Time to take a look at some of the biggest let downs and disappointments of the year. First up Tom takes a look at what let him down and made him die a little on the inside.
Carrie
Hearing of a remake of Brian De Palma's 1972 classic didn't fill me with usual rage remakes elicit. A great actress in the lead role, a fantastic director at the helm, and the promise to be closer to Stephen Kings novel had me looking forward to it. Sadly, the finished product proved to be a lukewarm rehash, just ticking the boxes of the original, and lacking any of its intensity.
Insidious Chapter Two
I have to admit I did really enjoy Insidious Chapter Two, the main problem is it followed director James Wan's fantastic The Conjuring, and probably could never live up to it. His signature style, waiting a split second longer than most to scare the bejesus out of you, is there, but the scares seem tacked onto a story that doesn't really need them, mainly focused on building the world created in the first film.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Look at this comedic cast: Steve Carrell, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, Jim Carrey. Sending up the world of stage magicians also seemed like a no brainer, but sadly the film couldn't live up to it, the cast putting in good performances but falling short of the greatness we know they can do.
Right then, that’s Tom’s lot, now for a few that crushed my soul and exhausted my mind.
The Counsellor
When we first started writing about this, in my head I felt this could have been one of the very best movies of the year. Directed by Ridley Scott and an amazing cast including Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Michael Fassbender. What could really go wrong? As it turns out quite alot. With a simple story presented in a way that would make inventing time travel with a plastic tool kit easy, The Counsellor was all kinds of disappointment. Not even Cameron Diaz’s vagina could save the day. Infamously she scraped her lady bits up and down a windscreen of a Ferrari which really was the icing on the cake. Look, don’t get me wrong, I’d leave Cameron Diaz and her vagina slide up and down the windscreen of a Ford Transit van, but in a movie? For the love of God!
Man Of Steel
Possibly a victim of the hype machine, Man Of Steel just destroyed my soul. I’m a life long Superman fan, and without sounding like a crazed fan boy, Snyder’s Man Of Steel left my completely and utterly devastated. So much so that I even classed Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns as a better movie. It was only yesterday that I took a look at the Blu-Ray and while the set pieces are fantastic, my biggest problem with MOS was the backstory. Why Goyer and Snyder decided a near hour long back story was a good idea is beyond me. Everybody knows the backstory to Superman. Its been covered countless times. Jesus Christ even a rabid badger knows the basic story of Clark Kent. I’m full of conflict for Man Of Steel, part of me genuinely wants to love it, but you shouldn’t have to watch a movie countless times to like it. As enjoyable as the set pieces are, I’m still dragged back to the damn backstory (again) and why its there, and thats not even before I get to Superman breaking all his rules. Ultimately, for me its the biggest disappointment of the year!
And of course if you feel we got it right our wrong, or have any opinions on the biggest disappointments this year, drop us a comment below.
