The Films of 2014: Ranked and Reviewed - Page 2 of 4: Below Average

Below Average

Mark Wahlberg takes over Transformers' leading man duties as Cade Yeager, a struggling rural Texas inventor with a teenage daughted (Nikola Peltz) in "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

150. Transformers: Age of Extinction - The best this series has yet to offer still isn't good enough. Full Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray + DVD Review

149. Trust Me - Showbiz comedy is sunk by a bizarre final act that comes out of nowhere. Full DVD Review

148. Ride Along - By-the-numbers buddy comedy amuses mildly on only an occasional basis. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

147. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - Spin-off takes the tired horror franchise in a new direction but barely improves upon lackluster prior outing.

Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

146. Bad Words - Juvenile indie comedy is too confident that its off-color material will shock and amuse.

145. The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box - Generic outing looks and feels like a basic cable TV movie. Full Blu-ray Review

144. The Missing Picture - A creative but somehow not terribly moving reflection on growing up in Cambodia as a starving laborer under the Khmer Rouge rule.

143. Exodus: Gods and Kings - Copious amounts of talent on both sides of the camera can't keep this from being an epic bore.

142. God's Not Dead - Full of preposterous characters and scenarios, though it has some thoughts on faith that should be voiced and heard.

141. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Not quite horrible or terrible, but, as you'd expect, it's still no good. Full Blu-ray Review

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to the scene of the possible crime with his father (Robert Duvall), both hoping to find some clarity in #140, "The Judge."

140. The Judge - Courtroom drama offers small-town sentimentality in lieu of an interesting plot and characters. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

139. Cesar Chavez - A perfectly pedestrian biopic of social activism.

138. The Penguins of Madagascar - DreamWorks spin-off does little to amuse and justify its untimely existence.

137. The Railway Man - True tale of World War II prisoner of war fails to engage emotionally. Full Blu-ray Review

136. Winter's Tale - Despite plentiful talent and good intentions, this choppy blend of dissimilar parts underwhelms. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

135. Think Like a Man Too - Gender-based romantic comedy isn't as entertaining the second time around. Full Blu-ray Review

134. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - This spy series reboot is competent, just not all that compelling. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

133. A Most Wanted Man - Counterterrorism drama is dry and dull, even for coming from the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author.

132. Mr. Turner - An absurdly unpleasant portrait of an evidently boorish genius. Full Blu-ray Review

131. 2 Autumns, 3 Winters - French romantic comedy displays promise but never shakes a student film feel. Full DVD Review

The story of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is relayed in 1968 by proprietor Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) to a young writer (Jude Law).

130. Cold Comes the Night - Passable motel crime thriller saddles Bryan Cranston with a broad character that he still pulls off.

129. Before I Go to Sleep - Early promise fades in this amnesia mystery.

128. Top Five - Showbiz comedy has its amusing moments, but not enough to overlook its uneven nature and false notes. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

127. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Style triumphs over substance in an unfortunate (and puzzlingly beloved) first miss from writer-director Wes Anderson. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

126. And So It Goes - A fairly tolerable romantic comedy for old people that mostly avoids stale aging jokes.

125. Draft Day - Behind-the-scenes NFL drama loses its way with ridiculous, unrealistic final act. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

Ordinarily restricted by Abnegation's vanity limitations, Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) takes a good long look at herself in an infinite mirror as part of her aptitude test in "Divergent."

124. Divergent - Though thematically derivative of Hunger Games, this new dystopian saga begins with something that makes Twilight look quite good. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

123. Earth to Echo - Found footage alien film is sure to inspire nostalgic love from today's kids one day, but doesn't do a whole lot for anyone now.

122. RoboCop - Uninspired remake loses satirical edge and gains little.

121. For a Woman - A competent but less than captivating post-WWII French drama. Full DVD Review

120. The Unknown Known - An unremarkable look at Donald Rumsfeld in his own words.

Full Blu-ray Review

119. We Are the Best! - Just okay coming-of-age Swedish drama in which androgynous young teenage girls form a punk rock band in early '80s Stockholm.

118. The Maze Runner - There is little to distinguish this from the glut of dystopian YA adventures we're seeing nowadays.

117. 13 Sins - Dark and twisted but also creative and provocative. Full Blu-ray Review

116. Joe - Intriguing yet unsatisfying backwoods character study.

115. Veronica Mars - A fan-servicing, crowd-funded adaptation of the TV show that inspired a small but passionate following. Full Blu-ray Review

114. Belle - Historical drama fails to make a huge impression or stick with you.

113. Stonehearst Asylum - Victorian England mental asylum thriller looks nice, doesn't quite sizzle. Full Blu-ray Review

"The Interview" stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as American journalists who land an exclusive interview with North Korea's dictator.

112. The Interview - Not up to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's usual high standards and not good enough to justify its significance, but occasionally amusing. Full Blu-ray Review

111. Rob the Mob - Little true crime story makes for a somewhat compelling watch. Full Blu-ray Review

110. Tammy - Road trip comedy is familiar but funny enough. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

109. The Skeleton Twins - Estranged, suicidal sibling dramedy has a mix of good and bad moments.

108. Men, Women & Children - Jason Reitman's technology drama is thoughtful yet ultimately disappointing. Full Blu-ray Review

107. Hector and the Search for Happiness - A well-intentioned but not very good globe-trotting, soul-searching comedy.

106. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - More of the same over-the-top noir with striking style, sharp plots and characters. Full Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray + DVD Review

Noah (Russell Crowe) treats his family (Logan Lerman, Jennifer Connelly) to the Hangover II Galifianakis look: shaved head and full beard.

105. Heaven Is for Real - Fairly tactful as far as Heartland hits go, this Christian drama mostly avoids mawkishness. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

104. The Double - Kafka-esque Dostoevsky adaptation tells trippy tale of duplicity.

103. Noah - Surprisingly mediocre in spite of its ambition and scale. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

102. Blended - Sandler-Barrymore reunion is predictable and formulaic, but still pretty entertaining. Full Blu-ray + DVD Review

101. Gambit - A watchable caper that lacks the directorial flair of its writers, the Coen brothers. Full Blu-ray Review

Continue >>
Part 3: #100-51