Ranking Each Of James Cox’s Movies, According To IMDb

Even though James Cox is never expected to make the list when the best Hollywood directors are mentioned, the 45-year-old filmmaker’s works have developed a cult following over the years. Cox can be compared to directors like Michael Bay, whose movies never get good reviews but feature a lot in discussions anyway.

Cox has only directed a total of six movies in his career. Apart from his work in movies, he is also known for directing episodes of the supernatural TV series Dead Last. He has also served as a producer in movies such as Elvis & Nixon and Watercolor Postcards. The following is a ranking of all his six movies, according to IMDb.

6 Rock Star (1999) – 4.7

One of Cox’s earliest films often goes unnoticed. There aren’t even any critic reviews about the movie on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. The director was still learning the ropes at the time and as such, the film wasn’t that impressive. Luckily, audiences who viewed it were generous enough to give honest reviews on IMDb.

Rock Star is the typical rise-to-fame story. Though the tale is fictional, it has a biopic feel to it. The plot focuses a young man from a rural town near a metropolis that has dreams of becoming the biggest Rock n’ Roll star in America. Even though this dream becomes a reality, his career is not without its challenges.

5 Billionaire Boys Club (2018) – 5.6

There was plenty of drama surrounding Billionaire Boys Club. Shortly before its release, lead actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct, courtesy of the #MeToo movement. There were doubts on whether the movie would be released at all but the studio decided to go forward with a limited theatrical release, before going the direct-to-video route. According to a statement from Vertical Entertainment, the release was meant to acknowledge the effort made by the rest of the cast.

Billionaire Boys Club is based on actual events surrounding a group rich and fraudulent young men from Southern Carolina in the ’80s who engaged in Ponzi schemes. The young men formed what was known as the Billionaire Boys Club. The 2018 movie is a remake of a 1987 two-part NBC TV movie. Actor Judd Nelson also starred in the original movie.

4 Straight A’s (2013) – 5.7

Cox has worked with a good number of stars in his career. Here, he manages to get Luke Wilson and Anna Paquin in the cast. Straight A’s combines supernatural, emotional, romantic and comedic elements. In the rom-com, Scott is a man who leaves his fiancé Katherine at the altar and becomes addicted to marijuana and hard drugs.

After the heartbreak, she ends up marrying his successful, workaholic brother and having kids with him. Sadly, Scott’s brother is quite adulterous and narcissistic. Ten years later, the ghost of Scott’s mum appears to him and gives him a scolding. She forces him to go back home and make up with his family. He does so, but things don’t end up being as easy as he expected.

3 Highway (2002) – 6.2

James Cox was offered a budget of $14 million to make Highway after the success of his earlier film Atomic Tabasco. The movie has a talented cast that includes a younger Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal. There isn’t much to the plot but it’s entertaining nevertheless, thanks to the never-ending tension and high stakes.

Events revolve around Jack (Leto), a pool cleaner who is caught sleeping with the wife of his boss, a Vegas mobster. He is forced to flee but before he does, he convinces his pal Pilot (Gyllenhaal) to flee with him. The two thus hit the road, hoping they don’t get caught. On the road, Jack meets and falls in love with another woman named Cassie.

2 Wonderland (2003) – 6.6

Wonderland—which is divided into four different parts—chronicles the real-life story of the infamous “The Wonderland Murders,” which the media also referred to as the “Four On The Floor Murders” The four murders happened at 8763 Wonderland Avenue, Los Angeles on July 1, 1981.

The true-crime movie stars Val Kilmer as popular pornographic film star John Holmes who was charged as an accomplice in the killings. Controversial heiress Paris Hilton also had a supporting role. The movie underperformed at the box office. After being made with a modest budget of $5.5 million, it only managed to gross $2.4 million.

1 Atomic Tabasco (1999) – 7.1

Cox’s best ever movie also happens to be his first. He made Atomic Tabasco in 1999, while he was still a film student at New York University. The movie ended up being honored at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. It was also awarded a Bronze Medal at the 1999 Student Academy Awards.

The simple plot revolves around three people in a convenience store who speak different languages and struggle understand each other. The director was inspired to make the film after visiting South Korea. He also revealed that he wrote most of the movie’s script inside an East Village McDonald’s. Little did he know that this little sacrifice was about to change his life.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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