2010 Worst Movie Year Ever?

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 30 July 2010 7:20 AM

Hey, Hollywood, the Wall Street Journal‘s got some advice for you: First, “stop trying to pass off Shia LaBeouf as the second coming of Tom Cruise.” Second, “stop casting Gerard Butler in roles where he is called upon to emote.” And finally, “if ‘Legion’ and ‘Edge of Darkness’ and ‘The Back-up Plan’ and ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ are the best you can do, stop making movies, period.”

That’s an excerpt from the lively first paragraph to an article entitled, “Is 2010 the Worst Movie Year Ever?” Reviewer Joe Queenan says not only have audiences been subjected to mediocre film after mediocre film, we are still waiting for the sleeper hit—the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” or “Slumdog Millionaire”—that Hollywood, “by tacit agreement with the public” is expected to make. The Journal concedes that we might be overrun with remakes and sequels and adaptations because Hollywood “is fighting a war on numerous fronts, and losing all of them.” Ticket sales are down, marketing costs are up and the bottom line is razor sharp.