Top 10 Worst Films of 2016!

Yesterday I posted my '15 Best Movies of 2016' list (check that out if you haven't already) as I celebrated the best that 2016 had to offer. However, 2016 was not completely great as there were many awful films that came out last year. In saying that, here are the 10 films that I really despised in 2016. These films are just awful and not worth your time at all. *SPOILER ALERT* There will be a lot of comedies on this list.

Before we got onto the list, we have some honourable mentions. There were many awful films this year but these are the ones that were lucky enough to just miss out on my list:

Inferno

Warcraft

Bad Moms

Why Him?

Alice: Through The Looking Glass

Ice Age: Collision Course

& The Angry Birds Movie

10. Keeping Up With The Joneses

With the cast that this film had, it should have at least been entertaining. Unfortunately, each of the four main cast members were phoning it in, in what was a very poor "action-comedy". The story was handled very poorly as an interesting concept was not used to its full capacity. The results of this was a very bland, boring film that nobody should ever see,

9. Collateral Beauty

A perfect example of how you can have all the talent in the world within your cast but if you have a terrible story and script, it will fall apart easily. This was the case with 'Collateral Beauty' that tried so hard to be an Oscar type movie, instead it became one of 2016's biggest jokes in film. Most of the performances don't do the film justice either as this one flopped big time. One of 2016's last films, 'Collateral Beauty' certainly isn't beautiful.

8. Independence Day: Resurgence

20 years after the original, 'Independence Day' finally got a sequel. Unfortunately, we wish we never got that sequel. 'Resurgence' lacked the character, impressive effects, great action and most importantly, the fun of the original. This was a depressing watch as this was one of the worst sequels in 2016. The cheek to try and set up a third film after this was laughable and hopefully we never get that film.

7. Rock The Kasbah

This film didn't get much advertising with not many people seeing it and that isn't really a surprise. Again, the cast within this film was very solid so the film should have at least been somewhat entertaining. Unfortunately, we got yet another terrible "comedy" that even Bill Murray could not save. A very dull film that failed on all levels, particularly the entertainment side.

6. Gods Of Egypt

Despite what director Alex Proyas wants you to think, 'Gods of Egypt' is a truly terrible film. Gerard Butler leads a terrible cast of non Egyptians in this CGI fest that looks awful. The CGI in this film looks incredibly bad that it is fairly embarassing. The story is dull and the action isn't exciting as 'Gods of Egypt' flopped. This attempt to create a larger than life epic could not have ended up worse than it did. It's hard to believe that there were 5 worse movies than this.

5. Zoolander 2

Well done 'Zoolander 2', you were the worst sequel of 2016! Boy, was this an absolutely atrocious film. Everything wrong with modern comedy was in this film, especially the over saturation of celebrity cameos. This film was so incredibly lazy that the return of previously funny characters couldn't gloss over it at all. Nobody asked for this sequel and the world would have been a better place without it. A shambolic comedic display from Ben Stiller.

4. Absolutely Fabulous

Maybe I shouldn't have went to see a film based off of a TV show I hadn't seen before but 'Absolutely Fabulous' was painfully bad. I was the only person in my screening for this film and I can see why. Yet another "comedy" failed to do anything remotely funny, as the awful characters talked nonsense and didn't do anything entertaining for the full film. It took everything I had to not walk out of the cinema with this one and looking back, I wish I did.

3. The Boss

Surprise surprise, it's another comedy! Looking back at the year, 2016 had some pretty awful comedies and you'll struggle to find many worse than 'The Boss'. Another terrible film in the inconsistent filmography of Melissa McCarthy which had Peter Dinklage providing one of the year's worst performances- that's how bad it is! Again, this film is simply not funny and the most enraging. There is plenty of talent in this film but it is so lazy that it was infuriating to watch. I remember being agitated whilst watching this as my mind completely rejected this terrible film.

2. Monster Trucks

Seperating these last two is probably the hardest decision I've had to make on this list but at number is 'Monster Trucks'. 'Monster Trucks' has one of the most stupid ideas for a film and that transcends into the film. The combination of pratical and CGI effects for the monsters work attrociously in this film as the cast bring some of the worst performances of the year. It baffles me to how this idea got turned into a movie. 2016 ended terribly as I saw this movie that somehow got a huge budget. The only thing that stops this from being the number 1 worst movie is that it had some so bad it's funny moments. Unlike my number 1.....

1. Nine Lives

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey is turned into a cat. This film has Christopher Walken as some sort of pet shop, voodoo magician. This film is incredibly stupid, painfully unfunny and a real travesty of a film. There is literally nothing good about this film. The story is stupid, the performances are awful, the effects are awful, everything is just terrible. I want to know who greenlight this film as well as who was able to convince these talented actors to be in this film. This film should be used in torture camps as that is what it was like when watching Kevin Spacey provide the voice to the cat in this stupid movie. The biggest waste of time I've ever had in the cinema, 'Nine Lives' isn't just the worst film on 2016, it's one of the worst films of all time.

So that concludes my list of the worst movies in 2016. Lets hope that we don't get anything as bad in 2017, although that is probably inevitable. I now want to know what movies you thought really put a downer on 2016. 2016 was quite a mixed year with some great and terrible films. Here's hoping that 2017 can improve on that. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

Month in the Movies: June

The summer movie season has finally got underway and to say it's been a good start wouldn't be true. It's been a slow start this summer with not so many crackers hitting the big screen. Hopefully we're just getting the bad ones out of the way. However it would be unfair to say that there hasn't been some quality so far with a few films saving the season from being terrible.  If you aren't sure what this post is about, each month I look back at the movies I seen in that month and rank them based on a combination of how good the movie was and how much I enjoyed it. So lets get into the list!

10. The Boss

Simple as it is, 'The Boss' is the worst film I have seen so far in 2016. This was painfully unfunny to the point where I was so close to leaving the theatre. Peter Dinklage has the worst performance of the year within this film too which is painful to say but it is true. 'The Boss' is a disaster which for your sake, you shouldn't ever watch. Lets just hope McCarthy's next venture 'Ghostbusters' is much better than this turd. 

Final Verdict = F

Check out my review for 'The Boss' here

9. Gods of Egypt

For some people, this is their worst movie of the year and I can't blame them. A uninteresting story, bland characters, poor acting, mediocre CGI and terrible casting were only a number of things that went wrong in this 'epic'. 'Gods of Egypt' may become one of those "it's so bad, it's good" movies which isn't necessarily a good thing. 'Gods of Egypt' is truly awful but is lucky that there was a film I thought was even worse in the month of June.

Final verdict = F

Check out my review for 'Gods of Egypt' here

8. Independence Day: Resurgence

20 years after the original we got a sequel that people wanted back in the 90's. Unfortunately for us, the film came nowhere near the original in terms of quality. The film failed to replace Will Smith as the new characters were not interesting or charismatic enough. The heart of the original wasn't there either as 'Resurgence' became the 'Terminator: Genisys' of 2016.

Final Verdict = D

Check out my review for 'Independence Day: Resurgence' here

7. Mother's Day

A film about a holiday that here in the UK isn't celebrated to quite the same standard as shown in the film. There was potential for this comedy to succeed as it does have some characters whose stories would make for an interesting movie. However, it is filled with and focuses on some of the most terrible characters of the year who are the main focus which makes the film hard to watch at times. Like most comedies this year, it fails to create a funny movie which is unfortunate considering some of the cast members.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for 'Mother's Day' here

6. The Angry Birds Movie

The movie based off of the hit mobile based game seems to have come a few years too late. The movie is clearly aimed for kids which may explain to why I didn't get that much enjoyment out of the film as it wasn't targeted to me. However there were a few decent jokes despite all the bird puns as well as some nice animation that the film deserves credit for.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for 'The Angry Birds Movie' here

5. Mr Right

'Mr Right' is a really fun movie to watch with some good comedy and performances from the two leads. However the story isn't made that well with a lot of things happening only to allow the film to progress. It's a fun movie just to sit and switch your brain off with but no more than that unfortunately. I wanted more from this movie and although it is entertaining at times, there isn't a great deal of quality the whole way throughout the movie.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for 'Mr Right' here

4. The Secret Life of Pets

Much like 'The Angry Birds Movie', TSLOP is a film that is targeted for kids. This comes at no surprise as it comes from the creators of 'Despicable Me' and 'Minions'. However the difference between this film and TABM is that the comedy works a whole lot more in this movie. The jokes led by Louis C.K and Kevin Hart do land a lot more which does make this kids movie a lot more enjoyable to watch. It isn't one of the animated films that will blow audiences away but it is a fine movie to say the least.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for 'The Secret Life of Pets' here

3. Me Before You

'Me Before You' is one of the biggest surprises I have had the cinema this year. I really didn't expect this movie to be good at all and was pleasantly surprised. The film is very charming and has some good comedy within it. The two leads do very well which creates an enjoyable viewing. The emotional parts could have been done a little better especially the finale which seemed to have been rushed. Regardless of that, 'Me Before You' was one of the better movies this month.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review for 'Me Before You' here

'Independence Day: Resurgence' Review

"Hello boys, I'm back!" shouted the heroic Russell Casse as he destroyed the aliens ship hovering over the USA in 1996's 'Independence Day'. A sequel was often rumoured to happen a lot after the release which excited fans of the film. 20 years later they got their wish but would it be the successful sequel that they wanted?

As celebrations on yet another 4th of July draw near, another extraterrestrial mothership this time much bigger attacks earth. The humans futuristic technology developed from the aliens ships 20 years ago wasn't enough to protect the world from the disaster caused by this new attack. David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) will need to team up with old allies, the new president and a young, fresh team of fighter pilots to try and save the world. 

Last year, the world was introduced to another instalment in a franchise in 'Terminator: Genisys'. A movie that really disappointed and hurt the franchise. I didn't particularly enjoy seeing such a beloved franchise and character have something quite as bad be associated with it. In many ways, 'Genisys' is quite like 'Resurgence' as neither were necessary. Both had returning actors that gave us that small bit of hope for the film. Unfortunately, it is just as bad.

'Resurgence' misses the presence of Will Smith and Randy Quaid oh so much in this film. Smith isn't their as the charismatic badass to carry the film and bring the fight to the aliens which also gives us an interesting and entertaining characters. He's not back due to being in 'Suicide Squad'- which looks to be a good decision on his part- and they really failed to replace him. In comes a young team of pilots with Smith's characters son Dylan Dubrow-Hiller (Jessie Usher) leading them alongside Liam Hemsworth's character Jake Morrison. The pair don't carry the film like Smith did as they simply don't have the charisma or presence that Smith carries. Both Hemsworth and Usher's characters are bland and you don't really ever care for them that much which is a huge problem for two lead characters.

We also know how well Smith can work with comedy and the way he incorporated that into the first one was great. He also had help from Randy Quaid to help out with the comedy throughout the film and in the different scenes. 'Resurgence' tries to replicate this by having their characters constantly trying one liners. Unfortunately, these do not work either. The jokes don't work well and the delivery isn't good enough either. Nicolas Wright plays Floyd Rosenberg who is a carbon copy of Adam Sandler's character from the awful 'Pixels'. Not only is he unfunny but he is also an ametuer who turns out to be world class with equipment he's never used before. If they looked at 'Pixels' and saw Sandler's character as inspiration, I quite frankly don't know what good can be said about that. 

Now in a movie like this, especially being directed by Roland Emmerich you expect it to be a whole load of mindless fun action. However I really don't feel that the film delivers on that aspect either. The action really isn't that great and I don't feel there really was enough to create an enjoyable, ridiculous viewing. Instead, we get action that kind of stops for no reason, waits for a convenient build up from the humans and then a restart of action. In a film like this, the action should be flowing especially if it is ridiculous. Due to that not happening, you spend a lot of time waiting for it to restart and also thinking about what has just happened which for the movies sake isn't a good thing. The film does end up going all out crazy in the finale which would've helped if it were present the whole way through.

 

I can say that the highlights of the film for me are the returning characters. Jeff Goldblum returns and as usual, he is enjoyable to watch. He isn't nearly as good as he was in he first film but he is still an enjoyable character to watch in the series. Returning characters also include former President Whitmore (Bill Pullman), Dr Okun (Brent Spiner) and Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch). Their performances are enjoyable at times but also have some moments that are questionable and really aren't so great. However I do admit that they did have some good moments which made the film more pleasant. 

In the first film, there is surprisingly a lot of emotion within the film. You care for Smith's  Hiller and feel good for him with his success as we see his family and grow to care for them too. We care for the Levinson's as the father and son grow closer to each other which is a joy to watch. Russell Casse brings emotion as he sacrifices himself as his son listens to his final words. These all help the film a lot as you are connected and feel for the characters. In 'Resurgence' this is not existent. This isn't for the lack of trying though as there are moments that could've provided these moments. Unfortunately the execution isn't there and the moments fall flat. Part of the problem may be due to not seeing great interactions beforehand which would lead to you being affected by what has happened. 

Final Verdict = 

A completely unnecessary sequel that unfortunately isn't any good. 'Resurgence' joins the list of bad sequels and really isn't worth seeing.

So have you seen 'Independence Day: Resurgence'? If so what did you think of it? I hope you enjoyed reading this review and if you choose to see the film, I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Once again thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

UK Summer Box Office Predictions!

Summer movie season is almost here! There is a lot in store this summer with their being some potentially great comedies as well as other instalments in past franchises. Earlier in the year me and a couple of friends decided to predict the outcomes of the 2016 Oscars and had a great time in doing so! So to try and recreate what we did, we felt it would be good to predict who will be the top of the summer box office. 

To be eligible for our lists the film will have to have come out after the 31st of May and before the 1st of September. The summer in the UK really isn't that long and with the weather, you would think that it lasts less than the three months in the boundary. We decided to only allow films that come out between this timeline as an extra challenge as we all know that the likes of Captain America: Civil War and X-Men Apocalypse will be up their at the end. Also with the UK releases, some may not be actually out during the summer like they are in America. All the films in our lists will be from the UK releases which means that the likes of TMNT 2 and Warcraft narrowly miss out.

This time in our predictions it will be featuring five different people with five different predictions. It will be myself Angus-obviously- as well as the returning Michael and Drew. Also returning is the winner of our Oscar predictions Billy who will be looking to make it 2/2 when it comes to predictions. Joining us this time will be our fellow classmate Conor who makes his first appearance.

Scoring System

To decide who the eventual winner is, we will use a scoring system. If one of us predicts that a film will be in the top 10, they will get one point. An additional two points will be giving to the competitor if they guess the film in the right position.

The Lists

Billy

Starting off is Billy, the winner of our Oscar predictions back in February. His list has Central Intelligence the highest in anyone's list at number two. Billy's list also features The Secret Life of Pets in it's highest position at number four. He is also the only one to have picked Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates which could tip the result into his favour or even possibly cost him.

Number 1: Finding Dory

Dark Horse: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Full List

1. Finding Dory

2. Central Intelligence

3. Suicide Squad

4. The Secret Life of Pets

5. Ghostbusters

6. Independence Day: Resurgence

7. Star Trek Beyond

8. The BFG

9. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

10. The Conjuring 2

The Dark Horse for Billy; Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Conor

Next up is the complete new entrant to our predictions Conor. Like Billy, he has Finding Dory at the top of his list expecting the Pixar sequel to dominate. He has Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe's The Nice Guys the highest at number four and also putting great faith in Steven Spielberg's The BFG by placing it in third place. 

Number 1: Finding Dory

Dark Horse; The Nice Guys

Full List

1. Finding Dory

2. Suicide Squad

3. The BFG

4. The Nice Guys

5. The Secret Life of Pets

6. Independence Day: Resurgence
7. Ghostbusters
8. Now You See Me 2
9. Jason Bourne
10. The Conjuring 2

Conor has The Nice Guys at number 4, the highest of anyone in the predictions.

Michael

Third in our predictions is Michael who has the most potential to cause an upset. If the likes of The Nice Guys and Now You See Me 2 as well as Ice Age: Collision Course do well at the box office, he could end up sitting comfortably in the lead. Michael has also put the most faith in Paul Feig's already controversial Ghostbusters placing it in third place. Possibly the most interesting list in the competition. 

Number 1: Suicide Squad

Dark Horse: Ice Age: Collision Course

Full List

1. Suicide Squad

2. Finding Dory

3. Ghostbusters

4. Independence Day: Resurgence

5. Central Intelligence

6. Star Trek Beyond

7. The BFG

8. Now You See Me 2

9. Ice Age: Collision Course

10. The Nice Guys

The strange but possibly effective decision to include Ice Age may be vital for Michael.

Drew

Like Michael, Drew has also put his faith in the likes of Jared Leto and Margot Robbie as he looks for Suicide Squad to top the box office. He also has Jason Bourne highest out of anyone expecting it to finish third overall as Matt Damon returns as the titular character. The inclusion of the remake of Ben-Hur may be the most surprising in all of the lists but it's too soon to rule it out of contention.

Number 1: Suicide Squad

Dark Horse: Ben-Hur

Full List

1. Suicide Squad

2. Finding Dory

3. Jason Bourne

4. The BFG

5. The Nice Guys

6. Star Trek Beyond

7. Ghostbusters

8. Independence Day: Resurgence

9. Central Intelligence

10. Ben-Hur

The most surprising entrant in all of the predictions, Ben-Hur

Angus

Last of all is my list, the most likely list. I have put my faith in Independence Day: Resurgence despite Will Smith not returning with it at the highest position of anyone at number three. Finishing my list I have The Conjuring 2 as well as being the only one to have Sausage Party in their list at number ten.

Number 1: Finding Dory

Dark Horse: Sausage Party

Full List

1. Finding Dory

2. Suicide Squad

3. Independence Day: Resurgence

4. Ghostbusters

5. The Secret Life of Pets

6. Jason Bourne

7. The BFG

8. Star Trek: Beyond

9. The Conjuring 2

10. Sausage Party

The Rated R animated film Sausage Party was picked only by myself (Angus)

Overall Breakdown

Angus	Billy	Conor	Drew	Michael
1. Finding Dory	1. Finding Dory	1. Finding Dory	1. Suicide Squad	1. Suicide Squad
2. Suicide Squad	2. Central Intelligence	2. Suicide Squad	2.  Finding Dory	2. Finding Dory
3. Independence Day: Resurgence	3. Suicide Squad	3. The BFG	3.Jason Bourne	3. Ghostbusters
4. Ghostbusters	4. The Secret Life of Pets	4. The Nice Guys	4. The BFG	4. Independence Day: Resurgence
5. The Secret Life of Pets	5. Ghostbusters	5. Secret Life of Pets	5. The Nice Guys	5. Central Intelligence
6. Jason Bourne	6. Independence Day: Resurgence	6. Independence Day: Resurgence	6.Star Trek: Beyond	6.Star Trek Beyond
7. The BFG	7. Star Trek Beyond	7. Ghostbusters	7. Ghostbusters	7. The BFG
8. Star Trek Beyond	8. The BFG	8. Now You See Me 2	8. Independence Day: Resurgence	8. Now You See Me 2
9. The Conjuring 2	9. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates	9. Jason Bourne	9. Central Intelligence	9. Ice Age: Collision Course
10. Sausage Party	10. The Conjuring 2	10. The Conjuring 2	10. Ben Hur	10. The Nice Guys

So as you can see there is quite a lot of differences between each of our lists. Positioning could easily be the deciding factor with films such as Finding Dory, Suicide Squad and Ghostbusters making everyone lists in different positions. The exclusions of films before June made this much harder than it could of been and did pose a challenge at times. This has most definitely added a bit more spice to this summers movies and I look forward to seeing who comes out on top in a couple of months.

During the time period, all of these movies will be reviewed as well as many more so make sure to keep reading my blog. I'd like to know who you think will top the box office in your region and also what you think of our lists. Once again thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor