post-script: worst films of 2005

I am always interested in what films people say are the worst of a given year and the reasons why. Personally, I try to steer clear of "easy" or "obvious" bad films. Son of the Mask, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and (insert name of 60' s-era television sitcom re-make here) are all easily bad films, and all you have to do is see their trailers to realize what's coming.

What I like is when people bring up films that should have been great, films that would have been stunning cinematic opuses had some small element been slightly different, whether in the creative process or in the ideology or psychology behind the content. Granted, The Amityville Horror re-make doesn't fit in this category, but my other three worst films do (they were Ma Mere, Manderlay and Palindromes).

So imagine my surprise when top critic showmen like Ebert and Roeper each pick their ten worst films of 2005...and they are all comedies and action films that, in many cases, could not have been expected to be very good in the first place. Ebert especially surpises, as he made quite vehement statements against two graphic, cruelty-charged horror films, Chaos and Wolf Creek, yet they don't show up in his list. More importantly, their lists feel very easy...where are the challenging films that failed? Isn't a horribly failed effort that was intended to be something grand and meaningful or artistic and daring far worse than just another cookie-cutter action film or unfunny, try-too-hard comedy? In this humble movie-lovin' blogger's opinion, yes.

Oh, well. Another post on something that isn't that important in the scheme of things.




this post was released in theaters, on cable and DVD and transferred via a Dr. Strange-like ethereal plane on the same day. okay, so the DVD release is actually next tuesday...