Magic at the Movies
Mike Schindler, Film Programmer at Classic Cinemas (US), movie enthusiast and all-around good guy discusses current movie releases at Classic Cinemas in this short and fun podcast.
Episodes
126 episodes
126: A MARVEL-OUS TOP TEN
Mike takes a trip into the MARVELous universe of MARVEL for a deep dive into AVENGERS: ENDGAME ENCORE. He explores Infinity Vision and what it takes to meet the standards for those theatres, including the fact that all of o...
125: Just Playing Games
Mike is back, and this week he phones a friend: his old projectionist pal Max. The two get together to talk about the upcoming Resident Evil, the latest big-screen trip into the world of video games.With Zach Cregger, the filmma...
124: No Plan, Just Movies
Mike was at a loss for a podcast topic this week, so he did what any cinephile would do: texted his movie-loving friend group and asked them what he should talk about. What followed was less of a plan and more of a cinematic road trip with seve...
123: Late Summer: Long Live the Classics
Mike sits down to talk about his love affair with late-summer cinema, that wonderful stretch when the biggest blockbusters take a breather before the holiday season arrives, giving moviegoers a chance to discover, rediscover and fall in love wi...
122: An XQ Retrospective
It seems the crew is taking a well-earned summer break, so we’re using the opportunity to revisit two episodes from 2024 that take a deep dive into our Premium Large Format presentation brand, XQ (or GDX at our Kendall location).First, M...
121: The Dog Days of Summer Still Have Bite!
Mike is MIA again, so we called in a ringer. This week on Magic at the Movies, the Dr. of Celluloid himself, Mark “Movies” Mazrimas, joins Jim for a deep dive into the end-of-summer movie slate at Classic Cinemas.The curr...
120: The Value of Guest Service
With Mike Schindler away, Jim Toth sits down with Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson for a candid, behind-the-office-door conversation about one of the most important, and most complicated, parts of the movie business: guest service.What ...
119: Spider-Man Shatters Records!
Spider-Man didn't just swing into theatres...he shattered records.With Mike MIA, Jim calls Mark Mazrimas in from the golf course to break down one of the biggest movie weekends in recent memory. Together, they dig into the incredible ope...
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118: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man swings back onto the big screen, and Mike is here to explain why Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be one of the biggest superhero events in years.Take a trip through the winding history of comic book movies ...
117: Disney's Infinity Vision
Jim takes the recorder across town to catch Mike moonlighting as one of the house projectionists at the Tivoli Theatre, where The Odyssey is hitting the big screen the old-fashioned way: 35mm film, a projector, roughly 247,680 frames o...
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116: 35mm Film
It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another dose of movie magic.This week, Mike is geeking out over one thing: 35mm film.With The Odyssey now playing on film, celluloid is once again passing through the sprockets of...
115: Remakes!
Magic at the Movies takes a questionable detour into the world of remakes!With Mike away once again on official Classic Cinemas business, a few of the Home Office minions saw an opportunity… and seized control of the podcast studio. The ...
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114: A Minions Retrospecitve
Mike is away at a conference this week, which means only one thing... the Original Gangster Minion of Classic Cinemas, Mark Mazrimas, is back behind the microphone!As we prepare for the arrival of Minions and Monsters on July 1,...
113: The Variety Pin: Minions and Monsters
This week, Mike welcomes dear friend of the show and dedicated champion for children across Illinois, Angelique Barthel of Variety of Illinois Children's Charity. Angelique stops by the studio to discuss Variety's adaptive activity programs, th...
112: Spielbracket - The BEST Spielberg movie ever?!
With Disclosure Day now in theatres, host, programmer, cinemaniac, and mad scientist inventor Dr. Mike Schindler unveiled his latest creation: Spielbracket. Assisted by laboratory assistants (and occasional test subj...
111: A Critics’ Roundtable
Mike sits down with longtime Chicago film critic Nick Digilio for a wide-ranging conversation that clicks along with the easy rhythm of a film projector! Two seasoned movie minds trading ideas, comparisons, and the occasional spirited disagreem...
110: Backrooms!
Mike sat down with Jim to talk about this week’s out-of-nowhere phenomenon, BACKROOMS. As they dissect their experiences with the film, they also dive into the growing wave of YouTube creators making the leap from phones and home screens to gia...
109: Summer Movies 2026
Mike and Mark take a long walk through the absolutely packed Summer 2026 movie slate… and there are plenty of stops along the way.From meaningful conversations about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Pixar’s Toy Story 5,...
108: My First Star Wars Movie Moment!
We know a thing or two about first movies. We’re lucky enough to see them happen every day. 🍿And when a Star Wars movie arrives in theatres, it creates a whole new generation of “FSWM” moments… First Star Wars Movie.On th...
107: A Paul Anderson Double Feature
Mike takes the show on the road to Elk Grove Village to sit down with Smash Cut Cinema and F This Movie host Patrick Bromley to talk double features… and this one’s a brain-bender.Two films. Same year (1997). Two completely diff...
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106: Stories From the Booth—36 Years in Film Projection
Mike sits down with Alan Gilbertson, who joined Classic Cinemas 36 years ago after already establishing himself as a projectionist in the industry.Now, on the verge of retirement, Alan looks back at a career that spans one of the most tr...
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105: The THX Documentary
This week on MATM, Mike and Jim dive headfirst into the world of cinematic sound, THX trailers that rattled your ribcage, and the surprisingly tangled hyperspace lanes connecting Lucasfilm, Star Wars, film edits, and somehow... Seth Ro...
104: A Wrap on CinemaCon 2026
CinemaCon 2026 brought out the stars—Mike was there (along with Jim) to witness the glory of modern Hollywood. From the latest packed studio slates to unforgettable stage moments featuring celebrity royalty like Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Ro...
103: A Cinemacon Pause...
While we’re in Las Vegas taking in everything CinemaCon has to offer, we’re getting a front-row seat to the movies, stars, and cinema tech that the studios and the industry have in store for us here at Classic Cinemas.We’ll be back next ...
102: A 90th Anniversary for our Lake Theatre!
Mike returns with a look at April anniversaries, highlighted by a major milestone: the 90th anniversary of Classic Cinemas’ Lake Theatre in Oak Park.He dives into the story of the Lake and the thoughtfully curated anniversary series that...
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