2016 has been a weird year for movies so far, in the ratings department abroad, lots of movies have been unnecessarily slamed and tons of wack and mediocre ones have been praised to high heaven..
These are the movies that have been given a lot more credit than they deserve, either by the critics, audiences, or both
5)florence foster jenkins-a lot of critics describe this movie as "unashamedly feel-good," which has caused me to furrow my brow and say to no one in-particular: "Really? This?"
It might or should have been that film, of course, an endearing and heartwarming biopic about a woman triumphing against the odds, but there is an underlying nastiness to Florence Foster Jenkins that stops it from being exactly that: the same kind of mean-spiritness that made Susan Boyle a star. Because despite the "zero to hero" nature of Boyle's story, she was - and still is - something of a joke.
That's not to say that Florence Foster Jenkins isn't accurate, because the life of the real Florence Foster Jenkins was ripe with ridicule. Here, though, it's as if director Stephen Frears can't quite find the right approach to the material; is this suppose to be a tribute to its titular singer, or is it poking fun at her?
So whilst Meryl Streep is fantastic and Hugh Grant delivers one of his most unexpectedly great performances, there's an awkward clash as the film tries to find Jenkins as a subject to be laughed at and admired at once. You can imagine Frears off camera during every scene, giggling at the absurdity of it all. Florence Foster Jenkins should have been an uncomfortable film, or a funny one, but perhaps not both.
An yet it holds just four negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes; genuinely surprising given that, tonally, the film is as all over the place as Jenkins' voice was.
4)barbershop3(fresh cut)-sadly for me,. If you're unfamiliar with the Barbershop movies, they're bound to look godawful from an outsider's perspective. On the contrary, the first two films in this underrated franchise are actually pretty funny, and you might be surprised to learn that both the original and its sequel are "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.
On the basis of its trailer, though, what with its broad gags and Nicki Minaj butt shots, Barbershop 3: A Fresh Cut looked poised to ruin the franchise, and then all of a sudden it was out in cinemas and the critics were giving it rave reviews. It currently holds a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unexpected, to say the least.
As a genuine fan of the other Barbershop films, I have to come out and say it: this is an complete and utter step backwards pretending to be a step forwards; gone is the irreverence and fun of the original movies, replaced with a strange and unfitting sentimentality. It's all a bit cringeworthy, to be honest.
A lot of critics deemed the more family-orienated nature of Barbershop 3 to be a step in the right direction, but in a lot of ways it kills what was great about the series as it moves into more "realistic" territory. It's admirable for a comedy to touch on key issues like violence in U.S., I suppose, but it's also slightly odd for a Barbershop movie to do it. When you opt for said "serious" approach, it's jarring to suddenly interject with a gag about Nicki Minaj's skimpy outfits.
You can't hate on Barbershop 3 for at least trying to stay relevant, but the reviews have overestimated this sequel all out of proportion.
3)love and friendship-Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman's latest film based on two novellas by Jane Austen, emerged this year from out of nowhere and was instantly declared a masterpiece of witty period shenanigans by all those who ventured to see it. Love & Friendship is a essential Whitman classic," they said. "It's perfect," they said.
Surely the praise that has been granted to this rather average and slightly annoying drama is totally misjudged, though? Only one critic - you read that right: one - gave Love & Friendship a negative notice on Rotten Tomatoes, and I find that baffling considering how smug and impenetrable this film is for the length of its runtime.
Love & Friendship has been called "broad and accessible," but it's neither. What Whitman has done here is create a comedy so dry that it's never really apparent when or what you're supposed to laugh at. The plot is hard to follow, scenes drag, performances are pitched at different levels... it's not even that "fun" to watch.
So did the critics collectively agree to adore this film out of some misplaced fear that they'd be deemed stupid or uneducated if they did the opposite?
What is properly good about this film, then? Kate Beckinsale, who transcends her reputation as the vampire girl from the terrible Underworld movies and confirms that, hey, she's a talented actor and has been unfairly regulated to blockbuster rubbish when she should be doing stuff like this (or not this, but you get what I mean).
But that's about it: she's a shining light in a film that feels otherwise alien. A film that leaves you under the impression that you were too dumb to get it. And that isn't really the case. There just isn't all that much to "get."
2)dealpool-Deadpool made a hell of a lot of money at the box office, and in the process proved that audiences were hungry for R-rated superhero films. It did a hell of a lot better than anyone thought it would, too; a clever, self-aware marketing campaign and word of mouth brought the punters into theatres worldwide, and they lapped it up.
Look closely, though, and it becomes painfully obvious that - for all its merits - Deadpool only half works; it's an incredibly safe and by-the-numbers superhero flick masquerading as something edgy and irreverent, when really we've seen it all before, often done far better than it is here. Ryan Reynolds is fantastic, of course, but what else about Deadpool actually stands out and sticks with you?
Not to mention that only half of the jokes land. The others... well, they're a bit cringeworthy. A twenty-year-old reference to Sinead O'Connor? A gag about Deadpool mistakenly leaving the stove on? C'mon, guys... is that stuff funny? Is it really?
There's a novelty to Deadpool that means it received fantastic reviews and a positive audience buzz, but I'm not sure the movie itself is worthy of such notices. Watching it, one might find themselves a tad frustrated when the film refuses to go further - to really push the meta nature of character and create something memorable.
In the end, Deadpool is a pretty average superhero outing, albeit with added violence, swearing and a few knowing winks to the audience. But it's not enough.
1)hail ceasar-This should have been the best film ever.
Hail, Caesar! has to be the one of the most disappointing films ever made, especially when you consider everybody involved and the fact that it's one giant homage to the Golden Age of Cinema, complete with George Clooney in screwball mode.
The only good thing in this film is future Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich, though, who manages to bring a charm to an otherwise charmless and surprising rigid film. There are so many bizarre creative decisions on show in Hail, Caesar!, after all: why make Josh Brolin's studio fixer into a nice, reputable guy, when writing him tough and brutal like his real life equivalent - the morally questionable movie mogul Eddie Mannix - would have made for a way more interesting film?
Then there's the episodic nature of the "motion picture segments," none of which are anywhere near as exhilarating or fun to watch as they are in the trailer. Also: the timing is off, the jokes aren't funny, and the plot is bewildering and pretentious. With so much at their disposal, it's genuinely shocking that the Coens turned in such a forgettable picture. There is no plot; there is no momentum; there is no point.
There's a sense that the critics went easy on this incredibly lacklustre film because the Coens made it, because otherwise how did it garner 85% on Rotten Tomatoes? I'd go as far to say that it's their worst film to date - an uninspired, weightless hodgepodge that totally fails in its attempts to even provide a single worthwhile laugh.
Worse than The Ladykillers, this one - and the year's most overrated film by a mile!
Which other over-rated films of 2016 so far belong on this list? Share yours below in the comments thread.
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