Movie Wars

What started as the Movie Wars Christmas episode turned into a battle of deadbeat dads. Tune in as Kyle, Drew, and Phil determine who made Santa's naughty list. Or better yet, who gets the Turboman? 

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Jingle All The Way

Workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to make things up to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), and wife, Liz (Rita Wilson). He promises to get Jamie the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man -- even though it's Christmas Eve and the toy is practically sold out. As Langston hunts down the elusive gift, he runs into mailman Myron (Sinbad), another father on the same quest. With the clock winding down, Langston's moral code is tested as he starts to learn the real meaning of Christmas.

• Rating:
• PG
• Genre:
• Comedy, Other, Kids & Family
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Brian Levant
• Producer:
• Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe
• Writer:
• Randy Kornfield
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Nov 3, 1998
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $60.6M
• Runtime:
• 1h 28m

(Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jingle_all_the_way) 

The Santa Clause

Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn't a dream after all -- and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.

• Rating:
• PG
• Genre:
• Other, Comedy, Kids & Family
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• John Pasquin
• Producer:
• Bobby Newmyer, Brian Reilly, Jeffrey Silver
• Writer:
• Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Nov 11, 1994  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Sep 7, 2004
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $145.5M
• Runtime:
• 1h 37m

(Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_clause)

It’s hard to argue that Star Wars and Star Trek have two of the most dedicated fan bases in film history. JJ Abrams took on the challenge of reviving these two beloved franchises with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Trek (2009). Traverse the galaxies with the Movie Wars crew as they examine these intergalactic giants. 

Want access to bonus content, interviews with legendary filmmakers, and Host Q and A's? Click here to become a Movie Wars Patreon Supporter!  This helps keep the show ad-free, and gets you access to Kyle's show "Filmosophy", Interviews with legendary filmmakers, Q and A, a private Facebook group, and outtakes! 

Film Summaries: 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Thirty years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, the galaxy faces a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order. When a defector named Finn crash-lands on a desert planet, he meets Rey (Daisy Ridley), a tough scavenger whose droid contains a top-secret map. Together, the young duo joins forces with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to make sure the Resistance receives the intelligence concerning the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last of the Jedi Knights.

• Rating:
• PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action Violence)
• Genre:
• Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• J.J. Abrams
• Producer:
• Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
• Writer:
• Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Dec 18, 2015  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Apr 5, 2016
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $123
• Runtime:
• 2h 16m
• Distributor:
• Walt Disney

(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens)

Star Trek (2009) 

Aboard the USS Enterprise, the most-sophisticated starship ever built, a novice crew embarks on its maiden voyage. Their path takes them on a collision course with Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan commander whose mission of vengeance threatens all mankind. If humanity would survive, a rebellious young officer named James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and a coolly logical Vulcan named Spock (Zachary Quinto) must move beyond their rivalry and find a way to defeat Nero before it is too late.

• Rating:
• PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action|Brief Sexual Content|Violence)
• Genre:
• Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• J.J. Abrams
• Producer:
• J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
• Writer:
• Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
• Release Date (Theaters):
• May 7, 2009  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Nov 17, 2009
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $257.7M

(Info Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_11)

Phillip K. Dick wrote two incredibly prophetic stories of technophobia with The Minority Report(1956) and We Can Remember it For You Wholesale(1966). It doesn’t hurt that they also led to two Sci-Fi classics carried by leading men Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Cruise. Get paranoid and get weird with the Movie Wars crew as we discuss Total Recall and Minority Report. 

Want access to bonus content, interviews with legendary filmmakers, and Host Q and A's? Click here to become a Movie Wars Patreon Supporter!  This helps keep the show ad-free, and gets you access to Kyle's show "Filmosophy", Interviews with legendary filmmakers, Q and A, a private Facebook group, and outtakes! 

Film Summaries:

Total Recall

Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a bored construction worker in the year 2084 who dreams of visiting the colonized Mars. He visits "Rekall," a company that plants false memories into people's brains, in order to experience the thrill of Mars without having to travel there. But something goes wrong during the procedure; Quaid discovers that his entire life is actually a false memory and that the people who implanted it in his head now want him dead.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Sci-Fi, Action
• Director:
• Paul Verhoeven
• Producer:
• Buzz Feitshans, Ronald Shusett
• Writer:
• Philip K. Dick, Jon Povill, Gary Goldman
• Release Date (Streaming):
• May 21, 2002
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $117.8M
• Runtime:
• 1h 49m

(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/total_recall)

Minority Report

Based on a story by famed science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, "Minority Report" is an action-detective thriller set in Washington D.C. in 2054, where police utilize a psychic technology to arrest and convict murderers before they commit their crime. Tom Cruise plays the head of this Precrime unit and is himself accused of the future murder of a man he hasn't even met.

• Rating:
• PG-13 (Drug Content|Brief Language|Some Sexuality|Violence)
• Genre:
• Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Action
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Steven Spielberg
• Producer:
• Gerald R. Molen, Bonnie Curtis, Walter F. Parkes, Jan de Bont
• Writer:
• Philip K. Dick, Scott Frank, Jon Cohen
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Jun 21, 2002  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Dec 17, 2002
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $132.0M
• Runtime:
• 2h 24m

Kyle, Drew, and Phil decided to take on two psychological icons for the scary October episode of Movie Wars. Hannibal Lector is a cinema-defining character while Se7en is considered one of the most innovative, creative, and daunting thrillers of all time. Get a break from the slashers and listen to the MWP as they get psychological. 

Want access to bonus content, interviews with legendary filmmakers, and Host Q and A's? Click here to become a Movie Wars Patreon Supporter!  This helps keep the show ad-free, and gets you access to Kyle's show "Filmosophy", Interviews with legendary filmmakers, Q and A, a private Facebook group, and outtakes! 

SE7EN

When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city.

•  
• Director:
• David Fincher
• Producer:
• Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle
• Writer:
• Andrew Kevin Walker
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Dec 19, 2000
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $100.1M
• Runtime:
• 2h 5m

(Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seven)

The Silence Of The Lambs

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

•  
• Director:
• Jonathan Demme
• Producer:
• Ronald M. Bozman, Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt
• Writer:
• Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Feb 13, 1991  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 21, 2001
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $130.7M
• Runtime:
• 1h 59m
• Distributor:
• Orion Pictures

(Courtesy  of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_of_the_lambs)

Only on Movie Wars can we go from discussing pimps and franchised anarchy one week and then Rom-Coms the next week. When you watch a good Rom-Com, you can taste it. The taste of Fall or Christmas against the backdrop of a romanticized New York, Chicago, or Seattle. Grab a latte, take a stroll with your soulmate, and laugh along with the Movie Wars crew as we Love and War.

Film Summary

Sleepless In Seattle 

After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Mallinger). When Jonah calls in to a talk-radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day.

•  
• Genre:
• Romance
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Nora Ephron
• Producer:
• Gary Foster
• Writer:
• Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Jun 25, 1993  Wide
• Runtime:
• 1h 44m
• Distributor:
• Columbia Tristar
• Production Co:
• TriStar Pictures

(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sleepless_in_seattle) 

When Harry Met Sally 

In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.

•  
• Genre:
• Romance
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Rob Reiner
• Producer:
• Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman
• Writer:
• Nora Ephron
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $90.4M
• Runtime:
• 1h 35m
• Production Co:
• Castle Rock Entertainment

(info provided by Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/when_harry_met_sally) 

Kyle, Drew, and Phil tackle two giants of cinema in episode 0014. Taxi Driver and Fight Club explore the depths of the mind and its impact on society as a whole. Both films show their respective directors and actors growing into their craft. Hail a cab with the Movie Wars crew as we dissect the layers of morality in Taxi Driver and Fight Club.

Film Summaries: 

Taxi Driver

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).

•  
• Genre:
• Drama
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Martin Scorsese
• Producer:
• Julia Phillips, Michael Phillips
• Writer:
• Paul Schrader
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Feb 8, 1976  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 14, 2007
• Runtime:
• 1h 53m
• Distributor:
• Columbia Pictures

(Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taxi_driver)

Fight Club 

A depressed man (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in his squalid house after his perfect apartment is destroyed. The two bored men form an underground club with strict rules and fight other men who are fed up with their mundane lives. Their perfect partnership frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), a fellow support group crasher, attracts Tyler's attention.

• Genre:
• Mystery & Thriller, Drama
• Director:
• David Fincher
• Producer:
• Ross Grayson Bell, Ceán Chaffin, Art Linson
• Writer:
• Chuck Palahniuk, Jim Uhls
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Oct 15, 1999  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Oct 14, 2003
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $37.0M
• Runtime:
• 2h 19m
• Distributor:
• 20th Century Fox
• Production Co:
• Art Linson Productions, Fox 2000 Pictures, Taurus Film, New Regency Pictures
• (Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fight_club) 

The Movie Wars crew has sports on the brain as the NFL, college football, and baseball are in full bloom. Sports films are the perfect vehicle for tackling heavy subject matter. It only felt right to tackle two juggernauts of the sports films sub-genre: Field Of Dreams and The Natural.

Field Of Dreams

When Iowa farmer Ray (Kevin Costner) hears a mysterious voice one night in his cornfield saying "If you build it, he will come," he feels the need to act. Despite taunts of lunacy, Ray builds a baseball diamond on his land, supported by his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan). Afterward, the ghosts of great players start emerging from the crops to play ball, led by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. But, as Ray learns, this field of dreams is about much more than bringing former baseball greats out to play.

• Rating:
• PG
• Genre:
• Fantasy
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Phil Alden Robinson
• Producer:
• Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon
• Writer:
• Phil Alden Robinson
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Dec 16, 2003
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $61.8M
• Runtime:
• 1h 46m
• Production Co:
• Gordon Company

The Natural

On the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, young baseball phenom Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is shot by the unstable Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey). After 16 years, Hobbs returns to pro baseball as a rookie for the last-place New York Knights. Despite early arguments with his manager, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), Hobbs becomes one of the best players in the league, and the Knights start winning. But this upsets the Judge (Robert Prosky), their owner, who wants Hobbs to lose games, not win.

• Rating:
• PG
• Genre:
• Drama
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Barry Levinson
• Producer:
• Mark Johnson
• Writer:
• Bernard Malamud, Phil Dusenberry
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Apr 3, 2007
• Runtime:
• 2h 14m
• Production Co:
• TriStar Pictures

Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/natural

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/field_of_dreams

Great films are often the result of an evolution in narratives and storytelling. Die Hard and Speed were refreshing representations of a new wave in action films. Containerized environments, lovable and relatable action stars, and touches of comedy. Kyle, Drew, and Phil didn’t let this podcast go below 50 MPH.

SPEED

FIlm Summary: Los Angeles police officer Jack (Keanu Reeves) angers retired bomb squad member Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) by foiling his attempt at taking hostages. In revenge, Payne arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock), Jack and his partner Harry (Jeff Daniels) try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

• Rating:
• R (Violence|Language)
• Genre:
• Mystery & Thriller, Action
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Jan de Bont
• Producer:
• Mark Gordon
• Writer:
• Graham Yost
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Jun 10, 1994  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Nov 25, 2015
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $121.2M

Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/speed_1994)

DIE HARD

FIlm Summary: New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Mystery & Thriller, Action
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• John McTiernan
• Producer:
• Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver
• Writer:
• Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Jul 15, 1988  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Nov 25, 2015
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $81.0M

Info Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/die_hard)

Episode Summary:  One could argue that films like Gladiator and Braveheart are basic examples of why movies exist. To transport the audience to a different time and place. These two films do that in a huge way. Gladiator and Braveheart are larger-than-life epics that set new standards for scale and grandiosity in a movie. Join the guys as they break down these two historical epics. 

Film Summaries

Gladiator: Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the great stoical philosopher. Maximus is then relegated to fighting to the death in the gladiator arenas.

• Rating:
• R (Intense Graphic Combat)
• Genre:
• Action, Drama, History, Adventure
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Ridley Scott
• Producer:
• David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, Douglas Wick
• Writer:
• John Logan, David Franzoni, David Franzoni, William Nicholson
• Release Date (Theaters):
• May 5, 2000  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 1, 2013
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $187.7M
• Runtime:
• 2h 34m

-Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gladiator_

Braveheart: Tells the story of the legendary thirteenth-century Scottish hero named William Wallace (Mel Gibson). Wallace rallies the Scottish against the English monarch and Edward I (Peter Hanly) after he suffers a personal tragedy by English soldiers. Wallace gathers a group of amateur warriors that is stronger than any English army.

• Rating:
• R (Brutal Medieval Warfare)
• Genre:
• War, Drama, Biography, History
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Mel Gibson
• Producer:
• Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd Jr.
• Writer:
• Randall Wallace
• Release Date (Theaters):
• May 24, 1995  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 1, 2013
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $75.5M
• Runtime:
• 2h 57m

-Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1065684-braveheart)

Episode Summary:  You cannot assess the history of cinema without assessing the history of mob films. Filmmakers discovering that crime offered a new narrative form changed the direction of movies to come. Today, the guys discuss two of the most celebrated mob movies in history. The Godfather is in the constant rotation of films that are considered “Best Of All Time”. Goodfellas builds on the modern formula that The Godfather builds by giving the “Behind The Music” of running an organized crime organization. Also, these films don’t lack star power. When we analyze the cast of each film, it reads like the yet-to-be-realized youth of The Godfather versus the tenured De Niro/Pesci cast that Scorsese had perfected chemistry with. Buckle up for our most detailed Movie Wars to date. And remember, "never rat on your friends and keep your mouth shut” as Jimmy Conway put it.  

Movie Wars Scorecard 

Best Top Bill Cast

Best Supporting Cast

Best dressed

Best ending

Which gang do you want to be in?

Music

Highest employer rating

Scorsese Vs Coppola 

Best mob portrayal 

Horsehead in the bed or leave a dead man in a meat freezer truck?

Worst beating? Henry Hill or Sonny

Best Italian cooking

Film Summaries

Goodfellas: A young man grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Based on the book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Drama, Crime
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Martin Scorsese
• Producer:
• Irwin Winkler
• Writer:
• Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Sep 19, 1990  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 15, 2008
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $42.6M

-Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes, (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1032176-goodfellas)

The Godfather: Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don's youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.

• Rating:
• R
• Genre:
• Drama, Crime
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Francis Ford Coppola
• Producer:
• Albert S. Ruddy
• Writer:
• Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, Mario Puzo
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Mar 15, 1972  Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Aug 1, 2013
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $134.8M
• Runtime:
• 2h 57m
• -Summary courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godfather)