The Best and Worst of Patrick Stewart

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "The Emoji Movie" star Patrick Stewart.

Films starring Patrick Stewart that I've seen:
X-Men
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius 
X2: X-Men United
X-Men: The Last Stand
TMNT 
Gnomeo & Juliet
Ted
X-Men: Days of Future Past
A Million Ways to Die in the West 
Match
Ted 2
Green Room
Logan

Best Performance: Match (2015)
If I were in charge of the show, Stewart would've picked up an Academy Award nomination for this performance. Stewart's turn as a prestigious New York ballet instructor who is confronted by the son (Matthew Lillard) he abandoned to pursue his career is a heartbreaking triumph. If you're a fan of Stewart or small-scale human dramas, I'd highly recommend checking Match out.  

Worst Performance: N/A
While Stewart has lent his voice to numerous animated duds over the years (Gnomeo & Juliet, TMNT), he's yet to embarrass himself in a live-action role. Whether he's playing the leader of a deranged group of meth-cooking neo-Nazis or the wheelchair-bound headmaster of a school for the gifted, Stewart fully commits to the part and typically delivers a standout performance. 

Best Film: Green Room (2016)
A majority of the X-Men films are among my favorite superhero movies, but none of the entries in that underrated franchise can match the brilliance of Jeremy Saulnier's grim, minimalist masterpiece. With an unrelenting level of tension, truly unsettling graphic violence and excellent performances from everyone in its ensemble cast, Green Room permanently raised the bar for claustrophobic, suspense-driven thrillers.     

Worst Film: Gnomeo & Juilet (2011)
If you're giving Stewart shit for appearing in The Emoji Movie, you probably didn't see Gnomeo & Juliet. This insufferable animated musical comedy made me long for the pretension and ye old English of Shakespeare's original work.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Columbus" star John Cho.