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- Oscar Wrap-Up 2013
- A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) vs. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
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Category Archives: Bryce Zabel
Stalking the Wild Hobbit
I have seen “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and at the risk of bringing down the wrath of dwarves, elves, orcs and even Gandalf, I have to say that I prefer our own Robert Anglim’s Smashup version, “Wild Hobbits” (below).
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is a brilliantly mounted film that from a production standpoint must have been a terribly complicated thing to accomplish. But it seems to be too much — too many stunts, too much wall-to-wall swelling music, too many hangs from the cliffs, etc. I agree with the Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy who called the film “a bit of a slog.” Continue reading
Posted in Blockbuster, Bryce Zabel, Fantasy, Franchise
Tagged Bilbo Baggins, fantasy, film, Hobbit, Martin Freeman, mashup, movie, New Line, Peter Jackson, shire, Tolkein, trailer
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Stephen Colbert Photobombs Jon Stewart at the Emmys
“Why,” Stephen Colbert must be thinking, “am I always in Jon Stewart’s shadow?
“Anyone can see that my hair is as better than Stewart’s grandfatherly silver mane. (And it’s WAY better than Bryce Zabel’s, the Movie Smackdown guy who seems to be sprucing up his ‘do with a lovely red tiara in this picture.) ”
Colbert has a long way to go before he catches up with his stable mate’s record-setting ten consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Variety Series, but in terms of subversive attitude, he’s lurking right there over Stewart’s shoulder. Photo by Lauren Zabel. (Cont.) Continue reading
Christian Bale as Batman -vs- Little David as Spider-Man
Remember the angry f***-word rant that Christian Bale went on a few years ago? How about little David, the kid coming home from the dentist, stoned out of his mind? We’ve never forgotten them. We’ve just dressed them up in … Continue reading
Posted in Animated, Blockbuster, Book Adaptation, Bryce Zabel, Comic Book, Coming of Age, Drama, Major Star Vehicle, Re-Make, Sci-Fi, Smackdown News, SmashUp!, Smashups
Tagged Batman, blockbuster, Bryce Zabel, Christian Bale, comedy, comic, Comic-Con, DC, Edd Hall, film, graphics, Hollywood, little David, Marvel, mash-up, profanity, rant, review, sci-fi, SDCC, smashup, SONY, Spider-Man, superhero, Tonight Show, trailer, University of Oregon, video, Warner, YouTube
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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) -vs- Spider-Man (2002)
What a difference a decade makes. Why, in that period of time, it’s possible to forget you’ve ever seen a specific movie, almost like it never existed.
Well, no, it’s not like that all, of course. Those of us over the age of thirteen do clearly remember the blockbuster films we saw just ten years ago. The question Columbia Pictures seems to be asking with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man is whether or not it matters. Continue reading
Posted in Action, Adventure, Book Adaptation, Bryce Zabel, Comic Book, Coming of Age, Fantasy, SummerSmack
Tagged Andrew Garfield, Denis Leary, Emma Stone, high school, Kirsten Dunst, Marti Sheen, Marvel Comics, Peter Parker, Rhys Ifans, Spider, Spider-Man, Stan Lee, Student, superhero, Tobey Maguire, Web, Willem Dafoe
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Title Fight Preview >> July 2012 >> Batman versus Spider-Man
Initially, fans seem to be anxiously anticipating every frame of The Dark Knight Rises while lamenting the need for such a fast re-boot of The Amazing Spider-Man. But with every new trailer tease for Spidey it seems less-and-less like the Sam Raimi version, no matter how well-regarded, from 2002. Andrew Garfield, we think, will eventually be seen as a more faithful version of Peter Parker than Tobey Maguire ever was and that may make a big difference.
It’s probably a good bet that both films are going to be seen by almost everyone eventually but it may turn out that The Dark Knight Rises will be the one that gets the most “must-see-now” box office. Continue reading
Posted in Book Adaptation, Bryce Zabel, Smackdown News, SummerSmack
Tagged Ali, Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, audience, Billy Crystal, blockbuster, Christian Bale, Comic-Con, Dark Knight Rises, DC, films, Frasier, Gotham City, Marvel, monochromatic, Oscars, posters, San Diego, sequel, SONY, superhero, Tobey Maguire, Warner Bros.
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Whitney -vs- Whitney: The Match-Up No One Wanted to See
That life is over. We all know the reasons, even as we await an autopsy report. Does it matter what they will find? The scourge of modern life, addiction, turned her away from her calling and purpose and took her life. For this conflict, there was no bodyguard to protect her. There should have been, of course, but on this struggle, friends and family can only do so much. The news coverage over the next week will shine some light on this. Continue reading
Posted in Bryce Zabel, Journalism, Major Star Vehicle, Smackdown News
Tagged Ebert, entertainment, film, humor, news, skepticism, social media, The Bodyguard, tsunami, Whitney Houston
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The Oscar as the Ultimate Smackdown
Despite the major studios’ insistence on making primarily mega-budget, tent-pole, comic-book, sequel-remake, monster-alien-scifi films as their bread-and-butter, challenging and compelling original films do get made every year through alternative means. And, despite the harping and complaining we all do, there always seems to be a great crop that bridge the divide and are worth saluting. Those are the kinds of films that the Academy Awards gravitate to as their nominees. Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Awards 2012, Bryce Zabel, Lists, News, Oscar, Smackdown News
Tagged Academy Awards, awards, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, film, Hollywood, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, movies, Oscar, review, The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Tree of Life, War Horse
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In Praise of… 50/50
50/50 deserves every bit as much Oscar love as The Descendants which is going to get its share. Both films are about dealing with terrible news and living through those stages of grief and 50/50 more than holds its own in that comparison.
Instead Academy members will probably see 50/50 as a diversion for people in their 20s, as light and comedic, and as another Seth Rogen getting stoned kind of movie. Well, it is actually those things within its frames, but it is so much more. Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Biopic, Bryce Zabel, Comedy, Coming of Age, Smackdown News
Tagged 50/50, Academy Awards, awards, black comedy, cancer, comedy, death, film, Funny People, illness, love, Oscar, review, Seth Rogan, Terms of Endearment
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Hey, MTV: Stop Using Our Trademarked Name! Movie Smackdown®
UPDATE – JANUARY 3, 2012
MTV has backed off its use of “Movie Smackdown” after we made it clear that it was our trademarked name through this post and by official means. They have changed the name of their tournament competition to “Movie Brawl.” Still not sure how they could have let this happen, but at least they’ve done the right thing when their mistake was pointed out to them. Continue reading
Posted in Apocalypse, Awards, Bryce Zabel, Commentary, Lists, Polls, Smackdown News, Trademark
Tagged 2012, critics, Daily Variety, DHD, entertainment, film, films, Hollywood, Hollywood Reporter, Movie Smackdown, movies, MTV, review, reviews, sequel, service mark, showbiz, Smackdown, The Wrap, trademark
18 Comments



Dark Skies vs. Dark Skies
Our “Dark Skies” has established itself in the minds of a significant number of science fiction fans as a gripping piece of conspiracy drama set in the world of UFOs and abductions. It anchored NBC’s Saturday night “Thrillogy” concept in the 1996 season premiere and starred Eric Close (“Nashville”) and the late film character actor J.T. Walsh (“Sling Blade”). Its main title design won the Emmy award and its pilot screenplay received a Writers Guild nomination. The Syfy Channel aired the entire series multiple times. Since 2010 there’s been a Facebook page where thousands of fans from many different countries push Sony for a TV revival. Continue reading →