School of Movies

The Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Vol. 2

[School of Everything Else 2025]

All the way back in 2017 I put together an absolutely EPIC musical journey through the first eight years of the MCU, from Iron Man all the way up to Doctor Strange. So much time has passed since then (cue many gifs of Matt Damon drinking from the wrong Grail) and Marvel has not followed my sound advice about allowing each hero (and maybe a villain or two) to retain a theme that reprises with every subsequent appearance. However, that does not mean there haven't been some truly excellent scores composed, which got side-lined in the clickbaity rush to pronounce Marvel as being formulaic, failing or indeed signifying the baleful death of film.

Here for you now is a compendium of themes and sonic explorations as Phase 3 draws to its epic conclusion and Phases 4 and 5 wend their way from the small screen to the big and back again. I look forward to a third volume of these shows sometime in the early 2030s, when the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Secret Wars and whatever happens with Spider-Man and whatever inevitable soft reboot brings us to a new era of superhero cinema.

1.     The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (‘Louisiana Hero’ by Henry Jackman)

2.     Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (‘Dad’ by Tyler Bates)

3.     Spider-Man Homecoming (Michael Giacchino)

4.     Thor: Ragnarok (‘Main Title’ by Mark Mothersbourough)

5.     Black Panther (‘Wakanda’, ‘Warrior Falls’ and ‘Killmonger’ by Ludwig Goransson)

6.     Infinity War (Alan Silvestri)

7.     Captain Marvel (‘Main Theme’ and ‘All Fired Up’ by Pinar Toprak)

8.     Black Widow (‘Yelena Belova’ and ‘Natasha Soars’ by Lorne Balfe)

9.     WandaVision (‘Opening Themes: 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s’ and ‘End Cretids’ by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and Christophe Beck)

10. Loki (Natalie Holt)

11. Shang Chi (Joel P. West)

12. Eternals (Ramin Djawadi)

13. Moon Knight (Hesham Nazih)

14. Ms. Marvel (Laura Karpman)

15. The Marvels (Laura Karpman)

16. Spider-Man: No Way Home (‘Forget-Me-Knots’ by Michael Giaccino)

17. Wakanda Forever (Ludwig Goransson)

18. Guardians Vol. 3 (‘Guardians vs Hallespawn’ / ‘Into the Light’ by John Murphy)

19. Thor Ragnarok Reprised (‘Twilight of the Gods’ & ‘What Heroes Do’ by Mark Mothersbourough)

20. Daredevil (John Paesano)

21. Jessica Jones (Sean Callery)

22. Luke Cage (Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad)

23. Iron Fist (Trevor Morris)

24. Werewolf by Night (Michael Giacchino)

25. Quantumania (Christophe Beck)

26. Agatha All Along (Christopher Beck)

27. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man (The Math Club)

28. Deadpool & Wolverine (‘Bye Bye Bye’ by NSYNC & ‘Like a Prayer Battle Royale Mix’ by Madonna)

29. Avengers: Endgame (‘Portals’, ‘The Real Hero’ and ‘Main on End’ by Alan Silvestri)

The Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Vol. 1

[School of Everything Else 2017]

NOTE: This is an archival episode from many years ago. 

Recently the excellent YouTube series Every Frame a Painting asked members of the public if they could hum any of the music from the Marvel films. Unsurprisingly they couldn't come up with anything. There are a few reasons for this, that I go into on the show, but this presentation right here is crafted to allow everyone to explore the music that has come so far. We laser-focus on the core melodies, the hero themes that were left by the wayside as the series evolved and we showcase the wide range of actually rather brilliant musical moments that have punctuated the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Join me for an epic, three hour musical journey, run through the filter of my brain. By the end, if I've done my job, you'll be able to hum at least one piece of Marvel music.

1.   Marvel Logo (Thor: The Dark World)
2.   Back in Black – AC/DC (Iron Man)
3.   Mark II/Driving With the Top Down/Gulmira - Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man)
4.   Iron Man - Black Sabbath (Iron Man)
5.   Main Titles - Craig Armstrong (The Incredible Hulk)
6.   Thunderstruck - AC/DC (Iron Man 2)
7.   Black Widow Kicks Ass/ I Am Iron Man – John Debney (Iron Man 2)
8.   Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC (Iron Man 2)
9.   Prologue/The Compound/Forgive Me/Thor Kills the Destroyer – Patrick Doyle (Thor)
10.   Walk – Foo Fighters (Thor)
11.   Main Titles/Farewell to Bucky/The Star Spangled Man/Triumphant Return/Captain America March – Alan Silvestri (Captain America: The First Avenger)
12.   Main Titles/Helicarrier/Avengers Assemble/A Promise/End Titles – Alan Silvestri (Avengers Assemble)
13.   Live to Rise – Chris Cornel (Avengers Assemble)
14.   Main Titles/Can You Dig It? – Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3)
15.   End Titles/Into Eternity – Brian Tyler (Thor: The Dark World)
16.   Lemurian Star/Project Insight/The Causeway/To the End of the Line/Taking a Stand – Henry Jackman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
17.   Soundtrack Medley (Guardians of the Galaxy)
18.   The Kyln Escape/Groot Spores/Groot Cocoon (Guardians of the Galaxy)
19.   Age of Ultron Theme – Danny Elfman (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
20.   Escape - Roger Ayer (Ant-Man)
21.   Ant Man Theme – Christophe Beck (Ant-Man)
22.   Plainsong – The Cure (Ant-Man)
23.   Siberian Overture/Ancestral Call/New Recruit/Closure/Cap’s Promise – Henry Jackman (Captain America: Civil War)
24.   Sharks Don’t Sleep – Dean Valentine (Civil War Trailer)
25.   New Marvel Fanfare
26.   Strange Days Ahead/The Master of the Mystic End Credits – Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange)

Summer 2025 Commissions Season

Hello there folks, this is your official notification that the School of Movies Summer Commissions season window is now open. And it’s a special case this time around. Originally this run was meant to pay for our second family vacation, the last one being back in 2017. We’re going to Italy.

But the week after we booked it our landlord of nine years dropped the bomb on us that he needed to renovate our home, so we’re out by the end of March with all the moving costs and the sudden spike in rent that this is going to entail.

And upon hearing this my computer of nine years decided now was the time to begin a slow collapse. I have been having problems with it for a few years now, but I’m having to replace the whole thing with a brand new workstation that should hopefully last me the best part of a decade. Which means a huge amount of money is to be paid in a very short span of time.

Ergo this window wis open for the foreseeable future. I already have four shows lined up from the earliest of Discord community, but I want to leave this open in the hopes of repairing our shattered finances.

We’re going to be okay, we aren’t going to starve and we won’t be turfed into the street, but every commission will help us right now. So if you have a suggestion get in touch in the usual ways, email, Patreon message, Discord and I guess Bluesky and whatever fascist-platforming mutant helllbeast Twitter has become this week.

Each movie show is a standard of $150 via a single Paypal payment to help us sort and declare everything come tax season, TV and video games cost more, depending on the time and effort required to complete them. I will allow suggestions for anime and comics.

Wish us luck as at the time of publication we have less than a month to leave the only place that has ever felt like a real home and as yet we have no house to move to. What I want is stability and for the way to be clear for us to carry on recording School of Movies every week. That’s my goal for the year. What really should be the watchword for the 21st Century: Sustainability.

The Great Muppet Caper / Muppets Take Manhattan

[School of Movies 2025]

The second and third parts of the original Trilogy of Muppet movies made while Jim Henson was alive, voicing Kermit and taking a heavily active role in production.

The former from 1981 is a jewel heist that brings the anarchic furry ones to England, populated by only polite people (a trope which causes the two of us endless amusement) and very much concerns itself with pushing puppetry magic tricks on the big screen to their limits. This one, directed by Jim was in the immense shadow of the original Muppet Movie.

The latter, from 1984 brings them back to New York as college graduates who want to put on a big Broadway musical and run up against the gritty realities of real life (along with a cloyingly cute debut for The Muppet Babies. This more grounded take was directed by Frank Oz and for us it is a commissioned show by Dean R.

Guests:

Mackenzie Eastram  @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod  

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two are also part of DiceWeave @DiceWeavePod

Palm Springs

[School of Movies 2025]

We round off Groundhog Month with a time loop movie that explores with even more depth how being stuck in a single day would effect a person's outlook on life, their philosophy and their actions.

Taking its cue from the early script idea for what became the Bill Murray classic, we begin by observing a man named Niles, already locked in his time loop, from the point of view of Sarah. She then gets dragged into a loop of her own and finds herself trapped as Maid of Honour for her sister's wedding every single day, a scenario made so much worse due to Sarah's shameful secret. To make matters worse, Niles is also being stalked by the last person he blunderingly marooned in Today; a steaming-mad J.K. Simmons.

It's blackly comic, filthy and thought-provoking with things to say about our existence, and it makes for the ideal existential closer on this topic (for today at least).

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Happy Death Day

[School of Movies 2025]

This is not a Horror movie (or rather, it qualifies enough for that genre in terms of certain expected tropes and elements, but that is not its mode of conduct, and for people expecting conventional Horror, there's a lot more there in its place).

That's what should have been on the poster and promotional artwork, and in the trailers, and threaded through the interviews and general marketing speak surrounding this film. Though doing so might have hurt its 25x multiplier as yet another Blumhouse success story.

That misdirection helped it THEN, in 2017, I'm thinking more about helping it NOW in the 2020s, when viewers who do not like Horror genre movies (in particular cruel slasher movies) would almost certainly steer clear of what is actually one of the freshest, funniest star features in recent years, spotlighting Jessica Rothe, an actress of insane range with serious comedic chops.

It is superficially Groundhog Day with a stalking masked killer, but concerns itself less with the gory specifics of womanslaughter and more with the mechanics of trying to get oneself out of a blackly comic and fatal time-loop, as what is built up around the character of college student Tree Gelbman is a much-needed break in her cycle of self-destruction.

And on our Patreon bonus feed this weekend we have a full-length episode on the 2019 sequel; Happy Death Day 2U which leans even harder into the sci-fi, actively forgetting it was pitched as a slasher (and thus only doing seven times its budget at the box office).

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

The Wizard of Oz

[School of Movies 2025]

One of history's abiding classics, and one of the oldest films we have ever covered on this show, the 1939 Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland is joined here with several key points of comparison to establish why it really hold up.

We've already recorded a whole episode on the dark, late sequel, Return to Oz (1985) though it does get mentioned here, as well as Jon M Chu's 2024 cinematic adaptation of the first act of the Wicked stage musical.

But we also invoke the original book, written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, reference the tumultuous filming process by MGM, the toll it took on Judy Garland, as seen in the 2019 biopic Judy. And finally we sing the praises of The Wiz (1978) a valiant effort to make this story relevant to black America. One thing is clear, this is the most I've ever enjoyed talking about Wizard of Oz, and a lot of that comes from having the ever-insightful Willow on as a guest.

Next week it's Happy Death Day (2017). You can listen without watching the movie but definitely make plans to see the movie! And we have a rather important announcement to make at the end of this one.

Groundhog Day

[School of Movies 2025]

We’ve been holding this episode back for a special occasion and it seems like 2025 'The year of Joy' is the time to finally crack into one of the richest and most universally gratifying films in history. A hundred years from now, people will still be watching this film, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Shawshank Redemption.

Accompanying us in this time loop journey from mundane resentment to confusion, to panic, to exploitation, to emptiness, to the nadir of self-destruction, to the revelation of reflection, to the zenith of living to enrich the lives of others, and thus experience repletion is Jesse Ferguson. Jesse is one of the few guests we know who can comprehend the knottiest of time-travel conundrums whilst fully understanding that the story at the heart of what's being told is far more important than any speculative, temporal shenanigans.

Plus Bill Murray is a hoot, this is his best film, as well as being the finest offering from his friend and director Harold Ramis. It is endlessly memorable, profound, and touches upon a universality of shared experience. We are all alone, and we are all together.

Guest

Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM

from the Recorded Tomorrow Podcast

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

[School of Movies 2025]

The first Dungeons & Dragons movie emerged in the year 2000, wildly underachieving in every department; characters, story, screenplay, costumes, technical proficiency, directorial flair, casting, scope, music, awareness of what it was adapting, sense of humour and dragons! All of these things were straight-to-video grade. It was, in effect the anti-Lord of the Rings, a year before that masterpiece-containing-masterpieces raised the bar impossibly high.

23 years later, on the 49th anniversary, Honour Among Thieves emerged to empty theatres for various reasons I will be going into in my opening monologue. Among other notions broached, there is an imperative upon us to redefine success.

And our packed adventuring party are all here to do just that, and gush about this hidden gem, this buried treasure that knocks it out of the park in all the departments named above. This is a special episode where we get to talk about exactly why Honour Among Thieves is precious, and the unseen, Lego Movie-style subtext of these events.

Guests:

Hollywoo Actress  Maya Souris @Mayasantandrea

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch 

Brenden Agnew @BLCAgnew of Make Me Watch It

Chris Finik @finmonster09

The Muppet Movie

[School of Movies 2025]

In the name of joy, this year we are looking back across every Muppet movie we haven't yet covered, starting right here with the original 1979 film. For perspective, Jim Henson had made two successful TV shows up to this point, the well-known Muppet Show, which began in 1976 and was in the middle of its third season when this was being made, but before that, a weird series of little black and white skits called "Sam and Friends" which aired beginning in 1955.

We recruited Muppet experts Mackenzie and Nathan Eastram to delve into the story of how Henson and company got to this place, as well as extolling the copious virtues of this instantly melancholy little tale about fame and dreamers, and money-men, crammed with celebrity cameos, none of which your five year old will recognise. Some of which are legendary comedy figureheads of the 20th century that I had to look up, and I'm in my mid-40s!

Guests:

Mackenzie Eastram  @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod  

Nathan Eastram @bertnerdtram These two are also part of DiceWeave @DiceWeavePod