Calum Russell

Anne Hathaway expressed regret for her role in the 2020 remake of The Witches after disability advocates criticised the depiction of the Grand High Witch, whose appearance resembled a real limb difference. Hathaway publicly apologised, emphasising her commitment to inclusivity. The controversy overshadowed the film’s release, contributing to wider debate about disability representation in cinema. Despite a strong cast, the film performed poorly at the box office and is regarded as one of Hathaway’s least successful projects.

Tom Hanks has been notably self-critical about his filmography and once said that only four of his movies were “pretty good.” In a 1989 Playboy interview, he singled out the 1985 comedy The Man with One Red Shoe as unfocused, unsuccessful and not a very good movie, noting that it made no money. Directed by Stan Dragoti and featuring Carrie Fisher, Dabney Coleman, Lori Singer and Jim Belushi, the film follows an ordinary man mistakenly targeted by a CIA surveillance operation.

Neil Armstrong regarded Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as the most accurate depiction of space, praising its portrayal of life and travel beyond Earth in remarks shared with film critic Gene Siskel. The article highlights Armstrong’s unique authority as the first person to walk on the Moon and places his view alongside the film’s broader cultural and scientific impact. Kubrick’s comments on the film’s themes, including humanity’s relationship with technology and mythic transformation, further underscore its lasting influence on science fiction and cinematic history.

Mel Brooks has identified James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein as one of his favourite films, alongside Fred Astaire’s movies. He credits early comedy groups including the Marx Brothers, Ritz Brothers and Three Stooges with shaping his sense of comedic timing, while Frankenstein helped form his lifelong fascination with horror. Brooks’s admiration is underscored by his use of original Kenneth Strickfaden props from the 1931 production in Young Frankenstein, reflecting the film’s lasting influence on his work and on horror cinema.

Brad Pitt has said he was disappointed with Troy, the 2004 historical epic directed by Wolfgang Petersen, because its commercial, spectacle-driven approach left him feeling trapped in conventional hero imagery. Although the film was commercially successful and received an Oscar nomination, its critical reception was weaker. Pitt said the experience prompted him to follow his instincts and prioritize quality stories and more distinctive filmmakers, leading to a more character- and auteur-focused phase of his career.

Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969, became the first and remains the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, receiving the prize in 1970. Despite controversy over its depictions of prostitution and homosexuality, the film is presented as a melancholy, humane study of loneliness, friendship and survival, rather than exploitation. John Schlesinger also won Best Director, while Waldo Salt won Best Adapted Screenplay; the film has since been recognized as a major classic of American cinema.

Steven Spielberg’s 1979 war comedy 1941 is portrayed as his most conspicuous failure. Made after the director’s major successes with Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the $35 million production earned $94.9 million but received a hostile critical response. Its combination of slapstick chaos, large-scale explosions and blockbuster spectacle failed to establish a coherent tone. Spielberg later compared the reaction to having “committed a war crime,” while John Wayne condemned the screenplay as anti-American. The setback ultimately served as a reality check that encouraged Spielberg to adopt more disciplined storytelling.

Stanley Kubrick’s 1953 debut feature, Fear and Desire, was a low-budget anti-war film made with a crew of about fifteen people and co-starring Paul Mazursky. Although it introduced themes that would recur throughout Kubrick’s career—psychological collapse, the dehumanizing effects of war and the irrationality of conflict—Kubrick considered the film a “bumbling amateur film exercise” and reportedly tried to have its negative destroyed. He later withdrew it from circulation, leaving it available mainly through bootlegs until restorations and private copies brought it back into wider availability and the public domain.

Quentin Tarantino sold the screenplays for True Romance and Natural Born Killers to help finance Reservoir Dogs. While True Romance became successful, Natural Born Killers was substantially revised by Oliver Stone and David Veloz, shifting away from Tarantino’s original vision. Tarantino later attempted to publish his original screenplay, faced a legal challenge from the producers, disowned the film, and famously said he hated it and advised fans not to watch it. Stone subsequently defended the director’s authority over the finished work while criticizing Tarantino’s public condemnation.

Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere reportedly fell out during production of The Lords of Flatbush in 1973 after an argument over a chicken sandwich escalated into a physical confrontation, resulting in Gere being removed from the film. Stallone later said Gere seriously disliked him. The article also links the pair through an unsubstantiated gerbil rumor and a later alleged altercation at an Elton John party involving Princess Diana. The two actors reportedly never worked together again.

Gary Oldman is portrayed as an exceptionally versatile actor whose admiration for subtle, atmospheric filmmaking informs his own craft. Among his favorite films, he singled out Terrence Malick’s 1973 drama Badlands, praising its delicate storytelling and its portrayal of a relationship through Sissy Spacek’s character. The film follows a young couple on a killing spree through South Dakota while examining popular culture, the American Dream and darker aspects of American society.

Quentin Tarantino has identified Death Proof as the worst film he has made. Released in 2007 as part of the Grindhouse double feature with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, the Kurt Russell-led exploitation thriller was intended as a tribute to 1970s and 1980s grindhouse cinema but was criticized for its slow pace, thin story and excessive gore. Tarantino nevertheless described it as acceptable for a less successful project, while the article argues that Planet Terror's stronger performances and balance of absurdity and melodrama prevented the double feature from being a complete failure.