February 2012 - Page 2 of 2 - Movie SmackdownÂ®

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) -vs- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

February 9, 2012 Eric Volkman 2

You have to hand it to French science fiction writer Jules Verne. More than a century after his death, he not only continues to be a best-selling author, his books still provide ripe material for movie adaptations. 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth was a more or less straightforward adaptation of Verneâ€™s adventure story aimed at kids, and while its similarly targeted sequel, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, drifts a little from its origins, much of Verne’s content is used in the movie. Essentially, both are old-fashioned, earnest, quest movies spiced up a bit with contemporary references for the target audience, with 3D added to give the kids some funky eye candy. […]

The Vow (2012) -vs- 50 First Dates (2004)

February 9, 2012 Jackie Zabel 2

Artistic women with memory loss and the men who love them â€” thatâ€™s the premise of both The Vow, out this weekend with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in the lead roles, and 50 First Dates (2004), starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. These films play against the standard boy-girl movie clichÃ©, in that itâ€™s the guys who know theyâ€™ve found their true romantic matches, and the women who, after seemingly falling in love, treat them like theyâ€™ve never seen them before. Of course, thereâ€™s a reason for that, and it has to do, in both cases, with brain trauma. Love may conquer all, but only if you can remember youâ€™re in love. […]

The Way We See it: Joe Rassulo on the Oscars

February 8, 2012 Joe Rassulo 8

The Artist is this yearâ€™s most talked about and most overrated film. Yes, itâ€™s charming and filled with lovely, touching performances and indelible moments of black and white reveries of movies and times past. It is a wonderful homage to an era long gone. Its obvious relevance to today is its theme of technology leaving many obsolete in its wake. There’s a familiar resonance to the despair many feel in todayâ€™s technological storm, which has left so many jobless and even homeless. But the film touches on that theme in a broad, superficial way. â€œModern Timesâ€ it is not. Itâ€™s a singular, gimmicky, almost-silent film that works on every level except one of true substance. And, I believe, a best picture of the year should do more than charm. […]

Rampart (2011) -vs- Training Day (2001)

February 8, 2012 Eric Volkman 0

Our contenders here are hardened Los Angeles cops who come to the ring after years of battling gang-bangers, crooked politicians and their own evil instincts. Both these films were inspired by the LAPDâ€™s troubled Rampart division which, during the late 1990s pretty much set the bar for police misconduct, and also inspired the classic cable hit, The Shield. So naturally, the squads in this fight are street-tough, hard-cases who should be difficult to knock down for a win. Always eager for a scuffle, theyâ€™re hyperventilating in their corners, ready for a blast of Smackdown violence. So letâ€™s throw them at each other right away. Rrriiiiiiing! […]

Chronicle (2012) -vs- Kick-Ass (2010)

February 5, 2012 Eric Volkman 2

Ah, teenagers. Arenâ€™t they charming? We donâ€™t think so. Weâ€™ve got a surly bunch of â€™em in this Smackdown, and rather than have them bother us hard-working adults, weâ€™ll just let them whine and snap at each other or simply sulk in a corner by themselves. The main character in sci-fi drama Chronicle is a troubled loner dealing with a messed-up family life and a general inability to relate to other kids his age. […]

Big Miracle (2012) -vs- Free Willy (1993)

February 3, 2012 Nicole Marchesani 0

After sitting at home, wiping the tears off of my cheeks as a boy goes over and beyond to liberate a killer whale from its tank, and then sitting in a movie theater crying my eyes out over the giant rescue mission to save three whales from suffocating in the ice, I had to wonder why humans care so much about their seafaring brothers-in-mammaldom. Why was it so believable that these characters would go to such great lengths to protect some whales? And why did I use a whole box of tissues over it? Drew Barrymoreâ€™s character explains it this way in Big Miracle: â€œEven though theyâ€™re big and powerful, theyâ€™re so much like us. Weâ€™re vulnerable, and we get scared, and we need help sometimes too.â€ […]

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