Peter Sobczynski is here for your weekly dive into physical media. They include films with early appearances from Ricardo Montalban and Marilyn Monroe. A comeback was touted for John Travolta in a late ‘80s oddity and in the early ‘90s footballer Brian Bosworth started his career with a bit of a bang. Peter shares his thoughts on a trio of new theatrical titles from Universal. But 4K this week should have everyone looking up from probing aliens to Bruno Ganz with wings, a giant comet headed for Earth and the one who could save us from all of them gets their due as Erik Childress and Peter look back on Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies.

Comic book expert, Erik Laws, returns to the show to discuss James Gunn’s swan song from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he closes the book on the beloved Guardians. But will they be so beloved this time around with a more somber, less goofy finale? The Eriks certainly are not on board with it. Wondering why Gunn did not just do the Rocket origin tale on its own, the duo contemplate an elongated pit stop early in the film. The handling of Adam Warlock is a complete mystery and does the central villain fit more neatly into a storyline that understood who He was. Erik Childress has one possible theory on it all while the discussion is filled with disappointment which has become par for the course for Marvel since it delivered its Endgame.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the review beat this week with another nine movies to check out. They include a documentary on the rise and fall of the G4 network and its flagship show (Attack of the Doc!) as well as the latest from Francois Ozon (Everything Went Fine). Dianna Agron’s biological clock is ticking or is it (Clock) while a new AI is created to track down those that would harm children (The Artifice Girl). Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal dance around (Carmen), Priya Kansara tries to stop her sister’s marriage through martial arts (Polite Society) and Nazis encounter the wrong golddigger (Sisu). Finally, David Lowery returns with a new live-action Disney adaptation (Peter Pan & Wendy) and a Judy Blume book finally makes its way to the big screen (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret)

Peter Sobczynski is back to talk the latest and greatest in physical media. They range from the highs of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series to the lows (in Peter’s estimation) of Ruben Ostlund’s latest. Indies you may have missed like Holy Spider and Return to Seoul. Both him and Erik Childress reflect on the world of one of television’s greatest sitcoms as well as a new Jackie Chan collection and a 4K of sci-fi David Bowie. They also take an extended look at some oddball offerings from Kino including a 1980s film remembered (by Erik at least) for its use of blackjack and credit cards as well as a most unusual Dennis Hopper film starring Jodie Foster with plenty of behind-the-scenes drama and a lot of on-screen weirdness.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy owe it to the listeners to play a little catch-up. So they do. With 17 movies covering the past week they missed. They include four documentaries about nature (Wild Life), the culture of Chicago stand-up comedy (Out of the Loop), the fight to take back offensive mascots (Imagining the Indian) and a tribute to a beloved author (Judy Blume Forever). Michelle Williams makes art (Showing Up), Virginie Efira becomes stepmotherly (Other People’s Children), Shailene Woodley is hired to do something (TO Catch a Killer) and Toni Collette inherits the mob (Mafia Mamma). Kelvin Harrison Jr. makes music (Chevalier), Ray Romano directs his first movie (Somewhere in Queens) and Broken Lizard tries to get over the hump with laughs (Quasi). Chris Evans and Ana De Armas piss the guys off (Ghosted) and Jake Gyllenhaal tries to save an interpreter (Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant). Finally, Russell Crowe is an Italian priest (The Pope’s Exorcist), Nicolas Cage is finally a vampire (Renfield), the book of the dead returns on vinyl (Evil Dead Rise) and Joaquin Phoenix channels Ari Aster’s mommy issues (Beau is Afraid).

We take another look at Blu-rays this week with Peter Sobczynski who along with Erik Childress do not have a lot of nice things to say about some recent theatrical offerings coming to physical media. But there are kind words to be found. Just not for William Goldman. However on the positive front there is a terrific everyday kind of thriller about being a working mom and some choice offerings from Kino with Irene Dunne, Buster Crabbe, Lon Chaney and Basil Rathbone. Plus new 4K offerings from Criterion, an overlooked horror film with Mia Farrow and two of Sidney Lumet’s best films including one of the all-time great debuts.

Peter Sobczynski returns to get you up to speed on what to add to your physical media collection. You may want to skip some of the bad horror on the show but there are also war movies and westerns featuring Steve McQueen, Gary Cooper and Bob Newhart! There’s a musical from Jacques Revette, a film from Patrice Leconte and a new 4K edition of one of Terry Gilliam’s best. Peter also certainly wants you to know about a film with Lea Seydoux that flew under the radar at the end of last year and that he is certainly a champion for one of the biggest hits of 1983.  

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy cover another dozen films for you this week. Or at least 11 films and one powerful docuseries they revisit from Sundance (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields). The films include a pair of crime capers (One Day as a Lion, The Innocent), an action film with one of the John Wick henchmen (The Fist of the Condor) and a documentary about the Child’s Play franchise (Living With Chucky). There is also a bizarro Cast Away Lifetime-esque romance (One True Loves), a bizarre comedy featuring Owen Wilson not as Bob Ross (Paint) and another faith-based film where Jesus better take the wheel from Dennis Quaid (On a Wing and a Prayer). There are also films with real-world implications including the plight of young immigrants (Tori and Lokita) and eco-terrorists on a mission to make their world better (How To Blow Up A Pipeline). Finally, Steve weighs in on the blockbuster of the moment (The Super Mario Bros. Movie) and they both appreciate the legacy of Michael Jordan through the eyes of Nike and Ben Affleck (Air).

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski look at this week’s Blu-ray releases including a rather dour but excellent film with Damian Lewis and a flavorful, sexy, pulpy thriller making its debut on Blu. Peter recalls one of the weirder titles in Kino’s new Film Noir collection and they also go through the run of Star Trek’s Next Generation films as well as Jon Hamm as the new Fletch. A trio of new 4K’s from Warner Bros. gives us some of the best from Humphrey Bogart, James Dean and Paul Newman. Finally, a new 4K of one of the great mismatched buddy comedies of the ‘80s is cause for celebration and Erik gets to recount his momentary personal connection to the film.

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy discuss 13 movies this week. Well, Erik listens a lot as Steve saw a lot this week including a religious documentary (In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis), Bruce Willis in a virtual Possessor remake (Assassin), Thomas Haden Church looking for aliens (Acidman) and horror films based around sound (The Unheard) and as little sound as possible (Enys Men). Steve also tackles the bizarre Casablanca Records biopic (Spinning Gold) and the latest bizarro from Quentin Dupieux (Smoking Causes Coughing) while Erik did double duty on Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston (Murder Mystery 2). Two films from Sundance are revisited including a mother’s tale of gentrification (A Thousand of One) and a marvelously fresh romcom not to be missed on Hulu (Rye Lane). That leaves Kyra Sedgwick’s Lars and the Real Girl-esque drama (Space Oddity), the Cold War origins of the video game that sucked away thousands of hours (Tetris) and the 80s gamers getting their easter eggs on the big screen (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves).