We’ve gone to the movies this week – anything to avoid the Tory Party Leadership Contest. The clues below are all for movies which were either nominated or won Golden Raspberry Awards. We’ve put in the date of their release as an extra clue.
Note there is also an “acting” link between 2,6 and 7 and a further link between 2,5 and 7.
Cryptic clues (Answers appear below)
1. Crassest final quarter within classic film makes for Razzie winner (3,5,5; 2009)
2. Dancing vainly – its age a step too far (7,5; 1983)
3. Blue Lagoon maybe, featuring two appendages (8; 1988)
4. Abysmally lame trials around fake backfiring teen comedy (8,5; 2006)
5. Primarily jeered and whistled, shark turns homicidal – Ellen’s relatives eaten variously. Electricity, not great excitement for last bite (4,3,7; 1987)
6. Excessive within US military movie (5; 2018)
7. Behold dreadful howling sank two in last instalment gone to the dogs (4,4,7,3; 1993)
8. Initially lesbian enters sexually dodgy Oscar winning film for sexually dodgy Razzie winner (5; 2003)
Warning: Answers about to appear
Answers
1. All About Steve – featuring Sandra Bullock as a crossword compiler, this seems like two good reasons for success but …. As an interesting piece of trivia, Ms Bullock won the Worst Actress Razzie for this (and she attended to accept it!) while the following day, the Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side.
2. Staying Alive – this was the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, directed and co-written and co-produced by one Sylvester Stallone (0% on Rotten Tomatoes)
3. Cocktail – this has the highest score (9%) amongst this selection and probably the best financial performance. Sales were more than 8 times the film’s cost.
4. Material Girls – this was apparently (partly) based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility but according to most of the reviews, it had neither.
5. Jaws: The Revenge – In Back to the Future II (made in 1989 but primarily set in 2015), Marty McFly notices there is a meta Holofilm called Jaws 19 showing at a theatre. Clearly in 1989, no one envisaged that this dreadful 4th instalment would be the last.
6. Gotti – 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
7. Look Who’s Talking Now – a good cast, including Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton voicing the two dogs but mauled by the critics.
8. Gigli – The fact that the two main stars of this film were married in the last week (and a genuine Best Wishes from us, here) and have done plenty of other good work shouldn’t detract from this Razzie Winner. Also, note that Affleck was nominated for Worst Actor in three Razzies in 2003 (Gigli, Daredevil and Paycheck). Has anyone beaten this achievement?
The link between questions 2,6 and 7? They all star John Travolta! Not suggesting that he is the main reason why these films are such turkeys but he does seem to attract them. Battlefield Earth (2000, 3% on Rotten Tomatoes) was another possibility for this puzzle but the cryptic potential wasn’t so good.
And the link between 2,5 and 7? These are all sequels. If the significant number of sequels amongst lists like these doesn’t send Hollywood a message about over-milking initial successes, then you have to wonder.
It’s hard to find a good article about bad movies, largely because there are so many flops to cover. This is a good one, featuring five of the eight above.
Love to hear any more comments and trivia on these films and actors. Also, maybe you disagree or have others you think that are (even) worse!
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