The Worst Movies Starring 2013 Oscar Nominees
With a career as long and storied as Alan Arkin's, there are bound to be a few duds along the way...but there is really no good excuse for appearing next to Robin Williams (at his late 90's syrupy worst) in a tragicomedy set in a concentration camp.<
With a career as long and storied as Alan Arkin's, there are bound to be a few duds along the way...but there is really no good excuse for appearing next to Robin Williams (at his late 90's syrupy worst) in a tragicomedy set in a concentration camp.
Columbia Pictures
Following her breakthrough performance in <em>Junebug</em>, Amy Adams did a few tours of the Rom-Com graveyard before settling into the role of "Serious Actress." No misstep was more sillly than this creme puff movie that featured all of
Following her breakthrough performance in <em>Junebug</em>, Amy Adams did a few tours of the Rom-Com graveyard before settling into the role of "Serious Actress." No misstep was more sillly than this creme puff movie that featured all of the unfortunate touchstones of both chick flicks and the blarney-stuffed "aren't the Irish whimsical and charming" genre.
Universal Pictures
As she stated in her Golden Globes acceptance speech, Hathaway acknowledges her debt to Sally Field as an actress who could move from cute children's entertainment to serious drama. Like many of the younger actors on this list, though, she's spent ti
As she stated in her Golden Globes acceptance speech, Hathaway acknowledges her debt to Sally Field as an actress who could move from cute children's entertainment to serious drama. Like many of the younger actors on this list, though, she's spent time working the dead end of modern romantic comedies. Perhaps no example is worse than this shrill comedy, also starring fellow Oscar nominee Kate Hudson, as a pair of brides-to-be who let their diva tendencies destroy their friendship, all with results that were suppossed to be hilarious.
Fox 2000 Pictures
The 90's cyber craze turned out plenty of turkeys (<em>The Net</em>, <em>Hackers</em>, and the amazingly awful <em>The Lawnmower Man</em>), but few had a premise as ridiculous as this. A pre-fame Russell Crowe play
The 90's cyber craze turned out plenty of turkeys (<em>The Net</em>, <em>Hackers</em>, and the amazingly awful <em>The Lawnmower Man</em>), but few had a premise as ridiculous as this. A pre-fame Russell Crowe plays a serial killing computer program, and Denzel is the cop on his case.
Denzel has been an icon of quality acting for so long it's easy to forget his missteps, but this one will haunt him (and Crowe) for years to come.
Paramount Pictures
Riva has a long and storied career in France, including appearing in the seminal New Wave classic <em>Hiroshima, Mon Amour</em>. We could probably find a true dog that she's starred in, but odds are you wouldn't know it ... so we skipped
Riva has a long and storied career in France, including appearing in the seminal New Wave classic <em>Hiroshima, Mon Amour</em>. We could probably find a true dog that she's starred in, but odds are you wouldn't know it ... so we skipped our Francophile viewing marathon. It doesn't take nearly as much effort to find a dud from <em>Amour</em> director Michael Haneke, on the other hand.... <em>Funny Games</em> would top our list.
Les Films du Losange
Following their Acadamy Awards for American Beauty and As Good As It Gets respectively, the double billing of Ms. Hunt and Kevin Spacey seemed like a surefire path to more Oscar gold. Unfortunately, this cheesy social-conscience movie about the valu
Following their Acadamy Awards for American Beauty and As Good As It Gets respectively, the double billing of Ms. Hunt and Kevin Spacey seemed like a surefire path to more Oscar gold. Unfortunately, this cheesy social-conscience movie about the value of being nice to people, ended up being a dead end for both actors, that only now are they starting to recover from.
Warner Brothers Pictures
If the past decade has taught actors nothing else, they should have learned this by now. Don't appear in modern romantic comedies...particularly if Kate Hudson is your co-star. Throw in the time travel element, the Napoleonic costume and the cringe
If the past decade has taught actors nothing else, they should have learned this by now. Don't appear in modern romantic comedies...particularly if Kate Hudson is your co-star. Throw in the time travel element, the Napoleonic costume and the cringe worthy dialog and not even the multi-talented Hugh Jackman could rescue this dog.
Konrad Pictures
Ms. Lawrence may be Hollywood's current flavor of pretty goofball charm, but there was nothing she could do to salvage this train wreck of a film in which director Jodie Foster attempts to redeem Mel Gibson by casting him as a social outcast who only
Ms. Lawrence may be Hollywood's current flavor of pretty goofball charm, but there was nothing she could do to salvage this train wreck of a film in which director Jodie Foster attempts to redeem Mel Gibson by casting him as a social outcast who only communicates to the world through a beaver puppet.
That should really be all I have to say...
Summit Entertainment
Ms. Chastain has only been appearing in films for so long, but she's had enough time to make at least one clunker. This prohibition era bootleggers vs g-men drama had the look right, and with screenwriter Nick Cave, a certain cache of cool...but the
Ms. Chastain has only been appearing in films for so long, but she's had enough time to make at least one clunker. This prohibition era bootleggers vs g-men drama had the look right, and with screenwriter Nick Cave, a certain cache of cool...but the end product was something stuff and phoney. Audiences stayed away in droves.
Benaroya Pictures
Following the Twilight Zone-esque charms of The Sixth Sense, Hollywood thought they might have another Speilberg on their hands with M. Night Shyamalan. Unbreakable certainly had it's charms, but by Signs there were...uh signs, that perhaps the empe
Following the Twilight Zone-esque charms of The Sixth Sense, Hollywood thought they might have another Speilberg on their hands with M. Night Shyamalan. Unbreakable certainly had it's charms, but by Signs there were...uh signs, that perhaps the emperor had no clothes...a statement proven by the thunderously stupid The Village.
Nominee Joaquin Phoenix plays one of the young residents of a small pre-industrial community seemingly surrounded by monsters. The patented twist would occur to most viewers within the first five minutes only to be dismissed as too obvious...and then the end would show you that no...it is in fact that silly.
Touchstone Pictures
Ms. Watts certainly had the right look to play a silent-screen bombshell, but there was nothing she could do to save this bloated CGI mess made at the peak of Peter Jackson's post Lord of the Rings hubris. Overlong and thoroughly ridiculous, it actu
Ms. Watts certainly had the right look to play a silent-screen bombshell, but there was nothing she could do to save this bloated CGI mess made at the peak of Peter Jackson's post Lord of the Rings hubris. Overlong and thoroughly ridiculous, it actually made the somewhat creaky 1930 original (and even the bizarre 70's remake) look like perfect pieces of cinema.
Universal Pictures
90's Robin Williams makes his second appearance on the list, despite not having been nominated for anything since that decade. Hoffman was a prolific character actor prior to his elevation to fame following a series of great performacnes in the late
90's Robin Williams makes his second appearance on the list, despite not having been nominated for anything since that decade. Hoffman was a prolific character actor prior to his elevation to fame following a series of great performacnes in the late 90's-early 2000's (Boogie Nights, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Magnolia) but his days of paying his dues included a shift in a movie that is basically synonamous with worst of Mr. Williams and "feel good movies" as a whole.
Blue Wolf
She's 9 and this is her first movie...I'm sure there are some embarrassing home movies floating around somewhere...but other than that, we'll just have to see how the impossible to spell Ms. Wallis will handle her pre-oscar fame. Will she be another
She's 9 and this is her first movie...I'm sure there are some embarrassing home movies floating around somewhere...but other than that, we'll just have to see how the impossible to spell Ms. Wallis will handle her pre-oscar fame. Will she be another Jodie Foster or Anna Paquin...or another Tatum O'Neil or Linda Blair?
Fox Searchlight Pictures
While DeNiro has been at the heart of some of the greatest films of all time, he's also made some spectacularly bad choices. Particularly in the past decade or so.
As such, picking the worst of his films would be an entertaining parlor gam
While DeNiro has been at the heart of some of the greatest films of all time, he's also made some spectacularly bad choices. Particularly in the past decade or so.
As such, picking the worst of his films would be an entertaining parlor game, if there wasn't such an obvious answer. Say what you will about Meet The Fockers, at least he wasn't donning a bad Russian accent, apeing his most iconic performance, and chasing after "Mouse and Squir-rel".
Capella International
Sally Field has been one of America's sweethearts for so long, it's tempting to give her a pass, but surely something has to be said about this early 90's social drama that's about 2 steps shy of being a Lifetime movie.
Beyond that, hinds
Sally Field has been one of America's sweethearts for so long, it's tempting to give her a pass, but surely something has to be said about this early 90's social drama that's about 2 steps shy of being a Lifetime movie.
Beyond that, hindsight has proven the film to be both racist and reactionary.
Fortunately, we remember her for better things.
Pathe Entertianment
Though it was the follow up "Batman and Robin" that really put the nail in the coffin of the franchise (until recently, of course), all of the garish and tone deaf elements that director Joel Schumacher brought to the table are present in his first t
Though it was the follow up "Batman and Robin" that really put the nail in the coffin of the franchise (until recently, of course), all of the garish and tone deaf elements that director Joel Schumacher brought to the table are present in his first take on The Caped Crusader. And while it would be hard to out-ham Jim Carrey's Riddler, Mr. Jones does his best, riffing on his cranky old man persona that had won him an Oscar for The Fugitive.
All you need to do is look at the subtlety and Kennedy-esque charm that Aaron Eckhart brought to the role in The Dark Knight to see what could have been done.
Warner Brothers Pictures
Granted, it's only been with the his performance in <em>Silver Linings Playbook</em> that Cooper has gotten much respect for his dramatic acting, but few of his past performances have generated the scorn that <em>The Words</em>
Granted, it's only been with the his performance in <em>Silver Linings Playbook</em> that Cooper has gotten much respect for his dramatic acting, but few of his past performances have generated the scorn that <em>The Words</em> received last year.
Almost universally panned, this tale of literary plagarism has a 22 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also Known As Pictures
It's hard to imagine a more lightweight and inconsequential version of the Dumas classic than the 90's groaner staring Charlie Sheen and Keifer Sutherland, but the most recent version one ups that by casting the heroes as a swashbuckling boy-band. At
It's hard to imagine a more lightweight and inconsequential version of the Dumas classic than the 90's groaner staring Charlie Sheen and Keifer Sutherland, but the most recent version one ups that by casting the heroes as a swashbuckling boy-band. At least Waltz, as the dastardly Cardinal Richeleau, appeared to be having some fun chewing the scenery like a fine Austrain pastry.
Constantin Film Produktion
Anglo-Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis may be our greatest modern actor, but Rob Marshall's musical fiasco proved there are a few things that even DDL can't do:
1) Sing
2) Be Italian
3) Be Funny
Anglo-Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis may be our greatest modern actor, but Rob Marshall's musical fiasco proved there are a few things that even DDL can't do:
1) Sing
2) Be Italian
3) Be Funny
The Weinstein Company