Jordan’s picks start here, in case you forgot.
OVERRATED
22 JUMP STREET
DIR. PHIL LORD & CHRISTOPHER MILLER
Redundant, self-indulgent, and far too reliant on its predecessor for both setting up and executing its jokes, 22 Jump Street is a movie I grew tired of very early into its runtime, which is a shame considering 21 Jump Street was one of my favorite films of 2012. Some will argue my complaints about the film’s redundancy and self-indulgence are kind of the point, since 22 Jump Street‘s chief aim is to poke fun at how horrible and unoriginal sequels tend to be; however, while that may be, its predecessor managed to be self-indulgent and meta without being quite so redundant. 22 Jump Street is a copied-and-pasted version of its predecessor, so while there are some funny moments, this is a movie I found little enjoyment in watching after the first or second punchline. – Jordan Benesh
UNDERRATED
THE DROP
DIR. MICHAEL R. ROSKAM
Between Locke and The Drop, Tom Hardy gave two of the best leading male performances this year. Locke contains the better performance and is also the better film, in my opinion, but The Drop is very good in its own right; however, it has been largely shrugged off ever since it was released in September, which I am even more surprised by given it contains James Gandolfini‘s last performance committed to film. The Drop is somewhat conventional as far as its plot structure is concerned, but this gripping crime drama is elevated by strong performances, palpable slow-burn tension, an explosive third act, and an undeniably cute pit bull puppy. If we can’t get Oscar campaigns going for Hardy or Gandolfini, can we at least try to start one for the puppy? – Jordan Benesh
OVERRATED
THE BABADOOK
DIR. JENNIFER KENT
Movies can be considered overrated for any number of reasons, so let me start by saying I actually liked a fair bit about The Babadook. It is, for the most part, a perfectly fine psychological thriller, and an interesting meditation on love and loss that tackles grief in a compelling way. Further, it features a great performance from Essie Davis as a widow struggling to raise her troubled son (Noah Wiseman). However, I have seen The Babadook referred to across the internet and social media as “scary”, “frightening”, and “terrifying”, and it just isn’t any of those in any way. Creepy maybe, but not scary, frightening, or terrifying — and don’t even get me start on Wiseman’s performance, which made me want to tear my own head off, or the film’s anticlimactic ending, which made me want to hurl my remote at the TV. – Jordan Benesh
UNDERRATED
ENEMY
DIR. DENIS VILLENEUVE
When I saw Denis Villeneuve‘s Enemy, it immediately became one of my favorite films of the year. Mysterious and methodical, Villeneuve’s film is an excellent example of a film that shows but doesn’t tell; it lives, breathes, and thrives in the shadows, and what it lacks in expository dialogue it more than makes up for through subtle visual clues and character actions that are rarely, if ever, telegraphed ahead of time. Jake Gyllenhaal gives two fantastic performances here, perfectly embodying the traits of both the film’s main characters. However, considering Enemy first screened at TIFF in September 2013 and received a very limited theatrical release earlier this year, it was destined to be grossly under-seen and all-but-forgotten when it came to “Best of 2014” discussions. But that isn’t to say it’s unworthy of being in the conversation. – Jordan Benesh
OVERRATED
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
DIR. JAMES GUNN
They say if you don’t have anything good to say about something, don’t say anything at all, but I’m going to break that rule here and hope karma doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass: Guardians of the Galaxy is not good. The property presented Marvel an opportunity to take a risk, a chance to put away its formula for one film and try something new, something different, but apparently Marvel is of the idea risks aren’t worth taking anymore, because Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel formula through and through. As someone who has soured on the cookie cutter productions the studio turns out, sitting in a theater full of raving audiences and going home to see the film’s 90% Rotten Tomatoes score almost made me sick. This is what passes for a good movie these days? Guardians of the Galaxy is mildly entertaining in (very short) spurts, but at the end of the day it is generic and uninteresting, a space-set version of The Avengers with none of the charm that made The Avengers watchable. – Jordan Benesh
UNDERRATED
MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT
DIR. WOODY ALLEN
I really liked Magic in the Moonlight. It is inconsequential, no doubt, but it still manages to entertain and tell a compelling story through an interesting slate of characters, namely those played by Colin Firth and Emma Stone. Firth is a surprisingly good fit for Woody Allen‘s quick-witted writing, and frankly I can’t think of any female actor more perfectly suited as Allen’s new muse than Stone. Sure, as plenty have pointed out Magic in the Moonlight fails to rise to the quality of Allen’s best works, but it is far better than most reviews would have you believe, namely because most reviews insist solely on comparing it to Allen’s previous works instead of reviewing it for the film it is: a nifty and charming romantic comedy, slight but still quite entertaining. – Jordan Benesh
