline of the new year (The Devil Conspiracy) and Steve looks at a new horror film drawing both ecstatic praise and hatred (Skinamarink). Speaking of the Blair Witch, Joshua Leonard co-writes and co-stars in a comedy about baby mishandling (The Drop) and Gillian Jacobs takes on multiple roles in an anthology from various filmmakers (The Seven Faces of Jane). Stephen Dorff and Emile Hirsch are thieves who didn’t get the memo about farmhouses in horror movies (The Price We Pay) and Nicolas Cage is out for revenge in his first released western (The Old Way). The horror continues as the duo look at sex workers and religious extremism (Candy Land), the conflicting screenplay of a rousing pandemic-era slasher (Sick) and if a killer doll that is all the rage is worth the hype (M3GAN). Finally, Gerard Butler crash lands into a war zone (Plane) and Tom Hanks is a very grumpy man with a big heart (A Man Called Otto).

The first Blu-ray show of 2023 with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski brings about a variety of age-old classics to films fresh out of theaters. In-between there are films with early work from Joan Crawford, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Diane Lane and Laura Dern. TV episodes are turned into movies, the bullied let their tormentors be setup for murder and Sonny Chiba is an executioner. Brandi Carlile gets an assist in bringing Tanya Tucker back to the mainstream and then there is a trio of exemplary 4K releases including one from Criterion and Terry Gilliam, a modern classic from Bill Murray and Harold Ramis and an upgrade for one of the best science-fiction films from the 1950s.

For the year-end show spotlighting their choices for the best films of 2022, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are joined by Collin Souter from the Christmas Movies Actually podcast to offer his selections as well. It was a year where the funny often came with the sad. A transition period through the pandemic where filmmakers were forced to adjust or find new commentary on a society that has drifted into disharmony where friends are lost and accountability is right around the corner. Only a few films made all three of their top 15 lists and there was only a single direct match in placement between any of them, so get out your writing pads and warm up those streaming queues because the trio are here to help you fill them up.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have done one final review show for 2022 and close it out with some biggies. It was quite a year for documentaries and they finish with four new ones including the story of a natural disaster tragedy (The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari), the face of the Psychic Readers Network (Call Me Miss Cleo), a relationship between author and editor (Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb) and Laura Poitras’ new film on artist and activist Nan Goldin (All The Beauty and the Bloodshed). The pair revisit their Sundance review of the remake of Ikiru with Bill Nighy (Living) and Olivia Colman takes an unexpected trip with a kid (Joyride).

Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to close out the Blu-ray & DVD book for 2022 with a number of new titles for your Christmas lists. They include Criterion editions of a Todd Haynes music doc and the Chicago-set inspiration for a memorable TV show. A lot of horror for the holidays recently in theaters along with women warriors and a singing crocodile. Peter looks at a misguided gang film starring, well, you’ll find out. Sony releases a David Cronenberg film in time for its 20th anniversary along with a 4K edition of a terrific Julia Roberts anti-rom-com. There is more 4K involving immortals, a subway robbery, Bruce Dern in space, Laika, a great Paul Newman title, the film that scared the hell out of Erik in the ‘80s and the classic from the ‘70s that continues to shock people to this day. That along with one of the best films of the year, HBO titles you should grab before they are removed from their streaming service and a lot more to keep you busy until 2023.

On the penultimate review episode of 2022, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at nine new movies. They include documentaries about the theater after Covid (Broadway Rising) and the life of Al Sharpton (Loudmouth). Someone made a bloody horror film about The Grinch (The Mean One) and another Oscar-winning director again tries to turn a wooden boy into a good boy (Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio). Lea Seydoux has to juggle an affair and her ailing father (One Fine Morning) while Jim Parsons must tend to his dying partner (Spoiler Alert). Sam Mendes takes us into the life of a movie theater employee (Empire of Light), a donkey sees the good and bad in people (EO) as does Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky’s divisive new film (The Whale).

Things get weird on the show this week with a vast array of new Blu-rays to talk about. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress again to talk perfect films for the holiday by Bob Clark and Michael Haneke? Things get meta with both Kevin Smith and Nicolas Cage. New Tarantino in 4K and Walter Hill as well gives Peter an opportunity to talk about how he first encountered Roger Ebert. Erik gets to discuss his connection to Dawson’s Creek and you also get a pair of cult comedy classics and a pair of box office bombs in 4K; one of which Peter goes to bat for. Nick Nolte pops up a couple of times, Jack Lemmon wins an Oscar, a family tries to survive a nuclear holocaust and we go from a 50 foot woman to a 12 year old Brooke Shields living in a brothel.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy have eight reviews for you to kick off the final month of 2022. They begin with an author recalling his activist patriarch (Memories Of My Father) and Robert Downey Jr. paying tribute to the indie cinema legend that he grew up with as well (Sr.) The director of Jakob’s Wife is back with a twisted serial killer trip (A Wounded Fawn) and there is a new adaptation of the infamous D.H. Lawrence novel (Lady Chatterley’s Lover). Can Will Smith find an audience on Apple+ with an Antoine Fuqua slave drama (Emancipation) and will Tilda Swinton find answers from the past as mother and daughter in a ghost story from Joanna Hogg (The Eternal Daughter). Noah Baumbach attempts to film the unfilmable Don DeLillo novel (White Noise) and the director of the Dead Snow movies tries to thrust Santa Claus into the Die Hard universe (Violent Night)

Peter Sobczynski returns to look at this week’s editions to the physical media calendar with Erik Childress. There’s a film that played at their Chicago Critics Film Festival this year and the one that beat out Reservoir Dogs at Sundance. Kirk Douglas as a detective and Esther Williams out of water. A pair of gory horror entries from Vinegar Syndrome about a guy killing Santa Clauses and a new 4K edition of an infamous horror sequel. Not even a Train To Busan is more horrific than the Charles Bronson film they take a look at. But there are also brand new editions of an often overlooked Jeff Bridges film and one starring Isabelle Huppert. Finally, Peter weighs in on Don’t Worry Darling and has an offer for a new idea for Paramount Plus that they really should not refuse.

On this holiday week edition, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy look at the films in theaters (if briefly) for Thanksgiving. One that you can catch on Shudder is Noan Segan’s Paper Moon-like vampire tale (Blood Relatives), then you can go to theaters if you choose to see Luca Guadagino’s tale of young love and cannibalism (Bones and All). If you don’t want to wait for Amazon Prime, check out this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner (Nanny) and if you can’t wait a month for Netflix, get out to see the exclusive one-week release of Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out (Glass Onion). Elegance Bratton tells an autobiographical tale of a gay black man joining the Marines (The Inspection) and J.D. Dillard has the story of the first black pilot during the Korean War (Devotion). Steve takes a look at Disney’s animated sci-fi offering for families (Strange World) and the pair conclude with a dive into Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited origin story (The Fabelmans).