2014 - Movie SmackdownÂ®

Nightcrawler (2014) vs. Zodiac (2007)

October 31, 2014 Arthur Tiersky 4

If weâ€™ve learned anything over the years from movies about journalists, reporters and TV newspeople, itâ€™s that theirs is a world of ethical and psychological pitfalls. One day, youâ€™re an upstanding citizen doing your job, investigating and helping keep the public apprised of current events, and then, suddenly youâ€™re Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole (1951), deliberately manipulating your story to create and prolong the media circus surrounding it. Or youâ€™re Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005), befriending a convicted murderer but privately rooting for his execution. Or youâ€™re Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), ingesting so many intoxicants that you miss the story entirely. Or youâ€™re Hayden Christensen in Shattered Glass (2003) and just flat out making shit up. […]

Gone Girl (2014) vs. Gone Baby Gone (2007)

October 3, 2014 Arthur Tiersky 11

It wasnâ€™t so long ago that Ben Affleck was among the easiest punchlines in Hollywood: A wooden, one-note actor with horrendous taste in projects, a consistent provider of gossip fodder, and the co-winner of a screenwriting Oscar that few believed he actually deserved. But then, in 2007, he made the second-wisest move of his career (just behind ditching J-Lo and settling down with J-Garn): He turned his focus to further developing his behind-the-camera talents, choosing Gone Baby Gone, a twisty, noirish mystery based on a novel about a specious kidnapping, for his directorial debut (and opting to leave the acting chores in the film to his younger, squirrelly brother, Casey). […]

Fargo vs. True Detective

September 16, 2014 Arthur Tiersky 1

What will be the water cooler topic of the coming years? If you work in my office, then Fantasy Football is, as always, the obvious answer. (Seriously, people, if itâ€™s such a great sport, why do you need to gin it up with fantasies? But I digress.) In terms of episodic TV, the pickings are growing steadily slimmer, with Breaking Bad a brilliant but fading memory, Mad Men with but a half-season remaining, and Game of Thrones already starting to show its age, with many disappointed by this past season and (quite justifiably) concerned about the coming Hodor-less one. […]

Foxcatcher (2014) vs. Win Win (2011)

September 9, 2014 Bryce Zabel 1

Maybe it’s just me, but I wrestled a bit as a kid and saw more than enough of my coach without ever moving in with him. I’ll tell you right now, if that’s what cost me a shot at having my life blown up on the big screen for the world to enjoy, I’m okay with it, especially after seeing how messed up the protagonists in these two indie projects turn out. […]

Breaking Bad vs. The Sopranos

September 7, 2014 Bryce Zabel 4

Critics and audiences seem to agree in large numbers that the greatest continuing one-hour series ever to air on American television is either the recently departed masterwork Breaking Bad or the groundbreaking show that aired in the previous decade, The Sopranos. Both are gruelingly suspenseful and violent neo-noir crime stories interwoven with searing family drama, intense action and bizarre black comedy. Between them they’ve garnered numerous Emmy awards for their incredible casts, directors and writers. […]

alt.history, What if JFK Lived, Sidewise Award nominee

Team Smack Goes Sidewise

June 9, 2014 Movie Smackdown 0

We didn’t see this one coming… We’ve told you aboutÂ Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas?, the alternate history book written by Movie Smackdown’s evil genius Bryce Zabel, edited by our own word wrangler […]

The Fault In Our Stars (2014) vs. The Spectacular Now (2013)

June 5, 2014 Arthur Tiersky 0

You fell in love with her in The Descendants (2011), and then you blinked, and suddenly Shailene Woodley was everywhere.

Just in the past nine months alone, sheâ€™s been in two horribly titled romances made from best-selling young-adult novels, both adapted, in fact, by the same writing team, best known for previous Smackdown challenger (500) Days of Summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was also the star of 50/50, which shares a theme with…

Well, Iâ€™m getting ahead of myself. So letâ€™s get on with this weekâ€™s bout, as we pit last fallâ€™s The Spectacular Now against current release The Fault in Our Stars. Because if Movie Smackdown didnâ€™t do it, who Woodley?

(Sorry.)
[…]

(Super) Men of Steel

May 30, 2014 Movie Smackdown 2

While he’s not necessarily the world’s singularly favorite (or only) superhero any more, Superman still maintains a strong pull on the audience’s loyalty. Many brave actors have tried on the tights and cape over the years.

Please vote for the man who was the superest of the Supermen in our poll. We’ve set it up so you can vote several times if you want to vote for more than one. […]

The Drop: Whatâ€™s New in Theaters, Disc and Digital?

March 7, 2014 Lynda Karr 2

Check The Drop to see whatâ€™s new in theaters, disc and digital each week. Click below for theater showtimes. If you’d rather stay home, check out Armchair Smack, where we suggest alternatives to each week’s theatrical releases. Choose one or see both, and then Smack us in the comments section below and let us know how they compare.

What will you view this weekend? […]