Cinema has always been subjective. For every movie that I love, there will be viewers of that same movie who will only not like it but could absolutely loathe the idea of it's very existence. And of course, the films that I was unable to find much pleasure, there are folks out there who love these movies. With that in mind, here is a list of my least favorite films I watched last year:
Last year was not so great for the super-hero franchises as most of them failed to generate much excitement or interest. But one of the least engaging (and biggest disappointment) that I saw was "Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania", the second sequel of the reluctant hero who can shrink to the size of the powerful, tiny insect. Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, the former thief who has become the crime-fighting, Ant Man. After his time fighting with the Avengers to defeat Thanos, he has gone on to living quietly and enjoying his life with girlfriend, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and his teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton). During a visit with Hope's parents, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), who were the original Ant-Man and the Wasp, Cassie announces that she has a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm, a universe that exists outside of space and time. Terrified after being trapped there for thirty years, Janet tries to shut it down but it's too late; the message was received and all five are forced through a portal to the realm. Once there, they must work together to stop the Quantum Realm's new ruler, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). There's a lot more involved in this convoluted plot but the script by Jeff Loveness is confusing and monotonous. With the focus of the film on multiverses, alien beings (the less said about M.O.D.O.K., the better) and a mystical, end-of-the-world crisis, director Peyton Reed struggles to find an engaging human element that made his previous "Ant Man" films so successful. But the real problem with "Quantumania" is that it lacks a genuine sense of spirited fun and inspired adventure.
I have a complicated relationship with the cinema of Wes Anderson. While I admire his whimsical style and the dry, offbeat humor, I have difficulty connecting to most of his films on an emotional level. Of Anderson's films, there is one that I absolutely love ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), a few that I really enjoyed ("Rushmore", "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Isle of Dogs") but the rest I am left feeling indifferent towards. With Anderson's latest, the beautifully rendered, "Asteroid City", I really struggled to find a way into Anderson's singular world, but I just couldn't get past the artificial construct. Set in the 1950's, we are introduced to a television host (Bryan Cranston) who introduces a documentary about the making of a play by famed playwright, Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). The plot of the play involves a youth astronomy convention held in the desert town of Asteroid City with war photographer, Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) heading there with his son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan) who won a Junior Stargazer prize. Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), a famous yet weary actress arrives with her daughter, Dinah (Grace Edwards) who also won the award. A romance develops between these parents and their children then a UFO appears with an alien to reclaim a fallen meteorite. "Asteroid City" is another film with an overly complicated plot filled with random thoughts that ultimately doesn't add anything meaningful to the narrative. The film is bursting to the seams with a starry, celebrated cast (Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Steve Carell, Jeffrey Wright, Margot Robbie to name just a few) yet they all feel wasted with the actors forced to deliver their lines in the same deadpan, monotone style. I have to add that I far more enjoyed Anderson's short film collection, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" also released last year and based on the work by Roald Dahl. But I do think it's largely because each film was not much more than twenty minutes long, making it the ideal length for me to appreciate Anderson's distinctive cinema.
I grew up during the time when teen sex comedies were all the rage in the 1970's and 1980's. These movies were filled with raunchy gags and almost always about horny teenage boys who were desperately trying to have sex or, at the very least, see a live naked woman. These films have largely fallen out of favor but "No Hard Feelings" has attempted to bring back the wild spirit of the classic sex comedy. But this movie fails to deliver the laughs, just coming across awkward and cringy, while the sex to be found is just sad. Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie, a financially strapped young woman who had her car repossessed and on the verge of losing the house she inherited from her mother. Looking for some quick, extra cash, she answers an ad from concerned parents (Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti) seeking a woman to "seduce" their shy teenage son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he heads off to college. With the payment being a used car, Maddie accepts this offer and tries to sexually entice (and have sex with) the unwilling Percy. Even by teen comedy standards, this plot is completely bonkers and the script by director Gene Stupnitsky and John Phillips is unable to make it remotely plausible or humorous. Lawrence gives it her all, displaying her expert timing and gift for physical comedy, yet there is only so much she can do to try and salvage this painfully odd comedy. While there may be a sweet center, with these characters trying to help each other make a true connection, "No Hard Feelings" is just too weird and muddled to work as a timeless coming-of-age comedy.
"Wonka" is the rare, original contemporary movie musical that became an unexpected worldwide box-office smash. But this origin story based on the classic character created by Roald Dahl never manages to feel necessary and the film's charms are minimal at best. Timothée Chalamet plays Willy Wonka who at this point of time is just a young, aspiring chocolatier who arrives to a nondescript European city to try his luck at opening a shop at the famed Galéries Gourmet. After his meager funds quickly run out, Wonka is misled into signing a contract to stay at the boarding house of Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) despite a warning from Noodle (Calah Lane), the orphan who lives there. Now because of hidden fees, Wonka is forced to work in Scrubitt's launderette alongside other captives. His only hope to escape is to find success selling his chocolates but a trio of corrupt, rival chocolatiers (Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, Mathew Baynton) who work together to stop Wonka from opening a store. This version of "Wonka" is far removed from Dahl's eccentric tale with director Paul King delivering a safe, feel-good yet banal take of this character. The original songs by composer, Neil Hannon of the band, the Divine Comedy and written by King and co-writer of the screenplay, Simon Farnaby are serviceable yet unmemorable. As the third actor to play Wonka on the big screen, Chalamet presents him as innocent and sweet-natured, making him relatively bland compared to the kind yet eccentric interpretation played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp's darker, more oddball creation. And the actor is certainly able to carry a tune, but I wouldn't call him a "singer". "Wonka" is a CGI heavy fantasia that just doesn't have enough magic to make it a truly tasty treat.
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