90 least favorite films of the first decade of the 21st century
Oldboy
I loathed them all. I found none ‘so bad it’s good.’ Outside of investment potential, some had no visible reason for being; others sent me into a coma. There are scads of dull thrillers, idiotic action movies, incoherent indies, unfunny comedies, tedious Woody Allen misfires and shit-for-brains Troma flicks I’ve yet to catch up with, so don’t be alarmed by their absence here. I compiled it from my personal Netflix ratings (each picture barely earning one sad little star), where I occasionally left comments for friends. For example, on Dude, Where’s My Car? I noted, “No matter how bad you think this might be, it’s worse.” Ain’t that the truth…
10,000 B.C. (2008)
Across the Universe (2007)
All the Love You Cannes (2002)
The Amateurs (2005)
Barbershop (2002)
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Bedazzled (2000)
Blue Crush (2002)
The Brown Bunny (2004)
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
The Celestine Prophecy (2006)
Chicago (2002)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Cote d’Azur (2005)
D.E.B.S. (2004)
Dance of the Dead (2008)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
Fantastic Four (2005)
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie, 2001)
Femme Fatale (2002)
Frequency (2000)
G.I. Joe: the Rise of the Cobra (2009)
Gladiator (2000)
The Good German (2006)
Good Luck Chuck (2007)
Gosford Park (2001)
Gun Shy (2000)
Hollywood Dreams (2007)
How Much Do You Love Me? (2007)
I’m Not There (2007)
In Bruges (2008)
Inside (2007)
Irene in Time (2009)
The Italian Job (2003)
Jumper (2008)
The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
Kikujiro No Natsu (Kikujiro, 2000)
Leatherheads (2007)
Les Destinees (2000)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Margot at the Wedding (2007)
Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Mission to Mars (2000)
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007)
My Best Friend’s Girl (2008)
Ocean’s 11 (2001)
Oldboy (2003)
Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
The Others (2001)
Panic Room (2002)
Paranoid (2000)
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Pieces of April (2003)
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Running Scared (2006)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
Serenity (2005)
Sin City (2005)
Small Time Crooks (2000)
Smiley Face (2007)
Species III (2004)
Speed Racer (2008)
Stardust (2007)
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (2000)
Three Can Play at That Game (2007)
Towelhead (2007)
Trick ‘r Treat (2008)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Unbreakable (2000)
Unfaithful (2002)
Unrest (2006)
Untraceable (2008)
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)
Valkyrie (2008)
Vertical Limit (2000)
The Weeping Meadow (2004)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Who’s Your Daddy? (2005)
Winter Sleepers (2000)
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Wrong Turn (2003)
Yi Yi (2000)
Labels: Une affaire de Flickhead
posted by Ray Young at
7:49 AM
24 Comments:
I was half-expecting to see a bunch of films I really loved in here, but actually there were only about 10 or so that I at least moderately liked, and only a couple (I'm Not There, Royal Tenenbaums) that I'd call unreservedly great films. The below films are the ones I've seen that I'd say were at least good, and certainly belong nowhere near any kind of worst list.
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie, 2001)
Gosford Park (2001)
I’m Not There (2007)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Ocean’s 11 (2001)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Sin City (2005)
Small Time Crooks (2000)
Unbreakable (2000)
Yi Yi (2000)
On the other hand, I'm glad to see some hate for Dancer in the Dark, a truly despicable movie, and there's equally no arguing with the inclusion of trash like Pearl Harbor, The Passion and of course all those shitty mainstream supposed "comedies."
I thought I'm Not There was brilliant, perfectly examining Dylan's multiple personae and the ways in which his disguises have reflected the eras through which he lived. Haynes' stylistic diversity further contributed to the film's treatment of multiplicity. I love Dylan's music and I can't imagine a better way of approaching him as an artist.
Ed, just as a point of reference, All the Love You Cannes is a Troma film with Claude Chabrol (!).
I've never gotten the cult for Amelie, watching it felt like being smothered alive in My Little Ponies. I like Audrey Tautou in pretty much everything else I've seen her in too. She was one of the few bright spots in The Da Vinci Code, I didn't like it either. Any anonymous hack could have turned out a servicable thriller out of that book but it takes an Academy Award winning screenwriter and director to make it even more lumpy and leaden than the source.
Hey, it turns out I'm a lot smarter than you. I've only seen eleven of these. Yes, that's right everyone, I'm a cinephile and I've only seen eleven of these. But I've seen a shitload of movies from the thirties through the sixties so there.
Also, for what it's worth Ray, I pretty much avoided almost all of these based on their bad reviews and only saw the ones that got good reviews and... pretty much agree with you on most of them. I'm happy to see that.
But which ones?!
"I've never gotten the cult for Amelie, watching it felt like being smothered alive in My Little Ponies."
Too true!
I often like Audrey in comedy (Priceless and Venus Beauty Institute are favorites of mine), but seldom find her appealing in drama. Regardless, she's got amazing eyes.
Greg,
Fortunately or unfortunately, however you wish to interpret it, I seldom (almost never) read movie reviews, and never watch TV shows with movie critics or things like Entertainment Tonight. I go into a film blind as I can. It usually helps. On the rare occasions I do read reviews, it's after I've seen a film. More often than not I find I share very little with the intelligentsia.
I'm still getting my head around the Chabrol / Troma collaboration...
Ed pretty much picked the "big ones" from your list for me (except for I'm Not There and Small Time Crooks which I haven't seen), but here's a few others I'm curious as to why you selected:
In Bruges - I don't love it like many others do (#185 on the IMDB all time list?), but I thought both Farrell and Gleeson gave very strong performances.
Oldboy - I guess I can understand...It's my least favourite of the vengeance trilogy (I love, love, love Lady Vengeance), but Chan-wook Park's films are just very visceral for me. That's not necessarily good I suppose, but it counts for something.
The Others - Really? I quite enjoyed it as one of the better popular ghost stories. It was subtle, occasionally creepy and I was bought into it so the "twist" caught me off guard.
Serenity - No love for Firefly? Or was it because the film didn't live up to the TV show?
Winter Sleepers - Been awhile since I've seen it, but I seem to remember Tykwer using colour quite well and consistently throughout the story. Or have I become a Tykwer fanboy? Strangely, I didn't care much for The International.
I love both Royal Tenenbaums & Amelie (that My Little Ponies line by Jessica was pretty funny though), but I can also see why their styles and content don't jibe with many people. I can also see why those people are wrong...B-)
Definitely agree on Trick R Treat though. Big misfire and a wasted opportunity to make something actually, you know, fun.
More often than not I find I share very little with the intelligentsia.
If I actually published all of my negative reactions to well-received new films on Cinema Styles I'd probably get a lot more hits but I'd also get a lot more angry comments and fuck it, life's too short.
But seriously, many new films praised to the teeth by my fellow travellers of whom I have great respect, I just fucking hate. So...
Where's TRANSFORMERS??
Anon, Transformers had two or three nice shots of Megan Fox, which elevates my rating from one-star to one-and-a-half, thereby disqualifying it from the list. Sorry.
Where's my second comment? Waaaaaaaahhh!
Bob, I have no excuses. But on a few of your points:
I have no knowledge of a Serenity TV show. Outside of my degenerate addiction to General Hospital, the last episodic show I followed regularly was Twin Peaks.
I was something of a Tom Tykwer fan. I think Ron Lola Run is one of the great action movies; and The Princess and the Warrior is poetic. There are some parts of his other films that I've liked, but just parts.
As for Oldboy, I never bought it for a minute. I sat there for an hour and a half going, "this is ridiculous."
"Where's my second comment? Waaaaaaaahhh!"
Hey, I'm an old man, cut me some slack.
BTW, Bob & Ed, this isn't a "worst of the decade" list; it's a least favorites list. I was hoping my introduction would clarify that.
Yep, the intro was clear - I know your list is a very personal taste one and has nothing to say about any objective qualities of the films.
Doesn't mean you aren't still occasionally wrong...B-)
Was just curious as to why some of those films rubbed you the wrong way. If I don't always agree with your opinions, I always like to see them expressed as you have a great way of drilling down into what works and doesn't work for you.
There are a few films there I did like quite a bit. Some others, though, were never intended for anything resembling serious viewing. Were you seriously expecting something from Mega Shark?
Among those films I liked was Across the Universe, although I would like to see Julie Taymor's version which was not the one released theatrically.
My list will be posted soon, so you can respond as you see fit.
Peter, I was at least hoping that Mega Shark wouldn't be boring.
Wonderful list. I don't ask to agree with lists, just that they be interesting and idiosyncratic so this one's total win by me.
I would love to know why you hated The Kid Stays in the Picture, though. I'm not arguing, I'm just curious.
Several films on the list I personally liked quite a bit and several I personally didn't love so much. My detestation (hey, it appears to be a word!) of "Across the Universe" is second to no man, however.
On the other hand, I think "Dancer in the Dark" is a really great film and "Chicago" is cut way too fast -- not so atrociously as "Moulin Rouge" -- but otherwise for me is highly entertaining like it's supposed to be. Good script by Bill Condon.
As for "Serenity," as a big "Firefly" fan who liked the movie but, more than anything, wanted it to be a huge hit, I always wondered how it would play for people who not only had never seen the show, but didn't know there was one. I've heard of some others who actually liked it, but FH is the first cinephile I know of to see it that way (Joss Whedon awareness is probably too high for it to be otherwise), so that's not so good.
I haven't seen "Yi Yi" yet so, just in case I don't fall into a rapture like most other cinephiles/criticial types, it's nice to know I might have some company.
Siren, I thought the doc was flat and unexceptional, especially considering Evans' rise from sleazy b-actor to studio mogul with Bad Hair. Plus, his repeated reference to Ali MacGraw as "that little snot nose" (!) creeped me out.
Bob, my bad: I actually had to Google 'Joss Whedon'.
I like this list. There are some interesting choices here. So much of online cinephilia has become about conformity -- nearly everyone's taste has gotten predictable. Not yours. Keep up the good work.
This is hard for me to take, considering 3 of my favorite films of the decade are in here.
In Bruges, The Royal Tenenbaums and Lost in Translation.
There must have been an ounce of joy in at least one of these films.
Loathe is a pretty strong word for some of these films, I out and out love Chicago, Yi Yi, and Gosford Park, and like quite a few others, like Pieces of April, Lost in Translation, Pride and Prejudice, The Others, Blue Crush, and Dancer in the Dark. Many of these I haven't seen. It's still hard to wrap my head around "loathe."
What can I say? Even World's Greatest Dad has its defenders.
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