On the Waterfront

Data
Title: On the Waterfront
Year: 1954
Length: 108 minutes
Director: Elia Kazan
Writer: Budd Schulberg, "suggested by" articles by Malcolm Johnson
Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint
Music: Leonard Bernstein
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Story and Screenplay, Best Actor (Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Saint), Best Cinematography (black-and-white), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (black-and-white) and Best Editing; Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Malden), Best Supporting Actor (Cobb), Best Supporting Actor (Steiger) and Best Score; currently #103 on IMDb's Top 250

My reaction
Synopsis: dock workers are afraid to speak up against their murder-happy union
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Concept: Okay. Makes for a solid story, but if Brando hadn't gotten his hands on that character it wouldn't have been anything special.
Story: Great.
Characters: Great.
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Okay. Never boring, but it does feel too long.
Cinematography: Indifferent. Does everything it needs to, but never more.
Special effects/design: Eh. The location sets are good. The sound is terrible. And my goodness what did the make-up people do to Brando's face? As my wife says, his eyebrows are magnificent.
Acting: Great. About as good as acting gets.
Music: Okay. It's good music, but it is not a score.
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good). Underneath all the exceptional writing and acting, at its heart it's still just a gangster movie.
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for cinematography and special effects/design) 2.9/4 (Good).

Moon

Data
Title: Moon
Year: 2009
Length: 97 minutes
Director: Duncan Jones [aka Zowie Bowie]
Writer: Nathan Parker, story by Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Music: Clint Mansell

My reaction
Synopsis: a man is stationed alone on the moon for three years
How I saw it: in the theater, yesterday
Concept: Great. My synopsis doesn't really hint at the concept, but it would be a huge spoiler to say more.
Story: Great. Absolutely amazing writing. Avoids cliches and expectations like nobody's business.
Characters: Great. HAL 9000 has nothing on "Gerty."
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Great.
Cinematography: Good.
Special effects/design: Great.
Acting: Great.
Music: Good.
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites). Besides being an amazing film, it's also one of only about a dozen "science fiction movies" ever made that's actually science fiction.
Objective Rating: 10/10 3.8/4 (Great).

The Seventh Seal

Data
Title: Det sjunde inseglet
Year: 1957 (Sweden), 1958 (US)
Length: 96 minutes
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Writer: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
Music: Erik Nordgren
Distinctions: currently #104 on IMDb's Top 250

My reaction
Synopsis: a 14th-Century Nihilist/Crusader stalls Death with a game of chess
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Concept: Great. If there's any subject that's suited to Bergman, it's challenging Death with a strong dose of bubonic plague thrown in.
Story: Okay. The concept is good enough to carry the story most of the way, but it doesn't live up to its potential.
Characters: Good. When they weren't too busy being Very Nihilist and feeling sorry for themselves about it, they seemed like nice enough characters. Death in particular is quite nice.
Dialog: Indifferent. There are a few excellent exchanges, but a lot of the dialog is just spouting of bad philosophy.
Pacing: Eh.
Cinematography: Good. Great visuals, but it's kind of hard to see some things through all the shadows.
Special effects/design: Good.
Acting: Great.
Music: Good.
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay). Maybe worth seeing once due to its cultural contributions.
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for dialog and pacing) 2.8/4 (Good).

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I'm playing with my format a little. Not sure if I want to keep the change - let me know what you think.



Data
Title: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Year: 1989
Length: 127 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Jeffrey Boam; story by George Lucas & Menno Meyjes; characters by Lucas & Philip Kaufman
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover
Music: John Williams
Distinctions: Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing; Oscar nominations for Best Score and Best Sound; currently #106 on IMDb's Top 250

My reaction
How I saw it: on video several times (have on DVD), most recently yesterday
Synopsis: Indiana Jones' father disappears while searching for the holy grail.
Concept: Good. Old-school adventure story, drawing on elements that made Raiders of the Lost Ark great.
Story: Good. The plot is largely just an excuse for action sequences, but it's tightly written and delivers everything the audience wants.
Characters: Great.
Dialog: Good.
Pacing: Okay. A few scenes have a kind of weird rhythm, but the movie as a whole moves quickly.
Cinematography: Okay.
Special effects/design: Good.  The creature effects at the end are pretty lame, but the movie has a great look to it in general.
Acting: Great.
Music: Okay. There are some bits I like, but Williams doesn't really take advantage of his classic theme music.
Subjective Rating: 8/10. Always good for an entertaining couple of hours.
Objective Rating: 10/10 3/4 (Good).

The Green Mile

Title: The Green Mile
Year: 1999
Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Frank Darabont, based on the novel by Stephen King
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell
Music: Thomas Newman
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Duncan) and Best Sound; currently #105 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 188 minutes
Synopsis: a condemned, "simple-minded" giant has magical wizard powers
How I saw it: in the theater, 1999; on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 4/10
Objective Rating: 5/10 (gets points for characters, dialog, cinematography, special effects/design and acting) c. 2.4/4 (Okay).

For about an hour it seems like it's a reasonably good period prison movie - a little slow and cliched, but generally well made and with a great cast. Then Stephen King says, "Drama is hard. F*** it, I'm just gonna give one of these characters some magical wizard powers. That'd be cool, right?" No, no not really.

Batman Begins

Title: Batman Begins
Year: 2005
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, story by Goyer, based on characters by Bob Kane
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman
Music: James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer
Distinctions: Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography; currently #107 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 140 minutes
Synopsis: an orphaned millionaire learns to fight crime
How I saw it: in the theater twice, 2005; on video a number of times (have on DVD), most recently yesterday
Subjective Rating: 10/10
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for dialog, cinematography and music) c. 3.2/4 3.3/4 (Very good).

The ultimate super hero movie. When I went to see it for the first time, I had huge expectations, and it blew them all away. Sure, like any sensible person, I like The Dark Knight better. But this one has become my basis of comparison.

Jaws

Title: Jaws
Year: 1975
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Peter Benchley & Carl Gottlieb, based on the novel by Benchley
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Music: John Williams
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Score, Best Editing and Best Sound; Oscar nomination for Best Picture; currently #108 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 124 minutes
Synopsis: Giant man-eating shark.  Boo!
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great)
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for concept and story) c. 3.2/4 (Very good)

I was quite surprised by this one. Suspenseful, and pretty scary as far as monster movies go. But what really surprised me is that it's also got strong characters, good dialog, and good acting, expertly filmed. They managed to do without the usually-obligatory waiting around to get to the action part(s) that this sort of story typically has.  Everything in the movie is engaging, regardless of whether the shark is around. And when it is around, it's pretty crazy fun what they do with it.

The Informant!

Title: The Informant!
Year: 2009
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns, based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Melanie Lynskey
Music: Marvin Hamlisch
Length: 108 minutes
Synopsis: a quirky FBI mole takes down his own company
How I saw it: in the theater, yesterday
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great)
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for cinematography and special effects/design) c. 3.6/4 (Great)

This movie has one of those plots that a brief synopsis just fails to convey; if you don't already know the story (it's based on true events), you'll just have to see the movie for yourself to know what it's about. It's funny in a bizarre, character-driven sort of way that not everyone might get, very much like a Coen brothers movie - in fact, if I didn't know better and hadn't seen the credits, I would have assumed it was a Coen brothers movie.  I'm a little surprised to see how well Damon did with comedy.  The music is brilliant; it's fun, unique, and absolutely inseparable from the movie (by which I mean, it would be a completely different movie without the same music).

The Cosby Show: Season Five

Title: The Cosby Show: Season Five
Year: 1988-1989
Network: NBC
Creators: Ed. Weinberger, Michael Leeson & Bill Cosby
Directors: Tony Singletary (16 episodes), Jay Sandrich (5), Chuck Vinson (5), Carl Lauten (3)
Writers: John Markus (21 episodes), Carmen Finestra (19), Gary Kott (19), Janet Leahy (2), Mark St. Germain (2)
Starring: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Sabrina LeBeauf, Geoffrey Owens, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam
Music: Stu Gardner & Bill Cosby (theme); non-original music throughout the show
Episodes: 26, at c. 23 minutes
Synopsis: the day to day life of a large family in Brooklyn
How I saw it: any number of times on television; on video (rented from Netflix), over the past couple weeks
Subjective Rating: 8/10
Objective Rating: 9/10 (1 point off for cinematography) c. 3.3/4 (Very good).

For the most part the quality is about the same as seasons three and four. Except that where three and four have a couple episodes that stand out as bad, season five has a couple episodes that are among my favorites. It's never quite as funny as the first two seasons, though, and there are plenty of sit-com cliches.

Hotel Rwanda

Title: Hotel Rwanda
Year: 2004
Director: Terry George
Writers: Keir Pearson & Terry George
Starring: Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Sophie Okonedo
Music: Afro Celt Sound System, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Andrea Guerra
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Cheadle) and Best Supporting Actress (Okonedo); currently #109 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 121 minutes
Synopsis: a hotel manager shelters Rwandan refugees
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great)
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for concept and cinematography) c. 3.2/4 (Very good)

Very powerful movie. Great performances. I expected to hate this movie. I expected it to be the kind of movie (like Schindler's List) that makes itself immune to criticism because to speak badly of it would seem insensitive of the subject matter. I expected it to be a movie that had Something To Say more than a story to tell. It is decidedly not that kind of movie. There is some finger wagging in places, but it's an unavoidable byproduct of setting the scene, and I expect that if audiences were expected to know anything about African history/current events, it could have been happily skipped. This isn't a movie about genocide; it's a movie about people caught in the middle of it, trying to cope and survive. If it were purely fictional, it wouldn't be any less effective. It's suspenseful and exciting. And it's extremely depressing, which is why I only give it an 8/10; good as it is, I'm never going to love a movie that makes me feel crappy.  I actually had a nightmare last night that people were out to kill me and my family.  Not many movies can get into my head like that.

Unforgiven

Title: Unforgiven
Year: 1992
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: David Webb Peoples
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Jaimz Woolvett, Saul Rubinek
Music: Lennie Niehaus
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Hackman) and Best Editing; Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Eastwood), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Sound; currently #110 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 131 minutes
Synopsis: assaulted prostitutes put out a bounty on their attackers
How I saw it: on video (have on VHS), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good).
Objective Rating: 6/10 (point off for dialog, pacing, cinematography and music) c. 2.8/4 (Good).

Good story and characters, and great ending, but slow movie. There's lots of tediously superfluous dialog, and a few scenes that could be cut without losing anything.

Strangers on a Train

Title: Strangers on a Train
Year: 1951
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Raymond Chandler, Czenzi Ormonde & Whitfield Cook, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith
Starring: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Distinctions: Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography (black-and-white); currently #111 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 101 minutes
Synopsis: a crazy person murders a stranger's wife as a favor, and expects a murder in return
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good)
Objective Rating: 10/10 c. 3.6/4 (Great)

Such a rare thing: an Alfred Hitchcock movie that I liked. Suspenseful. A well-crafted script. A couple of the characters are fun. The ending is a bit disappointing; it turns into an action movie about 10 minutes from the end, which makes an exciting and memorable scene but it's not what the story needed.

Return of the Jedi

Title: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Year: 1983
Director: Richard Marquand
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid
Music: John Williams
Distinctions: Special Oscar for Visual Effects; Oscar nominations for Best Score, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing; currently #112 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 134 minutes
Synopsis: after an unrelated rescue mission, Luke Skywalker and friends help rebels (who are inexplicably well-armed) attack the evil empire's giant space gun
How I saw it: many times; most recently on video (have on DVD), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites).
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for story, dialog and cinematography) c. 3.0/4 (Good) 3.1/4 (Very good)

As a kid (like most kids in the 80's), this was always my favorite of the trilogy, probably on account of the Ewoks. Because everybody under 10 loves Ewoks. Not to mention the Rancor and the Emperor. I've always just sort of taken its awesomeness for granted and not looked too critically at it. Now that I think about it, it's not really that great of a movie. Fun and action packed, yes, but not a great movie like the other two are. That's okay, though, I don't mind hanging on to my bias.

Shaun the Sheep: Off the Baa!

Title: Shaun the Sheep: Off the Baa!
Year: 2007
Network: BBC
Creators: Nick Park, Richard Goleszowski, Alison Snowden, David Fine
Directors: Richard Goleszowski (8 episodes), Christopher Sadler (4), Dave Osmand (3), Richard Webber (1)
Writers: Ian Carney (2), Julie Jones (2), Glenn Dakin (2), Charles Hodges (1), Lee Pressman (1)
Music: Mark Thomas
Episodes: 8, at 7 minutes, from the first season
Synopsis: a flock of sheep have fun around their farm
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good).
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for story and cinematography) c. 3.0/4 (Good).

Not hilarious like other Aardman shows (like Creature Comforts), but funny.  Much better than most recent cartoons in the Cute Wholesome genre.

No Country for Old Men

Title: No Country for Old Men
Year: 2007
Directors: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Writers: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald
Music: Carter Burwell
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Bardem); Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing; currently #113 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 122 minutes
Synopsis: a man comes across two million dollars in the desert, and is hunted down by a mysterious crazy person
How I saw it: in the theater, 2007; on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great).
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for pacing and music) c. 3.4/4 (Very good).

An interesting and suspenseful pseudo-Western. Great characters. It feels a lot longer than two hours - I don't know why, there's certainly not anything that I think should be cut - it's just the sort of thing that's meant to be slow. Music probably could have helped; there's very little score, and the few places it is used I didn't even notice it.

Caddyshack

Title: Caddyshack
Year: 1980
Director: Harold Ramis
Writers: Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis & Douglas Kenney
Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Bill Murray
Music: Johnny Mandel (and non-original music)
Length: 98 minutes
Synopsis: a caddy sucks up to a rich man to get a scholarship
How I saw it: on video (VHS from the library), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay).
Objective Rating: 5/10 (points off for concept, story, cinematography, special effects/design and music) c. 1.9/4 (Eh).

Pretty stupid. Bill Murray is funny, and Chevy Chase is sometimes funny, but they're inexplicably not the focus of the movie.

Blade Runner

Title: Blade Runner
Year: 1982
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Hampton Fancher & David Webb Peoples, based on a novel by Philip K. Dick
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Music: Vangelis
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Visual Effects; currently #115 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 117 minutes (theatrical cut)
Synopsis: an ex-cop is forced to hunt down a group of androids
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday (original theatrical cut); also, the director's cut, c. 2001
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good).
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for story, pacing and music) c. 2.9/4 (Good).

Great concept, but the movie is all atmosphere and relatively little story. There's a hell of a lot of great atmosphere, though.  The theatrical cut is much better than the director's cut; the voice overs might be corny, but a little iconic corniness is just what this movie needs. It takes itself way too seriously otherwise. And while it's possible to follow the plot without the voice overs, it's not easy, and this story isn't nearly complex enough to justify having a hard time following it (although if you've only ever seen the director's cut, you might think it is complex).

Mythbusters: Big Blasts Collection

Title: MythBusters: Big Blasts Collection
Year: 2005-2007
Network: Discovery Channel
Creator: Peter Rees
Directors: Alice Dallow (7 episodes), Tabitha Lentle (5), Andrew Farrell (1), ? (2)
Starring: Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage
Episodes: 10, at c. 43 minutes, from the third, fourth and fifth seasons
Synopsis: a couple special effects guys and various cohorts test whether various urban legends are possible
How I saw it: online (streaming from Netflix), over the past couple days
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great).
Objective Rating: 6/10 (points off for story [n/a], cinematography, acting [n/a] and music) c. 2.8/4 (Good).

Some of the better episodes. They don't all feature major explosions as the title implies, but there are quite a few good ones. Includes the exploding cement truck episode (which was also edited into a special which is on an earlier "Collection"), and the water heater rocket episode, both of which are pretty crazy.

Doctor Who #150: Delta and the Bannermen

Title: Doctor Who: “Delta and the Bannermen“
Year: 1987
Network: BBC
Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson
Director: Chris Clough
Writer: Malcolm Kohll
Starring: Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford
Music: Ron Grainer (theme), Keff McCulloch
Episodes: 3, at 25 minutes; the third story (of 4) from season 24
Synopsis: a fugitive from genocidal soldiers hides in a group of alien tourists visiting 1950's Earth
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), today
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh).
Objective Rating: 2/10 (gets points for concept and dialog) c. 1.3/4 (Bad).

For a story that's only three episodes long, there's a surprising amount of time spent stalling. And for a story that spends a lot of time stalling, there's surprisingly little time spent explaining the plot or establishing characters. Everyone, including characters who couldn't possibly have any idea what's going on, just seems to understand everything that's happening, and that's going to happen, right from the start (while the audience can only hope to piece it together afterward).

Doctor Who #94: Image of the Fendahl

Title: Doctor Who: “Image of the Fendahl"
Year: 1977
Network: BBC
Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson
Director: George Spenton-Foster
Writer: Chris Boucher
Starring: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson
Music: Ron Grainer (theme), Dudley Simpson
Episodes: 4, at 25 minutes; the third story (of 6) from season 15
Synopsis: four scientists (two of which are up to no good with a "time scanner") find a 12-million-year-old skull
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay).
Objective Rating: 4/10 (gets points for dialog, pacing, acting and subjective rating) c. 2.0/4 (Indifferent).

My synopsis sounds much more interesting than the actual story turned out to be. What briefly promised to be science fiction quickly devolved into one of the more melodramatic and cornier of the gothic horror stories. Baker's shenanigans save it, but only just barely.

The Wrestler

Title: The Wrestler
Year: 2008
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Music: Clint Mansell (and non-original music)
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Rourke) and Best Supporting Actress (Tomei); currently #118 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 111 minutes
Synopsis: a professional wrestler is broke and too old
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good)
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for story and music) c. 3.2/4 (Very good)

Crazy good acting from Rourke. The music is right for the movie, but I'm taking a point off just because I don't like 80's metal. It's hard to say what I don't like about the story. I want to say it's too slow, but I was never bored; it just... stands still a lot, with a character you expect and want to be Making Things Happen.

Doctor Who #88: The Deadly Assassin

Title: Doctor Who: “The Deadly Assassin“
Year: 1976
Network: BBC
Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson
Director: David Maloney
Writer: Robert Holmes
Starring: Tom Baker
Music: Ron Grainer (theme), Dudley Simpson
Episodes: 4, at 25 minutes; the third story (of 6) from season 14
Synopsis: The Doctor goes into the Gallifreyan matrix to prove his innocence in an assassination conspiracy
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good).
Objective Rating: 4/10 (gets points for concept, characters, dialog and subjective rating) c. 2.3/4 (Okay).

I'm not sure why I liked this one. There's a nice sci-fi concept or two, but the story is kind of a mess that doesn't tie them together or clearly explain them. There's an almost Rambo-like action sequence, but it takes place in a virtual universe with no established physical rules. It's been a few months since I've seen a good Tom Baker story, though, and I guess it's just what I wanted to see.

Captain Blood

Title: Captian Blood
Year: 1935
Director: Michael Curtiz
Writer: Casey Robinson, based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone
Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (write-in), Best Screenplay (write-in), Best Score (write-in) and Best Sound Recording
Length: 119 minutes
Synopsis: a group of men sentenced to slavery escapes and becomes pirates
How I saw it: on video (rented on DVD), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good).
Objective Rating: 6/10 (points off for dialog, pacing, cinematography and acting) c. 2.5/4 (Okay).

My wife says, "It's like a bag of cliches, tied with a cliche bow. But that's okay." It's a fun movie to watch, not so much because it's a fun movie, but because it's so campy and dated that it's easy to get into the spirit of Going To The Movies In 1935 and appreciate it in perspective. Whoever at Warner Brothers had the idea to package these DVDs the way they do - with a handful of period shorts and a newsreel - is a genius.