Top 10 Bad Movies with Great Star Power of 2008
The year is coming to an end and its time for the top ten lists which are bound to pop up in almost every niche. On the risk of being left out, I decided to join the party with a top ten list with a difference(or so I think). This year a lot of really good as well as bad movies released. Some movies with apparently unknown cast and crew turned out to be great and at the same time some movies with a promising crew turned out to be disasters. Here is a list of those movies.
Top 10 Bad Movies with Great Star Power(that I have had the misfortune to see.)
10. What Happens in Vegas (IMDB)
At the number 10 spot its the Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher starrer "What Happened in Las Vegas". A full length sitcom which begs us to take it seriously as a film. Two outrageously stupid and selfish characters whom you can't get to like no matter how hard you try. It does have its moments here and there but no definitely worth a watch in the theaters.Its not a horrible movie but better rent it in a DVD and watch it when you have nothing else to do.
9. 10,000 B.C.(IMDB)
Snatching the number 9 spot is the epic(or supposed to be epic) movie set in 10,000 B.C with woolly mammoths, saber toothed tigers, cavemen, and what nots. The director of Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow had a lot to live upto and fell flat on his face trying to do so. The plot and screenplay was too silly for a movie of that scale. The visual effects and costumes, one of the plus points of the movie, along with some moments here and there saved the movie from a fatal drop to the forgetful chasm of Hollywood crap.
8. The Happening(IMDB)
The number 8 slot is adorned by M. Night Shyamalan's latest "scary thriller" ,The Happening. A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it and so do we. The tagline for the movie says "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening". That is absolutely spot on about Shyamalan's film-making abilities. We sensed it with "Village", We've seen the signs in "Lady in the Water". And now its Happening. How ironic ?
7. Rambo(IMDB)
Rambo snatched the no. 7 spot with Sylvester Stallone returning as Rambo to bring out the worst movie(to date?) in the series. I am not a big fan of Rambo movies except for First Blood which I loved. After First Blood it became just another American Hero blowing up foreign "terrorists" by hundreds. Rambo only needs a patch of ground where evil men terrorise women, children and hard-working peasants, before his damaged hero blows them away by the truckload. But the new Rambo sunk to even lower levels by making the movie into something that is nothing more than a mindless shoot-fest. Forget the story, forget the character, forget emotions, hell,even forget excitement. This movie got nothing except a couple of moments(one of which is a flashback to First Blood) which gave it a place ahead of Mummy 3. Little more than a cartoon, Rambo caters only for those still smitten by the rat-a-tat of continuous gunfire
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(IMDB)
The latest installment of the Mummy franchise settled for the number 6 spot after fighting with Babylon A.D fiercely. In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin - a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago. How many times have we seen that before? Isn't is time fictional character Rick O'Connel learned not to mess around with Mummies? Isn't it time for Brendan Fraser to say no to such movies? Rachel Weiz said no and good for her. The third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline. The only good thing in the movie is the performance by Jet-Li who absolutely sizzles the screen playing sinister emperor and saving the movie from a no. 5 spot in my list.
5. Babylon A.D.(IMDB)
The latest sci-fi action thriller from Vin Diesel, Babylon A.D, well deservedly gets the no. 5 spot. Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah. I can name a couple of movies that this movie borrows from right off the top of my head- Children of Men, Minority Report. There may be many more. The plot makes absolutely no sense rendering a nihilistic nonsense with no particular plus points. The ending is more incomprehensible than the "meaning of life". I strongly suspect the editing team screwed up and accidentally deleted the last part of the movie. Vin Diesel should really choose better projects if he wants to stay in Hollywood.
4. Righteous Kill(IMDB)
Righteous Kill bags the no. 4 spot with some really uninspiring screenplay, direction, acting, and anything that's left in making a film. Russel Gewirtz, the writer, should be ashamed of himself for bringing out such a work, especially after he has written a brilliant Inside Man. I have just one question for two of the greatest actors of all time- Why oh why did you take this project? Didn't you at least leaf through the screenplay before signing up? The movie tries to inflate itself on the iconic star power of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro but falls flat on its face.
3. You Don't Mess With the Zohan(IMDB)
Adam Sandler with his latest juvenile comedy "You Don't mess with Zohan" bags the no. 3 spot. I've never really liked him nor hated him. This movie has given me a really strong motivation to hate him.A comment at Rotten Tomatoes says it all-"The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy – which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing". I saw Judd Apatow's name was on the writers list and I was like- What is a guy who has written 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express doing in this film?You don't mess with Zohan, You don't even mess with the film. Just leave it alone.
2. The Love Guru(IMDB)
Mike Myers, the voice behind Shrek, the irresistibly funny Austin Powers, brings out Love Guru which quite easily grabbed the no. 2 spot. Mr. Myers, a writer and producer as well as the star, seems to have lost his touch, his jokes not funny anymore some bordering on obnoxious. It did get a couple of laughs at the first but soon it became a pain that I endured only cause I was with a friend and we were making fun of the movie. There is a part where Pitka(Myers) and his arch rival is shown to be in a fight with urine soaked mops, and that too as part of some Indian spiritual teaching lesson. If you find that funny, be my guest. I found the movie as a whole un-funny, and even offensive to my Indian psyche.
and finally... the movie that topped the list
1. Step Brothers(IMDB)
At the no. 1 spot we find "Step Brothers" lying on the gross and repulsive shoulders of Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly with all its disgusting glory. One cannot consider Will Ferrel to be star power, but the hype it got and the popularity surely counts for something. I can't understand what made critics give this piece of (for lack of a better word) crap a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Who really wants to see the unbearably repulsive antics of two 40 year old adolescents who are given a leash-free romp in the movie? This is not anything remotely like 40 year old Virgin, which was a movie I enjoyed. I cannot find even one reason why anyone would enjoy the film, but still many do. If you can somehow overlook the disgusting antics of the lead characters, then comes an unimaginative plot that is so predictable that you will slap yourselves for even thinking something different can be expected.
If you have any more movies that should have been introduced in the list feel free to post a comment about it.
Top 10 Bad Movies with Great Star Power(that I have had the misfortune to see.)
10. What Happens in Vegas (IMDB)
(At the number 10 spot its the Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher starrer "What Happened in Las Vegas". A full length sitcom which begs us to take it seriously as a film. Two outrageously stupid and selfish characters whom you can't get to like no matter how hard you try. It does have its moments here and there but no definitely worth a watch in the theaters.Its not a horrible movie but better rent it in a DVD and watch it when you have nothing else to do.
9. 10,000 B.C.(IMDB)
Snatching the number 9 spot is the epic(or supposed to be epic) movie set in 10,000 B.C with woolly mammoths, saber toothed tigers, cavemen, and what nots. The director of Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow had a lot to live upto and fell flat on his face trying to do so. The plot and screenplay was too silly for a movie of that scale. The visual effects and costumes, one of the plus points of the movie, along with some moments here and there saved the movie from a fatal drop to the forgetful chasm of Hollywood crap.
8. The Happening(IMDB)
The number 8 slot is adorned by M. Night Shyamalan's latest "scary thriller" ,The Happening. A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it and so do we. The tagline for the movie says "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening". That is absolutely spot on about Shyamalan's film-making abilities. We sensed it with "Village", We've seen the signs in "Lady in the Water". And now its Happening. How ironic ?
7. Rambo(IMDB)
Rambo snatched the no. 7 spot with Sylvester Stallone returning as Rambo to bring out the worst movie(to date?) in the series. I am not a big fan of Rambo movies except for First Blood which I loved. After First Blood it became just another American Hero blowing up foreign "terrorists" by hundreds. Rambo only needs a patch of ground where evil men terrorise women, children and hard-working peasants, before his damaged hero blows them away by the truckload. But the new Rambo sunk to even lower levels by making the movie into something that is nothing more than a mindless shoot-fest. Forget the story, forget the character, forget emotions, hell,even forget excitement. This movie got nothing except a couple of moments(one of which is a flashback to First Blood) which gave it a place ahead of Mummy 3. Little more than a cartoon, Rambo caters only for those still smitten by the rat-a-tat of continuous gunfire
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(IMDB)
The latest installment of the Mummy franchise settled for the number 6 spot after fighting with Babylon A.D fiercely. In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin - a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago. How many times have we seen that before? Isn't is time fictional character Rick O'Connel learned not to mess around with Mummies? Isn't it time for Brendan Fraser to say no to such movies? Rachel Weiz said no and good for her. The third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline. The only good thing in the movie is the performance by Jet-Li who absolutely sizzles the screen playing sinister emperor and saving the movie from a no. 5 spot in my list.
5. Babylon A.D.(IMDB)
The latest sci-fi action thriller from Vin Diesel, Babylon A.D, well deservedly gets the no. 5 spot. Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah. I can name a couple of movies that this movie borrows from right off the top of my head- Children of Men, Minority Report. There may be many more. The plot makes absolutely no sense rendering a nihilistic nonsense with no particular plus points. The ending is more incomprehensible than the "meaning of life". I strongly suspect the editing team screwed up and accidentally deleted the last part of the movie. Vin Diesel should really choose better projects if he wants to stay in Hollywood.
4. Righteous Kill(IMDB)
Righteous Kill bags the no. 4 spot with some really uninspiring screenplay, direction, acting, and anything that's left in making a film. Russel Gewirtz, the writer, should be ashamed of himself for bringing out such a work, especially after he has written a brilliant Inside Man. I have just one question for two of the greatest actors of all time- Why oh why did you take this project? Didn't you at least leaf through the screenplay before signing up? The movie tries to inflate itself on the iconic star power of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro but falls flat on its face.
3. You Don't Mess With the Zohan(IMDB)
Adam Sandler with his latest juvenile comedy "You Don't mess with Zohan" bags the no. 3 spot. I've never really liked him nor hated him. This movie has given me a really strong motivation to hate him.A comment at Rotten Tomatoes says it all-"The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy – which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing". I saw Judd Apatow's name was on the writers list and I was like- What is a guy who has written 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express doing in this film?You don't mess with Zohan, You don't even mess with the film. Just leave it alone.
2. The Love Guru(IMDB)
Mike Myers, the voice behind Shrek, the irresistibly funny Austin Powers, brings out Love Guru which quite easily grabbed the no. 2 spot. Mr. Myers, a writer and producer as well as the star, seems to have lost his touch, his jokes not funny anymore some bordering on obnoxious. It did get a couple of laughs at the first but soon it became a pain that I endured only cause I was with a friend and we were making fun of the movie. There is a part where Pitka(Myers) and his arch rival is shown to be in a fight with urine soaked mops, and that too as part of some Indian spiritual teaching lesson. If you find that funny, be my guest. I found the movie as a whole un-funny, and even offensive to my Indian psyche.
and finally... the movie that topped the list
1. Step Brothers(IMDB)
At the no. 1 spot we find "Step Brothers" lying on the gross and repulsive shoulders of Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly with all its disgusting glory. One cannot consider Will Ferrel to be star power, but the hype it got and the popularity surely counts for something. I can't understand what made critics give this piece of (for lack of a better word) crap a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Who really wants to see the unbearably repulsive antics of two 40 year old adolescents who are given a leash-free romp in the movie? This is not anything remotely like 40 year old Virgin, which was a movie I enjoyed. I cannot find even one reason why anyone would enjoy the film, but still many do. If you can somehow overlook the disgusting antics of the lead characters, then comes an unimaginative plot that is so predictable that you will slap yourselves for even thinking something different can be expected.
If you have any more movies that should have been introduced in the list feel free to post a comment about it.
