{"id":627,"date":"2008-02-14T22:21:27","date_gmt":"2008-02-15T03:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/14\/the-10-most-disappointing-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/"},"modified":"2022-08-31T17:08:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T21:08:27","slug":"the-10-most-disappointing-movies-i-saw-in-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-10-most-disappointing-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Most Disappointing Movies I Saw in 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As I was compiling the <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-8-best-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/\">best<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-9-worst-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/\">worst<\/a> movies I saw in 2007, I found I still had enough for a special category: movies that absolutely don&#8217;t deserve to be called bad, even when it&#8217;s just me here talking to myself on my stupid blog. But for one reason or another, here are the movies of 2007 from which I expected something a bit more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/28weeks.jpg\" alt=\"28 weeks later\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>28 WEEKS LATER<\/strong><br \/>A disappointingly conventional follow-up to the truly scary original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/americangangster.jpg\" alt=\"american gangster\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMERICAN GANGSTER<\/strong><br \/>I was hoping for a bit more from Ridley Scott and the two fine actors, perhaps another crime epic on the level of <em>Heat<\/em>. But <em>American Gangster<\/em> is essentially a biopic, a genre in which good narrative storytelling is often forsaken in favor of a string of illustrated events from history. Yes, it&#8217;s interesting that these people actually lived and (more or less) did these things, but a <em>story<\/em> this does not make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/becomingjane.jpg\" alt=\"becoming jane\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BECOMING JANE<\/strong><br \/>I loved the recent film version of <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/pride-prejudice-2\/\"><em>Pride &amp; Prejudice<\/em><\/a>, and <em>Becoming Jane<\/em> sure sounded like a good idea: play fast &amp; loose with the real Jane Austen&#8217;s biography to create a frothy romance in her own style. But the end result fell oddly flat, with little of the real woman&#8217;s spark. The direction and performances were fine; I think the fault lay in the script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/charliewilsonswar.jpg\" alt=\"charlie wilson's war\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CHARLIE WILSON&#8217;S WAR<\/strong><br \/>Probably the finest-pedigreed film of the year, with Mike Nichols directing, Aaron Sorkin writing, and Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymore Hoffman starring. So why doesn&#8217;t the movie take off?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/i_am_legend.jpg\" alt=\"I Am Legend movie poster\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I AM LEGEND<\/strong><br \/>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/trailers\/wb\/iamlegend\/\">superb trailer<\/a> all but had me waiting in line at the theater weeks before this movie came out. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it couldn&#8217;t live up to the promise; it&#8217;s full of preposterous implausibilities and plot holes (and that&#8217;s if you even accept the basic premise). The best zombie movie I&#8217;ve seen is still <em>28 Days Later<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/knockedup.jpg\" alt=\"knocked up\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>KNOCKED UP<\/strong><br \/>I was a big lover of Judd Apatow&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-40-year-old-virgin\/\"><em>The 40-Year-Old Virgin<\/em><\/a>, but I don&#8217;t think <em>Knocked Up<\/em> quite measures up to its predecessor&#8217;s painful hilarity. Additionally, I could just barely swallow the premise that the two characters might hook up in an alcohol-fueled bonding moment, but not at all that they might stay together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/livesofothers.jpg\" alt=\"the lives of others\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>THE LIVES OF OTHERS<\/strong><br \/>A complex character study that would have made my personal-best list had it not undone itself in the end by hailing its complicated protagonist a &#8220;good man.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/mightyheart.jpg\" alt=\"a mighty heart\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A MIGHTY HEART<\/strong><br \/>Michael Winterbottom is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, and this movie held tremendous promise for me as it was done in a similar faux-documentary style as <em>Road to Guantanamo<\/em>. But whereas I wanted to tell everyone I met that <em>Road to Guantanamo<\/em> is essential viewing for every citizen of the world, I just can&#8217;t say the same for <em>A Mighty Heart<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust.jpg\" alt=\"stardust\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>STARDUST<\/strong><br \/>All apologies to Saint Neil Gaiman, for whom nearly all he touches turns to gold, but Stardust just didn&#8217;t do anything for me. Gaiman&#8217;s and Roget Avery&#8217;s script for <em>Beowulf<\/em> was brilliant, but this adaptation of his illustrated novel by another screenwriter had no pixie dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/zodiac.jpg\" alt=\"zodiac\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ZODIAC<\/strong><br \/>I know <em>Zodiac<\/em> has been praised to the high heavens, for both its special effects (didn&#8217;t notice that it even had special effects? Exactly!) and for its storytelling, but I just didn&#8217;t feel it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Coming up next: the 11 Best Movies I&#8217;m Most Embarrassed I didn&#8217;t see in 2007!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I was compiling the best and worst movies I saw in 2007, I found I still had enough for a special category: movies that absolutely don&#8217;t deserve to be called bad, even when it&#8217;s just me here talking to myself on my stupid blog. But for one reason or another, here are the movies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1234,1235,1236,899,1237,1238,1240,1241],"class_list":["post-627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","tag-american-gangster","tag-becoming-jane","tag-charlie-wilsons-war","tag-i-am-legend","tag-knocked-up","tag-lives-of-others","tag-stardust","tag-zodiac"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-a7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":606,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-8-best-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":0},"title":"The 8 Best Movies I Saw in 2007","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Followers of this blog (a statistic which I believe can be plotted on an arc approaching zero) may have noticed an accumulation of digital dust this past year. Indeed, I watched my own blog drop off the first page of Google results for my own name. Who's feeling lucky? A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Movies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Movies","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/movies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Orphanage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/orphanage-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/orphanage-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/orphanage-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/orphanage-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/orphanage-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":616,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-9-worst-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":1},"title":"The 9 Worst Movies I Saw in 2007","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Just like Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Before Sunset, it's the sequel that no one asked for! After the warm fuzzies of yesterday's list of the Best Movies I Saw in 2007, it's time for a little meanspirited snark. I might be committing professional suicide for publishing this list, for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Movies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Movies","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/movies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spider-Man 3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/spider-man-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/spider-man-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/spider-man-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/spider-man-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/spider-man-3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":747,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":2},"title":"Oi t&#8217;ink Tim Burton&#8217;s up to summat in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"April 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Anyone who's ever had the misfortune of a conversation about movies with this blogger is no doubt aware that I like musicals about as much as I like biopics. That is to say, not at all. I do, however, love Tim Burton, and count Ed Wood among my personal favorite\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sweeney-todd-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sweeney-todd-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sweeney-todd-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sweeney-todd-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/sweeney-todd-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":373,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/plan-9-from-outer-space\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":3},"title":"If all bad movies could be this bad: Ed Wood&#8217;s Plan 9 From Outer Space","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 10, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"? Glorious! A masterpiece! Three cheers for Edward D. Wood, Jr.: writer, director, editor, and genuine auteur! Don't let the no-stars rating fool you; this was so much more fun than some of our other no-stars, recently including The Wind in the Willows. If only all bad movies were this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;0 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"0 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/0-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Plan 9 From Outer Space","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/plan-9-from-outer-space-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/plan-9-from-outer-space-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/plan-9-from-outer-space-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/plan-9-from-outer-space-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/plan-9-from-outer-space-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":361,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-august-8-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":4},"title":"The Dork Report for August 8, 2006","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 8, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Some bad news for Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood: seems hours of footage shot in low-light on hi-def digital cameras (a la Collateral and Miami Vice) had to be scrapped [no longer online: scifipulse.net\/Dr_Who\/Torchwood_HIDef.html] when the Panasonic cameras didn't perform as advertised. I'm hardly an expert, but don't you thnk they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Dork Report&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Dork Report","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/dork-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Dork Report","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":574,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/iron-giant\/","url_meta":{"origin":627,"position":5},"title":"The Iron Giant","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 10, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The Iron Giant is a sorely underrated animated film, remarkable on so many fronts, not the least for being a rarity (among the company of The Incredibles -- not coincidentally also directed by Brad Bird) as a story truly for the ages and for \"all ages.\" Also one of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;4 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Iron Giant","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/iron-giant.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/iron-giant.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/iron-giant.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/iron-giant.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/iron-giant.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5607,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627\/revisions\/5607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}