'Ides of March,' 'Real Steel,' 'Moneyball': The Daily Beast on Weekend Films

Real Steel

The ads for this Hugh Jackman boxing robot movie, directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), make it look like Transformers 6. But could these fighting metal heads—think Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots—actually be a contender? One of our critics thinks Yes! The other says No! Jackman plays Charlie, a retired champ from the future, who inherits both his long-lost son (the terrific Dakota Goyo) and a tough-fighting robot named Atom. If you consider your iPod a member of your family and wept during The Brave Little Toaster, this could be the movie for you.

The Ides of March

George Clooney is back in the director’s chair, and he cast himself as a political candidate who looks suspiciously similar to this guy. The movie features an all-star cast, including Ryan Gosling (as Clooney’s press agent), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. Based on the Broadway play Farragut North, does this adaptation work as well as the original material? Both our critics agree; see how they voted for this political thriller.

Moneyball

Hollywood didn’t think this film would ever get made. But director Bennett Miller’s baseball movie, based on Michael Lewis’s 2003 bestseller, has hit a home run at the box office, earning $41 million in two weeks. As Oakland Athletics Manager Billy Beane, Brad Pitt may also give the best performance of his career. Will Moneyball be this year’s underdog come Oscar time?

50/50

This cancer dramedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen received stellar reviews, only to see lukewarm ticket sales when it opened last weekend. What went wrong?

Cumulative scores:

Ramin: Yes 4 No 0 Maybe 0 Peter: Yes 3 No 1 Maybe 0