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Recent Posts
- Man of Steel (2013) vs. Superman: The Movies (1978/1980)
- After Earth (2013) vs. Oblivion (2013)
- Now You See Me (2013) vs. The Prestige (2006)
- 42 (2013) vs. Remember the Titans (2000)
- Admission (2013) vs. About a Boy (2002)
- Oz the Great and Powerful (2012) vs. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
- Dark Skies (2013) vs. Dark Skies (1996)
- Oscar Wrap-Up 2013
- A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) vs. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Oscar Smack-a-thon!
- The Tiersky Top Ten, 2012
- Smackdown Smacks Down the 2013 Oscar Nominees
Recent Comments
- Buy D3 Legendary Items on Brave (2012) -vs- Mulan (1998)
- Diablo 3 Inferno on Brave (2012) -vs- Mulan (1998)
- Rodney on Man of Steel (2013) vs. Superman: The Movies (1978/1980)
- Dan Heims on Man of Steel (2013) vs. Superman: The Movies (1978/1980)
- Mariely on Hope Springs (2012) -vs- It’s Complicated (2009)
- Chris Gagen on Deep Impact (1998) -vs- Armageddon (1998)
- phillip_k_skick on The Walking Dead (AMC) -vs- Falling Skies (TNT)
- Michael on Warrior (2011) -vs- The Fighter (2010)
- Arthur on Now You See Me (2013) vs. The Prestige (2006)
- Superman in the age of Disclosure | cika on Lois & Clark: The (Old) New Adventures of Superman
Category Archives: Rodney Twelftree
Surrogates (2009) -vs- Gamer (2009)
Would humanity be better off if we all plugged into an artificial reality where our dreams, nightmares and fantasies can come true? In a strange way, both “Surrogates” and “Gamer” attempt to explore that question. With vague flashes of “Minority Report,” “The Matrix” and “I, Robot,” “Surrogates” plugs us into a bizarre world lived through robotic versions of ourselves, while “Gamer” answers the new-age-old question of what life would be like if we could live inside a video game vicariously, through actual people. Both films question our belief that fantasy would be better than reality, but which one does it more successfully?
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Posted in Action, Comic Book, Games, Rodney Twelftree, Sci-Fi
Tagged artificial reality, gamers, robots, video games, virtual reality
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The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) -vs- The Boondock Saints (1999)
“All Saints Day” is a complete miasma, a disaster of film-making that will surely spell the end of Troy Duffy’s career, which was pretty much over prior to making the second film anyway. Instead of trying to take the MacManus brothers in a new direction, Duffy has rehashed the original film (even finding new ‘characters’ that can replace the old versions and hoping nobody will notice! Duh!) to the point where everything in “All Saints Day” is irrelevant.
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Posted in Action, Rodney Twelftree, Sequel
Tagged crime, sequel, vigilante, violence
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Clue (1985) -vs- Murder By Death (1976)
Murder – The Ultimate Crime. Comedy – The Ultimate Genre. Therein lies the rub! Can you make a murder mystery into a successful comedy? After all, murder isn’t all that funny. “Murder By Death,” written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore, was an homage to the great detectives of old, such as Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, Miss Marple, and others. “Clue,” directed by Jonathan Lynn and set in the world of the board-game Cluedo, tapped into the psyche of the 80′s and evolved into a slapstick styled comedic farce, driven by a star turn from Tim Curry. One is a sly indictment of detective clichés, the other, an innuendo ridden cliché of the genre itself: together, both these films represent the zenith of mystery comedy of their times. But which one is the better film? Lets turn off the lights, shine a torch up on our faces, and prepare to get utterly scared in this murder mystery showdown!!
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Why the Oscars Will Never Be Exciting
Even here in Australia, there's been a lot of talk (again) this year post-Oscars about how boring the show is. Again we're regaled with sub-standard humor, dance routines and music that do not mix well, tedious self-congratulatory waffling and many, … Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Rodney Twelftree
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The Hangover (2009) -vs- American Pie (1999)
Boobs. Booze. Swearing. Got your attention? Sweet. It’s the return of the classic sub-genre, the Beer & Pizza Movie. That is, a movie you can only really enjoy with a group of mates, some beer, pizza, and a desire to be amused in an “adult” manner. Unapologetically wallowing in gratuitous nudity/swearing/adult themes, and generally politically incorrect, Beer & Pizza Movies are often lowbrow, tasteless cinematic buffoonery dressed up as social satire.So it is we take a long, hard look at a couple of “classic” Beer & Pizza movies, each containing their fair share of the aforementioned unmentionables. Hard to believe it’s been over a decade since Stifler drank that modified cup of beer! Both films were critical and commercial successes, but which one tops the bill as the ultimate Boys Flick? Grab a slice of day-old pizza, zip up your trousers, and read on to find out which of our combatants would win in a boozy brawl!
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Posted in Comedy, Coming of Age, Rodney Twelftree, Teens
Tagged adult movie, babes, booze, coming of age, nudity, political correctness, sex, swearing, teens, Vegas
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Quarantine (2008) -vs- Cloverfield (2008)
Sometimes, it’s the reality of a scenario that scares us the most. Film-makers are turning to more and more alternate methods of delivering a film to jaded, YouTube-obsessed audiences. With the two films on offer in this Smackdown, we delve into the world of “found footage” cinema and its gradual proliferation among the mainstream today. One, “Cloverfield,” takes us into New York city during a terrifying alien attack. The other, “Quarantine,” (a remake of a successful Spanish film entitled “REC” from 2007) delivers the story of a group of apartment residents, some fire-fighters, police, and a news crew, who become trapped inside a block of units when they are sealed in to stop the spread of a mysterious virus. Both are filmed in the Single Camera Perspective. Both are equally gripping. Both are filled with images and moments that will stay with the viewer forever. But which is better: alien attack and mass destruction, or simple, human drama played out with feverish speed and incalculable terror?
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Posted in Action, Alien/UFO, Apocalypse, Horror, Rodney Twelftree, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Tagged aliens, apocalypse, attack, Blair Witch, Horror, sci-fi
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Rodney’s Top Ten Films of The Past Ten Years (and the Worst, too)
Dawn of a new decade. High time I join the Smackdown fray with my own top ten list. After all, some think I represent not only myself on this site but my country. My continent. Frankly, that's a lot of pressure. … Continue reading
The Lion King (1994) -vs- Aladdin (1992)
The Smackdown Imagine, if you will, a time before computer animation. When the only way of moving pictures on film was to draw them all frame by frame, usually by hand, and occasionally by Xerox machine. Hard to imagine? Hundreds … Continue reading
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) -vs- Twilight (2008)
In the battle of the varied mythological creations, Vampires have for centuries captured the imagination of people around the world. Novels, films, theatrical productions and poorly-decorated costume shops have enjoyed success based upon their existence, proven or not. Likewise the Werewolf, natural enemy of the Vampire, whose moonlit howl still sends a tremor down the back of even the most hardened myth-lover. Bringing these two epic creatures together in one film franchise has most of the female population of our planet all in a tizz. Why? Are the men they encounter in the real world really that bad?
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Posted in Blockbuster, Book Adaptation, ChickFlick, Coming of Age, Drama, Fantasy, Franchise, Rodney Twelftree, Sequel, Teens
Tagged blockbusters, forbidden love, Pacific Northwest, romance, sexuality, vampires, werewolves
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The Green Mile (1999) -vs- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Prison movies have a long and proud history in Hollywood, keeping us in rapt attention to the plight of the modern-day inmate. While Hollywoods idealized prisoner is traditionally the wrongly accused, or the murderer with a heart of gold, there are some films so perfectly realized by a filmmaker that they transcend the genre and become classics in their own right. We have two to put in the ring together that share more than a screen setting. Both 1999s “The Green Mile” and 1994′s “The Shawshank Redemption” sprang from the original imagination of Stephen King and were brought to cinematic life by director Frank Darabont. As we approach the ten-year anniversary of “The Green Mile,” it’s probably time to ask if either film deserves our critical version of a lethal injection? Take our advice: order up what would be your perfect last meal and kick back for a double-header of life behind bars!
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Posted in Awards, Book Adaptation, Classic Smack, Crime, Drama, Legal, Major Star Vehicle, Period, Race, Rodney Twelftree, Smack Classix, Thriller
Tagged death sentence, Frank Darabont, jail, murder, prison, smuggling, Stephen King
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