10 Worst Movies Of 2019 (So Far)

2. Under The Silver Lake

A24

Under the Silver Lake is one of the most divisive films of the year, and it’s easy to see why. Its purposefully abstract, winding narrative awards the thriller a strange, episodic pace that can make the narrative aggressively frustrating, but there is a real visual flair at the heart of this LA-themed thriller, and its commitment to its bonkers ideas will make it endearing to some.

To most, though, it will make it a total joyless slog.

Andrew Garfield is fine in the lead role, but his character spends more time wanking than he does trying to solve the central mystery, which is purposefully silly and convoluted to the point where it almost mocks you for caring.

And it’s that apathy for the viewer that’s the biggest issue. This kind of movie should have been right up my street (considering another divisive film, Midsommar, made our year’s best ranking), but it falls into the category of similar arthouse flicks that are all style over substance.

It has nothing to say, and the few things it does try to comment on, like the male gaze, are presented so poorly that the film ends up undermining its own points in such ham-fisted, mind-numbing ways that'll have you pulling your hair out.

[JB]

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WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.