Vishnu Warrier
5. Remember Me (2010) – 7.2
‘Remember Me’ should not have been on the list but that horrible ending managed to steal a spot here. Barring the ending, ‘Remember Me’ is a decent film made with heart and well acted by its leads. But honestly, I am not quite sure what they were thinking when they wrote the climax scene of the film. It’s humiliating and utterly disrespectful when you use a massively tragic incident as an emotionally manipulative device for the story just to trigger some sort of reaction from the viewers.
4. The Life of David Gale (2003) – 7.6
It’s a shame that ‘The Life of David Gale’ ended up being a terribly overwritten mess of a film because it could have been a lot better. The potential was huge indeed. Tackling a controversial issues such as the death penalty requires a lot of thought and effort to be put in and the film asks you take itself seriously until the climax where not even the most basic of human logic could be applied because it’s so full of absurdities. Once again the performances from its cast standout and there is nothing else even remotely good about this flick.
3. Pay it Forward (2000) – 7.2
To call it preachy would still not be enough to describe this blatantly manipulative melodrama. ‘Pay it Forward’ could have been a lot better had it not resorted to cheap manipulative techniques and excessive sentimentality. The writing is unbearably preachy and it’s almost as if we are being fed with life lessons in every scene. The performances turn out to be the only saving graces in the film but then again we wonder what are actors like Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt doing in a film like this. It’s just filmmaking at its most mediocre.
2. Now You See Me (2013) – 7.3
The good thing about ‘Now You See Me’ is that it doesn’t take itself seriously at any point. But what infuriates me is how it considers its audience to be plain stupid and naive. And that is nothing but just cheap filmmaking. The idea of a group of magicians planning out for an epic robbery certainly seems great for a heist thriller but the film could have really put in more thoughts on the script and worked with more logical and convincing plot twists. It entertains, not for what it is but for the sheer absurdity of what it poses itself to be. ‘Now You See Me’ does nothing but make a mockery out of itself.
1. Scarface (1983) – 8.3
Honestly, what is ‘Scarface’ all about? Man abuses, kills, snorts cocaine. Then abuses again, kills and snorts cocaine. Yeah, now I am sure fans are going to come at me with stupid, trite statements glorifying the “gritty”, “realistic” tone of the film. But seriously though, ‘Scarface’ is the worst excuse for acting and filmmaking I’ve ever seen. The film also marks the beginning of the downfall of one of the greatest screen actors of all time. But it’s popular for obvious reasons. A shouty Al Pacino, violence, action and thrills all around.
