Here at Waffler Towers we're often baffled by the praise heaped on movies we feel are undeserving. Other times we champion a movie only to see it trashed in the mainstream. Using Rotten Tomatoes as a reference point, here are 10 examples from 2013 where our evaluations differed wildly from the general consensus. Were we completely wrong or just not drinking the right Kool-Aid?
Click the pics for the full original review.
Les Miserables
Rotten Tomatoes says "Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast."
TMW says "Hooper doesn't have a visually creative bone in his body and his 'directing' here consists of little more than photographing moving lips."
To the Wonder
Rotten Tomatoes says "To the Wonder demonstrates Terrence Malick's gift for beautiful images, but its narrative is overly somber and emotionally unsatisfying."
TMW says "Great cinema is like a glance from a beautiful woman; even when misread it stirs the heart. Cast off your cynicism, turn off your smartphone, and bask in the wonder."
Blue is the Warmest Color
Rotten Tomatoes says "Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama."
TMW says "...no more enlightened or artistic than the numerous late night youth dramas produced by British TV networks, although those shows would give a far more genuine portrayal of homosexuality, to their credit."
Homefront
Rotten Tomatoes says "While it boasts a capable cast, the disappointingly dull Homefront hearkens back to classic action thrillers without adding anything to the genre."
TMW says "In a year filled with the cruel collateral damage of garbage like Man of Steel and Fast & Furious 6, where 'little people' are merely disposable props to be destroyed by larger than life 'heroes', Homefront is an important dog-ear in the pages of the maligned action genre."
The Great Beauty
Rotten Tomatoes says "Dazzlingly ambitious, beautifully filmed, and thoroughly enthralling, The Great Beauty offers virtuoso filmmaking from writer/director Paolo Sorrentino."
TMW says "On behalf of 'simple folk' the world over, I invite Sorrentino to walk in our shoes for a few weeks before he next decides to tell us how much he envies our lot."
Bullet to the Head
Rotten Tomatoes says "Bullet to the Head's unapologetically trashy thrills evoke memories of its star and director's proud cinematic pasts -- but sadly, those memories are just about all it has to offer."
TMW says "In a Walter Hill movie, gunshots sound that extra few decibels louder, blood looks slightly more red, and anyone can die at anytime. It's a template he sticks to here, transporting us back to a time before post-modern cynicism and smart-ass genre deconstruction took the fun out of the action movie."
About Time
Rotten Tomatoes says "Beautifully filmed and unabashedly sincere, About Time finds director Richard Curtis at his most sentimental."
TMW says "Though you'll be entertained for the first hour, when you're actually invested in a story-line, ultimately you'll wish you could travel back in time and purchase a ticket for a better film."
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Rotten Tomatoes says "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones borrows ingredients from seemingly every fantasy franchise of the last 30 years -- but can't seem to figure out what to do with them."
TMW says "The Mortal Instruments is one of the most unoriginal, plagiaristic, coat-tail riding movies of the year. It's also one of the most fun."
The Conjuring
Rotten Tomatoes says "Well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up dread through a series of effective old-school scares."
TMW says "Cliches don't necessarily make for a bad film of course but director James Wan uses them in a dull checklist manner, injecting nothing original into the brew."
We're the Millers
Rotten Tomatoes says "We're the Millers squanders its potential with an uneven, lazily assembled story."
TMW says "The cast mashes their talents in such a way that you know they had fun making the film, and when that translates to the screen, it makes the film more entertaining."