Cinema Heroes

Mixing things up from our usual episodes, we decided to do a Top 15 list! We often talk about film composers and scores so here are our 15 favorite film scores. We'll be back next week with a usual episode but enjoy this list and let us know if you'd like us to do more of these (because it was a lot of fun!)

Stew's Top 15 Favorite Film Scores YouTube Playlist

Justin's Top 15 Favorite Film Scores YouTube Playlist

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Direct download: Bonus_-_Top_15_Favorite_Movie_Scores.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Trying something new this week: You'll notice this episode has a cold open, where Stew and Justin have a bit of small talk before the episode begins. What do you think? Do you like it or should we just get right into it like we usually do? Let us know!

Continuing with the Transformers franchise, the guys dive into the prequel/reboot starring everyone's favorite loveable mute Transformer, Bumblebee! Following on the heels of the disastrously bad Transformers: The Last Knight, Bumblebee reinvigorated the franchise by focusing on less Transformers and making the whole thing a bit more small scale (Chicago doesn't get destroyed again!). With a new cast and new, more classic, designs for the Transformers (and a new director), Bumblebee made Transformers fans happy, but is it truly the best Transformers film? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of Bumblebee!

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Direct download: E205_-_Bumblebee.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Next up in the animated New 52 movies is Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay! An R-rated, ultra-violent, road trip movie with some of the world's deadliest bad guys doing Amanda Waller's dirty work. Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Coppherhead, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost and Harley Quinn are hunting down a mysterious "Get Out of Hell Free" card, but can they find it before a few other notorious bad guys get to it first? Check out what the guys think of this flick and let us know what you think of Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay!

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Direct download: E204_-_Suicide_Squad_Hell_to_Pay.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The fourth and final Christopher Reeve Superman movie finds him battling nuclear weapons and Nuclear Man! Gene Hackman returns for the movie that killed the Superman franchise for nearly twenty years. Even with Christopher Reeve himself contributing to the story, the presence of Jon Cryer and Mariel Hemingway, the movie suffers from an inconsistent tone and crazy plot choices. Is there anything redeeming about this movie at all? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace!

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Direct download: E203_-_Superman_4.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

We are wrapping up The Mummy franchise with the third installment: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor! Released only 9 years after the original, but taking place 20 years later, this film takes the O’Connells to China where Alex has awakened the Dragon Emperor and his terracotta army. Missing from the cast is Rachel Weisz (replaced by Maria Bello) and Rob Cohen replaces Stephen Sommers in the director’s chair. How does this film hold up and stand against the other two Mummy movies? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor!

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Direct download: E202_-_Mummy_3.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Continuing the New 52 Animated series of movies, Stew and Justin discuss Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, which sees Terra as a newcomer to the team, voiced by Christina Ricci. With Terra's help, they are faced with an enemy known as Brother Blood, who has hired an old adversary of the team: Deathstroke (this time voiced by the late Miguel Ferrer!). Terra has a secret, though. One that could cost the team dearly! How does this film rank among the other animated films? Check it out and let us know what you think of Teen Titans: The Judas Contract!

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Direct download: E201_-_Teen_Titans_Judas_Contract.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Episode 200! It's amazing how quickly we got here when it took us so long to get to episode 100. And since episode 100 was The Dark Knight, it only seemed fitting to do the final film of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises (100 episodes in between part 2 and 3 is ridiculous, we know, and part of the reason why we've started doing franchise movies back-to-back). After the untimely demise of Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan had to re-work their original idea for a third film. Instead of The Joker, this film introduces us to Bane as our main bad guy and also brings Selena Kyle, AKA Catwoman, to the franchise! Often considered the weakest of the trilogy, check out what the guys think of this film and let us know what you think of The Dark Knight Rises!

Initial prologue vs final film Bane voice comparison

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Direct download: E200_-_TDKR.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Justin and Stew's most anticipated movie of 2024 (and 2023!) is upon us. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed Dune. Once again directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two picks up right where the first movie ended and completes the story originally told by Frank Herbert. At 166 minutes, did Villeneuve and company do the science-fiction masterpiece justice? Did it meet Justin and Stew's expectations? Check out what they think (joined by our friend Alex Thomas) and let us know what you think of Dune: Part Two!

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Direct download: E199_-_Dune_Part_Two.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Not including the Deadpool movies, this is the last of the X-Men films. Trying once again to tell the Dark Phoenix story that was mishandled in X-Men: The Last Stand, this movie doesn't do a great job of it either. Will Jean Grey ever get her story told correctly? Is there anything redeeming about this movie? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of X-Men: Dark Phoenix!

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Direct download: E198_-_Dark_Phoenix.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Here it is. The long-awaited R rated Wolverine film. Justin and Stew have been waiting to talk about this movie and brought along Alex for the ride. James Mangold follows up The Wolverine with his take on Old Man Logan. Mutants are practically extinct, Professor X has been having psychic seizures in his old age, and Logan finds himself caught between a shady organization and the little girl they seem to be hunting! This was originally going to be Hugh Jackman's swan song for the character, and when viewing the film in that way, how do you think they did?

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Direct download: E197_-_Logan.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

We're continuing the X-Men franchise with the fourth Bryan Singer directed film, which sees the live-action introduction of one of the best X-Men villains: Apocalypse! Does the movie do the character justice? We're also introduced to some younger versions of familiar characters: Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler. How does this film hold up against First Class and Days of Future Past? What do you think of X-Men: Apocalypse?

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Direct download: E196_-_X-Men_Apocalypse.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The final Pirates franchise finds Jack Sparrow all washed up and facing a deadly foe: The ghostly Captain Salazar. Barbossa is also back and doing better than ever (for a while). Will and Elizabeth's son Henry joins the crew along with Carina, an intelligent woman whose goal is similar to that of Henry's. Does the franchise end on a good note or does it fall flat? Check out what the guy's think and be sure to let us know what you think of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales!

 

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Direct download: E195_-_Pirates_5.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The fourth Pirates film brings a new director to the franchise. Rob Marshall is now at the helm and introduces us to a few new characters: Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Johnny Depp returns, of course, as Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush is back as Barbossa. Is the film better than the previous two films, which were considered by some to be too long and overstuffed? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides!

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Direct download: E194_-_Pirates_4.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The third film in Gore Verbinski's Pirates trilogy is the longest and most epic, but is it any good? Following the events of Dead Man's Chest, the gang must rescue Jack Sparrow from Davey Jones' Locker in order to bring together the nine Pirate Lords for the Brethren Court. There's a lot going on in this movie. It's jam packed, so grab your bottle of rum and relax as you listen to the guys discuss the movie. Be sure to let us know what you think of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End!

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Direct download: E193_-_Pirates_3.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Today we're talking about one of the best animated DC movies ever released. This one came out back in 2011 and stars Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Jensen Ackles as the mysterious Red Hood (who now plays Batman in the current animated movies) and John DiMaggio as The Joker. What makes this movie work so well? Check out the episode and hear what the guys think and be sure to let us know what you think of Batman: Under the Red Hood!

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Direct download: E192_-_Batman_Red_Hood.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

We've returned to the X-Men franchise as we talk about the seventh installment! This movie brings back old cast members with new cast members in a time-travel adventure that is a ton of fun. To ensure the survival of their race, Logan is sent back in time to stop Mystique from an assassination attempt. He's going to need some help from a younger, very different, Professor X as well as Magneto. How does Days of Future Past rank among the other X-Men films? Check out what the guys think (John joins us for this one!) and let us know what YOU think of X-Men: Days of Future Past!

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Direct download: E190_-_X-Men_DoFP.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Stew and Justin are big Zack Snyder fans and were eagerly anticipating the release of his new movie, Rebel Moon! So much so that Stew even put Part Two on his list of Most Anticipated Movies before Part One had even been released! Originally planned as a Star Wars movie, Snyder reworked it to be an original story released on Netflix. There's a longer director's cut coming, but how does the PG-13 version fare? Check out what the guys think and let us know what you think of Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire!

Direct download: E190_-_Rebel_Moon.mp3
Category:SMSM -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

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