My Top 10 Worst Movies of 2014 - List by Matt Harrison

2014 is drawing to a close, and what better is there way to send off the year other than by talking about the worst films I saw in cinemas over the last 12 months?

I would've done a best list first, but there are still movies that I want to see before I feel I can accurately construct my list. Also, I missed a lot of bad movies that came out this year, a fact I am very much aware/thankful of. However, out of the movies I did see, here are the worst starting with number 10:



#10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

 

I can't think of another premise as wacky and as innovative as a group of mutant turtles who eat pizza and are trained in the art of Ninjutsu by a talking rat. This film once again wasted that huge abundance of potential, and instead we saw ugly CGI turtles run around with Megan Fox tangled up in an incoherent story, endlessly confusing sub plots and uninspired action sequences straight out of a Michael Bay movie. What a shame.


#9 Exodus: Gods and Kings

Well Ridley Scott appears to be on a downhill slope at the moment, doesn't he? Don't get me wrong, this film is a visual splender with it's plague sequences and the "crossing of the Red Sea finale". Everything else though is a huge mess. Big name actors are in the film simply to stand there and do nothing, the character development (of Moses, played by Christian Bale, in particular) made no sense and it depicted God in the stupidest way imaginable. This and last year's The Counsellor prove that Scott needs to direct a movie with a decent screenplay and fast, otherwise his reputation could well be tarnished. What a frustrating movie to sit through this was!


#8 I, Frankenstein

I, Frankenstein. I, can't believe they made Frankenstein this awful. This film was a true tragedy. It was only 80 minutes long but felt like it had been on for 5 hours. There wasn't a single scene in the film which mattered. As you would expect, the acting was mediocre, the story was confusing as hell and the screenplay a giant mess. Even the special effects were garbage. CGI can't save a film, but it can damn well try when your movie is shit on a stick like this is.


#7 Dracula Untold

Wow. Another "iconic monster movie" that screwed up big time. I give props to Luke Evans and Charles Dance for trying, but trying is all they can do. For a film called Dracula which depicted his origin story, I was surprised at just how little I cared and at how bored I was. This film could've had some kick-ass Dracula moments and a strong emotional core to it, but it completely fell flat on its face. If they're truly planning on making a shared universe with these characters, please make films better than this. Please make them a lot better than this.


#6 A Million Ways to Die in the West

How about "A Million Ways to get horrendously bored and upset in a movie theatre?". God, Seth MacFarlane should've just bought Ted 2 out a year earlier. This film was a comedy where the laughs were limited to a few measly chuckles, which annoyed me more the more I reflected on the film months after seeing it. It felt like a Seth MacFarlane inside joke that nobody else got but himself. To see the genius of a man stoop so low was a low point of 2014 for me personally, and this movie sucked.


#5 The Purge: Anarchy

This film really got under my skin and made me one angry fella. This film thought itself was amazing, it thought it had so many profound things to say about hierarchy within society. When your film tries to be as pretentious as this film in places and then similarly stupid in other places, showcasing homeless men running around on fire, then you have a problem my friend. A shitty problem which goes by the name of The Purge: Anarchy.


#4 Into the Storm

A disaster of a disaster movie. This film really got to me and I hated my experience watching this. I don't like watching films which stupid main characters, even more stupid supporting characters and even more stupid and annoying "comedic relief characters". If you've seen the film (God help you), you'll know those 2 Rednecks were just as irritating as Jar Jar Binks. They should've called it "Into the Storm with a bunch of morons".


#3 Tammy

 

 

 

To put it simply, this is a comedy with not one laugh. Not one joke hits. The first half an hour of the film is just Melissa McCarthy calling people "assholes" on a continuous and never-ending loop. Then her grandmother, played terribly by Susan Sarandon joins the fray and we have a film with 2 unlikeable and unredeemable characters which is awkward and uncomfortable. It has no idea what it wants to be, the drama shoe-horned into the film fails on every level imaginable and the film has zero plot. I view this film as a writ of passage, a torturous experience that I endured on 2 occasions. I deserve a medal.


#2 Transformers: Age of Extinction

Michael Bay has made the exact same movie for the fourth time in a row. The three act structure, the humour, the endless product placement, the cheesy government conspiracy dialogue, the incoherent action to name a few are exactly the same as before, and they're all terrible. This film just kept on going and going and going and I couldn't believe it! Even the visual effects are trash in this film, a film which made me feel physically sick and angry at the same time. I really hate this franchise and I keep praying that Bay will step down and give the reigns to a more capable director.


#1 The Legend of Hercules

It's perhaps the worst movie I've seen in my entire life. It's atrocious. It's a tremendous bore half the time and the other half it's comedy gold. Regardless of whether I was near snoozing or laughing hysterically, I was still sat in sheer disbelief at how this film's script was green lit by a studio and made by a director. You directed Die Hard 2 man, what the fuck happened to you? I could rant at how terrible The Legend of Hercules is but I'd be wasting my time. Just don't see it, please!



I feel much better now. If you have any opinions on any of my picks or any movie which didn't make the list, please leave a comment!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Interview Movie Review/Discussion

I remember watching the trailer for this movie back when it first landed, me and my friend joked that it was going to start World War 3. Look at where we are now...

The Interview is directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen and stars Rogen alongside James Franco. Franco plays an exuberant chat show host and Rogen his more reserved producer who are tasked to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un by the CIA. Un just so happens to be a huge fan of Franco's show and he asks them to fly over to North Korea to conduct an interview with him. From this brief synopsis, the controversy ensues...

This movie has been surrounded by an enormous vortex of controversy and after streaming the movie (it is now available to watch online) I thought I'd finally give my view on this web of bullshit. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie but the controversy is unwarranted in my opinion.

The Interview was planned for a release date of the 25th December, but was then cancelled by Sony Pictures after hackers and terrorists issued threats towards theatres who would screen the film, promising "9/11 level" attacks on them. Which brings me to my first point. I don't blame Sony for cancelling the nationwide release for this film. I know some people have very strong views concerning how we shouldn't back down to terrorists but if threats of that magnitude are being issued then I don't really blame Sony for their initial cancellation.

Later on, Sony released the film online so people could stream it and select theatres across the United States screened it on Christmas Day, in turn grossing the film $1 million! So at the end of the day, the US didn't actually bow down to terrorist's wishes. They have showed the film in various theatres and nothing has happened.

While I can understand why they initially pulled the film, the controversy for me is very much unnecessary. Imagine if a North Korean cinema released a film about Barak Obama being assassinated. In my opinion, the US wouldn't issue such threats. Why? Because it's fictional! It's entertainment for goodness sake! It isn't a cinematic prophecy that will inevitably come true, it' simply a bit of fun.

And that is what The Interview is, a load of fun. It's a perfect film to sit down and watch with your friends with a few beers on the go. It's a film which basks in its silliness and its absurdity, and is filled to the brim with humour which teeters on crossing the metaphorical line; humour I appreciate.

While the film comments on allegations that Kim Jong Un is a ruthless dictator who starves his people and feeds them with false propaganda through heavy media censorship, the film actually takes a huge dig at the US media as well. Franco in this movie works as a chat show host who talks about Miley Cirus' cameltoe and Matthew McConaughey fucking a goat! It satires the media and the US almost as much as it satires North Korea. It doesn't target the nation for the sake of pissing them off, its controversial in almost every other way imaginable!

Seth Rogen and James Franco are polar opposites in terms of characters and their chemistry is perfect because of this. They play off eachother so well. The first act of this movie is the strongest with a lot of gut-busting moments of laughter, then the second act slows down a bit somewhat getting stuck in the CIA/espionage/spy mud, before recuperating in the third act and giving us an "explosive" send off.

It wasn't all perfect though. As I said the second act bogs down the humour a fair amount, some of the jokes run for too long and others are constabtly re-referenced throughout the runtime. I don't like it when a joke is recycled more than twice, it gives hints that the filmmakers were running out of ideas at that particular time while writing the screenplay.

But the movie is funny, absurd and entertaining throughout. There isn't a dull moment in this Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy movie which has led to international cyber terrorism and has left the US and North Korea at the brink of a nuclear war. In the words of the great Krusty the Clown, "Hey lighten up, it's a comedy!".


Rating - B

If you have any thoughts on the movie itself or anything concerning the movie's situation, please leave a comment. Let's have a discussion about this!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Movie Review

Ok so I'm a huge Middle Earth fanboy so there was a very small chance that I would walk away from this movie not liking it...

... and there's a good reason for that! The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is directed by Peter Jackson and is the final instalment in the Hobbit trilogy and the final movie out of 6 in the Middle Earth saga. After the dragon Smaug is let loose and shortly defeated afterwards, an inevitable war between men, elves, dwarves and orcs ensues on the slopes of Erebor over the huge reserves of gold and jewels that lie under the mountain, and essentially we get one giant action sequence which rounds off the Hobbit movies in style!

What I loved about this movie was the sense of urgency that it had. I criticise An Unexpected Journey for being too slow with its build up and overall pacing, however this film does not share that same issue. Right from the get go you see Smaug lay waste to Lake Town and shortly after that the so called "Battle of the Five Armies" is building up straight away.

As you should probably expect by now, Peter Jackson's direction is spot on and once again he delivers those small, emotional character moments that these Middle Earth movies have become synonymous with. While The Hobbit never reaches the same level as the Lord of the Rings (very few movies do reach the level of my all time favourite films) its still an incredibly fun adventure that I will revisit many times.

Martin Freeman again is spot on as ever with his delivery as Bilbo, Ian Mckellen is of course amazing as Gandalf. All the characters in this movie had their time to shine. In previous films Thorin has been the one to be the chief badass of Middle Earth. While he has a lot of badass and heroic moments, its really Bard who shines as this movies true hero. Slaying Smaug didn't hinder his cause at all but he was still the one character who spoke sense, the one who I could understand his position most and connect with him.

Every movie that Legolas is in is guaranteed to have that one "Legolas moment" where the laws of physics don't seem to apply anymore. I counted 2 in this movie! However he isn't the only elf in the film to have a kickass moment or 2; Galadriel (played by Cate Blanchett) has one as well that I think may be forgotten behind the endless battle sequences that take place.

While I felt that sometimes the pacing was too quick and the film's romance didn't seem to lead anywhere important, the film seamlessly connected the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies by giving us a satisfying ending that was to the point coupled with the resolution of "the Necromancer" storyline . I said in my review for the Desolation of Smaug that I was curious as to how they were going to do this, and I think they pulled it off very well indeed.

The cinematography is stunning as always, the musical score uplifting and epic as you also should expect from the genius that is Howard Shore. The battle sequence itself completely lives up to the best battle scenes from the Return of the King and delivers some top quality entertainment. The action sequences were tremendous coupled with some good CGI, although it does seem weird to me that the special effects of the Hobbit films feel less polished and refined compared to the Lord of the Rings, which came out over 10 years ago! I'm truly nit-picking at this point!

The change of title to "The Battle of the Five Armies" was a wise marketing decision in my opinion because it took up well over half of the runtime, which was also the shortest of any Middle Earth movie. At times the whole film felt like a third act, which was fine but in my opinion lacked an emotional build up and an escalation of tension. Although you could argue that the other films do that, as a standalone feature this movie does suffer from that.

But it's a hugely entertaining send off and it delivered to my high expectations. It concluded the Hobbit story very well, it answered the questions which needed answering and stitched together the Middle Earth saga in a very impressive way. It was a very satisfying film to sit down and watch.


Rating - A-


1 sentence summary - While quickly paced, the Battle of the Five Armies excels with it's ambitious action sequences and warming character moments, a fun ride indeed!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Will Spiderman return to Marvel Studios?

Spiderman. Arguably Marvel's most iconic superhero. For years the film rights have been in the possession of Sony, who have made 5 films around him in the last 12 years, meaning that Spidey has been unable to join the ranks of the Avengers alongside Iron Man and Captain America for legal reasons. Should Spiderman return to Marvel?

Yes he should in my opinion. Will he though? It's unlikely at the moment, albeit more likely than ever with supposed details released via the "Sony hacks" that the 2 studios are negotiating a deal, which could see them share the rights the character.

A studio's goal is to make as much money as possible. The Amazing Spiderman 2, considered a box office flop as the opening movie of the summer, has grossed $708.9 million at the box office. That's still a lot of money. Regardless of how many fans/critics hated it, it still grossed a shit-tonne of money and that can only benefit Sony.

Would a sharing agreement work in my opinion? No. Having 2 different Peter Parker's in 2 different franchises and 2 different movie universes would not work in all honesty. I can't see it. So, will Sony give Spiderman back to Marvel? I still doubt it. But it is something I want to see happen. Marvel can make the Guardians of the Galaxy the highest grossing movie of summer and has plans for more obscure/lesser known superheroes like Doctor Strange and the Inhumans. They can make any property successful, so who wouldn't want to see one of Marvel's chief characters back in the hands of the hottest studio in Hollywood?

So we've established it is very unlikely to happen, but what if it did? Who would play Spidey? According to the evidence in the "Sony hacks", if Marvel gained the rights to the character they would not cast Andrew Garfield as the title character. Andrew Garfield's performances in the Amazing Spiderman films is the best thing about them, however if Marvel wanted to reboot the character then any ties to a continuity which they're trying to forget about should be removed. Finding a replacement makes sense.

If he did appear in the MCU before the end of Avengers Infinity War part 2, I would expect him to appear as a supporting character, possibly in a glorified cameo. Phase 4 would probably be a good time to have the first Spiderman film, and have him team up with the new Avengers in future instalments.

But the real question here is should Marvel really go out to get the Spiderman film rights back? Shouldn't they just give other characters like Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel a chance? Of course they should go out to get him! Sony hasn't got a clue what they're doing with him! They don't have a smidgen of a plan. Sinister Six? Venom? A Female led solo Spiderman film? Amazing Spiderman 3? Can you honestly see all of this actually coming to fruition? Me neither.

I have no idea what they're doing with the character... and neither do they! Should Marvel get the rights to Spiderman, you can guarantee they would have good and secure plans for the character. While a rebooted franchise under Marvel's wing is an unlikely fantasy that will never happen, I really hope Marvel go for it if they get the chance.


Thanks for reading,
Matt 

Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange!!

It's official at last!

I think we've all known for some time now that Sherlock, The Hobbit and Star Trek Into Darkness star Benedict Cumberbatch was set to play sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange in a solo film and in other films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But even with this very film we've seen that you should not see anything as official until the studio confirms it themselves.

We saw Joaquin Phoenix come ever so close to signing onto the role before he turned it down after dismissing a multi-film commitment. After Phoenix left negotiations, names like Ryan Gosling and Tom Hardy were thrown around along with Benedict Cumberbatch. Speaking honestly, I would've loved to have seen Joaquin Phoenix tackle this type of role. However, like the rest of the world I love Benedict Cumberbatch and I love the idea of him as Doctor Strange.

The casting itself is terrific, but it got me thinking. We know little to nothing about the plot of Doctor Strange and due to this lack of knowledge, I started speculating and coming up with my own ideas for what I'd like to happen in the film set for a November 2016 release.

A few weeks ago, German actor Daniel Bruhl (who by the way gave what was my favourite acting performance from any 2013 film as Niki Lauda in Rush) was confirmed to be playing a villain in Captain America: Civil War AND Doctor Strange. I think he is the most underrated actor in Hollywood at the moment and to see him involved in the MCU just makes me feel better about life. BUT!! Who the hell is he playing? Judging by the fact that he'll be appearing as an adversary to both Cap and Doc Strange, I think he's Baron Mordo. He could well be Baron Zemo though. It's like flipping a coin speculating between the 2; it could literally be either and be just as plausible.

I always thought that Marvel would introduce the magical corner of their film universe by going out all guns blazing and making Dormammu the primary antagonist. Obviously he still may be in the film as his non-involvement hasn't actually be confirmed. Honestly, had they not cast Daniel Bruhl, I would've been disappointed with the villain chosen. But I have such faith that he'll kill it in this role and we'll just have to wait and see if Baron Mordo/Zemo can be kick ass villain like Loki...

So we know that Strange will most probably face off against Baron "something", but where does this film fit with the continuity? Every film released so far as been in a chronological order, so why change it? At this point origin stories are running out of steam (with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy) so why not just have Doctor Strange already established as a superhero, or at least as a "human with super powers of a sort"?

Also, in Cap 2 "Doctor Stephen Strange" was labelled as a "threat" by a HYDRA agent, indicating that he is already well known and established in this universe. He would only be a threat if he had his powers, right? So do what The Incredible Hulk did and tell the origin story in the opening credits or something, and then go onto the movie.

So those are my quick speculations on Doctor Strange and the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch has finally been confirmed, and just in time for the Avengers: Age of Ultron re-shoots! Do you think he'll cameo or make an extended appearance in either Avengers 2 or Captain America: Civil War before his solo flick? Comment below if you think so...


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Suicide Squad Cast Revealed!!

When DC/Warner Brothers confirmed that they were chasing some "A-List" actors to cast in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie, they really weren't lying!

It seems to me that DC has really grabbed the opportunity to release a "villain team-up" movie by the balls and they're really going for it. While the common audience member may not be sold on the sole fact that it takes place in the same universe as Batman v Superman, I think now they'll start to take note with a decent cast. The line-up is as follows:


Jared Leto – The Joker

Will Smith – Deadshot

Tom Hardy – Rick Flag

Margot Robbie – Harley Quinn

Jai Courtney – Boomerang

Cara Delevingne – Enchantress


I'll start with my gripes with the cast list. Firstly, the inclusion of Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. I don't think I've actually seen her in anything and, due to my own ignorance, know close to nothing about the character she is playing, therefore it's hard for me to get excited for her. Also, I don't know if she is going to have much importance to the overall story; to me she seems like one of the expendable members. She's the Suicide Squad's Hawkeye!

Secondly, Jai Courtney. Although I assume he will have more relevance to the Squad than Enchantress, as he is a popular villain for The Flash (who'll be played by Ezra Miller), I am not a huge fan of him as an actor. I have nothing personal against the guy... but I don't know if he can bring the emotional resonance to Boomerang like I know the other actors will bring to their characters. I hope to be proved wrong.

Now to stop ranting! Margot Robbie (aka my future wife) as Harley Quinn is bang on, absolute perfection. She was phenomenal in Wolf of Wall Street and let's face it, she's sexy as hell! She's everything that Harley Quinn should be and I am so looking forward to her interplay with Jared Leto's Joker.

That is also a great casting choice. Its been rumoured for weeks now and the actor was sworn to secrecy, but now all has been revealed. The Suicide Squad, in order to sell to modern audiences, needed a well known character to grab their attention. After Heath Ledger's defining performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, the character has become an even bigger pop culture icon and will sell tickets on his name alone. But what do I think of the casting? Lets put it this way, I am an optimist... most of the time. I'm looking forward to his spin on The Joker, that's all that I need to say.

Finalising the cast is Will Smith's Deadshot and Tom Hardy's Rick Flag. Will Smith usually goes for lead roles and it makes sense that he is Deadshot, because he is the leader of the squad. Tom Hardy is one of my favourite actors and he is going to be a force, its inevitable, even with a character like Rick Flag, someone else I know close to nothing about. Personally, I would've loved to have seen Hardy play Deathstroke, but I really can't complain as I'm glad he's going to be in it!

Overall, the cast is good and the character line-up is surprising. I'm so looking forward to this film as this could be the flick which gives depth and backstory to a cinematic universe which is yet to be established. DC need to show us that these villains have been around for years and, for some of them, a connection to Ben Affleck's Batman, someone who's also been kicking ass for many many years. This is a huge opportunity for DC, and I'm praying they deliver us something great.

But I still am a little hesitant. Casting lists don't get me amazingly pumped, trailers do. And when I see a trailer for this film, I'll fanboy the f*ck out!


Thanks for reading,
Matt