OVERRATED
THE LEGO MOVIE
DIR. PHIL LORD & CHRISTOPHER MILLER
The more and more directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller enter the mainstream, the more I am left scratching my head. Comedy is a super subjective thing, and their self-referential, constantly winking at the audience style of humor is not one I find particularly funny, and often, I just find it hard to sit through. The LEGO Movie just felt like the two kept saying to one another “It’s funny because it’s LEGOs.” I got a chuckle out of the Batman song that plays, but that was about it. Then, the ending shift, which I won’t spoil here, I found to be saying some very obvious stuff they had been saying throughout the entire film but in the clunkiest way possible. It just did not work for me at all. And I saw this one twice, just in case I was missing something. I wasn’t. It was just as hard to watch. – Mike Shutt
UNDERRATED
LAGGIES
DIR. LYNN SHELTON
I may be a little more susceptible to the Sundance-style dramedy than most, but I felt Laggies got ignored for no reason. I may have written about this before, but I am a rather big Keira Knightley fan. I think this is easily her most relaxed performance. Her and Chloë Grace Moretz feed off each other very well in their odd but believable friendship. Throw in some Sam Rockwell, what else do you want out of a small indie with some laughs and some heart? It is not groundbreaking by any means, but that does not mean it needs to get buried. – Mike Shutt
OVERRATED
SNOWPIERCER
DIR. JOON-HO BONG
Do you get it?! The train is a metaphor for the classes in the world. Do you understand, you dumb idiot?! Yes, yes, I get it! Stop yelling at me! Despite a fun, camp performance from Tilda Swinton, this film gave me nothing. What Snowpiercer was saying was about as subtle as a katana to the jugular. The action did not feel particularly inspired. I was hoping it would be after they find out bullets are “extinct”, but they change that pretty quickly. Also, a night vision fight is never a good thing (because you can’t tell what is going on). Chris Evans is a cipher of a human being, as is the rest of the cast (Swinton excluded). And the capper was the longest expository monologue ever* by Ed Harris. Just a bore to sit through. – Mike Shutt
*Not actually timed.
UNDERRATED
LUCY
DIR. LUC BESSON
Unless it is “so-bad-it’s-good” movie, I am typically not one to use the word “fun” as a defense of why I liked it. Most movies people find fun, I do not, such as Guardians of the Galaxy or the aforementioned The LEGO Movie. Surprisingly, the movie I would use that defense on this year is the Scarlett Johansson starring Lucy. I took tremendous pleasure in the absurdity of the premise of increasing the amount of brain power one uses, and took even more in how they executed that idea. By the time she turns into a giant computer (spoiler!), I had the biggest dopey smile on my face. I cannot defend it as a movie where the structure is intact and all of that, but I will defend it on the basis of my enjoyment in the theater, which was ample. It also put Johansson in a leading role, which I approve of. – Mike Shutt
OVERRATED
UNDER THE SKIN
DIR. JONATHAN GLAZER
Sadly for ScarJo, she is appearing on this list as well. However, I do not blame any of the problems I have with Under the Skin on her. She is actually quite good in the movie, as someone trying to figure out how the world works. My problems lie everywhere else. The slow pace that makes the idea of watching grass grow sound exciting. The ambling nature of the story (i.e. let’s drive here and then let’s drive here and then let’s drive here). None of it added up to anything for me. It felt like I was just watching a slow, style exercise and could never connect with any of it. Every year, I believe there is at least one film that critics think is pretty and they cannot wrap their head around entirely, so they hail it as a masterpiece, such as The Tree of Life. This film fits that slot this year. – Mike Shutt
UNDERRATED
WHAT IF
DIR. MICHAEL DOWSE
I was astounded there were two films this where I actually rooted for the two people to end up together at the end of it. Usually, there is not even one. One was Chris Rock’s Top Five and the other was What If, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan. They put in a novel idea for a romantic comedy nowadays: let’s make it funny and have our protagonists be real people. It is amazing what wonders just that switch will do. Radcliffe and Kazan have terrific chemistry, and their banter delivers in entertaining you. No, it is not the savior of the romantic comedy. The romcom Jesus has not arrived yet, but I thought this one was very good, and I did not hear a peep about it. – Mike Shutt
