No film year is complete without one last dig at movies which squandered our precious time, money and travel plans. May the folks behind The Razzies give serious consideration to these unpardonable clunkers:
- “Alex Cross” – This year’s competition for the worst of the worst wasn’t even close. Tyler Perry bravely ditches his Madea dress to play author James Patterson’s crafty detective. The result? Embarrassment for all involved. Laugh out loud funny in all the wrong places with a deadly combination of over- and under-emoting. A complete disaster.
- “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” – Just plain creepy. What might have been a wonderful fable about parents longing for the child they cannot have becomes a selfish tale that alienates audiences without touching our hearts or tear ducts.
- “Iron Sky” – This triumph of small budget FX is also a train wreck of sci-fi/political satire. The story tries swatting Sarah Palin and the Nazis, a lazy false equivalence that yields zero laughs. Arguably the most painful film to sit through in 2012. At least “Alex Cross” served up unintentional howls to distract us.
- “The Devil Inside”-“V/H/S” – It’s impossible to select just one found footage horror turkey in 2012. “The Devil Inside” coaxed audiences in with a slick trailer and chilling one sheet, while “V/H/S” asked what would happen if some talented filmmakers embraced the found footage concept. “The Devil Inside” left audiences feeling both deflated and cheated, while “V/H/S” squandered its savvy team for a nostalgia trip for a dead video format.
- “The Lucky One” – That rare film to treat the military with respect also epitomizes the brain dead nature of many modern romances. A miscast Zac Efron tries to woo a divorced stunner (“Atlas Shrugged” star Taylor Schilling), but inept plot devices keep getting in the way.
Special Mentions: Most Overrated Film of 2012: “The Master”; Most Disappointing Film of 2012: “Prometheus”