Movie Wars

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)

Point Break presented a massive evolution in action films when it was released in 1991. Its flow of adrenalized action sequences became a benchmark for many films to come; one of those being 2001’s The Fast And The Furious. Similar to Point Break, The Fast and the Furious embraced an obscure subculture and made it a societal focal point. But did it drive a little too closely to Point Break’s plot? Hit the NOS with Kyle, Drew, and Phil as they ride the wave of Point Break Vs. The Fast And The Furious.

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!

Point Break

After a string of bizarre bank robberies in Southern California, with the crooks donning masks of various former presidents, a federal agent, Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), infiltrates the suspected gang. But this is no ordinary group of robbers. They're surfers -- led by the charismatic Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) -- who are addicted to the rush of thievery. But when Utah falls in love with a female surfer, Tyler (Lori Petty), who is close to the gang, it complicates his sense of duty.

• Rating: R
• Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
• Original Language: English
• Director: Kathryn Bigelow
• Producer: Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy
• Writer: Kurt Wimmer, W. Peter Iliff
• Release Date (Theaters): Jul 12, 1991 Original
• Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2006
• Box Office (Gross USA): $40.5M
• Runtime: 2h 2m

Info courtesy of https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_break)

The Fast And The Furious

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) enjoys the adrenaline of street car racing and his fans treat him like a rock star. After a blazing encounter with the ruthless Johnny Tran, Dom decides to take Brian (Paul Walker), a newcomer to street racing, under his wing. Dom's sister Mia sees something she likes in Brian, too. Trouble is, neither of them realize he's an undercover cop, and Dominic and his rival Johnny Tran are both the prime suspects in a case involving dirty money and big-rig hijacking.

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Adventure, Action
• Original Language: English
• Director: Rob Cohen
• Producer: Neal H. Moritz
• Writer: Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, David Ayer, Gary Scott Thompson
• Release Date (Theaters): Jun 22, 2001 Wide
• Release Date (Streaming): Jun 3, 2003
• Box Office (Gross USA): $144.5M
• Runtime: 1h 47m
• Distributor: Universal Pictures

(Info courtesy of https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1108372-fast_and_the_furious)

The Western is one of the most fundamental building blocks of cinema. Heavily inspired by Westerns, Quentin Tarantino and The Coen Brothers are Mount Rushmore American filmmakers who channeled that inspiration into The Hateful Eight and True Grit(2010). The Movie Wars crew puts these modern interpretations of a beloved genre to the test.

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:

The Hateful Eight

While racing toward the town of Red Rock in post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) encounter another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) and a man who claims to be a sheriff. Hoping to find shelter from a blizzard, the group travels to a stagecoach stopover located on a mountain pass. Greeted there by four strangers, the eight travelers soon learn that they may not make it to their destination after all.

• Rating: R
• Genre: Western
• Original Language: English
• Director: Quentin Tarantino
• Producer: Richard N. Gladstein, Stacey Sher, Shannon McIntosh
• Writer: Quentin Tarantino
• Release Date (Theaters): Dec 30, 2015 Wide
• Box Office (Gross USA): $54.1M
• Runtime: 2h 48m
• Distributor: Weinstein Co.

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

True Grit(2010)

After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her find Chaney and avenge her father. The bickering duo are not alone in their quest, for a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is also tracking Chaney for reasons of his own. Together the unlikely trio ventures into hostile territory to dispense some Old West justice.

• Rating: PG-13 (Int. Seq. of Western Violence|Disturbing Images)
• Genre: Drama, Western
• Original Language: English
• Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Producer: Scott Rudin, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Writer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2010 Wide
• Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2011
• Box Office (Gross USA): $171.0M
• Runtime: 1h 50m
• Distributor: Paramount Pictures

(Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/true_grit_2010)

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?

Click here to become a Movie Wars Patron! Support Movie Wars for the price of a latte’ a month. A $7 contribution helps us make more content(eventual bonus features), grow the show, and feed our children. And isn’t that what it’s about? The children.

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)

Crooked-cop films are the ultimate twist on the cops and robbers genre. Denzel Washington put on one of the most memorable performances of his career while Sylvester Stallone transformed from his usual musclebound action hero to an overweight cop steeped in naivety. The protagonists are tasked with traversing the moral complexity of taking down their corrupt counterparts who don’t operate with a rulebook. Enjoy your training day with Kyle, Drew, and Phil. Click here to become an executive producer on Movie Wars by supporting us on Patreon! A measly $7 gets you access to Kyle’s new 15-minute show “Filmosophy”, interviews with legendary filmmakers, Host Q and A, and bonus content.

FIlm Summaries

Training Day

Police drama about a veteran officer who escorts a rookie on his first day with the LAPD's tough inner-city narcotics unit. "Training Day" is a blistering action drama that asks the audience to decide what is necessary, what is heroic and what crosses the line in the harrowing gray zone of fighting urban crime. Does law-abiding law enforcement come at the expense of justice and public safety? If so, do we demand safe streets at any cost?

• Rating:
• R (Drug Content|Brief Nudity|Pervasive Language|Strong Brutal Violence)
• Genre:
• Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• Antoine Fuqua
• Producer:
• Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer
• Writer:
• David Ayer
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Oct 5, 2001 Wide
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Mar 19, 2002
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $76.3M
• (courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/training_day)

Cop Land

When hotheaded Superboy (Michael Rapaport) accidentally gets involved in an ugly racially-motivated incident, his uncle Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), a corrupt New York City cop, attempts to sweep it under the rug by helping fake his nephew's death. The bungled cover-up leads to investigations by idealistic Internal Affairs officer Moe Tilden (Robert De Niro) and Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone), sheriff of the suburban New Jersey town where Donlan and his fellow crooked policemen live.

• Rating:
• R (Strong Language|Brief Nudity|Violence)
• Genre:
• Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
• Original Language:
• English
• Director:
• James Mangold
• Producer:
• Cary Woods, Ezra Swerdlow, Cathy Konrad
• Writer:
• James Mangold
• Release Date (Theaters):
• Aug 15, 1997 Original
• Release Date (Streaming):
• Jul 2, 2002
• Box Office (Gross USA):
• $44.9M
• Runtime:
• 1h 45m

(info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cop_land)