14 DAY TRIAL // 2009 is about to end and, as is customary, critics are already going public with their choices for do’s and don’ts in terms of music, film and celebrities in general. Reviewers for Times Online, for instance, have comprised an extensive list of the top 100 worst movies, films that moviegoers would best avoid if they haven’t seen them already because most of them are more of a trouble than good entertainment.
The surprise of the chart is that it features some films that have actually gotten critics’ praises since they were first released, including heavy Oscar contenders like “The Reader.” With Times reviewers, though, they stand at just a two-star rating and the warmest recommendation of doing something else with the money one would purchase a ticket with. Either by manner of tackling a theme or the subject itself, all these 100 films have performed differently at the box office – but the presence of many of them in this chart is not actually surprising.
Fronting the pack of 2-star movies is “2012,” for instance, a doomsday film that generated much publicity and hype, which eventually amounted to close to nothing. Putting special effects and the wow factor ahead of characterization and even plot, this one flick is nothing short of an empty spectacle that fails to strike a chord with audiences. The same goes for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Times reviewers say, as it presents a sanitized version of life and death, so typical of Hollywood it’s almost painful to watch.
“The most troubling aspect of the film comes at the end, with the ultra-violent mass slaughter of a cinema full of high-ranking Nazis. The Germans are portrayed as repulsive for applauding the relentless parade of death on screen – then seconds later, we the audience are expected to do the same. It leaves a distinctly unpleasant taste,” Wendy Ide writes of Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds,” a film many consider a stepping stone in modern cinematography. Equally pointless are also “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road,” both based on acclaimed novels and both starring Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet.
“Looks, sounds and tastes like a £2.50 fairground ride,” James Christopher writes of “Terminator: Salvation,” a critical and commercial disappointment released this year, while also the movie that reportedly brought the “Terminator” franchise to a (sad) end. “There is nothing human about it. McG feeds you the sort of thrills that can be had on Clacton pier. There is no pressing invitation to engage with anything more demanding than popcorn and Pepsi. The tragedy is that you cease to care about the iconic characters you grew up with,” the Times critic believes.
Of course, these are just some names that have made the cut in the top 100 chart of worst movies for 2009, while also the most surprising choices. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Angels & Demons,” “Antichrist,” “The Boat that Rocked” and “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” are also featured among the 2-star flops of the year. For a look at all of them, including the one-star releases, please refer here.