He’s Baaack!

Hey, happy 4th of July! After a year of insanity and 24/7 work I’m finally able to start writing again. Hopefully, it will be movie reviews, news and perhaps opinions from the Maniac. First though, keep an eye out for Black Panther vs. Avengers: Infinity Wars at the box office. If Avengers stays in the theaters long enough…it may actually catch up domestically! It all ready rules internationally! And check out Disney this year. Box Office Mojo has Buena Vista at over $2.2 billion just domestic. Boy don’t I wish I held on to my Disney stock from 1972. Well good bye boys and girls and stay tuned!

Please make sure and let me know what you think or any topics I can address by calling the voice mail number! 260-573-0015, email us at moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community.

Hey everybody, the new King Arthur movie is out and our Movie Maniac was there the first night! Check out what he had to say about this latest look at the age old myth and whether it’s a hit or a miss. As always leave your thoughts and reviews at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD! Yep everyone, this is the definitive look at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 complete with spoilers, reveals and analysis (such as it is, remember this is the Movie Madness Podcast} The entire Guardians team is back, with a few additions, and having a great time and of course, we are too. I think you’ve guessed, since we wear our hearts on our collective sleeves: We Love This Movie!

We rate this episode R because we “expose” everything! You will find out which character dies, who fell in love and what the hell did Rocket say (or do) that freaked everyone out. This movie is insanely funny and we are madly in love with it. It’s not all sunshine and buttercups, of course (OMINOUS VOICE CONTINUES), there is a dark side and we will tell you about that too, but you will have to listen to find out.

As always we love your input and, if it’s particularly poignant, we’ll read it in our next episode! Talk to us at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Hey guys, we are back with another look at our favorite trailers! Join Doug, Jeremy and Craig as they check out the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Thor: Ragnarok trailers. Some of their opinions may shock, thrill or even frighten you. Listen at your own risk!

Listen in and then let us know what you think by calling the voicemail at #260-573-0015, email us at moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Have you ever wondered which movies are must see for the upcoming year? Well, every year we at the Movie Madness Podcast take a little of the burden off your shoulders. Once again, we’ve done countless hours of research, spent dozens of sleepless nights and hounded each of our friends and relatives to pick the definitive list. This is our Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2017 Episode. Doug, Jeremy and Craig had a blast doing it and guarantee you’re going to love listening!

As always you are a critical part of the podcast so call the voicemail  #260-573-0015, email us at moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post your thoughts on  Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

If you send us your lists we will let the world know what you think. As always…see you at the movies!

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Hey guys, this is absolutely one of the worst years for the moviegoer I’ve seen, but there are a few gems. These are the movies I loved and think you might too.

As always, if you have comments, good or bad, you can leave them at: voicemail  #260-573-0015, email us at moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or post your thoughts on  Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

10. Central Intelligence–

You might just call this one Central (lack of) Intelligence because what makes it so funny is the complete absence of any. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson is an spy bent on becoming a legend, but is hampered by memories of a tragic high school career. He figures only his lone high school friend, Kevin Hart, a former jock and good guy can help. This is my favorite Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson and the only movie I’ve ever seen where I can stand Kevin Hart. That’s probably because Johnson abuses the hell out of the Hart. It’s just so much fun.  

9. Hell or High Water

Three actors absolutely rock in this film: Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges. I totally lost myself in the characters and the story. The writing was engaging, and is one of the best of its kind. The one downside…the movie is predictable, even if you don’t know the story behind it, but so well written it matters not. See this one at your own risk, you may struggle with whom to like in the film.

8. Moana

A giant demigod, a beautiful Polynesian Princess and the dumbest chicken ever, and you have one of the best films of the year! Even better, this film plays on every level: intellectual, humor, mythological, magical and great for even kids from two to ninety-two. I dare you to see this movie and not love it. I couldn’t help myself.

7. The Nice Guys

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, how can this possibly work…I don’t know but it sure does. I probably laughed as much during this film as any other this year. It was like watching a modern, criminal version of The Odd Couple. I cannot wait to see a sequel.

6. The Jungle Book

A giant leap forward for live action mixed with CGI, The Jungle Book manages to thrill, chill and engage even the cynical. Baloo, Bagheera and Kaa, were as real in this film as watching one of the old Disney nature films. Of course, add in Mowgli, a small boy in India, and you have one of the Mouse House’s best.

5. Doctor Strange

The first movie I’ve ever seen that I would voluntarily pay real money to see in 3D. The magic, the performances, writing and directing were captivating. There are usually moments in a film like this that can kick you out of the moment, but not once did I feel disconnected. Oh, and Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant.

4. Deadpool

Finally, after numerous attempts, our dear friend, Ryan Reynolds has his franchise. If you don’t laugh your ass off during this film, you have no funny bone. Maybe you need a little blue pill, or something. Yep, it is R-Rated, but it’s also the most successful R-Rated film in history. Once again, Marvel trumps DC for the year.

3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

If you needed a movie to link the Star Wars films, this is it. The characters are rich and engaging, the pace is quick without being frenetic and there’s a quiet desperation and hopelessness in the film. Only at the end of Rogue One is there a whisper of “hope.”

2. Arrival

One of my top picks for the Oscar, Arrival simply thrives on great acting, story and direction. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star in this Science Fiction blockbuster, but it’s the style and substance that make it one of my favorites.

1. Captain America: Civil War

You need a scorecard to keep track of all the Super Heroes in this one. I mean, Iron Man beating on Captain America, Black Panther pouncing on Spidey, Iron Man light (War Machine), Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man and Black Widow. Add in a human villain manipulating Bucky Barnes and this movie is so engaging, so much fun and exciting, that I cannot think of a way to make it better. That’s a first, and one of the few movies I’ll own, even if it is on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Oh, and there’s even a Giant surprise!

Ever been tooling along in a film and then Voila, your favorite character croaks? Well we have and oh how we hate it, but then, we’re just warm and fuzzy guys. Tune in to our Top 5 Surprising Movie Deaths episode and find out our absolute horror at the death of Alan Tudyk and which movie it was. You may be also be surprised to find out which deaths Doug, Jeremy and I picked, but you’ll never know till you listen.

We would suggest making your own list and then crank up the podcast to Doug, Jeremy and I to check out just how how much better your picks are. We had a blast trying to figure out which deaths the other guys chose and want to know yours too. Once you listen, be sure and send your lists to: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or cal the voice mail number 260-573-0015 and you can also post them to Ultimate Movie Geeks on Google+  or our Facebook Page

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Hey, this is Craig, the Movie Maniac, with Doug the fearless leader helping you pick out some of the best last minute movie gifts! Not that we’re cheap or anything, well, Doug isn’t, but we managed to pick out some great DVDs for a song. Well, not if you sing like Doug or me, but you get the point.

There are some great DVDs at a great price even at this late date! Walmart has some real bargains for all of you guilt-ridden last minute shoppers. We’ll give you a bit of a rundown, then you can “run down” to your nearest last minute shop for your desperation picks.

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24. The Fly (1958)
No list of horror films would be complete were there not a Vincent Price film. By far my all-time favorite freak out film for Price is The Fly. Not the fancy gimmicky one of Jeff Goldblum’s but the raw and frightening one starring Price. There is no one in film that sells crazy quietly, insanely and maddeningly slow, like Vincent Price. There are the machines of course, there are always machines with mad scientists, but the focus of the film is all on Andre Delambre (David Hedison) and his brother Francois (Price).

Andre is carefully, strategically working to solve the problem of wireless transportation. Using a device to transport living tissue, something goes horribly, frighteningly wrong: parts of a fly’s body replace parts of Delambre’s. Should that not be horror enough?  But at the end of the movie, the final scene…the screen enlarges, and enlarges and enlarges until we see…Francois Delambre looking down at fly’s body on which sits Andre’s head. A tiny voice screams “help me, help me” as a spider slowly creeps toward him.

I get chills even today just thinking about it, years later. It’s not slick and modern, like the later version, but it’s far more horrifying. Your scary movie collection is not complete if you don’t have this one. Watch the video if you dare, MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Top 25 Horror Films

Here we go again and this time I’m going to tell you the best 25 horror films. There are few more subjective categories than the top horror films. In thinking about my own top 25, and trying to stay objective, I found myself struggling with movies that scared the hell out of me as a child, movies that thrilled me with original horror and even films so disturbing I would never watch them again. The ones that were truly great gave me great laughs, made me jump in my seat or were too horribly real; the ones that didn’t will be on someone else’s list. These are the movies that cause my nightmares, heart palpitations and even one that made me crawl under my seat as a child.

25. Zombieland
Obviously one of the newest horror film on any list, Zombieland is funny far more than scary, but a great film for all that. This is a large tub of popcorn, giant Slushee and a pound of peanut M&Ms size movie with one great cameo and 90+ minutes of great action. Original, disgustingly violent and unlikely characters make Zombieland one of the best funny scary movies ever. Oh, and you might want to sneak in some Twinkies, I so wanted one by the end of the film. Take a pen; you might want to write down the Zombieland rules before you leave, ya’ never know what you might face when you leave the theater. Oh, and start up the cardio, these Zombies are quick.