Rendition (2007) -vs- The Kingdom (2007)
The Smackdown Hollywood has decided that it’s okay to make movies about terror but, based on the two that are now in the theaters, the powers that be in Tinseltown haven’t decided whether they should […]
October 2007
Death Sentence (2007) -vs- The Brave One (2007)
The Smackdown Revenge in the movies has plenty of fans, not many champions. It’s not a motivation that ennobles. Still, it satisfies many audiences when “you done me wrong” has lethal consequences. Dirty Harry (1971), […]
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) -vs- Rushmore (1998)
The Smackdown Writer/director Wes Anderson can always become a cult leader if his film career ever flames out. His fans are so passionate for his quirky storytelling and characters that they can’t wait for each […]
Knocked Up (2007) -vs- She’s Having a Baby (1988)
The Smackdown Since my wife and I are expecting our first child next month, I thought I’d deliver a pair of battlin’ babies into Smackdown Nursery — pregnancy-themed comedies Knocked Up (by writer/director Judd Apatow) […]
Giving 2001: A Space Odyssey a Good Smack!
On October 23, Warner Home Video will launch the first in their new series featuring influential films from some of history’s greatest directors, starting with Stanley Kubrick. Among the new films, “2001: A Space […]
Angora & Aliens: Remembering Ed Wood, Junior
October 10 Birthday Greetings As the English writer and gay icon Quentin Crisp once remarked, "If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style." By that standard, Ed D. Wood, Junior achieved Hollywood […]
The Heartbreak Kid (2007) -vs- The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
The Smackdown Yesterday, my wife and I went with six other couples to an afternoon showing of the new “The Heartbreak Kid” at our local cineplex. Then we went out for a nice Italian dinner, drank a […]
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) -vs- Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
The Smackdown You’ve probably seen a movie written by Robin Swicord and didn’t even know it. Her specialty is adapting popular novels for the bigscreen, and this South Carolina native has transformed some books I […]
The Hits Keep Coming!
According to SiteMeter, Movie Smackdown has set a new record for site traffic for the eighth month in a row! This screen capture which follows shows that every month this year has set […]
The Simpsons Movie (2007) -vs- South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
They are the champions of modern animation — The Simpsons — and after nearly two decades on-the-air they are nearing their 500th episode. But this week belongs to the challenger — South Park — which airs its own 200th episode on Wednesday night, April 14. Both TV animation sensations have spawned exactly one feature film. Even though it came to TV on the heels of the success of “The Simpsons,†it was “South Park†that broke free from the small-screen to try its luck in the cineplexes first. Both film versions tested whether audiences would pay good money to see something they were used to getting for free. […]