The countdown continues!
Essentially everything from here on out may have redeeming qualities, even if it is this far down the list.
#51 Bad Teacher
Much was made of the very public breakup of Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake a few years back. Thank goodness for the rest of us though--they were able to make it work and thus churn out a crap movie together! Should Bad Teacher be called Pretty Bad Movie? Possibly, though at times Diaz's antics made me laugh. The set-up: She's Miss Elizabeth Halsey, a completely shallow and self-centered gold-digger who gets dumped by her gold-diggee and goes back to work as a teacher in order to save up for breast implants. Along comes substitute Scott DeLacorte (Timberlake), an innocent young do-gooder looking to advance his career and she wants him. Unfortunately for Miss Halsey, gym teacher Mr. Gettis (a super-underutilized Jason Segel) is pursuing her, and model teacher Ms. Squirrell (Lucy Punch) lands Mr. Delacorte. Once she hears that a cash bonus will be given to the teacher whose students post the best test scores, Ms. Halsey will stop at nothing to wreck Ms. Squirrell, steal away Mr. Delacorte, and get the money she needs. Cameron Diaz has a few pretty hilarious one-liners and Segel is reliable as always, but he deserves far more screen time and Timberlake's nerd was sort of tough for me to buy.
#50 Unknown
Liam Neeson's The Grey marks the third straight year in which he has starred in a January film that is solely a vehicle for him to kick some asses using, as said in Taken, his "unique set of skills". This installment of the Liam Neeson January Action Film genre unfortunately features another January in actress January Jones, who, while very attractive, is untalented as hell behind the camera save some decent work in Mad Men. Unknown follows Neeson as Martin Harris, a renowned biochemist set to give a talk in Berlin. As he and his wife (Jones) arrive at the hotel, he realizes his briefcase with all of his identification was left at the airport. On the way back to the hotel, his cab crashes into the river, he ends up in a four day coma and checks out of the hospital to go back deliver his report. When he gets there, his wife no longer knows him and is now on the arm of fake Martin Harris, played by Aidan Quinn. From there, a whole lot of "But..but...you're my wife!" and "No, I've never met you before," ensues. With no one believing him, he goes to track down the cab driver (Diane Kruger) and start getting some answers via the kicking of asses. There is definitely a conspiracy here, and he's going to figure it out, dammit, or else his name isn't Liam Neeson.
#49 Lincoln Lawyer
Matthew McCounaghey is Mick Haller, a defense attorney who works out of his Lincoln Town Car. He is hired to defend Hollywood playboy Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillipe), who has been charged with an assault on a prostitute. Over the course of the investigation, Haller's cop buddy Frank Levin (William H. Macy) makes some interesting discoveries that put both he and Haller in danger. From there, the Driving Defender (you see what I did there?) fights to stay alive and stay one step ahead of his pursuers. McCounaghey turns in a good performance, as does William H. Macy (as per usual) and there are some exciting moments, but for the most part the resolution feels kind of flat and predictable.
#48 Paul
As a duo, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg have a history of taking on the supernatural and turning it into comedy. Their breakout hit, 2004's zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead put them on the map and their careers have both grown considerably from there. Pegg used the momentum to turn in whip-smart tech-y roles in the Mission Impossible series and as Scotty in the Star Trek reboot, while Frost has been thrown more often than not into the dunderheaded big-guy role (see Pirate Radio). Along with Hot Fuzz, Paul marks their third time starring in a film together, and their chemistry continues to work. Paul follows Graeme(Pegg) and Clive (Frost), two space-obsessed nerds who leave Comic-Con to go try and track down famous alien sites such as Roswell and Area 51. Along the way, they come upon a car crash and there encounter Paul, a slacker/stoner alien voiced by slacker/stoner Seth Rogen. They agree to give him a ride in their RV as he regales them with stories of being Spielberg's advisor on E.T. and running from the government as they are trying to get the information out of his brain and a grasp of his regenerative powers. The rest of the story follows the gang (joined by a repressed and religious Kristen Wiig, the daughter of the RV park owner) as they try to outrun the government operatives (Jason Bateman and Will Hader) and get to the place where Paul's ship first crashed. Some gags work, some fall short, and all in all it is the weakest of the Pegg/Frost trio. Still an entertaining watch and a fun concept.
More tomorrow!
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