The Final Cut

The Final Cut (2004) – It’s a thoughtful treatment of its subject (enough to overlook all the unmentioned deal-breaking privacy and confidentiality issues), it’s poignant at times, and Williams is impressively subdued, but the film is just too low-key, due in large part to Naim’s underdeveloped supporting characters and subplots. 6

The Warrior’s Way

The Warrior’s Way (2010) – This is ludicrous ninja action on terrible green screen at its finest: Geoffrey Rush must have been putting in a pool or something; still, it has a good setting and a fair number of good moments (most of which are in the last thirty minutes), although not enough to make up for the many boring and dumb and just plain bad ones. 5

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies (2013) – It has some merit in that it’s a somewhat novel approach to the worn-out zombie genre (even if it’s borrowed from Day of the Dead), and Hoult does a fine job, but as a comedy, it isn’t funny, and as a romance, it begs to be taken seriously, which is quite impossible. 5

Daredevil

Daredevil (2003) – The cast, the story elements, the style, the sonar effects – all the components are there for a good movie, and with substantially more and better story, we might really have had something; as it is, though, this film is best suited to descriptors like “decent,” “adequate,” and “passable” (not to mention “over-reliant on CGI effects that have not aged well at all”). 6

Night of the Creeps

Night of the Creeps (1986) – This deliberately cheesy film is a homage to a variety of genres (and is, in its turn, an obvious influence on Slither, among others); it has enough interesting characters and good moments (mostly Tom Atkins, on both counts) to overcome its not-insignificant story failings. 6

The Cable Guy

The Cable Guy (1996) – Carrey, here in his Late Mugging Period, turns in quite a performance, but the script is so messy and bland and Broderick’s character so inert that it’s hard to care much what’s going on; all that and a weak, preachy ending, too. 5