2008 Mid-Year Review (Part 2)

While 2008 has had its fair share of successes, it's also had its share of disappointments. With each passing year, a few films come along and give hope that maybe Hollywood has finally found the formula to making big, studio movies mean something more than just cheap laughs or explosions. However, with the nature of the biz (meaning money), it's pretty inevitable that there will always be a few disappointments. Not to say that the following movies didn't have something to offer, they just didn't deliver the fulfilling experience that you always hope you're gonna have when you leave the theater.

Disappointments

THE LOVE GURU: A couple of years ago I was fortunate to be one of the few to read this script, and I thought it was hilarious. It seemed like a return to form for Mike Myers and had that AUSTIN POWERS feel to it. Unfortunately, that's what DIDN'T work in the film. It seemed very dated, and a lot of the jokes just fall flat. While Myers is funny in the film, all the other elements are just disappointing.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN: A movie written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow? You would think it wouldn't miss the mark, but ZOHAN is just a bit too overblown and silly to make it feel truly fresh. The concept is great, the Zohan character has its moments, but too many raunchy sex jokes and tiredness of the Adam Sandler-branded comedy make this one a disappointment.

INDY 4: I was really torn about putting this on my disappointment list, but the more I think about it, its a disappointment for what it COULD have been. The first half was great, a nice return to form for Spielberg, but I have to agree with the masses and say that the CGI bugged me a bit and did take me out of the movie. Not a terrible movie, just not what I was hoping for a movie I waited 19 years to see.

WORST

SEMI-PRO: Yet another comedy I had really high hopes for. I read this script for this as well and laughed my ass off. Yet, as I watched this movie, SO much of it played horribly. It was the first time I got sick of seeing Will Ferrell do his over the top acting, and by the middle of the movie, no one in the theater was laughing any more.

SPEED RACER: Wow, I really didn't like this one at all. I know it has its fans, but it was just too bizarre and the story just didn't get me at all (Corporate revenge combined with a family drama????). Even the racing scenes didn't thrill me like they did for others. In my eyes, the Wachowskis haven't really proven themselves since the original MATRIX.

HANCOCK: A schizophrenic mess. First half was really interesting, but in the second half it becomes a TOTALLY different story, which isn't a good story to begin with. I may have to write a whole column about this, but I have to say, I get angry when movies like this make money because it just excuses lazy filmmaking, as exhibited in HANCOCK.

So that concludes the year (so far) in review. What about you? Which movies were you disappointed by? Which ones did you hate? As always, comments are welcome and encouraged!