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It’s been a while since my last post, I apologize.  The video-game Dragon Age: Inquisition has been taking up a lot of my time lately.  But I digress.  2014 was a phenomenal year for movies.  You can check out Part 1 of my Year In Review article here for my list of films that I thought were the best the year had to offer.  Now, my solemn duty is to inform you of the worst films of 2014.  These are the movies that made it painful to be a movie enthusiast.  While it is true that 2014 was great for movies, it also had its fair share of stinkers.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed some of these movies, and some of them aren’t necessarily BAD per se, but they were just not good enough.  So, in addition to the worst of the worst, I’m also going to to list the crushing disappointments of the year.  I’m not going to post the trailers for these films, because they aren’t good enough to warrant that.  If you want to the trailers, you’ll have to check out my reviews.  Lets get this show on the road, shall we?  Oh, and these are in no particular order of stinkiness.

I, Frankenstein

Oh, boy.  I haven’t reviewed this one, but I have seen it.  This film was from the producers of the Underworld franchise.  It’s a different take on the Frankenstein monster, but the filmmakers forgot to make it fun.  I generally find Aaron Eckhardt to be a reliable and phenomenal actor, but his turn as Adam is not particularly good.  I find it interesting that they would make the Frankenstein monster a hero in this film, and in the hands of better filmmakers it could have worked.  The story is ridiculously stupid: Demons vs Gargoyles?  The Gargoyles are the good guys.  It’s unbelievably tepid.  I can get behind a good CGI-fest, but I, Frankenstein uses it to a ludicrous degree.  Honestly, it’s not really good CG, either.  The whole package is just totally under-cooked.  I don’t think it would have been as bad if it didn’t take itself so seriously.  Seriously, there’s nary a joke or light-hearted moment in the film.  It’s dreadfully serious for a kind of film that just screams for over-the-top humor.  This just isn’t a particularly compelling movie in any aspect.

RoboCop

I’m of two minds about this one.  I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad movie at all.  It really isn’t.  It has a lot of interesting ideas and some really creative casting, including Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jackie Earle Haley.  I might get flack for this, but I thought the new suit was surprisingly cool.  It was slick and it allowed the actor to really move.  They also brought in the ED-209’s.  It’s a slickly produced remake, and therein lies my major problem with it.  It’s too slick.  The original Paul Verhoeven film was gritty, bloody and brutal.  It deserved its R-rating.  The new film was rated PG-13 and had none of the bite or personality that made the original RoboCop so unique.  I grew up watching the original film, so I guess I was biased from the start.  Peter Weller’s performance as RoboCop was iconic and extraordinarily memorable.  Joel Kinnaman?  Not so much.  It’s not a horrible movie, but there’s nothing here that people will remember except for Sam Jackson’s hairdo.  That was epic.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

I’ll be honest: I like Michael Bay’s Transformers films.  I really do.  His first one was extraordinarily awesome.  Nobody had really seen special effects used to that extent.  What’s more, Bay brought in Peter Cullen to play Optimus Prime.  How could you go wrong?  Revenge of the Fallen?  That was not a good movie, and an even worse sequel.  Dark of the Moon was a step in the right direction and had some of the most awesome destruction sequences I’ve ever seen.  That’s what Michael Bay’s good at: Blowing stuff up.  When it comes to actually telling a worthwhile story?  He doesn’t quite get it.  Age of Extinction is the latest entry into the franchise and it is both the best and worst of the bunch.  It’s the best because it jettisons Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox and the terrible humor of the previous film.  It also has some of the best visual effects I’ve ever seen.  It’s also loaded with action.  Also: Dinobots.  Here’s why it’s the worst:  There’s too much emphasis on the human characters.  This is a problem that the other movies had.  The Dinobots weren’t in it enough.  They only really showed up towards the end of the film, which also leads to the biggest problem of the movie:  It’s too long.  I love action-packed movies, but Age of Extinction runs nearly three hours long and is filled to the brim with big explosions, gun-fire and general mayhem.  It doesn’t give you enough time to breathe.  It’s all flash and no substance.

Pompeii

I love gladiator movies.  I love disaster movies.  What happens when you combine the two?  Pompeii is what you get.  It’s essentially two movies in one, but it’s not particularly good at either.  Paul W.S. Anderson clearly wanted to do a gladiator-style film, but it doesn’t have the grit or the originality of other films in the genre.  So, he props it up with a volcanic eruption which is the main reason to watch the movie.  When Mount Vesuvius erupts, it is spectacular.  The effects in the film are pretty decent.  The acting?  Oh, dear.  While most of the acting is serviceable, Keifer Sutherland is just….HORRIBLE.  I don’t know how or why he got a part in this movie.  As I’ve stated in the review, his filmography doesn’t give him the chops to play an evil Roman senator.  I think Sutherland is a fantastic actor, but his performance in Pompeii is an epic failure.  Everybody who has seen this movie has come to the same conclusion about Keifer Sutherland’s performance as I did.  Come for the volcanic eruption, stay for Sutherland’s terrible performance.  It’s hilarious.

The Legend of Hercules

And here we are: The worst movie I have seen in 2014.  There were two movies about Hercules released in 2014: This one and Dwayne Johnson’s film.  I can tell you which one is better.  Johnson actually made a convincing Hercules, and that movie played with the idea that Hercules may or may not have been the son of a god.  It makes for a far more interesting dynamic between the characters.  The Legend of Hercules fails in every single category.  Kellan Lutz was simply the wrong choice for Hercules, he really was.  He doesn’t have the body or the acting chops for a role like this.  Scott Adkins is horrifically over-the-top as the main villain.  The visual effects are terrible and the story is just plain laughable.  Of the two movies about Hercules, stay away from this one.  It’s dreadful in every way.

Brick Mansions

This is a remake of the awesome French action-thriller District B13.  B13 was awesome because it featured parkour founder David Belle doing what he does best without wires and without stunt doubles.  It was a unique action flick that didn’t overstay its welcome.  Brick Mansions is nearly a shot-for-shot remake of the film with elements of Ultimatum thrown into the mix.  David Belle plays the same character, while Paul Walker plays the cop.  This was a completely unnecessary re-make.  Everything about it is a re-hash of a better film.  What’s worse is that Brick Mansions was Paul Walker’s last fully completed film before he died.  I’m disappointed because they really could have done something with it, but they chose not to.  Walker’s performance was the best thing about the film.  Some of the action sequences were pretty decent, but nowhere near as awesome as District B13.  Watch that one instead.

Yeah, 2014’s seen some pretty bad movies.  I will fully admit, that I still enjoyed some of these, but the problems these movies had kept them from being memorable in the right way.  These were not good movies in my opinion.  But now, we come to my biggest disappointment of the year:

The Protector 2(Tom Yum Goong 2)

When Tony Jaa broke onto the seen almost a decade ago in a little martial arts flick called Ong-Bak, he was billed as the next Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.  The action in that film was brutal and intense.  It also featured some of the coolest stunt-work I’ve ever seen.  Tony Jaa did stuff that I never saw Jackie Chan do.  Tony Jaa followed up Ong-Bak with Tom Yum Goong a.k.a The Protector.  The movie took the best elements of Ong-Bak and dialed up the action and stunts to a hundred.  It was a non-stop action extravaganza.  No wires, no visual effects.  So, Jaa started work on prequels to Ong-Bak.  While the second movie dialed back the stunts a bit, the fight scenes were second-to-none.  But the film ended on a cliff-hanger.  The next film was a disaster.  Instead of Tony Jaa’s character going hog-wild on his enemies, he spent most of the film training.  It was slow and boring.  After the film’s dismal failure at the box office, Tony Jaa disappeared from the film scene for a while.  When it was announced that Tony Jaa would be coming back with a sequel to The Protector, everybody was excited.  Sadly, The Protector 2 was a mess.  Some of the action scenes in this film were actually pretty good.  However, the constant and obvious use of green-screens really took you out of the movie.  It was designed with 3D in mind, and it failed.  The film brought in fellow martial arts actor, JeeJa Yanin and newcomer  Marrese Crump.  Crump was spectacular.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Tony Jaa do his usual wireless stunt-work.  During some of the action scenes, it is inescapably clear that wires were used.  Combine that with some of the most horrendous CG I’ve ever seen in a movie and we end up with a movie that fails on nearly every level.  For me, it’s a crushing disappointment, because this could have been the comeback movie that Tony Jaa needed.  That being said, Jaa will be seen in the new Fast and Furious film as well as Skin Trade and SPL II.  All three films are slated for release this year, and judging from Skin Trade’s trailer, this one could be Tony Jaa’s big break.  I’m hoping.

So there you have it:  The worst movies of 2014 and my biggest disappointment.  Here’s hoping 2015 will feature less crap and more gold.  I’m looking forward to the films that are coming out this year.  Bring it on.

With 2014 drawing to a close, I figured it’s time to look back at the films that have been released this year and have caught my notice.  This list will be in no particular order, and I will be looking at both the best and the worst of the bunch.  If anyone has any suggestions or opinions, feel free to comment.  Be aware that while I have seen these movies, I may have not reviewed some of them as of yet, so be patient, and I’ll try to get them….eventually.  Let’s get this show on the road, eh?  I’m going to start this list off with the best of the bunch.

1. Snowpiercer

This one came in under the radar.  Released in July, Snowpiercer is a thriller set in a new Ice Age where the last survivors of the human race are sheltered on a train that travels the globe on a single track.  Unlike other post-apocalyptic films, Snowpiercer really focuses more on the human condition.  The action is brutal and relentless and it speaks volumes about how people treat each other during extreme circumstances.  Chris Evans delivers one of his best performances ever.  This was a fairly low-budget picture that didn’t get the attention that it deserved.  Great story, great action, and a fairly unique setting.  This one is definitely recommended.

2. GODZILLA

The last time we had an Americanized version of the legendary Godzilla, we ended up with Roland Emmerich’s film which was a disaster.  Thankfully, the folks at Toho yanked the rights to Godzilla before even more damage was caused.  A few years back, Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment acquired the rights to the franchise.  Directed by Gareth Edwards, the King of the Monsters finally gets the American-made movie that he deserves.  While definitely CG, the design of the monster is very much based on the original Japanese design.  When he shows up, it’s breathtaking.  It’s even better in 3D.  Starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Godzilla more than lived up to the hype.  People complain that he isn’t in the film enough, but have they even seen the original film?  It’s a solid monster movie that surprisingly, and wisely reigns in the mass destruction until the end of the film.  It’s a blast, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

3. The Giver

I was never really a big fan of Lois Lowry’s young adult novel, but I was surprisingly intrigued by the film.  Set in a dark future where most emotion is outlawed and everything appears in black and white, a young man is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory.  He’s to get all the history and everything that mankind has done.  Stuff that everyone else has forgotten.  Brenton Thwaites and Jeff Bridges star in this unusually thoughtful and interesting film.  It’s not an action film, but its themes and consequences help draw you into the world.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  Performances are strong as is the story.  This is definitely one to see.

4. Maleficent

Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite movies ever, so when I heard they were making movie based on the film’s villain, I was rather curious.  Maleficent was one of the most iconic villains that Disney had ever created.  Thankfully, the film actually ended up being amazing.  It was visually appealing, with colorful landscapes and unique creatures.  This is Angelina Jolie’s movie through and through.  She is absolutely wonderful in the role.  While I don’t think Maleficent will replace Sleeping Beauty, it is a fantastic companion piece to a wonderful film.  I think this is Disney’s best effort at doing a live-action adaptation of one of their animated pictures.

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

After the disasters that were X-Men: The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine, it was hard to expect a serious comeback for the franchise.  X-Men: First Class changed all that.  A solid reboot gave me hope that the franchise found its footing again.  The Wolverine, the second Wolverine film, was a great improvement.  When it was revealed the Bryan Singer would return for another X-Men film, I was excited.  When it was announced that he would be tackling the Days of Future Past story-line, I couldn’t think of a better man to direct the film.  Combining the new cast of First Class with the veterans of the previous films, we have a very unique cast.  While Wolverine has an important part to play, he’s not the main focus of the film.  First Class and Days of Future Past are about Xavier, Magneto and Mystique.  What we have is an emotionally gripping, compelling and exciting film that I have to admit may be the best in the series thus far.  This is a great film and an excellent addition to the series.

6. The Raid 2

Movie Trailer

A few years back, a little martial arts film came out of Indonesia called Merantau starring Iko Uwais.  This movie took the world by storm with its unique brand of action.  The Raid was next on Uwais’s filmography and it was one of the most spectacularly violent and brutal martial arts flicks ever made.  It was universally received as one of the best action movies.  It got a sequel which ended up being far more brutal and violent than I would have though possible.  But unlike the previous picture, it wasn’t constant action.  The Raid 2 expanded on the film’s world and allowed the film to explore the world and characters whilst giving the audience the spectacular action that they craved.  It’s one of the best action movies I’ve ever seen.  Iko Uwais has certainly made a name for himself, and I hope to see a lot more from him.

7. Wolf Creek 2

In 2005, the world was introduced to a new horror villain: Mick Taylor played by John Jarrett.  Wolf Creek was an Australian horror flick that claimed to have been inspired by true events.  It stood well enough on its own without the whole “based on true events” motif.  It was a slow-burner, but it gave us some really good tension.  John Jarrett steals the show as a character that starts off as a pretty charming guy, but ends up becoming people’s worst nightmare, and Jarrett’s performance is exceptional.  The sequel takes a different approach and adds a lot more action to the mix.  The result is a white-knuckle roller-coaster ride that doesn’t let up.  We get to see the extent of the character’s evil, but at the same time, we end up rooting for him because he’s just so damn cool.  I had a blast with this one.

8. Edge of Tomorrow

Here’s a movie that’s suffered from some seriously bad marketing.  Constant name-changes aside, people really had no idea what to make of this movie.  As a result, it didn’t get the attention it needed to be a major success.  It’s a shame, because this is one of the best action movies of the year.  It’s not only exciting and visually spectacular, it’s also pretty smart.  Some people call it Groundhog Day With Aliens.  I don’t think that’s entirely accurate.  I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it.  What I will say is that Tom Cruise just knocks it out of the park.  He starts off very unlikable, but becomes the hero that we expect him to be.  Great cast, visuals and story make this one of the most underrated films of the decade.

9. How To Train Your Dragon 2

How To Train Your Dragon was one of my favorite animated films of 2010.  It had awesome characters, story, humor and a great animation style that still stands up 4 years later.  The sequel picks up 5 years after the events of the first film, and follows Hiccup and his dragon as they explore the world.  It’s generally difficult to follow-up a successful film with an equally fantastic sequel, but How To Train Your Dragon 2 does just that.  It does tackle some darker material, but it’s handled in fairly mature way.  Kids will still love it, and adults will find something in here for them as well.  Good movie overall.

Here’s my runners up list in no particular order:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Hercules
Dawn of the Planet Of The Apes
Noah

These are some of the best ones I’ve seen this year.  It’s actually been a great year for movies, and as a result I won’t be able to mention them all, because I might not have seen them all.  If you have your own lists, I would love to read them.  This concludes my list of the best that I have seen this year.  Part 2 will consist of the worst movies of the year as well some of the crushing disappointments that I have seen in 2014.  Stay tuned.