Flanked by some exceptionally great films are some of the worst movies known to man and we have them all here in our annual Year in Review … and away we go!
THE GOOD
The Wolf of Wall Street — Leonardo DiCaprio is a force of nature in this tour de force performance as the ultimate con man run amok.
Her — Where is the line between man and machine? Between fiber optics and real emotions? “Her” explores all this and much more in a great “touchy-feely” film with Scarlett Johansson as the disembodied voice that any man would fall in love with.
The Guardians of the Galaxy — Predicted to be a dog with no mainstream superheroes like Thor or the Hulk, Marvel does it again with a terrific story, great special effects and a killer 1970s soundtrack.
12 Years A Slave — Running away as Best Picture of the Year is this true story of overcoming racism in its raw naked form.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Marvel rocks the house in this thrilling techno adventure with superheroes abound. Captain America has never been so needed as today.
THE SO-SO
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty — Yawn … would someone please wake me when the final credits are running. This remake of the 1939 Danny Kaye classic is D.O.A. … boring, completely dull and lifeless with Ben Stiller sleepwalking through the title role.
Saving Mr. Banks — Did we really need to know the entire “backstory” of Mary Poppins? Dour and lifeless throughout, the only saving grace was Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.
Hercules — Dwayne (“The Rock”) Johnson takes the title role of a less than super, super dude who lacked any on-screen charisma. I’d rather watch paint dry.
Interstellar — Even with Matthew McConaughey, as the heroic lead in this galactic mess, must have been wondering what it all meant in the third and final act. With enough wormholes and black holes to make anyone run from the theater and go screaming in the night.
THE STINKERS
Need for Speed — Did we really need another mindless movie in which fast cars take flight and stupid women cohabitate with really stupid men? Ahhh… no.
The Maze Runner — I wanted to slap each and every one of these pathetic little whiners who constantly complain about their lives until a drop dead gorgeous “20 something” is dropped into their midst. It’s a sci-fi “thriller” with testosterone on steroids. Oh, joy!
The Expendables 3 — Would someone please send Sylvester Stallone back to the old folks home? The worse of the “Expendable movies” as only the bullets from the “good guys” find their mark.
The Prince — The worst movie of the year officially tanks the “career” of Bruce Willis and a comatose John Cusack… both of whom sleepwalk through this dreg for a paycheck. I would have walked out of this movie at 35,000 feet—sans parachute.
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