Movie Wars

Nick Swardson on the Revival of Rated-R Comedy, Happy Gilmore 2, and Blades of Glory This week, comedy legend Nick Swardson joins us for one of the most fun, candid, and wide-ranging conversations we’ve ever had. From behind-the-scenes stories on Blades of Glory to joining the legacy of Happy Gilmore 2, Nick shares his mission to bring back the loud, unapologetic energy of Rated-R comedy. We get into his 30-year stand-up career, his start writing and starring in Grandma’s Boy, and his long-running creative partnership with Adam Sandler. He breaks down why R-rated comedies always seem to vanish, only to come roaring back, and why he’s determined to help spark the next big wave. You’ll also hear wild stories involving Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Paris Hilton, and even Tom Cruise playing hockey at Sandler’s holiday party. It’s Nick Swardson unfiltered—and absolutely hilarious. 🎤 About Nick Swardson Nick Swardson is a veteran stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer with deep roots in modern comedy. Hailing from Minneapolis, he got his big break writing and starring in Malibu's Most Wanted and Grandma’s Boy, becoming a key member of Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison crew. He’s appeared in a long list of comedy classics including Benchwarmers, Click, Just Go With It, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and voiced characters in Hell and Back and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Nick’s stand-up specials—Taste It, Seriously, Who Farted?, and Make Joke From Face—are cult favorites, and his upcoming special Toilet Head was filmed at the iconic First Avenue club in Minneapolis. Nick continues to write and produce original R-rated comedies aimed at reigniting the genre—and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. 🎯 Takeaways from this episode: * Nick opens up about joining Happy Gilmore 2 and what it means to be part of Sandler’s legacy. * He walks us through the writing of new original comedies that tap into the spirit of Road House and Sons of Anarchy—but with laughs. * He shares what made Blades of Glory so special, including almost replacing Jon Heder mid-shoot. * We talk about the cultural importance of R-rated comedies—and why we need them now more than ever. * Nick gives a rare glimpse into his behind-the-scenes role as a creative producer, punching up scripts and feeding lines on set. * 📣 Reminder: If you love comedies, support them in theaters. That’s how we keep movies like Grandma’s Boy, Bucky Larson, and Your Highness alive.

Got it! Here's the corrected version with Seth as the Speed Racer defender instead of Will—and still optimized for SEO and your voice: 🎙️ Speed Racer: The Cult Classic That Was Too Ahead of Its Time (ft. Will Abeles) Start your engines—because this episode is pure candy-colored chaos. Touring comedian Will Abeles joins us as Seth defends one of the most misunderstood movies of the 2000s: Speed Racer. That’s right—Seth’s calling it his third favorite movie of all time, and he’s ready to die on that rainbow-striped hill. We dig into the Wachowskis’ wildly ambitious adaptation, from its unapologetically cartoony VFX (2,000+ shots!) to the way it wears its anime roots on its sleeve. This episode covers everything: John Goodman going full WWE dad, the monkey that tried to maul Christina Ricci, and why modern anime adaptations—especially Netflix’s—keep failing in comparison. And yeah… we also talk about lost boobs, dad arrests, and why John Goodman might secretly be one of the greatest actors of our time. 📝 Show Notes: 00:00 – Will Abeles returns: from Collateral to Chim Chim 04:30 – Seth makes the case: Speed Racer is a top 3 movie 07:50 – Why the Wachowskis were way ahead of their time 12:10 – How the film nails the anime-to-live-action formula 15:20 – The monkey that terrorized Christina Ricci on set 18:00 – The 2,000+ VFX shots and real-time editing chaos 21:30 – John Goodman, ninja-tossing, and unexpected emotional range 25:10 – Roger Allam’s villain Royalton: the capitalist king we hate to love 27:00 – Why Netflix anime reboots fail where Speed Racer succeeded 30:00 – Musical rants, dad horror stories & Arkansas drug busts 💥 Key Takeaways: * * * Seth argues that Speed Racer is a visionary masterpiece that critics and audiences just weren’t ready for in 2008. * * * * The Wachowskis committed hard to an anime-faithful style—vivid colors, cartoony edits, and surreal VFX—with zero compromise. * * * * Behind the scenes, the cast got physically wrecked: vomit, bruises, and a monkey nearly detaching Ricci’s chest. * * * * John Goodman’s performance blends cartoon absurdity with heartfelt family drama—and somehow, it works. * * * * Netflix’s adaptation pipeline could learn a thing or two from Speed Racer’s focused, fan-driven execution. * * * * The film holds emotional weight beneath the spectacle, exploring family, competition, and identity in ways few adaptations even attempt. * * *

🎬 Welcome to Movie Wars — where comedy meets cinema analysis. Hosted by Kyle Castro and Seth Kays, Movie Wars is what happens when stand-up comics, filmmakers, artists, celebrity guests, and a few smart weirdos get way too obsessed with movies — and start scoring them in a gladiator-style showdown. Each week, we dive deep into the films you love (and love to argue about), breaking them down across a custom scorecard that blends craft, chaos, and comedy. From cult classics to critical darlings, we debate cast, direction, writing, and whatever wild stuff we find behind the scenes — and we don’t stop until we’ve got a winner. This trailer episode gives you the lay of the land: who we are, what makes our podcast different, and why our War Card System™ puts a fresh spin on how we experience film. Whether you’re a movie buff, a casual fan, or someone who just wants to laugh while learning something new about cinema — there’s a seat for you here. * 🎧 New episodes drop every Tuesday across all platforms. Subscribe, join the war, and get ready to watch movies differently.

🎙️ COLLATERAL — LA CRIME, MICHAEL MANN VIBES, AND WILL ABELES' MURDER RIDE This week on Movie Wars, we dive into Michael Mann’s Collateral — a movie where Tom Cruise plays the most terrifying silver fox since Anderson Cooper, and Jamie Foxx gets one night to decide if he’s a cab driver or a hero. We’re joined by our good friend and touring standup Will Abeles, who took a break from crisscrossing the country to talk LA noir, digital cinematography, and, oh yeah — the time he gave a real-life Vincent a ride across Nashville. We talk about how Collateral captures LA’s sweaty, neon-soaked vibe better than any other film since Heat, how Mann’s use of early digital cameras shaped the look of modern movies, and how Cruise’s weird hair dye and Bangkok suit are all part of the character’s ghostlike anonymity. Plus: Jamie Foxx’s quiet career pivot, what makes Mann’s cityscapes feel mythic, and a full-on Uber-from-hell story that somehow makes Collateral feel like a documentary. This one’s full of chaos, crime, and comedy — basically, a perfect night in Los Angeles. 🔥 TAKEAWAYS * Michael Mann doesn’t just film LA — he turns it into a character. From Heat to Collateral, the man is the city’s best cinematographer * Will Abeles joins fresh off his special The Pride of Hagerstown, and shares his very own “Collateral moment” while driving for Uber. * We talk about Mann’s bold use of early digital cameras in 2004 and how it gave the movie that immersive, eerie nighttime look. * Tom Cruise’s gray hair and Thai-tailored suit? That wasn’t just a weird choice — it was a tactical one, designed to make Vincent disappear in plain sight. * Jamie Foxx’s performance in Collateral marked a major turning point in his career, showing off the kind of dramatic depth we’d later see in Ray. * Also: Scientology, strip mall comedy clubs, Morgan Wallen chaos, and an impromptu Nashville ayahuasca rant. You're welcome.

🎙️ HARD TARGET – MULLETS, DOVES, AND VAN DAMME’S MID-TIER LEGACY Featuring Joe & Vance from Boys Watching Buffy On this episode of Movie Wars, we’re throwing roundhouse kicks into the Louisiana swamp and diving into Hard Target, the chaotic, mullet-soaked fever dream that marked John Woo’s American debut. I’m joined by Joe and Vance from the hilarious podcast Boys Watching Buffy, where they bring their sharp humor and fresh takes to cult TV classics like Buffy, Angel, Veronica Mars, and more. We dig into everything: Van Damme’s mid-tier action star status, the insane production meddling that turned this into a different movie, why early ‘90s action films were weirdly obsessed with Cajun Louisiana, and the very real question — are the villains in Hard Target actually the best part? We also talk ugly movie stars, the lost art of gritty backdrops, and why slow-mo gunfights with saxophone porn music will always have a place in our hearts. If you love action movies, wild tangents, and hearing three dudes lose it over mullets and Wilford Brimley’s Southern accent, this one’s for you. Absolutely. Here are your show notes for the Hard Target episode — formatted cleanly with sections for platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your website: 🎬 EPISODE SHOW NOTES: HARD TARGET – MULLETS, DOVES, AND VAN DAMME’S MID-TIER LEGACY Guests: Joe & Vance from Boys Watching Buffy Host: Kyle Castro Podcast: Movie Wars 🔥 WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE: * The chaotic backstory behind John Woo’s Hard Target and why it barely resembles his original vision * Jean-Claude Van Damme’s mullet, legacy, and where he fits in the action star pantheon * A love letter to slow-mo gunfights, dove symbolism, and 90s saxophone porn music * Why early ’90s Hollywood was weirdly obsessed with Cajun Louisiana as a setting * The incredible villain duo of Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo — and why they deserved a spinoff * The era of "ugly movie stars" and the raw grit of pre-streaming cinema * Tangents on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Red Dead Redemption 2, Street Fighter, and Double Team with Dennis Rodman * Is Van Damme underrated, overrated, or stuck in mullet limbo? 🎙 ABOUT OUR GUESTS Joe and Vance are the hosts of Boys Watching Buffy, a hilarious and addictive podcast where they watch cult TV shows for the first time — starting with Buffy, then moving through Angel, Veronica Mars, Dollhouse, and more. > > 📢 Follow their journey here: Boys Watching Buffy [https://linktr.ee/boyswatchingbuffy] > 🎯 FAVORITE QUOTES: > > “You forget he’s wearing a mullet because he’s so serious about the shipment work.” > > “This is peak ugly cinema — and I miss it.” > > “Van Damme was trying to do spin kicks as the Predator. He got fired for being too extra.” > 🧠 BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS: * Hard Target was originally 116 minutes long and got slapped with an NC-17 before being trimmed to 97 minutes. * John Woo was shadowed by Sam Raimi on set to “protect” the production. * Van Damme oversaw the final edit to make it his movie. * The studio almost made a spinoff film focused entirely on the villains Emil and Van Cleef. 📌 LINKS & EXTRAS: * Watch Hard Target [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/hard-target] * Behind-the-scenes on Van Damme’s Predator Firing [https://youtu.be/F5qu6vnvSzc] * Follow Joe’s LA Gym Chronicles on IG [https://instagram.com/joewelkie] Let me know if you want a TL;DR version for Spotify's "episode description" field or a social-friendly caption to go with this!