Movies with Hart

Apocalypse Now captivated a younger Sam as he endeavored to become more familiar with great American cinema, yet the movie languished on Paul's "must watch" list for years. Join us as we discuss the sights and sounds of Apocalypse Now, debate Martin Sheen's performance, and try to make sense of the broader questions that the film forces us to ask, such as: Is war good or bad? Is there a heart of darkness in all of us? Thanks for listening!

Fantastic Mr. Fox found two fired up fans in Sam and Paul 12 years ago. The meticulously constructed frames, eye catching textures (including fur with a staggering amount of detail), and energetic stop motion animation introduced us to the unique style of Wes Anderson. This movie took risks and made bold choices showing us new possibilities within film. Now that we have explored further into Wes Anderson's filmography, it's time to go back to the beginning and ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Inglourious Basterds showed young Sam and Paul that a war movie can borrow elements from spaghetti Westerns and blaxploitation films, begin its final act with a David Bowie music video, and take great liberties with the historical facts. Although some objected to these elements of Inglourious Basterds, it was a huge commercial and critical success. Now that thirteen years have gone by, it's high time for us to revisit this Nazi-scalping romp and ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up. Thanks for listening!

Though The Big Lebowski released to mixed reviews, people became endeared to its colorful cast of characters and quotable lines as it quickly built a cult following. People say that this convoluted yet laidback movie gets better with each viewing, so this week Sam and Paul will put that to the test and revisit it to determine once and for all, Does it Hold Up? Listen as Paul struggles to explain the plot, Sam dives deep into the themes and together they analyze the characters and humor that make this movie a truly unique experience. The dude abides! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

In the not-too-distant past, romantic comedies were big movie events that raked in hundreds of millions worldwide. The story of two people who initially seem completely unsuited for each other but eventually fall in love gave each of us hope of finding that special someone, even when prospects look bleak. We revisit a movie that really pushes this premise to the outermost limits of believability, 2009's The Proposal. Can a proposal of marriage based entirely on avoiding deportation and keeping one's fancy corporate job blossom into true love? Will Sam come to love this movie the way that Paul does? Tune in to find out (and please forgive Sam's poor audio quality during the opening segment)!

Small Soldiers became a landmark film for us as kids when it made us feel like we were watching Toy Story but for "big kids." We are now revisiting the movie many years later to see if there is more to it, such as a nuanced look at the United States military industrial complex, a commentary on advertising to children, and a heart warming story about finding your true home. That or it's just about some cool military action figures using flame throwers, shooting nail guns, and building awesome vehicles that would inspire "BattleBots." To find out the answer to this question and more as we revisit this childhood favorite and ask the question, Does it Hold Up? Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Now that we've gone through all of the live action Batman movies from 1966 to 2022, it's time to revisit our rankings of the films, the different portrayals of Batman, and the scores (as well introduce a brand new villains ranking!). We also settle, once and for all, whether Batman holds up. Thanks for listening. All of our rankings can be found on our Twitter page. Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

The Batman just came out and it's time for Sam and Paul to complete their journey through the live-action Batman movies. In this spoiler review they will tackle many contentious topics such as is the film too long? Is Robert Pattinson too emo? And is the movie too good? These topics and many more will be discussed in this initial evaluation of the film. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice released to negative reviews and was divisive with audiences. This response and other factors caused both Sam and Paul to avoid watching this film despite being big fans of batman. Now, due to being contractually obligated to watch every live-action Batman film, they will break from this show's usual premise and venture into the unknown. Will this movie let them down like it did so many others, or will they find a diamond in the rough. Find that out and more in this week's episode in the bat-tastic bat bat bat series. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

The Dark Knight Rises concludes Nolan's Batman trilogy. Although it failed to receive quite the same level of praise heaped upon the first two films, the movie received mostly positive reactions from both critics and audience. At the time, Sam and Paul dared to stray from the unthinking masses and bourgeois critics by thinking that The Dark Knight Rises was a pretty bad movie. Now it's time for us to revisit it and settle whether we were overly harsh on our initial viewings or whether it is, indeed, a bad movie that was always bad and will never hold up to scrutiny. Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

While Batman begins was well received by critics and audiences, it didn't exactly light the world on fire. The Dark Knight, by comparison, was the equivalent of the Earth colliding with the sun. With Heath Ledger's iconic Joker performance leading the way, The Dark Knight enraptured audiences as it transcended the superhero genre with its innovative storytelling and filmmaking. Now that we are distanced from the initial hype, it is time for us to revisit this film and ask the all-important question, Does it Hold Up? Listen to another entry in our Bat-tastic Bat Bat series as we breakdown this iconic film. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Christopher Nolan made the bold and unprecedented decision to make Batman the focus of his first Batman movie. The result, 2005's Batman Begins, dazzled critics and audiences alike. But 16 years later, it's time for us to revisit Nolan's first outing to ask the perennial question, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we dissect the performances, visuals, thematic tensions, and questionable villain plans. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory captured audience's imaginations as it burst onto the scene with it's bright colors, memorable songs, and fantastically chocolate factory. Thinking back on our first viewing experiences we remember these things, but we also recall the part before the factory getting boring, being creeped out by Wonka, and being confused by an abrupt ending. It's now time to see what shines through as we watch this movie through the our now adult lens and ask, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we discuss topics like did the children die? Why did Wonka change his mind about Charlie? And what accents are these characters supposed to have? Thanks for Listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Sam and Paul review Spider No Way Home in the inaugural episode of Reviews with Hart. This review may be a bit late, but it is full fresh takes hot off the press. Does this movie rely too heavily on fan service, or does it pay off and increase the appreciation of the films that came before it? Do the jokes land? Who's the spiderist spiderman? These questions and many more will be discussed in this weeks episode. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Despite fairly low expectations, we were disappointed with Batman Forever. Now we turn to Joel Schumacher's second and final Batman film, Batman and Robin, considered by some to be one of the worst movies of all time. Despite these ominous signs, we try our level best to approach this movie with open hearts and open minds, to ask the ultimate question, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we discuss this movie's efforts to bring back the campy fun of Batman 1966, while not shying away from more mature themes (such as Alfred dying of “MacGregor's Syndrome”). Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

With Batman Returns widely considered too dark for children, the studio changed direction with the hope of selling more action figures and garnering sponsorship deals with companies like McDonalds. The result was Batman Forever. Listen as Sam and Paul revisit this next entry in the batman franchise and ask themselves, Does it Hold Up? Along the way they will discuss whether any of Jim Carrey's performances hold up, whether Dick Grayson is a little too old to be adopted, and much more. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Die Hard strives to be an action movie and a Christmas movie set in Los Angelos. It even throws in some elements of horror. Everyone gives a big performance. Somehow, it succeeds on all fronts. In our final episode of this Christmas season, we try to wrap our heads around why Die Hard is one of the best action/Christmas movies of all time.

As the snow continues to fall (we are now snowed in) we will continue to spread Christmas cheer with our Christmastastic movie series. This week we will be trading in our hot cocoa and Kringle for sundaes and pizza as we revisit one of our childhood favorites, Home Alone. Listen as we discuss the merits of the movie's many different plots, whether there are any redeemable characters, how many times Marv and Harry should have died, and much more. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

As the snow begins to fall and the year nears its end, it is time for us to turn our attention to some of our favorite Christmas movies to get us into the holiday spirit. To kick off our Christmastastic Movie series we will be revisiting one of our favorites, Elf. But what makes this a movie that we turn to year after year to get a large dose of Christmas cheer? We will cover that and much more in this weeks episode. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

With Batman Returns, Batman does indeed return to the big screen (at least for a small portion of the movie) in this even darker turn for the franchise that engendered penguin filled nightmares for a generation of kids, but now we must ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we revisit this film to discuss its iconic villians, unique visual style, plot(?), and much more. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Batman 1989 revitalized this storied franchise for a new generation by discarding the camp of previous iterations and returning to its roots with a 1940s film noir look, but now we must ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we revisit this influential film and discuss its unique visuals, larger than life characters, and frame story involving reporters investigating Batman that is apparently in this film. We will also ponder the film's themes as we debate whether it was Batman who created Joker, or the vat of chemicals he accidentally tripped into. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Batman 1966 delighted us as kids with cool gadgets, wacky villians, nonsensical riddles, and of course the greatest use of shark repellant in cinema history, but we must now ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we revisit this old favorite, and discuss just how much of the comedy was on purpose, and also what it had to say about topics such as the police in America and the state of world politics. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter Reach out at moviesfullofhart@gmail.com

Since 1966 Batman has been a fixture of pop culture, continuing to be reinvented on the big screen for new generations. Though interpretations of the world and character have ranged from comedic to bizarre to downright terrifying, Batman was always the favorite super hero in our households growing up. But will he remain at the top spot as we go back and watch all of the live action Batman movies with the ever present question in mind, Do They Hold Up? Listen to this series introduction as we attempt to rank the Batman movies, the actors who took on the lead role, and their musical scores. We may not remember the movies well, but we'll give it our best shot as we establish our baseline before diving and watching the films. Thanks for Listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Godzilla (1998) promised audiences something bigger and better than Jurassic Park. Critics were underwhelmed. As children, we thought that this movie was awesome. Now, long after the naïve innocence of childhood has passed, and the world-weariness of adulthood has set in, it is high time for us to revisit Godzilla and ask, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we carefully consider what kind of movie this is, where it gets the idea that France is the ultimate nuclear superior, and why none of the other characters can pronounce Nick Tatopolous's last name. Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon wowed audiences with its exhilarating fight scenes and engaging characters as it greatly surpassed expectations at the box office and showed that foreign language films could have a much wider audience appeal than previously thought possible, but now we must ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we revisit this landmark film and discuss it's visuals, fighting choreography, and characters in addition to our valiant effort at parsing through the themes (with hopefully mild success). Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

No surprises here. As something that we watch every year, we knew that Scream was going to hold up. Join us as we discuss this horror classic that burst onto the scene in 1996 to revitalize the stale slasher genre. We discuss Scream's skillful blending of horror, mystery, and metacommentary, the stellar cast (including some fine tongue acting by Matthew Lillard), and the way that the movie employs and undermines genre tropes.

Halloween burst onto the scene in 1978 bringing innovation to the horror genre and popularizing slasher films. We may not have seen this movie until later in life, but listen as we try our best to keep to our podcast promise as we ask ourselves once again, Does it Hold Up? In pursuit of an answer to this question  we discuss this movie's cinematography, score, characters/acting, and overall ability to frighten audiences. We also take a step back and tackle questions like why was Samuel Lummis in this film and did the movie stick the landing? Please enjoy this spooky edition of the show and thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Alien vs. Predator thrilled us in our younger years and served as our introduction to the Alien and Predator franchises, but sixteen years later, it's time to ask, Does it Hold Up? We get into some deep stuff on this episode. How do languages change over time? Which uses of the f-word are acceptable in a PG-13 movie? What is office life like for Predators? Why does the first part of this movie look so much worse than the rest? Thanks for listening!

Alien terrified us in our teens and transformed space from a place of excitement and adventure to a cold and claustrophobic nightmare. Listen as we discuss the building of the world, characters, and suspense in this spooky edition of the show. Thanks for listening! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy gave us a whole new comedic sensibility that defined much of our adolescence, but now that we're mature adults with steady jobs (or steady graduate work in philosophy, in Sam's case), it's time to ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we discuss the improvisational nature of the comedy, the quotability of the dialogue, the feminist themes, and so much more. You stay classy, listeners (and thanks for stopping by)! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Spy Kids once made us believe that we were never too young to be international children of mystery, but now that are revisiting it many years later as boring adults we must ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we discuss the plot, visual effects, Floop's morality, and much more. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl ushered in an era of studios generating blockbusters out of existing IP and introduced Sam and Paul to the word “acquiesce,” but we must now ask ourselves, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we revisit this pivotal movie, and try our best to figure out the rules of the Aztec curse. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter

The Iron Giant captured our hearts and imaginations as kids, but now that we are revisiting this movie many years later we must ask ourselves the all important question, Does it Hold Up? Listen as we reminisce, rewatch, and review one of our favorite childhood movies. Thanks for tuning in! Connect with the show: Follow on Twitter