Movie Wars

Tom Cruise. Brad Pitt. Matt Damon. Ben Affleck. They all passed. So we got Brendan Fraser and his perfect bangs, and somehow it made $400 million. This week Kyle and Seth bring back comedian Dustin Chaffin for a second round — and yes, they were already laughing before they hit record. The topic is The Mummy (1999), a movie that Roger Ebert himself said he couldn't defend on a single technical lev...

Marianna's favorite horror movie. Kyle and Seth's most complicated relationship with a film this year. Cabin in the Woods doesn't fit neatly into any box — and that's exactly the point. This week we're digging into Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's 2012 genre-bending masterpiece, a movie that somehow functions as a straight-up horror film, a loving send-up of every horror cliché you've ever seen, and...

Quote me on this: The Naked Gun is the greatest comedy film ever made. I've been saying it for years and I'm saying it again on this episode — and I dare anyone to prove me otherwise. Kyle, Seth, and Marianna break down the 1988 ZAZ masterpiece that somehow came from a TV show that got cancelled after four episodes, built a legacy on dramatic actors who'd never told a joke in their lives, and prod...

Thirty years later and Muppet Treasure Island still does not get the respect it deserves. In this episode we go deep on one of the most slept-on films in the entire Muppet catalog, and make the case that it is not just a great Muppet movie but a legitimately great movie, full stop. We talk about Tim Curry doing what Tim Curry does best, which is walk into a movie and immediately become the most ch...

Sinners just became the most Oscar-nominated film in history — 16 nominations — and we waited way too long to talk about it. Kyle, Seth, and Mariana break down Ryan Coogler's blood-soaked, blues-drenched masterpiece: a movie that somehow pulls off being a historically accurate 1930s Delta drama AND the greatest vampire film ever made, all in the same 137 minutes. We get into Michael B. Jordan's tw...

Coming off Ben Hur — the first film to win 11 Oscars — we hit the only other movie to match that record: Titanic. And yeah, it won zero acting awards, which tells you everything you need to know going in. Kyle, Seth, and John break down James Cameron's $200 million gamble that somehow became the highest-grossing film of its time — and one of the most emotionally manipulative movies ever made. Is i...

Ben Hur. 1959. Eleven Oscars. And yeah — it earned every single one of them. This week on Movie Wars, Kyle, Seth, and John Datoy sit down to dig into what might be the greatest epic ever put on film. We're talking about a movie so massive, so meticulously crafted, that it basically wrote the rulebook for every sword-and-sandals film that came after it. No Ben Hur? No Gladiator. No Kingdom of Heave...

Scream (1996) — Does It Hold Up? | feat. John Detoy Scream 7 is dropping, so we went back to where it all started. Kyle, Seth, and friend of the podcast John Detoy — fresh off the Nateland at sea cruise — sit down to break apart the 1996 original that didn't just survive the 90s, it rewired the entire slasher genre. We dig into why killing Drew Barrymore in the first five minutes was one of the bo...

In this episode of Movie Wars, we tackle one of the most divisive comedies in modern cinema: Superbad. Fresh off recording our Apocalypse Now episode, we couldn't be shifting gears harder as we dive into Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's 2007 high school comedy that many consider the gold standard for post-80s comedies. The debate gets heated as our hosts - Kyle, Seth, and Marianna - discover they're...

Apocalypse Now: The Heart of Darkness, Coppola's Masterpiece, and Cinema's Greatest War Film Can a film about the Vietnam War transcend its genre to become a philosophical meditation on human nature? Join Kyle, Seth, and Marianna as they journey into the jungle to dissect Francis Ford Coppola's magnum opus—a movie that nearly destroyed its director but created one of cinema's most haunting and unf...

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - A Gothic Romance Gone Wrong | Movie Wars Podcast Join Kyle, Seth, and Mariana as they sink their teeth into Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 vampire epic Bram Stoker's Dracula , starring Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, and Winona Ryder. In this episode, the hosts dissect one of the most visually stunning yet narratively confusing Dracula adaptations ever made. Was this a horro...

28 Days Later: The Raging Dead & The Vibe That Changed Horror The "Bone Temple" is here and it’s officially the highest-rated movie in the franchise. With the recent release of 28 Weeks Later and 28 Years Later (and The Bone Temple hitting over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes), we had to go back to where the rage began. In this episode, Kyle, Seth, and our resident horror expert Mariana Barksdale break dow...

Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially back for Season Two , and we’re kicking things off with a cinematic banger that is as memeable as it is polarizing: Martin Scorsese’s 2013 opus, The Wolf of Wall Street . In this episode, Kyle, Seth, and our brand-new official co-host, Mariana Barksdale , dive deep into the $100 million "laundering" scandal that financed the film, the infamous Quaalude-fuele...

Terminated: Why James Cameron’s 1984 Masterpiece Still Rules Ladies and gentlemen, we are back ! Welcome to the official kickoff of Season Two . We’ve got a massive show to celebrate our new permanent third member, the incomparable Mariana Barksdale . Between Kyle’s new book and Mariana’s comedy and acting takeover, a lot has happened—but we’re putting the life updates on ice to scratch a major ci...

With Special Guest: Nashville Comedian Nick Galuzzo For our Thanksgiving episode, we decided to really set the mood… with one of the bleakest, most soul-shredding thrillers ever made. Nothing says “pass the stuffing” like Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners — a movie that starts on Thanksgiving and then immediately descends into pure moral chaos. Kyle, Seth, and Nashville comedian Nick Goulooze break dow...

🎧 Movie Wars Podcast: Prey — Can the Predator Franchise Still Hunt? This week on Movie Wars , we’re diving deep into Prey — the surprise Predator prequel that dared to strip the franchise down to its primal roots. We break down why this one hit so differently: from its raw depiction of Comanche culture and authentic casting to the jaw-dropping cinematography that turned blood and wilderness into...

🎙️ Episode Description: The Babadook — Grief, Monsters & Parenting Nightmares The season finale dives into one of the most haunting indie horror films of the 2010s — The Babadook . We unpack how Jennifer Kent’s small, scrappy production turned a simple monster story into a psychological gut-punch about grief, trauma, and the brutal realities of parenting. We get real about why this movie hits so h...

In this episode of Movie Wars , we crack open one of the most iconic horror films ever made — A Nightmare on Elm Street . Freddy Krueger isn’t just a slasher; he’s the embodiment of the stuff that stalks your subconscious when the lights go out. We dig into why Wes Craven’s dream-stalking boogeyman hit differently than anything before it: a fusion of primal fear, gritty indie filmmaking, and some...

The grid is open and we’re diving headfirst into Tron Legacy . This week on Movie Wars , Kyle, Seth, and returning guest Evan Burke unpack Disney’s 2010 sequel that tried to resurrect a cult classic with neon, Daft Punk, and CGI de-aging. We kick off with Evan updating us on Nashville’s Funniest Comic , the March Madness of stand-up that’s taken over the city with 96 comics battling it out for $3,...

The central theme of this Movie Wars episode is the groundbreaking 1982 film Tron , a movie that didn’t just dabble with computer-generated imagery—it invented the playbook for CGI in cinema. Kyle, Seth, and returning guest Evan Burke (fresh off crushing Kill Tony in front of 15,000 people at Bridgestone Arena) break down how Tron went from Disney’s underdog experiment (that even its own animators...

In this episode of Movie Wars , Kyle and Seth team up with guest McKenna McFadden to break down Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day — the movie that turned Denzel Washington into one of cinema’s greatest antiheroes. We unpack the Rampart-scandal roots, the wild casting stories (Eminem as Hoyt?!), on-set tricks that shaped Ethan Hawke’s performance, and why “King Kong ain’t got s*** on me” may have clinch...

Tarantino’s sun-bleached fairytale gets the full Movie Wars teardown. I’m joined by Seth and McKenna McFadden to dig into Once Upon a Time in Hollywood : the Rick/Cliff bromance (Leonardo DiCaprio & Brad Pitt), the Sharon Tate revision, the Bruce Lee fight debate, and why Quentin himself calls this his best film. We trace how the idea sparked on the Death Proof set while Tarantino watched the acto...

Today on Movie Wars , we dive headfirst into Joel Schumacher’s 1990 cult thriller Flatliners . With an all-star cast of Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and William Baldwin, the film follows a group of med students who push science (and sanity) to the limit by experimenting with near-death experiences. Kyle, Seth, and Dr. Ben (comedian and real-life physician) break down the history,...

Today we dive into Dallas Buyers Club , a film that took nearly 20 years to get made, changed the trajectory of Matthew McConaughey’s career, and gave Jared Leto one of the most transformative roles of his life. Joining us is Dr. Ben —orthopedic surgeon by day, comedian by night, and now a regular at Zanies Nashville. He brings both medical perspective and sharp comedic timing to the table, making...

Today on Movie Wars , we dig into the cult classic that every ’80s kid swears by— The Goonies . Executive chef and stand-up comedian Matt West joins us, bringing his unique mix of behind-the-scenes kitchen chaos and sharp comedy chops to one of the most divisive nostalgia bombs in movie history. We get real about whether The Goonies is a timeless adventure film or just a messy pile of pirate trope...