Every year, I wonder why I feel the need to call out five films that were the worst of the worst.  No studio exec is going to read this article think, “Matt Goldberg, that voice of sage wisdom, has spoken, and now we must cease production on all of our banal romantic comedies.”  But I make myself sit through a lot of junk every year because I have the idiotic policy of finishing every movie I start.  And these movies were not only a trial, but they managed to waste a potentially good aspect and be shockingly offensive at the same time.  Don’t look for The Zookeeper or Jack and Jill on this list; I prefer not to shove toxic waste into my eye sockets.  The five movies on this list had at least one enticing aspect: the talent involved, the premise, the success of previous entries in the franchise.  And then that lure brought me into a grueling slog where my only solace was knowing the film’s running time and having a wristwatch.  These films punched me for no reason.  This is me hitting back with good cause.

Hit the jump to check out my picks for the worst five films of 2011.

To promote the upcoming Blu-Ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, hitting stores on October 18, Disney invited myself and a few other journalists up to the Bay Area to visit the Industrial Light and Magic campus and see how the film was made.

During my visit, I got to tour ILM, see concept art, some of which differs wildly from the finished product, and interview visual effects supervisor Ben Snow and visual effects director Aaron McBride. We’ll have write ups on the disc’s unique iPad-based interactive features as well as the interviews everyday this week, but today I just want to tell you about what it’s like to walk through the halls of ILM.  Hit the jump for the full story.

As a fan of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it’s going to be tough to find a bigger disappointment in 2011 than Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  While it would be reasonable to expect that the sequel may not be as good as the original trilogy, the extent to which the film misunderstands story, pacing, action scenes, its own history, and its main characters, is mind-boggling.  The film does almost nothing right and it’s a tedious chore that sails through gigantic plotholes, lazy screenwriting, poor characterization, and reduces the scale and creativity of the previous films.  I would rather be cursed by the Aztecs, spend 100 years before the mast serving aboard the Flying Dutchman, and get devoured by a kraken than endure another viewing of On Stranger Tides.

Disney has released the first clip from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  I’ve always felt like I was in the minority of being interested in a new Pirates film since I don’t know many folks who enjoy the sequels (they’re big, bombastic, and don’t always hit their mark, but they take a lot of chances that pay off).  However, last week, Company Town reported that On Stranger Tides could be the year’s first $100m+ opening weekend because the film is tracking so well.

But this first clip from the film gives me pause.  The way Jack frees himself from the guards with a simple flip of the wrists looks silly and for an escape from the palace, I’m confused as to why he’s going away from the window.  Of course, the big problem with clips is that they lack context, so hopefully this scene will work better when I see the film.  Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Geoffrey Rush.  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in 3D on May 20th.

New posters have been release for Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia.  The Green Lantern poster is more like Hal Jordan ‘N Friends as we get a look at some more of the aliens of the Green Lantern Corps.  As for Pirates of the Caribbean, they’re really playing up the mermaid angle because apparently mermaids and their desire to be “part of our world” has been testing well with focus groups.  Finally, the international poster for Melancholia is pretty subdued, especially when compared to the poster for Von Trier’s last film, Antichrist.

Hit the jump to check out all of the posters.  Green Lantern opens in 3D on June 17th.  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in 3D on May 20th.  Melancholia will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Disney has released a new trailer for Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  I want to be excited for this flick but I still have mixed feelings on it.  On the one hand, I can’t believe that the plot is yet again “Jack must get the Black Pearl back from another pirate.”  But on the other hand, once the Pirates‘ theme music kicked in near the end of the trailer, I suddenly became pumped to return to this crazy world and see more adventure on the high seas.  There are some good jokes in the trailer, some imaginative designs, and I hope that this movie delivers.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with two new images.  Pirates of the Caribbean stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Geoffrey Rush.  It opens in 3D on May 20th.