Worst/Disappointing/Least-Liked Movies of the 2016

It’s the end of the year boys and girls, you know what that means? It’s list time!

I’ll put up my list of “Best/Favorite” movies of the year later, but with all those good/great/awesome movies I have, I had to sit through some stinkers unfortunately. Some of these I knew weren’t going to be any good walking in, but I ended up taking the hit anyway. The list ranges all over the place so don’t think I’m attacking certain movies because it’s easy. I walk into every movie with a clear mind and soaking up the movie for what it’s worth.

The list will have the movies in alphabetical order, just to be fair, and because I really don’t want to go through the trouble anymore of picking a number one because they weren’t good enough to make it on my other list. Like all lists, this is my opinion! So if you don’t agree that’s perfectly fine and probably justified. Film is subjective, and that’s why I love it.

Finally, there are other movies that could have gone on the list, but these are the ones that truly stuck out. Alright, let’s get this over with.

 

Dishonorable Mentions

Ben-Hur

Masterminds

Siren

 

 

Disappointments/Least-Liked/Worst Movies of the Year

Anitbirth (IFC Midnight/Traverse Media/Hideaway Pictures)

This is one of the many films I watched at the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival in August, and having heard nothing about the film or even watching a trailer, I didn’t know what was coming. I probably should have watched the trailer, because I didn’t like this movie. At all! I didn’t feel anything for the characters, and the story felt like it was going nowhere. The ending, oh man the ending, it literally came out of nowhere, and while the ending would have been shocking if the story hadn’t been bad, it didn’t help matters whatsoever. I know I said I wouldn’t label too many of the films, but this is easily one of my worst films of the year. Maybe the worst.

 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros./RatPac-Dune Entertainment/Atlas Entertainment/DC Entertainment)

This one may take the cake for the biggest disappointment of the year. Despite finally bringing two of the biggest comic book characters on the big screen for the first time, the film was filled with poor editing decisions along with being too crowed for its own good. Zack Snyder said the film was cut severely, but that shouldn’t mean a movie should suffer. While seeing Batman and Superman duke it out was nice to finally see on the big screen, it wasn’t enough to pick this movie up. Also, it doesn’t matter – I mean it does – but why would I sit through a movie again that’s longer to see the difference(talking about that “Extended Cut” on Blu-Ray).

 

Blair Witch (Lionsgate/Veritgo Entertainment/Snoot Entertainment/Room 101)

What we all thought was just another found footage movie called The Woods actually ended up being a surprise sequel to The Blair Witch Project. The film was directed by Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) and his usual writing partner Simon Barrett –the previously films mentioned – and that had me from the very beginning. I’m a huge fan of those two, and when it was announced that the film was really Blair Witch, I was both hesitant and excited. Taking into account the film was riding high in praise it was getting in early screening, the end result was a mixed bag – being mostly negative. While the film tried to connect to the spirit of the first film, including revving up the finale, it just didn’t have that same connection the first film made. Some parts were interesting, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it was executed well.

 

Gods of Egypt (Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment/Mystery Clock Cinema/Thunder Road Pictures)

Gods of Egypt was one of those movies I was excited to watch when it was announced, and when the cast came together with director Alex Proyas, I thought this has to be good, right? Turns out, I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Filled with very questionable (to put it very lightly) CGI throughout, the film felt more like a glorified SyFy Channel movie than it did a big budget Hollywood movie. It didn’t help that despite the pretty good cast, they couldn’t save this either. Dumb fun popcorn film at its finest, but still COME ON!

 

Independence Day: Resurgence (20th Century Fox)

Oh boy, this was…ugh. The sequel was something many fans have been wanting for a long time, and I’m sure Resurgence destroyed any hope of getting a worthy sequel. The film had its moments, but only a few to be honest. It just was bad. I mean, I could point out the things I didn’t like with this movie or what was wrong, but that’s too much to write. Also, the more I thought about the film afterward – even know as I’m writing this – I can feel myself getting angry.

 

The 5th Wave (Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures/GK Films/LStar Capital/Material Pictures)

Based on the book by Ricky Yancy, The 5th Wave had a good set-up and source material to set it just a tad apart from the other young adult novel adaptation out there. I read the first book way before the film came out and was looking forward to seeing what they were going to do with this. Unfortunately, the film was bland, and felt way too generic for its own good. It never felt like anything was really happening even when it was, and one of its supposed standout twist moments involving a character reveal was to dark to see what was going on. A big disappointment considering what the book had to offer.

 

The Neon Demon (Amazon Studios/Broad Green Pictures/Bold Films/Vendian Entertainment/Space Rocket Nation)

Oh, Nicolas Winding Refn. For me, Refn is a hit-or-miss director for the films I’ve seen. I really liked Bronson and Drive, but Valhalla Rising I couldn’t even finish, and I’ve heard nothing but bad things from Only God Forgives. When it came to The Neon Demon, I didn’t know what to anticipate, and even while I was watching it, I thought, what the hell am I watching? So The Neon Demon wasn’t even a disappointment, least-liked or bad movie, it just was a movie I watched that had its very Refn-esque moments, and some what the hell did I just watch moments.

 

Triple 9 (Open Road Films/Anonymous Content/Worldview Entertainment/MadRiver Pictures)

Triple 9 had a lot of good things going for it with an amazing cast and a great director in John Hillcoat (The Road). So it’s a shame that the film ended up being a bit of a disappointment. The film had some great potential, and while the film does live up to some of it, it didn’t capitalize on what the film promised or what it could have been.

 

Suicide Squad (Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac-Dune Entertainment/Atlas Entertainment/Lin Pictures)

If Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a disappointment, Suicide Squad just added to it. I didn’t get on the hate train like a lot of other people did. I liked most of it, and I thought some parts worked, but I couldn’t get over all the missteps the film had to make it good or even great. To even say it was better than Dawn of Justice (the theater cut) isn’t even saying that much either. I didn’t hate Suicide Squad, and while I had more fun watching this than Dawn of Justice, I can’t honestly say I loved it either. Also, Jared Leto’s Joker: ugh.

 

Warcraft (Universal Pictures/Legendary Pictures/Blizzard Entertainment/Atlas Entertainment)

I never played the games myself, but I knew how big the game was to some people. I also knew this film was in the works for a long time – Sam Raimi was originally attached to direct for a while – so finally seeing this on the big screen was a big deal. Unfortunately, for me, the movie didn’t click for me. The film at times felt too much like it was catering to the fans then casual or non-game fans, which is something I always thought the film shouldn’t have done. I didn’t dislike Warcraft, some of it was pretty good, but overall, the film felt jumbled at times and I had a hard time connecting to some of the characters.

 

All right, so there are my worst, disappointments, least-liked films of the year. What were some of yours?

Be on the lookout for my other lists coming out soon.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’ Review

Director: Dave Green

Writers: Josh Applebaum & Andre Nemec

Cast: Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Tyler Perry, Brian Tee, Sheamus, Gary Anthony Williams, Brittany Ishibashi, and Brad Garrett

Synopsis: As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang.

 

*Reviewer Note: This will be a spoiler free review.*

 

I’m going to be honest with you guys; I did not like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that came out in 2014. So my excitement for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was very low to nothing at all. However, being a Turtles fan, I sucked it up and went, and while I did enjoy myself more this time around, saying that this film was better than the first isn’t really saying much since the first film wasn’t that great overall. Not only that, and this is something I just want to get out of the way, the film also felt like a reboot at times with sequel elements. There is obviously a new Shredder actor and the film treats the new actor in Brian Tee was the same actor from the first film, which was not the case. There are other things, but I won’t mention them here. That might be nitpicky to some, but it’s something that needs to be bought up.

Out of the Shadows follows our four brothers Leonardo (Ploszek), Michelangelo (Fisher), Raphael (Ritchson), and Donatello (Howard) as they continue to protect New York from threats from the shadows. However, their old enemy Shredder (Tee), who is about to go to a maximum security prison, is freed from the Foot Clan and scientists Baxter Stockman (Perry). Shredder is not alone this time, as he hires two hired muscles in Bebop (Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus) to help him out with the Turtles, by transforming them into wild animals, as he plans to help the alien Krang (voiced by Garrett) to conquer the world.

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has a pretty simple story structure: heroes trying to stop the bad guys. Which is fine considering this new franchise is more geared and targeted for kids. That’s not saying it’s a bad thing, some of the humor will bring a smirk to your face or make you giggle, but overall just keep that in mind. Actually, something I noticed, the action is toned down a lot from the last film. Sure there are big action sequences, but nothing like the avalanche sequence – one of the better sequences from the last film – but they’re a little on the light side this time around.

To add more, the final act feels almost like a beat-for-beat repeat of the last final act. The final fight is over-filled with CGI and almost zero weapon combat. That’s right, the turtles barely use their weapons throughout the whole film, and that’s something I noticed after walking out of the theater. It’s pretty disappointing, but I’m holding anything against the film, but come on! People want to see the Turtles use their weapons in a fight. Not only that, some things happen way too conveniently more than once, and it’s a bit heavy handed at times, which takes the enjoyment out just a tad.

However, the one thing I will say is better this time around is the dynamic between the Turtles. We see the toll it takes on them and how they feel about having to always be hidden from the world. They want to be accepted, but they know they can never be with the way they look. No matter how many times they defend and save the city, they city and the people of New York will never know who really saves them. That being said, we get more Turtle screen time than the last time, which is where the focus should be. The other part that makes his better is the motion capture performances by the actors and the fact that they bring their own motives and physicality to the roles.

With that said, the humans take a backseat and play more of the supporting roles. I was never a fan of Megan Fox as April O’Neil, and I still don’t buy it. Will Arnett returns as former cameraman, not famous public figure, Vernon Fenwick and is as funny as ever. New member to the Turtle crew is Casey Jones, played by Stephen Amell, who really does own the role, but doesn’t have enough to do. Tyler Perry’s Baxter Stockman is socially awkward and a bit weird, which was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Laura Linney is surprisingly, and shamefully, wasted as her high ranking chief Rebecca Vincent that doesn’t really do anything really.

When it comes to the villains, they are okay to disappointing. Brian Tee plays Shredder, doesn’t do anything worthwhile, at all. He gets a cool outfit, but that’s it. Brittany Ishibashi plays Karai, but is never referred by name and literally does nothing other than stand in the back or next to Shredder. Gary Anthony Williams and WWE superstar Sheamus who play Bebop and Rocksteady look like they were having a ton of fun playing goofballs before and after they get mutated. As for Krang, his character appears near the beginning of the film and literally disappears until the final ten minutes of the film. The character is pretty wasted here and seemed like they just introduced him for the sake of having another famous and fan-favorite villain

All in all, if you can get past the fact that the film is geared more toward a younger crowd then Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows can be for you. It does have its good moments, and remember this is coming from a guy that wasn’t really excited for this, but there are things that build up that make it a flawed film. One of them being that it thinks you didn’t watch the last film, so you won’t notice the casting changes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

3.5 out of 5

June Movie Releases

Hi there!

Can you believe it’s already June! How the time passes by. Anyway, the second month of the Summer Movie Season goes into full swing and, just like May, brings with it some highly anticipated movies. Let’s take a look shall we?

 

 

3rd

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Comedy – Universal)

A Lonely Island movie that, of course will star Andy Samberg as Connor4Real, a pop/rap superstar whose album fails to sell records and goes into a tailspin and watches his celebrity life begin to collapse. Desperate to keep his fame, he’ll try anything including trying to get his old band together. The film also stars Sarah Silverman, Imogen Poots, Jorma Taccone, Tim Meadows, Martin Sheen and many, many more. I hate to admit it, but I’m not the biggest Andy Samberg fan, and from the trailers so far, I’m not really buying what their selling.

 

Me Before You (Drama – New Line Cinema/MGM)

A girl in small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she’s taking care of. I know these kinds of films have a core audience, but doesn’t it seem like they are coming out more often? Anyway, the film stars Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Matthew Lewis, Vanessa Kirby and Charles Dance.

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (Action Adventure – Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies/Gama Entertainment Partners)

Personally, the rebooted first film left little to be desired for me. There were some potentially great moments that could have saved it, but instead, the film was a bit too targeted to the younger crowd (which was fine, whatever). So that has left me a bit underwhelmed for the sequel, despite what the studio is trying to do by adding fan favorite characters – Casey Jones played by Stephen Amell, Bebop played by Gary Anthony Williams and Rocksteady played by Stephen Farrelly aka WWE Superstar Sheamus – and “promising” a much better film this time around. The trailers look alright, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to go watch it. The film also stars new cast members in Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman, Brian Tee as Shredder (a new one), Brittany Ishibashi as Karai, and Laura Linney.

 

10th

Limited Release: Genius (Biography Drama)

Based on the book by A. Scott Berg, the film is a chronicle of Max Perkin’s (Colin Firth) time as the book editor at Scribner, where he oversaw works by Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law), Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pearce) and other. Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney and Vanessa Kirby also star.

 

Now You See Me 2 (Action Thriller – Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment)

The Four Horsemen – Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco and Lizzy Caplan replacing Isla Fisher’s character entirely (due to Fisher’s pregnancy) – are back a year after the events from the first film. The reason is to expose the unethical practices of a tech magnate Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), who also threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. I enjoyed the first film and wasn’t as bad as people lead others to believe. I don’t know entirely how I feel about a sequel but the cast is great, so let’s hope they can at least make it enjoyable enough as the first. The sequel also stars Sanaa Lathan, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Jay Chou, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.

 

The Conjuring 2 (Horror – Warner Bros./New Line Cinema/Evergreen Media Group/Dune Entertainment/The Safran Company)

A sequel to the surprising hit The Conjuring, the sequel sees Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) traveling to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits, in what at the time was called the London Amityville. James Wan returns to direct with a new cast of Franka Potente, Frances O’Connor, Simon McBurney, Sterling Jerins, Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

 

Warcraft (Fantasy Action Adventure – Universal Pictures/Legendary Pictures/Atlas Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment)

Based on the popular video game, World of Warcraft – or WoW for short – the film has a ton of weight on its shoulders. For one, some are pegging this film as one of the video games film to save the video game adaptations from sucking, and two, their taking a property that could alienate those who aren’t interested in watching a fantasy action film. I’ve never played the games, so I’m only basing everything off the trailers, and personally, I’m still not completely sold. It could be because I’ve never played the games. Warcraft sees two different nations, human and orc, on the brink of war and the top soldiers from both sides trying to stop it. The film stars Travis Fimmel, Toby Kebbell, Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Clancy Brown, Robert Kazinsky, Daniel Wu, Ruth Negga, and Ben Schnetzer.

 

17th

Limited Release: Clown 

The horror drama follows a father who finds a clown suit for his son’s birthday party, only to realize that it is not a suit at all. Interestingly, Clown has been sitting on the shelf for about three years and is just now getting a release here in the States thanks to the Weinstein Company and producer Eli Roth. But what is more interesting is the film is directed by Jon Watts, who will soon be directing the new Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Homecoming.

 

Central Intelligence (Comedy – Warner Bros./New Line Cinema/Universal Pictures/Bluegrass Films/Principato-Young Entertainment)

Kevin Hart, a former cool guy in high school and now works as an accountant, is lured into the world of international espionage when his former high school classmate – and former fat friend – played by Dwayne Johnson shows up. Kevin Hart has slowly grown on me and I’ll watch anything (well, almost anything) with The Rock in it. Thankfully, this looks like a total Johnson project as he’s playing to his strengths here. Central Intelligence also stars Amy Ryan and Aaron Paul.

 

Finding Dory (Animation – Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)

A sequel to Finding Nemo, the focus now turns to the friendly-but-forgetful blue fish Dory, one again voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, that starts to remember things about her family and works to reunite with them. Dory was definitely a highlight in the first film, but the question is whether or not Dory can be enough to lead a movie, as opposed to be a supporting character. The voice cast includes Albert Brooks returning as Marlin, Diane Keaton, Ed O’Neill, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell, Willem Dafoe, Dominic West, and Idris Elba.

 

24th

Limited Release: Swiss Army Man

Aka the movie where Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse, no I’m not kidding. The movie follows a man, Paul Dano, who is stranded on a deserted island, finds and befriends a dead body (Radcliffe) and try to find a way home. The movie looks weird, to say the least, but it made some buzz – good and bad – during the film festivals.

 

Limited Release: The Neon Demon 

Nicholas Winding Refn (Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives) is back with his new film that follows an aspiring model Jesse (Elle Fanning) who moves to Los Angeles. Her youth and vitality are devoured y a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has. Refn obviously has his own style and it seems in full force here, not only that but the trailer is pretty eerie itself. The Neon Demon also stars Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Bella Heathcote, Jamie Clayton and Alessandro Nivola.

 

The Free State of Jones (Drama – STX Entertainment/Route One Films/Vendian Entertainment/Larger Than Life Productions)

Directed by Gary Ross, set during the Civil War, a poor farmer (Matthew McConaughey) from Mississippi leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army. It should be interesting to see how this plays out and with McConaughey at the lead, it should be pretty cool. Although, this doesn’t really seem like a Summer Movie Season movie, but more of a October or November movie. The film also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali and Keri Russell.

 

Independence Day: Resurgence (Sci-Fi Action Adventure – 20th Century Fox)

A long overdue sequel to one of the most cult classic sci-fi films, Resurgence is set twenty years after the events of the first film were the world has come together and was able use and advance their own technology from the leftover alien technology. They have made a new Space Defense Program waiting for the day the aliens come back. Unlucky, for them, the aliens have return and with a vengeance. Again, the sequel is long overdue to the point that I’m not really that sold on it yet. I’m sure I’ll go watch it, but I would have been more excited probably if it came out a few years ago. Independence Day: Resurgence stars Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Sela Ward, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vivica A. Fox, Maika Monroe, Jessie Usher, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, and Bill Pullman.

 

29th

The Shallows (Horror Drama – Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures/Ombra Films/Weimaraner Republic Pictures)

A mere 200 yards from shore, Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills. The film looks to have more of an emotional battle for Lively’s character, instead of it just being a mere survival thriller, which could help. I’m not totally sold on it to be honest, but if the word of mouth is good, I’ll give it a chance.  The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, Non-Stop, Run All Night) and stars Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, and Sedona Legge.

 

What are you looking forward to?