For a film critic, there is no sadder assignment than this one. By March I’d already seen enough terrible 2011 releases to write a completely adequate Ten Worst Movies list. But I couldn’t stop there. Off I went to my excellent local video store, where I implored one of the owners to direct me to the worst recent releases he could think of; I left with eight movies I didn’t really want to see and went back two days later for more. I used my On Demand feature to vet some appalling stuff. I interrupted my colleague Richard Corliss’ pleasant reverie about the best movies of the year for some tips, without him, I might have missed Trespass. Thanks Richard; I owe you…something.
The list got so crowded I had to let go of early contenders Country Strong and I Am Number Four. My already sunken heart sinks at the promising prospects I might have missed – like Madonna’s movie W.E., which hasn’t screened in my area yet. I pretended not to notice that Sarah Palin: The Undefeated is available on DVD. Life is short, and besides, that was an advertisement wasn’t it? Finally, I stared long and hard at the button that would have allowed me to stream The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) before deciding I wouldn’t go there without hazard pay. Even the worst-of expert has to have standards.
Read my Ten Worst Movies of 2011 list here.