Fri, 30 December 2022
For our end-of-the-year episode, we are watching the final chapter in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Return of the King! Winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Return of the King finishes the story started by Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn and the others in The Fellowship of the Ring. It's hard to believe this movie is 19 years old! We welcome back John to the podcast for this episode (and, unfortunately, lose Stew) as we discuss the good, the bad (is there any?) and the ugly of Part Three. What do you think of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Let us know! |
Fri, 23 December 2022
Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a Christmas movie? Take your pick! This week the guys discuss the 1993 stop-motion masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor this holiday season and check it out. Even though Tim Burton's name is above the title, he didn't direct it (although everything on screen is very much his style and design). It was directed by Henry Selick, with music and lyrics by Danny Elfman and straight from Tim Burton's imagination. It has been a holiday favorite for almost 30 years, so what do the guys think of it? Check it out and let us know what you think of The Nightmare Before Christmas! |
Fri, 9 December 2022
*Note* I gave this episode an explicit tag purely for the title of the film (which is also the name of the main character), which some might find inappropriate. There is no additional explicit language in this episode. In 2010, about ten years into the Superhero movie boom, director Matthew Vaughn delivered Kick-Ass: a comedy, action movie that simultaneously spoofs the superhero genre while also belonging to it. It's an R-rated, violent film but has plenty of laughs. Aaron Johnson is the titular Kick-Ass, a teenager who wonders why no one has ever tried being a superhero. So he decides to do it himself and gets in over his head. Chloe Grace Moretz is Hit-Girl and Nicolas Cage is her father Big Daddy, two vigilantes/superheroes who come out of the woodwork shortly after Kick-Ass does. How does it hold up? Check it out and let us know what you think of Kick-Ass! |
Fri, 25 November 2022
One of the earliest DC animated films adapted the "Public Enemies" storyline written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ed McGuinness. Featuring the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly and Clancy Brown, it's almost like a Batman/Superman The Animated Series reunion, except the animation resembles Ed McGuinness's style more so than the classic Bruce Timm style (which I appreciate. I like that they tried to make it look like the comic.) How does the movie hold up? How does it compare to the original comic? Check it out and let us know what you think of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies! |
Fri, 11 November 2022
In 1999, Universal rebooted one of their classic monster movies The Mummy. Writer/Director Stephen Sommers took on the challenge and brought us a humorous, adventure filled take on the story. Featuring perhaps a career defining performance for Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo, the film also features future-Oscar winner Rachel Weisz. But does the movie hold up after 23 years? Check out the episode to find out and let us know what you think of The Mummy! |
Mon, 31 October 2022
Happy Halloween! We decided to do a special episode for the holiday and discuss the second half of Stephen King's iconic story: IT. IT Chapter Two was released in 2019 and follows the grown-up counterparts to our young heroes from the first film. There has been some negative talk over this movie in the past, so what do Justin and Stew think of it? Is it as good as the first movie? Check it out and let us know what you think of IT Chapter Two! |
Fri, 28 October 2022
Eternals is possibly Marvel's most divisive film. Critics didn't seem to care for it; it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Marvel movie at 47%. Yet it's different than any Marvel movie that came before it. With a very large cast of characters, Eternals is directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao who, as Stew says, "manages to deliver a diverse, high concept, philosophical superhero film." What do you think of Eternals? Let us know! |
Fri, 14 October 2022
Continuing the New 52 animated universe, Justin and Stew talk about Son of Batman! Damian Wayne makes his first appearance in the movies alongside Deathstroke. Also appearing is Talia al Ghul, Nightwing, Kirk Langstrom and a pretty great Alfred. Check out the episode and let us know what you think of Son of Batman! |
Fri, 30 September 2022
If you grew up in the 80s there were some movies that were a staple of your childhood. The Goonies, Gremlins, The Dark Crystal, Return to Oz and other scary-as-crap movies that would give you nightmares for years to come. The Neverending Story isn't quite that bad but, man, does it have some depressing scenes! Join Stew and Justin as they rewatch it (for what Justin thinks is his 2nd viewing ever) and let us know what you think of The Neverending Story! |
Fri, 16 September 2022
In 2018, Sony decided to release a solo Venom movie... without Spider-Man... because that makes sense, right? Despite the lack of web-head, fans of Venom were excited to see the character on screen closer resemble the character in the comic, compared to 2007's Spider-Man 3. Tom Hardy was cast as Eddie Brock, which brought even more anticipation from fans, and Michelle Williams was cast, perhaps adding a little gravitas to the picture. Fast forward and now we've gotten TWO Venom movies and a Morbius movie without Spider-Man. What do the guys think of Venom? Check it out and let us know what you think of the movie! Watch this episode on YouTube! |
Fri, 2 September 2022
When DC Comics decided to reboot their universe with the New 52, it wasn't long after that the animated films followed suit. The first film in the New 52 universe is Justice League: War! The heroes don't know each other yet, they aren't a team but when Darkseid threatens to take over their world, they must unite! Justin and Stew love these animated movies and they brought along their friend Alex Thomas (from Alex Thomas Reviews and NerdTalk) to join them as they discuss Justice League: War! What do you think of the movie? Let us know! Watch this episode on YouTube! Alex Thomas YouTube page and Instagram |
Fri, 19 August 2022
In 2009, Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams brought Star Trek back to the big screen and attempted to bring in a new audience for the franchise. It made over $385 million (worldwide) at the box office so I'd say it was a success! The film tells the origin story of Kirk, Spock, Bones and crew, while at the same time, creating a new timeline for these characters to exist. Some long time Star Trek fans didn't like it but what do Justin and Stew think? Check it out and let us know what you think of Star Trek! John's Star Trek rating: 3.5 stars |
Fri, 5 August 2022
The Turtles are back! Some have different voices! April looks different! But hey, what can you do? The sequel to 1990's live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a bit more family friendly than it's predecessor and features the one and only Vanilla Ice (I don't care what you say, I love that song)! How does it hold up against the original and almost 30 years later? Check out the episode below to see what the guys think and let us know what you think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze! |
Fri, 22 July 2022
Is The Matrix Reloaded the most anticipated movie of all time? Star Wars fans may have something to say about that, but regardless, the second Matrix film was highly anticipated and I think it's safe to say it did not meet everyone's expectations. How about 19 years later? Does it hold up better than you remember or is it worse? Check out the episode and let us know what you think of The Matrix Reloaded! |
Fri, 8 July 2022
In what Stew calls "the Golden Age of Superhero Movies," X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released but it's certainly not a golden movie. It was supposed to be one of three Origins movies (the other two being Magneto and Cyclops) but perhaps after this film was released those ideas were scrapped (or changed, as the Magneto film became X-Men: First Class). It's certainly not the highlight of Hugh Jackman's long career as playing Wolverine but what do John and Stew think about it? Check out the episode and let us know what you think of X-Men Origins: Wolverine! |
Fri, 24 June 2022
Part man. Part machine. All cop. 1987 brought us the first RoboCop film, introducing us to Murphy (Peter Weller) as he joins the Detroit police force, which is now owned by Omni Consumer Products. Crime is rampant in Detroit and there's a cop killer named Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) on the loose. Long story short: Boddicker kills Murphy and he's transformed by OCP into RoboCop! And the world would never be the same! RoboCop was iconic, spawning two sequels, an animated series, a live-action series, a remake and a couple of video games. What do the guys think of RoboCop? Fair warning: We get pretty sidetracked during this one. Check it out and let us know what you think of RoboCop! |
Fri, 10 June 2022
Easily one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, The Batman was released in March after being delayed from it's original October 2021 release date. The first standalone Batman film since 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, Robert Pattinson now dons the cowl and Matt Reeves is behind the camera. With an almost 3 hour runtime, how does this Batman film hold up against the previous incarnations? Let us know what you think of The Batman! |
Fri, 27 May 2022
A year before The Matrix, another film tackled some similar ideas. It wasn't as popular as The Matrix and it didn't receive any sequels but Roger Ebert called it the best film of 1998. That film is Dark City and it's this week's movie! Join John and Justin as they dive into this dark, noir, sci-fi mystery. Let us know what you think of Dark City as well!
Watch this episode on YouTube! |
Fri, 13 May 2022
After five years, Ghost Rider fans could rejoice! Finally a sequel! Surely it will be better than the 2005 movie, right? Right...? In the director's chairs this time around are Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and sadly, other than Nicolas Cage clearly having fun, the sequel didn't do much to help ol' Ghost Rider on the big screen. What do Justin and Stew think about the movie? Take a listen and let us know what you think! |
Fri, 29 April 2022
Stew couldn't make it this week, so Justin and John decided to continue on their Star Trek marathon with Star Trek IV! The one with the whales! Directed by the late, great Leonard Nimoy, this film takes the Star Trek film franchise into more comedic territory. What do the guys think of that? Check out the episode to find out and let us know what you think of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home! Watch this episode on YouTube! |
Fri, 15 April 2022
We've re-branded! We are no longer Superheroes, Movies & Superhero Movies. Now we are simply Cinema Heroes! (Or Cinema Heroes: Superheroes, Movies & Superhero Movies). Nothing else is changing. It's the same old show but under a different name (probably long overdue) and we're excited about it. Today's episode is the straight-to-DVD animated movie Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. One of DC's best animated films, it has a stellar cast and an amazing story. Check out what the guys think about the movie and let us know what you think about it! |
Fri, 1 April 2022
Another anime episode! Justin sits this one out while John and Stew talk about Akira, released in 1988. It's influences can be seen in a variety of movies and shows, including The Matrix, Looper and Stranger Things. What do you think of Akira? Let us know! |
Fri, 18 March 2022
Marvel's Phase Two was fairly short but brought two of the best Marvel movies to date: Guardians of the Galaxy and this week's film: Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo,making their Marvel Studios debut and who would later go on to direct Avengers Infinity War and Endgame. This is Marvel's political thriller and it delivers the goods. What do the guys think? Check it out and let us know what you think of Captain America: The Winter Soldier!
Direct download: E116_-_Captain_America_The_Winter_Soldier.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 1:00am EDT |
Fri, 4 March 2022
If you were a child of the 80s, you definitely saw The Goonies… probably…. maybe? What if you didn't? Directed by Richard Donner and written by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, The Goonies is a fun, adventure tale that is pure 80's enjoyment. Starring Samwise Gamgee, Thanos and Short Round! What's not to love? What do you think of The Goonies? Let us know!
(We had a couple of technical issues during this recording. Be sure to stick around until the end for a blooper.) |
Fri, 18 February 2022
In another attempt to get Justin to like a Studio Ghibli film, the guys watch Howl's Moving Castle, directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki. This was Miyazaki's follow up to his Academy Award winning film Spirited Away and stars the voice talents of Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Emily Mortimer, Josh Hutcherson and Billy Crystal. It was also based on the novel by Diana Wynn Jones. So what did Justin think? Take a listen to find out and let us know what you think of Howl's Moving Castle! |
Fri, 4 February 2022
They said it couldn't be adapted into a movie. Then came along Zack Snyder. Based on the best-selling graphic novel, Watchmen was released in March of 2009 with an all-star cast. Some die-hard comic fans didn't like it, especially the changes that were made, which other fans hail it as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Where do the guys stand on it? Check out the episode and let us know what you think of Watchmen! |
Fri, 21 January 2022
In 2018 James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) managed to do the impossible and bring us a live action Aquaman! (The TV show Entourage depicted its main character as Arthur Curry in a fictional film directed by James Cameron but Vincent Chase never donned a costume. And there was a failed pilot starring Justin Hartley from the creators of Smallville) For a long time the character was viewed as a bit lame, and one of the weaker members of the Justice League but after being introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and again in Justice League in 2017, he was given his first solo film. I think a lot of opinions changed on the Protector of the Deep after these movies and no longer consider him the laughing stock of the DC universe. What do you think of Aquaman! Let us know in the comments below! Watch this episode on YouTube!
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Fri, 7 January 2022
Eight years after the original Jurassic Park, we were blessed (cursed?) with the second sequel, simply titled Jurassic Park III. Spielberg decided he had enough fun directing dinosaurs, so Joe Johnston stepped in to helm the third film and introduced us to a new dinosaur, the Spinosaurus. Returning to the franchise is Sam Neil as Dr. Alan Grant (with a cameo from Laura Dern's Ellie Satler). Does the third film hold up? Is it better than The Lost World? What about the Jurassic World movies? Take a listen to what the guys think and be sure to comment what you think about Jurassic Park III! Watch this episode on YouTube!
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