Valkyrie (2008) -vs- The Usual Suspects (1994)
The Smackdown All kinds of films that want to be considered for an Oscar just got dumped in theaters in a post-Christmas frenzy. Some of them won’t even be out in wide-release for weeks but […]
Articles by Beau DeMayo
The Dark Knight (2008) -vs- The Godfather, Part II (1974)
When “The Dark Knight” hit movie screens earlier this year, critics screamed that cinema history had just been made, that it was even better than the movie that spawned it and, just possibly, one of the best films ever released. In 1974, the same thing happened.
“The Godfather, Part II” was not only seen as the best sequel ever but it stood up as a great film, winning the Oscar for Best Picture, like its predecessor from two years earlier. The test for these sequels is whether they managed to continue and expand upon the originals that came before them, by charting fresh new territory, raising the stakes and deepening the concepts. […]
Quantum of Solace (2008) -vs- Casino Royale (2006)
The Smackdown It’s the longest running movie franchise in the history of the world. In total, it has grossed billions worldwide, surpassing perhaps the gross domestic product of many small nations. In 1964, James Bond […]
World’s Finest Smackdown: The Big Men of DC Comics
EDITOR’S NOTE: With this Smackdown first posted in May 2008, we begin a series of “Classic Smack” reviews that deal with super-heroes from comic book origins. There’s a poll at the end of the review […]
The Dark Knight (2008) -vs- Batman (1989)
The Smackdown This is a championship match, sure to incite and divide. It’s Gotham’s defender’s revered cinematic debut in Tim Burton and Sam Hamm’s Batman versus the sequel to Christopher Nolan’s & David Goyer’s Batman […]
Wanted (2008) -vs- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
The Smackdown Angelina Jolie loves guns. On top of knowing this, I have a sneaking suspicion that studios love Angelina Jolie with guns because most men do. Who wouldn’t want to see the gorgeous wife/mistress/girlfriend […]
Hulk Smash Hulk
The Smackdown Back in 2008, the jade giant known as the Incredible Hulk wreaked havoc in the Movie Smackdown arena in a battle that pitted that year’s The Incredible Hulk, featuring Edward Norton, against 2003’s […]
Iron Man (2008) -vs- Batman Begins (2005)
The Smackdown It’s been a dark time for comic book movies since Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns.” Over the past two years, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” “X-Men: The […]
It Was No Contest for NO COUNTRY!
The Power of Two The Oscars did not break form. They joined the enthusiastic worldwide embrace of No Country For Old Men. Critics and the creative community bestowed 79 awards on this film and another […]
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (2007) -vs- Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Smackdown It must be some otherworldly spell that brings me back to the Harry Potter movies again and again, considering I’ve never completed one Harry Potter book. Warner Brothers’ prized franchise, the Harry Potter […]