This Year’s Smacks!

Summer’s over at Movie Smackdown! but we’re still on the move! Several new critics have joined in this year, the site traffic now sets a new record every month and we’re getting a lot of positive feedback for our new way to do movie reviews. Namely, we pick two films — related by theme, star, content, whatever, usually one in the theaters and one on DVD — and review them against each other.

“Listen, it’s completely awesome about the baby and everything, but there’s a new Smackdown being posted and I’m just gonna go down to Starbucks and check it out on the Wi-Fi for a minute. Bring you a latte or anything? 

 

Below, these are the movies that have ended up in our cage for a little film-on-film competition so far this year. Some are still in theaters, others just released on DVD, and others got reviewed just because we felt the films could use a good Smack.

 

COMEDY 

• Balls of Fury (2007) -vs- Dodgeball (2004)

 

• Evan Almighty (2007) -vs- Bruce Almighty (2003)

 

 

• Hairspray (2007) -vs- Hairspray (1988)

 

 

• I Think I Love My Wife (2007) -vs- The Last Kiss (2006)

 

 

• In the Land of Women (2007) -vs- Garden State (2004)

 

 

• Introducing the Dwights (2007) -vs- Meet the Fockers (2004)

 

 

• Knocked Up (2007) -vs- Junior (1994)

 

 

• Knocked Up (2007) -vs- The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

 

 

• License to Wed (2007) -vs- My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)

 

 

• Meet the Robinsons (2007) -vs- The Incredibles (2004)

 

 

• Mr. Woodcock (2007) -vs- Bad Santa (2003)

 

 

• Music and Lyrics (2007) -vs- Wimbledon (2004)

 

 

• No Reservations (2007) -vs- Big Night (1996)

 

 

• No Reservations (2007) -vs- Mostly Martha (2002)

 

 

• Ratatouille (2007) -vs- Toy Story (1995)

 

 

• Superbad (2007) -vs- American Pie (1999)

 

SCI-FI | FANTASY

• 28 Weeks Later (2007) -vs- Aliens (1986) 

 

• 300 (2007) -vs- Sin City (2005)

 

 

• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) -vs- Armageddon (1998)

 

 

• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) -vs- The Incredibles (2004)

 

 

• Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (2007) -vs- Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2005)

 

 

• Invasion (2007) -vs- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

 

 

• POTC: At World’s End (2007) -vs- Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

 

 

• Premonition (2007) -vs- The Gift (2000)

 

 

• Spider-Man 3 (2007) -vs- Spider-Man 2 (2004)

 

 

• Spider-Man 3 (2007) -vs- Superman III (1983)

 

 

• Spider-Man 3 (2007) -vs- POTC: At World’s End (2007) -vs- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) -vs- The Matrix Revolutions

 

 

• Sunshine (2007) -vs- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

 

 

• The Last Mimzy (2007) -vs- ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

 

 

• The Nines (2007) -vs- Go (1999)

 

 

• Transformers (2007) -vs- Independence Day (1996)

 

DRAMA

 

• 3:10 to Yuma (2007) -vs- Unforgiven (1992)

 

 

• A Mighty Heart (2007) -vs- Proof of Life (2000)

 

 

• Becoming Jane (2007) -vs- Pride & Prejudice (2005)

 

 

• Black Book (2007) -vs- Europa, Europa (1990) 

 

 

• Disturbia (2007) -vs- Rear Window (1954)

 

 

• Fracture (2007) -vs- Primal Fear (1996)

 

 

• Grindhouse (2007) -vs- Pulp Fiction (1994)

 

 

• Live Free or Die Hard (2007) -vs- Die Hard (1988)

 

 

• Live Free or Die Hard (2007) -vs- Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

 

 

• Nancy Drew (2007) -vs- Get A Clue (2002)

 

 

• Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) -vs- Ocean’s Eleven (1960)

 

 

• Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) -vs- Ocean’s Twelve (2004) -vs- Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

 

 

• Once (2007) -vs- Music and Lyrics (2007)

 

 

• Pan’s Labyrinth (2007) -vs- Carmen (1983)

 

 

• Perfect Stranger (2007) -vs- Shattered Glass (2004)

 

 

• Reign Over Me (2007) -vs- The Upside of Anger (2005)

 

 

• Rescue Dawn (2007) -vs- Papillon (1973)

 

 

• The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) -vs- Mission: Impossible III (2006)

 

 

• The Good German (2007) -vs- Chinatown (1974)

 

 

• The Lives of Others (2007) -vs- The Conversation (1974)

 

 

• The Lookout (2007) -vs- Memento (2000)

 

 

• The Nanny Diaries (2007) -vs- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

 

 

• Vacancy (2007) -vs- Motel Hell (1980)

 

CLASSIC SMACK

• Casino Royale (2006) -vs- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

 

• Neverwas (2006) -vs- Finding Neverland (2004)

 

 

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) -vs- Cool Hand Luke (1967)

 

 

• Primary Colors (1998) -vs- The Candidate (1972)

 

 

• Superman Returns (2006) -vs- Batman Begins (2005)

 

 

• The Fountain (2006) -vs- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

 

 

• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) -vs- Michael Collins (1996)

 

 

• Without Limits (1998) -vs- Prefontaine (1997)

 

 

• World Trade Center (2006) -vs- United 93 (2006)