10 Best Worst Movies of 2014

It’d be nice if most movies could live up to
Selma, Birdman , Boyhood and other Oscar
hopefuls’ standards, but every now and then, you
just need a good bad movie. It could be a film
that’s such an utter failure that it’s fun to get a
laugh at its expense, a subpar movie that you
enjoy watching simply because you’re into a
certain genre, actor or character, or perhaps a
movie that’s actually pretty good, but just isn’t
your thing whatsoever. No matter which
classification you prefer, the beauty of a Best
Worst movie is that it manages to spark interest
and/or entertain, but for the wrong reasons.
Hit the jump out to check out my Best Worst
Movies of 2014.
10. I, Frankenstein
Stuart Beattie’s I, Frankenstein may be a boring,
washed out heap of CGI vomit, but it does have
one thing going for it – gargoyles. Forget super
mopey Adam ( Aaron Eckhart ) and his cookie-
cutter love interest, Terra Wade ( Yvonne
Strahovski). I want a film about Queen Leonore
( Miranda Otto ) and the Gargoyle Order. They’ve
got a rich history, a society with interesting rules
and a bunch of members ( Mahesh Jadu, Caitlin
Stasey, Jai Courtney) that get a fraction of the
screen time that Adam does, but are
exponentially more memorable.
9. Wetlands
Sure, “hate” is a strong word, but I hated
Wetlands . In fact, it might have been the most
miserable experience I had watching a film all
year. However, that doesn’t mean I can classify
it as a bad film. In fact, it’s not by any means.
I’m a pretty neat and clean person so I suspect
this is just a case where, A, I couldn’t relate to or
connect with the main character and, B, I just
had no interest whatsoever in watching someone
stick her finger up her butt and revel in using
disgusting public bathrooms.
8. Non-Stop
The only reason Non-Stop works is because
Liam Neeson is in it. The texting component is
absolutely ridiculous and the whole whodunnit
scenario isn’t satisfying in the least, but there’s
just something about watching Neeson save the
day and kick some butt at 30,000 feet that makes
it well worth a watch. It’s easy to forget that
Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery,
Nate Parker, Corey Stoll and Lupita Nyong’o are
all in the film as well, but when you’ve got
Neeson doing things like bribing unruly
passengers with free international flights to save
the day, there’s just no way anyone else can
come close to stealing the spotlight.
7. Night at the Museum: Secret of the
Tomb
I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I laughed
throughout a good deal of Night at the Museum:
Secret of the Tomb. There are a lot of jokes that
fall painfully flat and the whole father-son thing
feels forced, but whenever Dan Stevens is on
screen as Sir Lancelot, which is a lot, the movie
is absolutely hilarious. A good deal of the
franchise’s humor comes from the fact that
museum exhibits are waking up in an unfamiliar
time period, but I’ve never seen a character work
the concept as well as Sir Lancelot, especially
during an unforgettable cameo scene towards the
tail end of the film.
6. That Awkward Moment
That Awkward Moment sends all the wrong
messages about dating and has a particularly
deplorable group of main character at the core,
but I can’t help but to be the slightest bit
charmed by them. Call me a hypocrite, but
there’s just something undeniable about Zac
Efron , Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan’s on-
screen presence, even when their characters are
stupid, selfish and borderline sociopaths. There’s
no harm in getting a giggle out of some silly dick
jokes and ogling big screen man candy (ugh), but
god help any moviegoer who turns to That
Awkward Moment for dating tips.
5. Ouija
There’s a reason we get a slew of horror movies
that use and abuse the same old tired concepts;
there’s something appealing about them. I know
Ouija makes little to no sense, has scares we’ve
seen time and time again, and doesn’t tap into
the nostalgia of playing with a Ouija board as a
kid, but there’s something fun about watching a
group of mildly likable victims get picked off one-
by-one. It’s tough to explain and certainly might
not hold true for those who aren’t big suckers for
the genre but, to me, if a horror movie tries
something new and fails, it’s got little hope, but if
it misses the mark while following a familiar
formula, there’s still a chance you can get swept
up in it and enjoy some mindless fun.
4. Vampire Academy
Vampire Academy isn’t the greatest young adult
book-to-film adaptation out there, but it certainly
doesn’t deserve that ugly 9% on Rotten
Tomatoes. The film’s biggest flaws are the
overabundance of exposition, the one-dimensional
leads and the worthless adult characters, but
none of that comes anywhere close to sucking
the fun out of the film. (Pun intended.) Vampire
Academy rocks a vibrant environment, a killer
soundtrack and a wildly charming lead
performance from Zoey Deutch, making the movie
a very worthy guilty pleasure with some serious
pizazz that’ll send you on your way with some
added pep in your step.
3. Interstellar
Interstellar is somewhere in between being a best
worst movie and a worst best movie. I
thoroughly enjoyed it while watching it, but the
more I think about it, the more I wish it were
something else. However, that also hasn’t
stopped me from defending the film when friends
and colleagues pinpoint plot holes, crack jokes
about the all-corn diet or get a laugh out of Matt
Damon ’s character. Interstellar is a captivating
and daring movie that digs deeper and goes
bigger than most would, but there’s also no
denying that when I came down from the high of
seeing it, it totally fell apart.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles is pretty uninspired and brainless, but as
someone who grew up with every Ninja Turtles
toy, VHS tape and video game imaginable, all
Liebesman had to do was deliver a fun romp that
captured at least some of what I loved so much
about the Turtles. There are a lot of missed
opportunities, the Turtles’ monstrous design takes
some serious getting used to and Michelangelo’s
creep factor can make you a bit uncomfortable
too, but overall, the movie keeps enough of their
personalities and relationship dynamics intact to
win over a longtime fan.
1. Winter’s Tale
Winter’s Tale is the ultimate best worst movie. I
still can’t quite wrap my head around how
something like this even gets made, and with
such big name talent nonetheless! You’d think
Russell Crowe would have read the part when
Pearly Soames rips someone’s face off, draws a
picture of Beverly Penn ( Jessica Brown Findlay )
with the blood from said face-ripping and then
has his henchman ID find her using his bloody
finger painting and passed on the project, but
that’s not the case. Winter’s Tale is an utter
failure in every respect and while I do poke fun at
Colin Farrell ’s haircut, the flying horse and the
atrocious dialogue, I really do enjoy watching the
nonsensical melodrama. There’s no nice way to
put this considering I’m essentially getting a big
laugh out of many peoples’ hard work, but for
what it’s worth, the time that I spent watching
Winter’s Tale is truly some of my fondest
memories of 2014.