It’s all well and good to sit in a cinema and actually be moved (ew) and have emotions (yuck) about a deftly crafted, magnificently executed, nuanced, artful, cinematic masterpiece with cultural weight and resonance that will permeate the sands of time as a landmark moment of the medium. But there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell of that ever coming close to the perversely joyous experience of sitting through a truly dreadful clusterfuck of a film and silently muttering “Good lord this is a piece of shit” under your breath every ten seconds.
So as much as the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood awards season brings with it – what with the acceptance speeches laced with all the affected dignity of the truly arrogant and whatnot – it’s just as vital that the absolute worst of the worst is recognised and ridiculed for the giant steaming turds that they were.
Thankfully, we have the Golden Raspberry Awards – more commonly known as the Razzies – which maintain a grand Hollywood tradition of providing tongue-in-cheek recognition of the year’s critical bombs (most of which, it should be noted, were wildly profitable, which is still the benchmark for success in the film biz).
The nominations for the 2015 Razzies are out, and this year’s crop of terrible films are particularly potent. Though it’s interesting to note that this year, for the first time, the Razzies are taking a brief step off of the Caustic Causeway and offering up a positive award in the Razzie Redeemer – in which previous Razzie recipients are recognised for their subsequently critically acclaimed work. Because Hollywood, if nothing else, is all about second, third, and fourth chances.
2015 GOLDEN RASPBERRY AWARD NOMINATIONS
Worst Picture
Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Left Behind
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Worst Director
Michael Bay – “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction”
Darren Doane – “Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas”
Renny Harlin – “The Legend of Hercules”
Jonathan Liebesman – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
Seth MacFarlane – “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
Worst Actor
Kirk Cameron – “Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas”
Nicolas Cage – “Left Behind”
Kellan Lutz – “The Legend of Hercules”
Seth MacFarlane – “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
Adam Sandler – “Blended”
Worst Actress
Drew Barrymore – “Blended”
Cameron Diaz – “The Other Woman” and “Sex Tape”
Melissa McCarthy – “Tammy”
Charlize Theron – “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
Gaia Weiss – “The Legend of Hercules”
Worst Supporting Actor
Mel Gibson – “The Expendables 3”
Kelsey Grammar – “The Expendables 3,” “Legends of Oz,” “Think Like a Man Too,” and “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction”
Shaquille O’Neil – “Blended”
Arnold Schwarzenegger – “The Expendables 3”
Kiefer Sutherland – “Pompeii”
Worst Supporting Actress
Cameron Diaz – “Annie”
Megan Fox – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
Nicola Peltz – “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction”
Susan Sarandon – “Tammy”
Brigitte Ridenour – “Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas”
Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
Annie
Atlas Shrugged 3: Who Is John Galt?
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Worst Screen Combo
Any Two Robots, Actors (or Robot Actors) – “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction”
Kirk Cameron & His Ego – “Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas”
Cameron Diaz & Jason Segel – “Sex Tape”
Kellan Lutz & either His Abs, His Pecs, or His Glutes – “The Legend of Hercules”
Seth MacFarlane & Charlize Theron – “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
Worst Screenplay
“Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas” – written by Darren Doane and Cheston Harvey
“Left Behind” – screenplay by Paul LaLonde and John Patus; based on the novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
“Sex Tape” – screenplay by Kate Angelo and Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller
“Transformers 4: Age of Extinction” – written by Ehren Kruger; based on Hasbro’s Transformers action figures.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” – written by Evan Daugherty and Andre Nemec & Josh Applebaum; based on characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Razzie Redeemer Award
Ben Affleck – from Razzie winner for “Gigli” to Oscar darlings “Argo” and “Gone Girl”
Jennifer Anniston – from four-time Razzie nominee to SAG Award nominee for “Cake”
Mike Myers – from Razzie winner for “Love Guru” to documentary director for “Supermensch”
Keanu Reeves – from six-time Razzie nominee to critically acclaimed “John Wick”
Kristen Stewart – from six-time Razzie winner for “Twilight” to the art house hit “Camp X-Ray”
The 2015 Razzie winners will be announced on February 21st; the night before the Oscars ceremony.
via The AV Club.
