Round One: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King vs. Dr. Strangelove

In this final installment of round one movie match-ups, we find ourselves in the midst of an epic battle. Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King, one of the top grossing movies of all time and the culmination of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, versus one of the greatest comedy/satires of all time, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)

• Directed by: Peter Jackson
• Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien (novels “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
• Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 94%
• Audience: 83%

When explaining the storyline of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, you must realize that there exists many differences between the novel, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the movie adaptation, directed by Peter Jackson (director of King Kong, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the upcoming The Hobbit adaptation). All arguments aside, we must accept that this adaptation is proficient at best in summarizing and explaining the events surrounding the culmination of Tolkien's trilogy. Many things were left out (as is the case with most movie adaptations of novels), events were jumbled around to help create plot fluidity, and a few things were added. Nonetheless, Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, as a whole, is a theatrical masterpiece that would have made even Tolkien himself smile in his grave. IMDB sums up the storyline with this post:

While Frodo (Elijah Wood) & Sam (Sean Astin) continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of the path Gollum (Andy Serkis) is leading them, the former Fellowship (Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies) aid Rohan & Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against Middle-Earth

Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, and Hugo Weaving all play major roles in this, the final installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

• Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
• Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George
• Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 100%
• Audience: 94%

In quite possibly my favorite movie in this entire tournament, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, by Stanley Kubrick (director of Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange), we see the epitome of a true American satire. IMDB writer Huggo posts:

Paranoid Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) of Burpelson Air Force Base, he believing that fluoridation of the American water supply is a Soviet plot to poison the U.S. populace, is able to deploy through a back door mechanism a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union without the knowledge of his superiors, including the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott), and President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers). Only Ripper knows the code to recall the B-52 bombers and he has shut down communication in and out of Burpelson as a measure to protect this attack. Ripper's executive officer, RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Sellers), who is being held at Burpelson by Ripper, believes he knows the recall codes if he can only get a message to the outside world. Meanwhile at the Pentagon War Room, key persons including Muffley, Turgidson and nuclear scientist and adviser, a former Nazi named Dr. Strangelove (Sellers), are discussing measures to stop the attack or mitigate its blow-up into an all out nuclear war with the Soviets. Against Turgidson's wishes, Muffley brings Soviet Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky (Peter Bull) into the War Room, and get his boss, Soviet Premier Dimitri Kisov, on the hot line to inform him of what's going on. The Americans in the War Room are dismayed to learn that the Soviets have a yet as unannounced Doomsday Device to detonate if any of their key targets are hit. As Ripper, Mandrake and those in the War Room try and work the situation to their end goal, Major T.J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens), one of the B-52 bomber pilots, is working on his own agenda of deploying his bomb where ever he can on enemy soil if he can't make it to his intended target.

Also starring James Earl Jones as Lieutenant Lothar Zogg, Dr. Strangelove is one of the greatest films ever made, highlighted by Seller's ability to play 3 main characters almost simultaneously (in an era where the use of green screens was limited), and his comedic, yet serious, lines strewed throughout the film ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.").

Vote now for your favorite movie: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King or Dr. Strangelove

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Round One: Sin City vs. Airplane!

In this round one match-up, we have a hard-hitting action flick, Sin City, going up against a comedy legend, Airplane!

Sin City (2005)

• Directed by: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino (guest director)
• Written by: Frank Miller
• Starring: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Hartnett, Michael Madsen, Brittany Murphy, Rutger Hauer, Nick Stahl, Frank Miller
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 78%
• Audience: 75%

Frank Miller (writer of RoboCop 2, 300, The Spirit) is known more for his Marvel and DC comic book series than his directing, but finally broke through with this 2005 action flick. The storyline of Sin City is very Tarantino-esque (fitting, as good friends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino both collaborated with Miller in this, his directorial debut), in that the plot revolves around multiple, seemingly intertwined, storylines all occurring simultaneously. IMDB writer Tom Benton put it best:

Four tales of crime adapted from Frank Miller's popular comics, focusing around a muscular brute (Mickey Rourke) who's looking for the person responsible for the death of his beloved Goldie, a man (Clive Owen) fed up with Sin City's corrupt law enforcement (Benicio Del Toro) who takes the law into his own hands after a horrible mistake, [and] a cop (Bruce Willis) who risks his life to protect a girl from a deformed pedophile (Nick Stahl)...

Also, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Brittany Murphy, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Hartnett, Michael Madsen, Elijah Wood, and Rutger Hauer all star in this action film.

Airplane! (1980)

• Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker.
• Written by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker.
• Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, Julie Hagerty, Robert Hays, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Rotten Tomatoes 
• Critics: 98%
• Audience: 85%

Starring Leslie Nielsen in the role of a lifetime, Airplane!, written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker (the masters of parody responsible for The Naked Gun and Hot Shots series), follows the story of Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a disgraced ex-Navy pilot, who is chasing after the love of his life Elaine (Julie Hagerty), a flight stewardess. After a meal of tainted fish is served, passengers and crew alike start to fall terribly ill. With Striker as their only hope of landing the plane safely, Rex Kramer (Robert Stack) and Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) must guide the traumatized war veteran to safety. Peter Graves and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also star in this legendary parody.

Vote now for your favorite movie: Sin City or Airplane!

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Round One: Terminator 2: Judgement Day vs. Reservoir Dogs

                In a battle of action film juggernauts, we see Terminator 2: Judgement Day taking on Reservoir Dogs in this round one match-up.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) 

• Directed by: James Cameron
• Written by: James Cameron, William Wisher Jr.
• Starring: Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 98%
• Audience: 88%

In this sequel, James Cameron (director of Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic), picks up the story about 10 years after the events of The Terminator (1984). In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, we are introduced to the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) whose mission is to travel back in time to protect Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her son John (Edward Furlong), who will lead the future human revolution against the machines. The Terminator must protect these humans against the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) at all costs.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

• Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
• Written by: Quentin Tarantino
• Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Tierney
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 96%
• Audience: 93%

Quentin Tarantino (director of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Inglourious Basterds) made his directorial debut in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs. Viewed as one of the greatest independent films of all time, if not the greatest, Reservoir Dogs has become a cult film in recent years. Featuring a large cast of well-known actors, like most Tarantino films, Reservoir Dogs tells the story of a botched diamond heist and the events that surround it. Six criminals, all given color-based nicknames, work for professional criminal Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) in planning a robbery. Over the course of the film, you learn a great deal about the character of each criminal, whether it’s Mr. White’s (Harvey Keitel) real name, Mr. Pink’s (Steve Buscemi) tendency to not tip waiters or waitresses, Mr. Blonde’s (Michael Madsen) questionable sanity, or Mr. Orange’s (Tim Roth) involvement with the police. Through all these endeavors, the criminals learn a great deal about themselves, and even more about each other.

Vote now for your favorite movie: Terminator 2: Judgement Day or Reservoir Dogs

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Round One: Pulp Fiction vs. Donnie Darko

In this battle of movies that will constantly have you wondering what-the-hell is going on, you must decide between Pulp Fiction and Donnie Darko in this drama-filled match-up.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

• Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
• Written by: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary,
• Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Christopher Walken
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 94%
• Audience: 95%

                Quentin Tarantino (director of Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Inglourious Basterds) combines the intertwined tales of two hitmen (Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta), their employer (Ving Rhames) and his wife (Uma Thurman), an aged boxed (Bruce Willis) and two thieves (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer). In true Tarantino-fashion, the narrative of this story is presented to us out-of-sequence; the movie will only, finally, make sense after all 154 minutes have been thoroughly enjoyed. Christopher Walken makes a memorable, and somewhat humorous, cameo in this star-studded, action-packed film.

Donnie Darko (2001)

• Directed by: Richard Kelly
• Written by: Richard Kelly
• Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Seth Rogan, Noah Wyle.
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 85%
• Audience: 77%

                Richard Kelly’s (director of Domino, Southland Tales, The Box) feature film debut, Donnie Darko, is a perplexing combination of concepts and ideas mixed together to form an utterly-confusing storyline which, at the end of the film, still may not be clear to you. Donnie Darko is a personal favorite of mine, yet I feel like I still do not completely understand it, even after having watched it dozens of times. IMDB user MTRodaba2468 does their best to summarize this film:

During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse.

Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, and Seth Rogan also star in this film.

Vote now for your favorite movie: Pulp Fiction or Donnie Darko

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Round One: Young Frankenstein vs. The Thing

In this battle of science fiction films, you must decide between the humorous Young Frankenstein or the horror/thriller The Thing.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

• Directed by: Mel Brooks              
• Written by: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Mary Shelley (novel “Frankenstein”)
• Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr, Gene Hackman
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 94%
• Audience: 91%

                Mel Brooks, the comedic genius behind such classics as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, wrote and directed this parody of Mary Shelley’s famous book, Frankenstein. Shot in black and white to simulate the feeling of a classic horror movie, Young Frankenstein follows the footsteps of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), pronounced “Fronkensteen,” the grandson of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. After inheriting his family’s estate in Transylvania, Frankenstein travels to Europe where he is met by his faithful servant Igor (Marty Feldman), pronounced “eye-gor”, his lab assistant Inga (Teri Garr), and the housekeeper Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman). From there, Dr. Frankenstein tries to debunk the myths, and truths, surrounding his grandfather’s work. Frankenstein attempts to duplicate his grandfather’s experiment, but with many mishaps occurring, such as using an abnormal brain in the creation of his monster, much hilarity ensues throughout the course of the film. A guest cameo from Gene Hackman is one of the most memorable scenes from this classic comedy.

The Thing (1982)

• Directed by: John Carpenter
• Written by: John W. Campbell Jr. (story), Bill Lancaster (screenplay)
• Starring: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, Keith David
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 80%
• Audience: 88%

                John Carpenter (director of Halloween, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live) re-created the classic 1951 film The Thing from Another World with his 1982 version of The Thing. The story begins with an American scientific expedition (led by Kurt Russell and Keith David) in Antarctica seemingly under attack by a group of crazed Norwegians. Chasing, and shooting at, a dog from their helicopter, the Norwegians are soon killed and whole ordeals become but a mysterious sense of foreboding for the American expedition. That night, after all the commotion dies down, the dog (the one the Norwegians were chasing) mutates, attacking and killing other dogs at the camp, as well as a few members of the expedition. The group soon realizes that an alien life-form is loose in their camp and they have no idea what it looks like or who it has already taken over. They must work together, while also being wary of one another, to fight this creature before their times runs out.

Vote now for your favorite movie: Young Frankenstein or The Thing

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Round One: Fight Club vs. A Clockwork Orange

In a match-up of films adapted from novels, we have Fight Club taking on A Clockwork Orange in this round one battle. Unlike some books which are poorly adapted into film (think The Da Vinci Code), both Fight Club and A Clockwork Orange are adequate representations of the novels by Palahniuk and Burgess, respectively.

Fight Club (1999)

• Directed by: David Fincher
• Written by: Chuck Palahniuk (novel “Fight Club”), Jim Uhls (screenplay)
• Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 81%
• Audience: 95%

David Fincher (director of Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network) teamed up with Jim Uhls in this adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club. Our Narrator (Edward Norton) is an employee at a major car manufacturer who suffers from insomnia. Traveling from state to state, day after day, living a single-serving life (featuring single-serving friends), he finds himself lost in reality. “If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?” He soon finds himself attending support groups for the terminally ill (testicular cancer, lymphoma, tuberculosis, brain parasites, and organic brain dementia, to name a few), using them as a therapy so that he can release his emotions and, consequently, sleep for once. He comes home (home “...was a condo on the fifteenth floor of a filing cabinet for widows and young professionals. The walls were solid concrete. A foot of concrete is important when your next-door neighbor lets their hearing aid go and have to watch game-shows at full volume. Or when a volcanic blast of debris that used to be your furniture and personal effects blows out of your floor-to-ceiling windows and sails flaming into the night.”) after a business trip to find his belonging smoldering on the sidewalk below; his apartment is now a crime scene. He then meets up with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), one of his recently-acquired single-serving friends, for a night of drinking and fighting. From there, our Narrator goes on an enlightening journey featuring chaos, blood, nitro glycerin, terrorism, Project Mayhem, and soap.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

• Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
• Written by: Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Anthony Burgess (novel “A Clockwork Orange”)
• Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, Michael Bates
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics: 91%
• Audience: 92%

Stanley Kubrick (director of Full Metal Jacket, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining) directed this film adaptation of the American version of Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange. The original version of the novel, published in the United Kingdom, featured 21 chapters, while the American version (and film) featured only 20 chapters. Many, including Burgess’ publishers, felt that the final chapter was so inconsistent with the rest of the story that it would somehow taint the overall style and intent of the novel. IMDB sums up the plot quite nicely in a post by Nikky Carlyle:

Protagonist Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is an "ultraviolent" youth in futuristic Britain. As with all luck, his eventually runs out and he's arrested and convicted of murder and rape. While in prison, Alex learns of an experimental program in which convicts are programed to detest violence. If he goes through the program his sentence will be reduced and he will be back on the streets sooner than expected. But Alex's ordeals are far from over once he hits the mean streets of Britain that he had a hand in creating.

Vote now for your favorite movie: Fight Club or A Clockwork Orange

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7

Explaining Movie Tournament 2k11

What is Movie Tournament 2k11?

            In the spirit of professional and collegiate sports, I have devised a tournament-style competition, using a 16-team, single elimination bracket, to determine the best film out of a group of selected ones.

How were the movies selected?

I found it necessary to choose the movies from a wide variety of genres, as well as several movies that are adaptations of novels (A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, The Shining, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy). Sin City is based on a graphic novel, which is essentially a comic book for adults.

Featured genres include:  Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Musical, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, War.

Furthermore, I wanted the movies selected to feature a variety of different directors and actors. Only two directors have more than one film on the list: Stanley Kubrick for Dr. Strangelove, The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. The same was done for lead actors, with only Gene Wilder, in Willy Wonka and Young Frankenstein, and Bruce Willis, in Pulp Fiction and Sin City, appearing multiple times. Other actors appear in several other movies listed, but only in minor roles: Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and Sin City, Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, and Tim Roth in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Coincidentally enough, all three of these movies are directed by Tarantino (he collaborated with fellow directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller on Sin City). Once the final list of movies was compiled, I then had to determine how to fill out the bracket.

             In creating a bracket-style tournament, one of the problems I encountered was seeding. For those of you who do not know, each “team” (or movie in this case) is given a seed based on their record and performance. I did not want to seed the movies based on critic’s ratings (RottenTomatoes score or “star rating”), but rather something more appropriate and unbiased. I decided that the most logical statistic to use would be All-time, Worldwide Box-Office Gross Earnings. Numbers ranged from $1.12 billion for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King to $1.2 million for Donnie Darko.

How are winners determined?

So now I’m sure you’re wondering exactly how a winner will be determined. Each movie match-up will be featured in a posting which will critique the movies on a number of different aspects, such as: the cast (including actors, directors and writers), the storyline (plot of the movie), visuals (editing, lighting, animation, directing techniques, etc.), the ending of the movie, and what, if any, are the lasting effects of this movie (has the movie stood the test of time, does it remain popular and relevant today, etc.).

WARNING: 

Posts will contain SPOILERS. Read at your own caution.

If necessary, any posts that contain subject matter that is not suitable for children under the age of 18 will contain appropriate warnings.

Links to a survey will be displayed at the conclusion of each post, as well as in this post, so that readers can vote for their favorite movies (only one vote per person). I will also distribute the surveys via email, social media (instant messaging, Facebook, etc.) and in person (printed copies). Each round of voting will last approximately one week, after which the results will be posted and the next round will begin. The schedule is as follows:

Round 1: 16 teams – (4/13 – 4/23)

                Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZFYHYS7 (ENDED)

Round 2: 8 Teams – (4/23 – 4/30)

                Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTKDMQ8 (ENDED)

Round 3: 4 Teams – (5/1 – 5/7)

                Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJXTG8J (ENDED)

Round 4: 2 Teams – (5/8 – 5/14)

                Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GVP2MWF (ENDED)

Final Winner & Analysis Posted on 5/15

                Winner: http://movietourny.blogspot.com/2011/05/and-winner-is.html

As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Post in the comments section or email me any questions or suggestions for current and/or future tournaments.

Bracket provided by http://www.blankplayoffbracket.com/

Box Office Statistics provided by http://www.boxofficemojo.com

Movie Genres and Sub-Genres: http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html

Survey provided by http://www.surveymonkey.com/

A Little Bit About the Author

             My name is Corey Greene and I’m a 3^rd year Professional and Technical Communications major at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This blog was created for Public Relations Writing, taught by Professor Mike Johansson.  I wanted to create an interactive blog with a topic that would interest not only myself but others as well, and thus, Movie Tournament 2k11 was born.