Pixels

The 2016 Razzie Awards have been announced and Adam “The Sandman” Sandler leads the pack with a rare double nomination in the Worst Actor category, for his combined efforts in The Cobbler and Pixels — we can only assume that as an online-only release, Sandler’s performance in The Ridiculous Six was ineligible, and prevented him from earning the coveted hat trick of crappiness. Along with Pixels, Paul Blart 2, Fantastic Four, Fifty Shades of Grey and Jupiter Ascending fill out the most hotly contested race of Worst Film.

It was a great year for movies. One of the best in recent memory, in fact, with enough outstanding films to fill three or four top ten lists. But the good in any artistic medium will always be outweighed by the bad, and even as it seems like the number of potential classics grows every year, the number of certified stinkers grows as well. Exponentially; there’s enough cinematic turd burgers from the last twelve months to fill seven or eight top ten lists.

At the time of this writing, early estimates for the weekend box office have Ant-Man edging out Pixels for the top spot in this week’s top 10. That could change. With less than $1 million separating the films, Pixels may very well slide into first place tomorrow, winning one very close competition. But even if it does claim ultimate victory, it doesn’t change the fact that Pixels’ opening weekend is a massive disappointment and another nail in the coffin of Adam Sandler’s career.

I’m currently working on an essay that considers Sandler as an artist and filmmaker. I don’t like Pixels (or Grown Ups [or Jack and Jill (or Just Go For It [or The Cobbler])]) but I have liked Adam Sandler movies in the past. My college dorm room VHS collection included Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, and I was thrilled when he collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson on Punch-Drunk Love. I think You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is an underrated movie (seriously; it’s funny and sweet). Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, I think he’s a talented guy with creative days ahead of him.

There are a lot of recognizable cameos in Adam Sandler’s Pixels, from 80s video game characters — Paperboy, Q-bert — to actual 80s personalities — Hall & Oates, Madonna. But, for all the cameos that are included in the film, equally as notable was who didn’t make the cut. We...

Josh Gad is sick of talking about Frozen. That's fair - as the father of a young daughter, I'm sick of watching it. So, there was some mutual sympathy as I caught up with Gad while he was out promoting Pixels and asked for an update on Frozen 2.

In the tradition of ScreenCrush series like You Think You Know Movies, You Think You Know TV, and Post Credits comes a brand new YouTube series: Top 5! Each week (or so; look we’re busy guys), ScreenCrush editor and critic Matt Singer will count down a particular topic from the world of movies (and probably write these introductory posts in the third person).

Adam Sandler used to make comedies. Now he makes Adam Sandler movies; bland exercises in nostalgia where he hangs out with his actor buddies, cracks a few jokes, and exerts as little effort as is humanly possible to the sounds of early ’80s rock and pop. Pixels is the latest and canniest Adam Sandler movie yet. It mines his older audience’s affection for the classic arcade games of their youth, and his younger audience’s affection for the ideas of video games coming to life. The famous gaming cameos are sure to make Pixels a huge hit, even though it’s just as unfunny as everything else Sandler produces these days.

Adam Sandler doesn’t do many interviews. He’s completely sworn off print media (“I used to be misquoted all the time”) and appears on-camera only sparingly. I’ve been doing this job for over 14 years, and have never once interviewed the man. He’s traditionally been one of the few actors who didn’t need to talk to the press, and considering his prickly relationship with critics, likely didn’t walk to talk to them either. But, recently in New York, Sandler did agree to an on-camera interview to talk about his latest movie, Pixels, and to address the controversy surrounding his upcoming Netflix movie The Ridiculous Six.

It’s no secret that Pixels began its life as a short film, a special effects demo that showed off some inventive and amusing imagery that wasn’t required to have things like, you know, a plot or characters. So the feature version of Pixels had to find an excuse for classic arcade characters to invade Earth and that excuse was aliens. Who look like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for some reason. And whose greatest opponent is Adam Sandler. Okay. The new trailer isn’t going to change your mind if that premise still sounds like nails on a chalkboard.