April 29, 2020

Al's Bottom 100 Films [2020 Update] Part 1

Introduction and Updates

I apologize in advance for some screencaps being such low quality. Considering that I don't own many of these movies anymore, I found out very quickly that it's difficult finding stills with just an image search, so I've resorted to scouring other sources (like Youtube, where apparently some folks upload VHS-quality recordings--yikes).

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100: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

In consideration for: So Bad It's Good!

And I thought Superman had hit rock bottom when he started drinking and acting crazy in Superman III. Nope--Christopher Reeves had one last outing in the red and blue suit, but the man probably deserved more than this. Budget cuts really hamstrung this production, forcing the film to cut nearly 45 minutes out of its runtime while taking some cheap shortcuts to patch the remnants together into the vague semblance of a story. The result doesn't make much sense though. I mean, since when does Superman have the bizarre power to stare at a wall and have it repair itself in seconds? How can regular people breathe in space? Did Superman just plug a volcano with a mountain? None of this makes sense.

It's made far less palatable through the film's final quality, which shows cheapness at every turn. Special effects are at their most unrefined, and some are just plain ugly. Costumes and props are as fake as they come. And the script feels under-cooked, offering nothing to the franchise other than some Cold War era PSA message supporting nuclear disarmament. Total shifts don't help much.

I gotta say though, this can be a fun mess to watch if you just want to see a bunch of things blow up senselessly. I always kinda liked Nuclear Man as a villain--sometimes the best thing is to just sit back and watch two superpowered dudes pummel each other in crazy ways.

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99: Graveyard Shift (1991)

In consideration for: So Bad It's Good!

For every great Stephen King movie that exists, there are probably two or more other movies that are rather poor. Graveyard Shift stands as one of the cheesiest of the lot, which really says something when compared to Maximum Overdrive or the many made-for-TV movies that were pumped out. Acting is quite over-the-top, mostly in a very bad way. All save for Brad Dourif, whose performance is a delight to watch. It's a shame that the film he's in is so dour and cheap.

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98: Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

In consideration for: So Bad It's Good!

Sometimes, it's fun to laugh at a buffoon. Tom Green somehow makes it hard when he spends so much of his own film acting like a crazy man-child, always flying off the handle, throwing things, and acting like a hyper two-year-old. What's worse is that the film banks so much on shock value. No, watching this guy gut a deer and put its skin on is not funny. Watching him twirl a newborn baby from its umbilical chord is just gut-wrenching. That scene with the elephant--why even? And the last shot--that right there betrayed the film's intention to constantly pull the rug from the audience with tastelessness right up to the last minute.

There is an interesting argument floating around that the film strives to be an anti-comedy of sorts--a Dadaist work that purposefully deconstructs late-90s comedies and underscores things we shouldn't actually laugh at. I fear that calling this some kind of post-modern masterpiece is giving Tom Green too much credit--I'm pretty sure he made this junk just because he could, and he pushed certain boundaries because that's what he does. I think he went a little far.

I gotta admit though, I do get a chuckle out of a few specific bits (like the whole "Backwards Man" thing, or the insane way Tom eats a sandwich). It's interesting to ponder the film's place in the world of comedy, but I'm not sure if the gross humor and annoying character is worth putting up with.

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97: Troll 2 (1990)
THE CAKE IS A LIE

So Bad It's Good!

Well, let's face it, Troll 1 wasn't exactly a masterpiece either--it narrowly escapes the list because it's at least earnest. Its sequel though--yeesh.

This bizarre, illogical abomination boasts some of the most over-the-top performances you'll ever see, often reaching heights of absurdity that makes it laughable and meme-worthy. In fact, the sheer amount of ridiculous things (including an inexplicable make-out scene with popcorn) makes it consistently funny, and many would cite this as the best worst movie of all time. I got to admit, it is more memorable than its predecessor for all the wrong reasons, but even on its own, the film's a hoot.

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96: Airborne (1998)

So Bad It's Good!

Steve Guttenberg stars as the main action hero!

Stop and let that sink in. This is Steve Guttenberg we're talking about here--the guy best known for Police Academy, now cast as a gritty hotshot spy like Jason Bourne or something.

This isn't a comedy, but the film had me laughing quite a bit. Much of it was because of Guttenberg's performance, who unironically delivered every line so seriously that he can't even be taken seriously. Leave it to him to make a line like "I still don't like you Murdock" sound unconvincing. It's a real shame, because he's surrounded by an impressive cast that actually pulls their weight (props to Sean Bean and Colm Feore, who manage to do the best with the garbage they're given). The movie itself is rather stale, trite, ridiculous, and cheap. It tells a pretty bland story that's ultimately rendered pointless thanks to a stupid plot twist at the end. On the other hand, the film is rarely boring.

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95: Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

So Bad It's Good!

Dungeons are cool. Dragons are cool. So how could this film mess up both so badly?

D&D fans will be quick to dismiss this as a disgrace to the D&D name. On the merits of fantasy fiction, the movie plays out like sloppily-written fan-fiction you'd find on Wattpad. It amounts to stock characters playing through a cliched storyline with predictable story beats, and it's all made less palatable thanks to the abundance of low-quality props and CGI, cringey comedy, and bizarre creative choices. To say nothing of the endless continuity errors, plot holes, and script problems.

However, over-the-top performances by Jeremy Irons and Bruce Payne (the latter of whom sports blue lipstick for some reason) are a hoot. The sheer level of camp makes this entertaining, but it's barely enough to elevate this beyond an extreme guilty pleasure.

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94: The Room (2003)
Oh hai guys

So Bad It's Good!

So this is what you get when a mysterious fellow from parts unknown wanders into Hollywood with enough money to buy his own cameras (both digital and analog to shoot simultaneously for some reason) and has a deep desire to recapture the dramatic nuances of James Dean and Tennessee Williams, but lacks all skill. Not to mention, Tommy Wiseau may be a vampire? Not sure if he's Cajun or Eastern European, but both are vampire country...

Wiseau blew a whopping six million bucks to film The Room based on his own script--maybe the most amateur writing ever committed to a film. And the film itself may be one of the most amateur films ever made--the thing is just stuffed with awkward performances, bizarre lines, bizarre creative decisions (like a random scene where dudes play football in tuxedos), all glued together with cheap editing.

All the film's quirks, however, does make it extremely laughable and meme-worthy. There is a fair amount of drag between the funnier scenes, given that the story is paper-thin and doesn't carry as much dramatic weight as Wiseau intended. The movie gained a cult status for its sheer ineptness, and I'm happy to be in on the joke (thanks not only to the film community that continues to roast this nonsense, but also to the book The Disaster Artist, which sheds a lot of light on the film's background and is a really funny read in itself--although, it is worth noting that Wiseau's direction did result in a production that seemed unnecessarily strained and painful).

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93: BloodRayne (2005)

So Bad It's Good!

Some years before I actually played a BloodRayne video game and understood its brand, and years before I understood who Uwe Boll was, I gravitated towards this film expecting nothing more than exploitative Transylvanian adventure. The film generally delivers in the sense that there are vampires, plenty of gory combat, some skin, and the semblance of an adventure story complete with trap-ridden crypts and secret societies.

Rumor has it that the some cast members were drunk while this was filmed, and it shows sometimes. Michael Madsen gives the most bored-looking performance I've ever seen. I don't know what a guy like Ben Kingsley is doing in a film like this, but if they replaced him with a stone edifice little would have changed. But at least Michelle Rodriguez looks great kicking butt like she does. It's largely Kistanna Loken who carries the film and keeps it watchable--but even she can't help the poor editing, horrible writing, and garish production quality.

The best that can be said is that I never found the film boring, and I always felt that its brand of pulpy gothic adventure marries with vampire myth pretty well. But franchise fans will be quick to note that this film has hardly anything to do with the original video games.

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92: Ninja Terminator (1985)

So Bad It's Good!

This bad boy can be seen in its entirety on Youtube! And it has to be seen to be believed.

I can't help but to think of this as an unholy union between one movie that's probably meant to be taken seriously (that being 1984's Uninvited Guest) and another movie that was specifically shot with the most extreme ninja combat a fistful of yen could buy. With its ridiculous dialogue (especially with the English dubbing), cheap quality, illogical story, and some scenes of inexplicable absurdity, the film is a comedy masterpiece.

Still...the film is pretty bad.

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91: Mega Piranha (2010)

So Bad It's Good!

It's a movie about piranha that become oversized, and Paul Logan plays a tough guy who has to stop them. I gotta say, Logan is a hoot to watch as he plays up the macho hero angle to the extreme and bicycle-kicks fish as they fly up at him. The movie offers its fair share of camp and absurdity, but like many Asylum pictures, this is a pretty cheap and silly affair. Parts of it are so janky that it'll elicit unintentional laughter.

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90: Hologram Man (1995)

So Bad It's Good!

A 90s B-movie beamed directly to video--as expected, the film looks cheap, is badly-acted, and has pretty gaudy special effects.

I see it as a bit of a "so bad it's good" gem though. It's hardly a bore--the film moves at a good pace and has enough explosive action to sell the movie as an adventurous experience. The plot can be pretty interesting, even if it feels like trashy pulp.

There are other mediocre films (Virtuosity, Lawnmower Man) that deal with similar premises, but only escape my bottom 100 because they're made with slightly more talent and better quality. Hologram Man is on the trashy and stupid side of fence, but it's a funner experience. Choose wisely.
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89: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

So Bad It's Good!

In the wake of Mortal Kombat's success, this sequel aims for more fights, more effects, more everything! The film just brims with action and energy, but so much of it is laughably cheesy. Acting and line delivery are often hilarious. Sets and effects are gaudy and cheap. The best this movie has to offer is a badass soundtrack. The ambitious spectacle can be eye-popping, but in this case, it might be enough to make your eyes pop out of your head (I guess that's considered a fatality?).

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88: War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)

In consideration for: So Bad, It's Good!

With the many War of the Worlds adaptations out there, it might be confusing as to what this is a sequel to (and maybe that's a way to trick people into watching it). This is a largely unnecessary follow-up on the 2005 miniseries HG Wells War of the Worlds. And guess what--that one's further down the list.

Like any good sequel does, this one cranks up the action and effects, trying so hard to bombard audiences with big-scale battles and such. What makes this marginally more memorable than its predecessor is a hint of the "so bad it's good" effect, thanks largely to Christopher Reid. I swear to god, the way this guy looks, talks, acts, it reminded me so much of this guy I used to know in Germany, and everything he said was hilarious. Good times...

Yeah, anyway, this movie sucks like the rest. Poorly shot, bad effects, stupid story. Has some funny parts though, which is more than can be said about the first one.

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87: Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)

So Bad It's Good!

It's not like the first Lawnmower Man made huge waves or anything, so it's flabbergasting that there's a second one. While it's admirable in how it expands the story and effects, it's actually a very weird and bipolar experience. I can't really tell if the film is trying to be a serious cyberpunk thriller (as it should be) or a light-hearted adventure for kids. Turns out it's both, so the tonal shifts are as extreme as the over-acting. Garish production quality, sappy music, bad effects, and laughable dialogue betrays its cheapness--and yet, the film is a fun trainwreck to behold, especially when Matt Frewer chews the digital scenery.

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86: Easter Holocaust (2020)

In consideration for: So Bad, It's Good!

The new decade just started, and look at what I found already.

It's hard to tell if this one's trying to be serious or not. On one hand, the performances with all the exaggerated southern accents are a hoot. Too much of a hoot to be accepted as straight horror. And yet, the film becomes increasingly depraved and tasteless as it goes on, slathering the experience with gore and occult imagery. It's actually downright exploitative and mean-spirited in its last half, despite the ridiculous notion of a demonic Easter Bunny. I guess it's funny, except it's not? Watch at your own peril.

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85: Captain America (1990)

Over twenty years before Marvel got its act together and put Chris Evans in the suit, we had this (plus some serials and films from the 70s, which I haven't seen). After a bumpy production history, this 90s schlock offers a low-budget adventure that strives for big action, but can never overcome its budgetary shortcomings. Hokey costumes, bad acting, and poor quality does little justice to a story that's been proven to work in the right hands. It's also amusing to see that the Cap is not above manipulating people to steal their cars--lol, wut?

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84: 2012: Ice Age (2011)

In consideration for: So Bad, It's Good!

An obvious knock-off of The Day After Tomorrow, now framed in the hokey 2012 doomsday hype that happened back in the day. In true Asylum fashion, the film is slapped together with shoddy photography, hilariously bad performances, and a story that makes hardly any sense. This film suffers even more for having some dippy characters making dumb mistakes, in addition to horrible editing that messes up all sense of continuity (sometimes for hilarious effect). Disaster movies cliches make it a bit dry and cold, but the shoddy construction and acting elevates it a little bit as an unintentional comedy.

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83: Gunfighter (1999)
Putting on a hat the manly way

In consideration for: So Bad It's Good!

A film made by Francis Ford Coppola's nephew, which includes bit parts for Charlie Sheen and Robert Carradine, which have no real purpose in the movie other than to be part of a framing device. The actual meat of the movie is no different than any other cowboy movie, save for the cheap production and some hilariously terrible acting. Cinematography is surprisingly good, but there is one hilarious shot where Chris Lybbert jumps down on top of the camera and sticks his face right up into the frame--what the hell is that?

It's not exactly a memorable or great movie, but I remember laughing at its weaknesses and enjoying it as a silly yarn. There is a sweet homespun charm to the movie, but there's no masking is threadbare writing and budget.

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82: A Wrinkle In Time (2003)

It feels like there's an effort in this version to stay faithful to Madeleine L'Engle's classic fantasy novel. A lackluster script, weak performances, and bland photography does the film no favors. What makes it outright ugly are its overabundance of CGI effects, none of which are refined or pleasing to watch. It's all a weird, ugly affair that feels cheaply slapped together. Say what you will about the 2018 film--at least it wasn't this (although maybe it's a sign that the novel is unfilmable?).

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81: Asteroid Vs Earth (2014)

What could have been a fun little disaster flick is blown so far out of proportion that it's not only laughably stupid, but it also feels like it tries to hard with so little. Not even Robert Davi and Tia Carrere can salvage this droll, overly-serious flick from sinking under its own ambitions, weight down by the cheap production, lackluster quality, and shallow script. It really says something when Armageddon shows more soul than this.

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