You may know Harry Potter, but can you name every house elf ever mentioned AND the family they belong to? You may know Star Wars, but do you know who created the score for The Clone Wars? You may think you know movies, but you actually know nothing at all.
OK, enough with the dramatics, but that’s honestly what I discovered this week on my treks to and from work. I finished reading my book early on in my commute and—horror of horrors—was faced with the terrible realization that I had NOTHING to keep me occupied for the remainder of my trip. UGH.
After 20 minutes of aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and liking pictures of people who I have not actually spoken to in months years, I knew there had to be more to life… or, at least more to my commute.. So, with a little help from Google, I stumbled upon an entire universe of entertainment and movie FAN-AT-ICS.
Introducing Movie Trivia Schmoedown! To give a little background for those unfamiliar with the brand, Movie Trivia Shmoedown is a movie trivia-based competition series that airs on Collider’s Youtube channel. The general gist of the competition is WWE meets ESPN meets the Golden Globes. It’s a league of fiercely passionate movie buffs that go head-to-head in nail-biting competitions. Who says movie-watching isn’t a sport?
Topics and categories feature movies from all walks of life. Think: Westerns, Disney•Pixar, Disney classics, Tim Burton, Star Wars, Marvel, holiday movies, sports, musicals, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, and so. much. more. The competitions air live, so fans from all ends of social media can talk smack on Twitter (#Shmoedown), or in the official Movie Trivia Schmoedown Facebook Fan Group, where the show’s frequent contestants are known to interact with fans and each other.
It’s honestly a lot to take in, so here is my *attempt* to break it all down for you.
THE HOSTS
The show is hosted by the Schmoes Knows creators: Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis. They are your go-to guys for all things entertainment, and basically take on the role of Sports Center commentators, only a little bit more snarky.
THE COMPETITION
The single-play format is a fast-paced competition that includes three rounds: Round one features eight questions, all worth 1 point; round two lets players spin a wheel to pick a category in which four questions will be based on; and round three challenges competitors with three questions from a random selection of categories, where each question increases in point value. Of course there’s always the chance that things will end in a tie, and when that happens, players enter Sudden Death (dun dun dun). In Sudden Death, players will be asked a random question and the first competitor to answer correctly wins the Schmoedown.
THE SUPER COOL APP
Yes, there is an app that lets you live out the fun of the competition right from the palm of your hand. Movie Trivia Schmoedown follows the same format as the competitions that stream online, and lets players choose between three modes: Single, Versus, and Online Play. Single mode pins a player up against (a computer version of) one of the well-known competitors featured in the showdowns; Versus allows a player to pair up with a nearby player and accept challenges via the Game Center; and Online Play randomly pairs a player with any player that is currently available online.
The app is just as fired up as one of the real competitions, and features sounds of cheers, jeers, and everything in between. Programmed versions of Harloff and Ellis act as the hosts, and they take no pity. Their characters will actually mock you for your lack of knowledge (“They clearly have never heard of this movie before!”), and judge you for hitting “pass” on a question where you are entirely stumped (“Not even going to try to answer that?”). The duo’s commentary, combined with the “fan” reactions, creates a competitive atmosphere that will make you nearly forget that this is not real (Stay humble, fam!). The downfall is that you may be playing this on a bus filled with crowded people and then randomly exclaim, “Sh*t!,” once you let an easy Harry Potter question slip away (not that I’m still bitter or anything).
I took a whack at Single mode (#NoNewFriends), and I quickly became aware of how little I actually know about movies. NGL, most of the questions are pretty tough and you really have to know your stuff. It follows the same three rounds as the competition does IRL. That said, I thrived much more during the second round when there was the option for multiple choice (though it decreases the point worth). Another fun part about the second round is that you get to spin a wheel to decipher what category the questions will fall under. It’ll either make ya or break ya (Westerns?! Hard pass.).
I also got my friend to hop on the bandwagon so that I could give the Versus mode a go. It’s virtually the same mode, except now I was able to play someone more on my level (Was that a dig at both my friend and myself at the same time?). Plus, it tends to up the competition factor when you know who is on the other side of the question. When playing in Versus mode, the game will keep you in the know on an opponent’s status in real time. Whether the two players are sitting right next to each other or not, it gives the feel like they are actually in a face-to-face match.
THE DOWNSIDE
Don’t get me wrong, the app is SO fun, but there are a few minor kinks to keep in mind. For starters, the app is a battery-sucking monster. Maybe “monster” takes it a little too far, but to give you an idea, my phone’s battery dropped by 20 to 30 percent after playing for about 45 minutes. So, while it is not the complete worst, it’s certainly something to keep in mind while on the road. That said, it’s 2018. Who doesn’t travel with a charger these days?
The second setback is the amount of data I assume it must use. If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly calculating how much data X amounts of minutes on Instagram equates to. It’s all fun and games until the “You’ve used up all your data for this cycle” text arrives. Whatever, ~que sera, sera~.
I’m (as it was made very clear through this app) nowhere near a movie trivia guru, but it’s still a really fun concept and app to get into. As far as the app goes, the graphics are extremely sharp and vivid, and the sound effects give the feel that players are front and center in a boxing arena. As for the entire Movie Trivia Schmoedown universe, it connects movie-lovers worldwide and encourages them to interact, play along, and weigh in on the pros. If nothing else, you’ll certainly kill LOTS of time without even realizing it (Ugh, story of my life!). Give it a download and maybe we can be friends? Or rather, competitors?
See you on the road!
