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| Poltergeist | 6 | 1 | Darkman |
| Shawn of the Dead | 5 | 1 | Surf Nazis Must Die |
| Cape Fear | 6 | 0 | Altered State |
| Beetlejuice | 6 | 1 | Joy Ride |
| 28 Days Later | 7 | 0 | Cry Wolf |
| Army of Darkness | 5 | 1 | Pink Flamingos |
| Session 9 | 4 | 3 | Club Dread |
| Seven | 5 | 0 | Elvira, Mistress of the Dark |
The Movie Fight Reviews – Zombieland
Last night, I got a chance last night to see my second zombie based comedy in a week. This one was the recent success, Zombieland, staring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone. In this hilarious look at a post-apocalyptic former-United States, we get to hear the rules that Columbus (Eisenberg) uses to survive amongst the terrors that are around every corner and, interestingly enough, the difficulties of interacting with those that are still Human.
Columbus makes sure we are well aware of the important and interesting rules that make sure that you will live in a world where death is trying to bite your brains around every corner. However, these rules start to come into question when he begins to interact with the few humans he is able to find, most importantly, the beautiful and dangerous Wichita (Stone). Along with Wichita’s little sister (Breslin) and a loner southern badass, Talahassee (Harrelson), They head out into the world to try to find something that will allow them to feel human again.
This movie is a lovely addition to a growing number of zombie movies that intend to generate laughter as much as they intend to generate terror or fear. This movie, among those I can think of, is definitely the one that leans away from the horror aspect generally associated with Zombies. To think about it honestly, there’s really very little that could make one consider this a Horror movie at all. It’s more of an Action-Comedy than a Horror-Comedy. Not that this fact takes anything away from the movie; if anything it might help you get your local scaredy-cat to go see it.
This movie is really quite funny. There’s plenty of story, emotion and gore here, but it isn’t at the expense of a strong comedic film. It’s also not a simplistic moron-minded slapstick comedy (mind you, I love moron-minded slapstick). It is a clever, smart, but also amazingly fun movie. Eisenberg is funny in the same way as you saw in Adventureland…
[BTW, I just wanted to mention something about Eisenberg and his film choice here. As far as I can tell, the character from this movie is basically the same character as in Adventureland, only in this movie, there are more Zombies and… less… Adventure? No. There’s plenty of Adventure here. Also! Stone plays basically the same character as Kristen Stewart plays in Adventureland, but with a bit of a more outgoing edge than an internal angst. And maybe a little less sexing of everyone in the movie. Anyway, they aren’t the same movie, but the love stories are terrifically similar. Not just because of the curly haired speed talker at the helm.]
I have a few best parts of this movie that help me to want to recommend it and I will list them here:
3. Woody Harrelson! Talahassee is a really fun, action packed and surprisingly interesting character. His take on life, his story that brought him here, and his amazing ability to kill the crap out of a zombie make him an essential part of the story.
2. Celebrity Cameo! I’m not sure I should reveal this part too much, because it made it that much better that I didn’t know it was going to happen. So, no spoiler here, but this definitely makes the movie glorious.
1. The rules! The use of the rules throughout the film make me so very happy. These are the things you would need if you wanted to survive and I consider this to be an amazingly clever way to tell this story.
Ok, a few rankings… Lets do Comedy, Action, and a few of the actors. As for Comedies, I think this is a pretty strong movie… I give it spot 45, above Bamboozled, but below National Lampoons Vacation. For action movies, I’ll give it 67, above X-Men 3, but below Bourne Ultimatum. I’m gonna say this is my second fave Breslin movie behind Little Miss Sunshine, but above Signs (which is saying something coming from me). I’d have to say that this is surely my favorite Eisenberg and Stone movie. I liked this better than Adventureland, and Stone is by no means what makes Superbad a great movie. As for Harrelson… gosh, I’d love to do a whole list here, but lets see.
It can’t be #1. That goes to No Country for Old Men. But… I don’t think I can put another role above this one. I considered putting White Men Can’t Jump or Kingpin up at the top, but… nah, I’m gonna go out on a limb and give Tallahassee number 2!
Ok, I think I’m out of Zombie movies for a bit… guess I’ll have to review other stuff instead. Darn!
| Deep Blue Sea | 3 | 0 | Bloodrayne |
| Poltergiest: The Other Side | 3 | 0 | Carrie 2: The Rage |
| The Ring Two | 3 | 0 | House II: The Second Story |
| Van Helsing | 1 | 2 | Feardotcom |
| The Exorcism of Emily Rose | 2 | 1 | The Island of Dr. Moreau |
| Leprechaun | 2 | 1 | Pulse |
| In Dreams | 0 | 3 | The Grudge |
| The Omen (2006) | 2 | 0 | The Dentist |
| Lord of Illusion | 0 | 2 | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| The Lawnmower Man | 2 | 1 | An American Haunting |
The Movie Fight Reviews…. Dead Snow
Recently, I had a very unique movie going experience, during which I got the chance to see a fairly unknown movie by the name of Dead Snow. I had a great time at the movie for a variety of reasons. The theatre itself was definitely the number one reason, with the friends that I saw the movie with as a close second. When this movie comes in third on the list, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t fun or interesting, just that those other aspects were really great for this particular experience (and I’m planning on going into that further in an upcoming post).
I went to see this movie last Wednesday at the Burton Theatre in Detroit. Dead Snow is a fun and unique Norwegian romp into the Horror-Comedy genre that we’ve been hearing from more and more lately. With Shawn of the Dead as the father of the genre and Zombieland as the recent Hollywood release to the same aim, Dead Snow peaks through the same window by giving us the only logical next step… Nazi Zombies. That’s right, Nazi Zombies!
In this story, a set of med students head up into the Norwegian mountains for a weekend of beers, snowmobiles and fraternization. Soon, their fun weekend is interrupted by, well, lets say “uninvited guests.” These guests turn out to be Nazi Zombies hell bent on killing the crap out of our dear med students in the most gruesome fashions possible. What starts as a horror movie, with all the proper startling moments, blood and gore, quickly turns into a hilarious Evil Dead-esque attempt by our heroes to escape the wilderness with their lives.
[So, before I go on to the review, I feel it necessary to go into the distinction between Nazi Zombies and Zombie Nazis. A Nazi Zombie is a subcategory of Zombie. This movie, for example, is primarily a Zombie movie. It just so happens that these violence hungry zombies are especially ruthless because they are Zombies. A Zombie Nazi... well, thats something I'd think we'd be more likely to see in a Indiana Jones movie. A Zombie Nazi is a subcategory of Nazis. They are Nazis that just happen to be Zombies as well. In many cases, I might even find this to be a less menacing Nazi (since their overwhelming thirst for brains might blind their hatred for non-Ayran people and cause them to attack indiscriminately). Therefore, do not forget, that the villains in this movie are Nazi Zombies, not Zombie Nazis.]
As I said before, I fully enjoyed myself at this film, but I’m more than willing to admit that a good portion of that was the atmosphere in which I saw the movie. There’s not a lot that’s really groundbreaking, stunning, scary, truly unique, or interesting about this movie. However, if you are with good friends, possibly an easily frightened friend or two, or if you love a dozen or so interestingly gory kills with your zombie movie, this movie will surely entertain. Don’t look for this movie to stand with Let the Right One In or The Orphanage for recent European Horror entrants, but it definitely has its moments.
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t quite consider it in the same group as other Horror-Comedy movies that have the overwhelming respect of the public. It’s no Shawn of the Dead. It’s no Evil Dead II. I have a feeling, based on some of the events of this movie, that the director would really like to be put into that conversation, but I don’t see it quite belonging there. I’d say this movie, though a little funnier, belongs among some of the gore-based George A Romero zombie movies, like Dawn of the Dead or Robert Rodriguez’ Planet Terror or From Dusk ‘til Dawn. If you let this movie live in that list, I’d say it could hold its own fairly strongly.
As for Rankings….
For Horror, I think I’d put it middle of the pack. There are some weird things going on in the 70’s in my list currently, so I’m going to place this movie at 67, above Salem’s Lot, but below Little Shop of Horrors.
For Action, I think that this movie actually fairs pretty well for a Horror movie. I’d put it around 97, below First Blood (obviously) but above Transporter 2.
For Comedy, again, I think it’s a pretty strong Horror movie, and, in its case, this is intentional. I’d place it at 91, below Beavis and Butthead Do America, but above The Madness of King George.
| Deep Rising | 1 | 3 | Attack of the Killer Tomatoes |
| The Relic | 4 | 0 | Repossessed |
| Children of the Corn | 4 | 0 | Suspect Zero |
| Split Second | 1 | 3 | Surf Nazis Must Die |
| Joy Ride | 3 | 1 | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Riding the Bullet | 1 | 3 | Cold Creek Manor |
Hey gang. Just wanted to give you an update on the game we played last spring. Thanks to your voting, we were able to successfully create a proper rankings of the movies of these two actors in comparison to one another. I think there is a lot to be debated here, but that’s for you to do, and me to then follow through and address your concerns.
At this point, the only way to change these rankings is to voice your opinion either here or with an @ reply on twitter to @themoviefight.
So, here are The Christian Bale v Brad Pitt rankings:
| Actor v Actor | ||||||||
| Rank | Actor | Film | Role | Wins | Losses | Win % | AMF# | |
| 1 | Christian Bale | Batman Begins | Bruce Wayne/Batman | 3 | 0 | 100% | 11.3 | |
| 2 | Christian Bale | The Dark Knight | Bruce Wayne/Batman | 2 | 0 | 100% | 10.9 | |
| 3 | Christian Bale | The Prestige | Alfred Borden | 2 | 0 | 100% | 10.4 | |
| 4 | Christian Bale | The Machinist | Trevor Reznik | 2 | 0 | 100% | 9.8 | |
| 5 | Christian Bale | American Psycho | Patrick Bateman | 2 | 0 | 100% | 9.4 | |
| 6 | Brad Pitt | Snatch | Mickey O’Neil | 1 | 1 | 50% | 8.2 | |
| 7 | Brad Pitt | Twelve Monkeys | Jeffrey Goines | 1 | 1 | 50% | 8.1 | |
| 8 | Christian Bale | 3:10 to Yuma | Dan Evans | 1 | 1 | 50% | 7.9 | |
| 9 | Brad Pitt | Fight Club | Tyler Durden | 0 | 1 | 0% | 7.8 | |
| 10 | Brad Pitt | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford | Jesse James | 1 | 1 | 50% | 7.7 | |
| 11 | Brad Pitt | Seven | Detective David Mills | 2 | 3 | 40% | 7.6 | |
| 12 | Brad Pitt | Burn After Reading | Chad Feldheimer | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.3 | |
| 13 | Brad Pitt | Thelma and Louise | J.D. | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.3 | |
| 14 | Brad Pitt | Sleepers | Michael Sullivan | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.3 | |
| 15 | Christian Bale | I’m Not There | Jack/Pastor John | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.2 | |
| 16 | Christian Bale | Terminator Salvation | John Connor | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.2 | |
| 17 | Christian Bale | Howl’s Moving Castle | Howl | 0 | 1 | 0% | 7.1 | |
| 18 | Christian Bale | Little Women | Laurie | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.1 | |
| 19 | Brad Pitt | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Benjamin Button | 0 | 1 | 0% | 7.1 | |
| 20 | Brad Pitt | A River Runs Through It | Paul Maclean | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.1 | |
| 21 | Brad Pitt | Legends of the Fall | Tristan Ludlow | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7.1 | |
| 22 | Christian Bale | Harsh Times | Jim Luther Davis | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7 | |
| 23 | Brad Pitt | Troy | Achilles | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7 | |
| 24 | Brad Pitt | Ocean’s Thirteen | Rusty Ryan | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7 | |
| 25 | Christian Bale | The New World | John Rolfe | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.9 | |
| 26 | Brad Pitt | True Romance | Floyd – Dick’s Roommate | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.9 | |
| 27 | Brad Pitt | Spy Game | Tom Bishop | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.9 | |
| 28 | Christian Bale | Equilibrium | John Preston | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.8 | |
| 29 | Brad Pitt | Meet Joe Black | Joe Black | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.8 | |
| 30 | Christian Bale | Empire of the Sun | Jim ‘Jamie’ Graham | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.7 | |
| 31 | Brad Pitt | Babel | Richard Jones | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.7 | |
| 32 | Brad Pitt | Seven Years In Tibet | Heinrich Harrer | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.7 | |
| 33 | Christian Bale | Rescue Dawn | Dieter | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.6 | |
| 34 | Brad Pitt | Ocean’s Eleven | Rusty Ryan | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.6 | |
| 35 | Brad Pitt | Kalifornia | Early Grayce | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.6 | |
| 36 | Brad Pitt | Interview With the Vampire | Louis de Pointe du Lac | 0 | 1 | 0% | 6.4 | |
| 37 | Brad Pitt | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | John Smith | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.4 | |
| 38 | Christian Bale | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Demetrius | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.3 | |
| 39 | Christian Bale | Newsies | Jack ‘Cowboy’ Kelly | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6.1 | |
| 40 | Brad Pitt | Ocean’s Twelve | Rusty Ryan | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6 | |
| 41 | Christian Bale | Reign of Fire | Quinn Abercromby | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5.9 | |
| 42 | Christian Bale | Shaft | Walter Wade Jr | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5.9 | |
| 43 | Brad Pitt | The Mexican | Jerry Welbach | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5.9 | |
| 44 | Brad Pitt | The Devil’s Own | Rory Devaney | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5.8 | |
| 45 | Christian Bale | Captain Corelli’s Mandolin | Mandras | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5.7 | |
| 46 | Brad Pitt | Cool World | Detective Frank Harris | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4.3 | |
Welcome back everyone! It’s time for another Movie Fight Tournament. Being as how it’s October, and how I have an itch for it, and how I built this tournament a few months ago and it’s been begging to be played, here is the HORROR MOVIE TOURNAMENT!!! I’ve collected 150 horror movies, collected their ratings from IMDB, and pre-ranked them accordingly. I know it might be hard at first, because a few of these lower ranked movies are fairly obscure, but I tried to make sure to get as many of the super-popular ones into the tourney. So… get ready to vote on some movies!!!
Check out the 1st Quadrant of the Upcoming Horror Tournament
Check out the 2st Quadrant of the Upcoming Horror Tournament
Check out the 3st Quadrant of the Upcoming Horror Tournament
Check out the 4st Quadrant of the Upcoming Horror Tournament
Spooky…. Scary….
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