Every year brings its share of bad movies. After all, think about how many mediocre, below-average, poor, bad, and just plain awful films one must endure or ignore to find not just classics such as Jaws or The Godfather, but also little gems like the Wachowski Brothers' Bound and the sleeper hit, Galaxy Quest. 2000 certainly had its share of bad films, in a year generally regarded as one of the worst in the last decade.

What makes a movie bad viewing? In my view, when it ceases to be entertaining, or when it ceases to be believable within the context of the world it is set in. A film like Charlie's Angels may be cheesy and have little or no story to speak of, but it is fast-paced, humorous, and revels in its own carefree projection of fun. Then there are movies like Stigmata, which is just too artily pretentious, or Mission to Mars, which copies so liberally from a host of previous space/sci-fi works one could almost gag at where its ideas came from.

And so, here they are. The worst movies I've seen that were released last year in Australia.

10. Road Trip

A tough choice between this and Red Planet. In the end I decided I couldn't stand Tom Green's weird machinations. I also had too many disaster-in-space films on this list already (Pitch Black was another consideration). This teenaged boy sex odyssey tries to emulate the success of American Pie, but fails miseraby, noticeably in the laugh quotient.

9. Scream 3

Disappointing conclusion to the popular series. Lacks the wit and self-deprecation of the first two Screams, and makes the mistake of trying to be a horror film rather than a send-up. Stupid character actions typifiy the drop in quality - in Scream, this aspect would have been lampooned.

8. Space Cowboys

Boys will be boys. This was probably the most disappointing film for me last year. Generally glowing reviews and a charismatic cast upped the anticipation factor, but what resulted on screen is a placid (or should I say flaccid) version of Armageddon. The charm of old pros like Sutherland and Garner helps, but in the end it just feels a little benign.

7. Rules of Engagement

Great cast in a ludicrous courtroom drama. Nasty politicians, ethnic stereotyping, and a what-the-heck-is-going-on fistfight between Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones? Weak resolution may make you wish they'd keep on punching - at least it may be hypnotically entertaining.

6. Mallboy

Gritty Australian drama suffers from a loose plot and a curiously detached feel. Good performances can't mask the mundaneness of it all.

5. Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps

This is not only one of the worst films I saw last year, but also one of the most disappointing. I'm a fan of Eddie Murphy's work, especially during the early 80s when films like Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop drew in the crowds. He can still be very funny, but I'm sure he doesn't need to resort to scatological humour to deliver the laughs. Come on, Eddie. You deserve better than this.

4. Mission To Mars

One of director Brian De Palma's definite low points. Good special effects can't hide a mess that borrows from seemingly every major sci-fi suspense movie over the last twenty years. Good cast is wasted.

This dull, pretentious film tried to cash in on the onslaught of horror films from late 1999, but too many stylistic touches repeated over and over again made it more of a director's show-off platform than a scary film. Gabriel Byrne tries hard, but looks utterly confused.

2. Bring It On

Gee, a film with young girls in tight sporty gear. A winner, right? Wrong. While Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku try their best, not even their energy can pick up this dull take on cheerleading teams and competitions. Maybe I watched it with the wrong attitude, but I did expect one of the (admittedly rare) good teen pictures that comes along once in a blue moon. How mistaken I was.

Probably the most unnecessary film of the year, this sequel to the earlier live-action remake of the animated Disney favourite 101 Dalmatians is unfunny and un-cute. There are few more frightening sights than Gerard Depardieu dressed in fur and sporting a strange haircut. Some kids may like it, but only for the dogs.