Close Encounters of the Third Kind

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 10 of 12

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977. Space aliens visit Earth. Written & directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr & Melinda Dillon.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). The last half hour or so is great, as are a number of other scenes throughout the movie. But I couldn't care less about Richard Dreyfuss or his mashed potatoes.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.9/4 (Good)

Logan's Run

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 9 of 12

Logan's Run, 1976. Two people escape from a city where no one's allowed to live past 29. Directed by Michael Anderson. Written by David Zelag Goodman, based on a novel by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson. Starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan & Peter Ustinov.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent). It's pretty good for the most part, but falls apart right at the end.
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent). Good design, bad effects.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It doesn't meet its potential, but it's still perfectly good. Ustinov's character is fun.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

East of Eden

East of Eden, 1955. A teenager is jealous of the love shown to his brother. Directed by Elia Kazan. Written by Paul Osborn, based on a novel by John Steinbeck. Starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Richard Davalos & Jo Van Fleet.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad). The book is unfilmable; a faithful adaptation would be about eight hours long, and an unfaithful adaptation is guaranteed to be inferior (this is Steinbeck we're talking about, after all). Focusing on just a small part of the book is a good idea, but why on earth would they pick the end of the book? Bah!
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent). Not only does their "abbreviation" turn the story into a trite love triangle, but it creates plot holes and inconsistencies, and necessitates expanding the story further than it can stretch. This is a 500+ page book - if half your script is completely new material, you're doing something wrong.
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent). This point would certainly get a "good" rating or better if I hadn't read the book. But I have, so I know how badly Osborn messed things up.
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent). A Steinbeck adaptation with dialog that is anything less than amazing? Sad.
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good). It tries too hard, and the color is bad, but I like it well enough.
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent). Is there some reason James Dean can't wear period clothing? Some sort of contract point about minimum shirt collar size?
Acting: 3/4 (Good). Dean has a great energy, and moves like Toshiro Mifune. At best, everything still feels like a Performance, but it's at least striking.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). It could have been a lot worse. I've really got to stop watching adaptations soon after reading the book. It only ever upsets me.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.2/4 (Okay)

The Stepford Wives

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 8 of 12

The Stepford Wives, 1975. A town's housewives happily do nothing but housework. Directed by Bryan Forbes. Written by William Goldman, based on a novel by Ira Levin. Starring Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss & Peter Masterson.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good). Great toward the end. Bad in the first half.
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Surprisingly suspenseful (especially surprising since the mere fact that this is in a science fiction marathon spoils the plot) and intelligent.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.6/4 (Good)

Fantastic Planet

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 7 of 12

La planète sauvage, 1973. Humans are an invasive species on a planet of giants. Directed by René Laloux. Written by Roland Topor & Laloux, based on a novel by Stefan Wul. Starring Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin & Jean Valmont.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good). Some excellent design, but I expected a lot more.
Acting: 1/4 (Bad). Acting from the voices is fine. Acting from the animators is nonexistent.
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). For the most part it's interesting but not engaging. The ending is awful enough to cancel out the rest of the movie's value.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

oscars, blah

I was getting ready to write a lengthy Oscar nominations reaction, but you know what? Fuck the Oscars. Jonah Hill is nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and Albert Brooks is not. Tree of Life is not nominated for visual effects. And don't get me started on the animated feature category...

I was already fairly disconnected from the awards season this year to begin with. Over the past year, the cost of going to see a movie in the theater has gone up while the quality of the experience at my local multiplexes has plummeted. Half the screen out of focus, projected so dimly that subtitles are grey, background noise drowning out quiet dialog... And, most importantly, the movies that are actually worth seeing (according to critics) almost never play anywhere. Meanwhile, I got a new TV for Christmas. Nothing special, just a 32". No super HD, no blu-ray, no home theater system - I've just got a decent TV and a DVD player. And the experience of watching a movie on that is far better than any theater in the region. Seriously, the theaters here have gotten so bad that even if I took my basic TV and cheap DVD player to a crowded room with a sticky floor and broken seats, it would still be a better experience than the local multiplexes. Consequently, I've only seen maybe three movies in the theater since the summer (whereas last year I went almost every week).

But still, I thought, "Oh, I'll put the movies that are nominated for major awards in my Netflix queue, and watch them eventually." But then I see that at least one movie with scathingly negative reviews is nominated for Best Picture. And of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, only and small handful are nominated for anything. And then I remember watching The Blind Side, and finally it dawns on me: The Motion Picture Academy are a bunch of idiots.

Well, so much for not writing a lengthy post.

I guess as long as I've come this far, I might as well make some lists, for my own reference. Asterisks mark movies that are available on video.

Nominees that I've seen:
*Drive - sound
*Harry Potter 8 - art direction, makeup, effects
*Midnight in Paris - picture, directing, writing, art direction
*Moneyball - picture, writing, lead actor, supporting actor, editing, sound
The Muppets - song
*Rango - animated feature
*Rise of the Planet of the Apes - effects
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - writing, lead actor, score
*The Tree of Life - picture, directing, cinematography

Nominees that I haven't seen and want to see:
The Artist - picture, directing, writing, lead actor, supporting actress, editing, cinematography, art direction, costumes, score
The Descendants - picture, directing, writing, editing, lead actor
*Bridesmaids - writing, supporting actress
Hugo - picture, directing, writing, editing, cinematography, art direction, costumes, sound x2, effects, score
A Separation - writing, foreign film
*The Ides of March - writing
*Beginners - supporting actor
*Warrior - supporting actor
*Hell and Back Again - documentary feature
My Week with Marilyn - lead actress, supporting actor
The Adventures of Tintin - score

Nominees that I haven't seen and wouldn't mind seeing but don't really care:
Pina - documentary feature
*Jane Eyre - costumes
*Real Steel - effects
War Horse - picture, cinematography, art direction, score, sound x2
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - lead actress, editing, cinematography, sound x2
*A Better Life - lead actor

Nominees that I don't know anything about one way or the other:
Albert Nobbs - lead actress, supporting actress, makeup
Bullhead - foreign film
A Cat in Paris - animated feature
Chico & Rita - animated feature
Footnote - foreign film
In Darkness - foreign film
Monsieur Lazhar - foreign film
W.E. - costumes

Nominees that I haven't seen and don't want to see:
*Margin Call - writing
Undefeated - documentary feature
*Kung Fu Panda 2 - animated feature
Paradise Lost 3 - documentary feature
Puss in Boots - animated feature
Iron Lady - lead actress, makeup
*Anonymous - costumes
*The Help - picture, lead actress, supporting actress x2
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - picture, supporting actor
*If a Tree Falls - documentary feature
*Rio - song
*Transformers 3 - sound x2, effects

Flight of the Navigator

Flight of the Navigator, 1986. An alien abduction drops a boy off eight years in the future. Directed by Randal Kleiser. Written by Michael Burton & Matt MacManus, story by Mark H. Baker. Starring Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens & Howard Hesseman.

Concept: 4/4 (Great). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: the only Hollywood screenwriters who have heard about physics!
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Maybe it's just nostalgia. (I watched this movie a lot when I was a kid.) It's a really unique premise, though, and they manage not to mess it up.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1970. An astronaut explores the Planet of the Apes, looking for Charlton Heston. Directed by Ted Post. Written by Paul Dehn, story by Dehn & Mort Abrahams, based on characters by Pierre Boulle. Starring James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison & James Gregory.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent). Mostly good, but there's some unforgivable, unnecessary pseudo-science.
Pacing: 4/4 (Great). Most of the time, the pacing is only okay. But I've got to give full points because of the last couple minutes of the movie.
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It has no right being good, but it is. They clearly don't have a fraction of the first movie's budget, and it's the type of movie that typically depends on special effects. The script is sloppy and dumb, but somehow ends up working anyway. It's like three or four different movies mashed together. But that keeps you on your toes; you really have no idea where it's going. And the ending is perfect.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.1/4 (Okay)

Doctor Who #71: Invasion of the Dinosaurs

Doctor Who: "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," 1974 (the second story of five from season eleven). A mad science conspiracy manipulates time. Directed by Paddy Russell. Written by Malcolm Hulke. Starring Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, Noel Johnson & John Bennett.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 0/4 (Terrible)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). Boring. Occasional bursts of camp and one or two unexpected plot turns aren't nearly enough to save it.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.0/4 (Bad)

Westworld

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 6 of 12

Westworld, 1973. At an Old West-themed resort, robot cowboys have real guns, and nothing could possibly go wrong. Written & directed by Michael Crichton. Starring Richard Benjamin, James Brolin & Yul Brynner.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). It's a crappy movie, but it's the kind of crappy movie that's fun to watch.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

"Mt. Head"

"Atama-yama" (short), 2002. A cherry tree grows out of a man's head. Directed by Koji Yamamura. Written by Shoji Yonemura. Starring Takeharu Kunimoto.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Amusing, and fascinating in its weirdness. I like when things play with logic, and this does that really well and seemingly effortlessly.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 (Very good)

Doctor Who #83: The Android Invasion

Doctor Who: "The Android Invasion," 1975 (the fourth story of six from season thirteen). Alien invaders use android doppelgangers. Directed by Barry Letts. Written by Terry Nation. Starring Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Milton Johns & Martin Friend.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). There are lots of little good ideas here and there, but overall its sloppily and lazily written. It just wouldn't be a Terry Nation script without at least one twisted ankle.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.8/4 (Eh)

The Incredibles

The Incredibles, 2004. A super-powered family forced into hiding saves the day. Written & directed by Brad Bird. Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Spencer Fox, Sarah Vowell & Elizabeth Peña.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). So very much fun.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.8/4 3.9/4 (Great)

(update of a previous post - original is here)

Soylent Green

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 5 of 12

Soylent Green, 1973. A murder investigation leads to uncovering a conspiracy. Directed by Richard Fleischer. Written by Stanley R. Greenberg, based on a novel by Harry Harrison. Starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young & Edward G. Robinson.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Serviceable entertainment. It never bothers to do anything beyond what it needs to to work. I suppose the plot might have been more interesting if you somehow didn't know the ending, but of course everyone knows it.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.1/4 (Okay)

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing, 1989. Racial tension builds up around a Brooklyn pizzeria. Written & directed by Spike Lee. Starring Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro & Rosie Perez.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad). Hey kids, racism is bad, okay? (Seriously, though, this movie isn't like that at all; it's just what you'd expect from the concept.)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It's easy to see why this made Spike Lee famous - and why he continues to be so highly regarded despite the fact that the majority of his films are not. Although it's not really my thing, it stands out as a masterpiece of its era.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011. A retired spy investigates a possible Soviet mole. Directed by Tomas Alfredson. Written by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan, based on a novel by John le Carré. Starring Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, John Hurt, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch & Tom Hardy.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good). They could have been great if we'd been able to spend more time with any of them.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It never managed to engage me; there's no suspense. I like it anyway, more or less. The realism is interesting, and (unlike the book, which is incomprehensible) things fit together to make a sort of jigsaw puzzle. You can only see how it all works after everything's finished, though: Smiley almost never drops his poker face, and you don't get to ride along with the character as he figures it out. He just reads his files, then announces when he's done, and that's about it.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.3/4 (Very good)

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris, 2011. A writer has nightly visits to a fantasy 1920s Paris. Written & directed by Woody Allen. Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams & Marion Cotillard.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Pleasant, amusing and memorable.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 (Very good)

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season One

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season One (26 episodes), 1987-1988. A giant space ship flies around the galaxy, ostensibly exploring but usually running errands.

Created by Gene Roddenberry. Directed by Rob Bowman (5 episodes), Cliff Bole (3), Corey Allen (3), Paul Lynch (2), James L. Conway (2), Joseph L. Scanlan (2), Russ Mayberry (1), Richard Colla (1), Richard Compton (1), Michael Rhoades (1), Kim Manners (1), Mike Vejar (1), Les Landau (1), Win Phelps (1) & Robert Becker (1). Written by D.C. Fontana (5 episodes), Maurice Hurley (5), Gene Roddenberry (4), Robert Lewin (4), Herbert Wright (3), Tracy Tormé (3), Hannah Louise Shearer (3), John D.F. Black (2), Robert Sabaroff (2), Richard Manning (2), Hans Beimler (2), J. Michael Bingham (1), Katharyn Powers (1), Michael Baron (1), Richard Krzmeien (1), Diane Duane (1), Michael Reaves (1), Michael Halperin (1), Worley Thorne (1), Larry Forrester (1), C.J. Holland (1), Lan O'Kun (1), Patrick Barry (1), Michael Michaelian (1), Karl Geurs (1), Ralph Sanchez (1), Sandy Fries (1), Joseph Stefano (1), Deborah Dean Davis (1), Deborah McIntyre (1) & Mona Clee (1). Starring Patrick Stewart & Jonathan Frakes.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad). There's a lot of very good acting sprinkled throughout, but mostly its awful.
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Popcorn television. There's not much reason to like it. So much is badly done. There's not a single episode without at least one damning flaw. But I just love watching it.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.2/4 (Okay)

Solaris

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 4 of 12

Solyaris, 1972. An alien ocean is a mind capable of fabricating reality from thoughts. Directed by Andrey Tarkovskiy. Written by Fridrikh Gorenshtein & Tarkovskiy, based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem. Starring Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet & Anatoliy Solonitsyn.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good). What's there is mostly great, with a couple glaring exceptions. However, a number of scenes that would have been expensive to shoot are conspicuously absent.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Every now and then, the plot will inch forward, ever so slightly. When that happens, it's interesting, and seems to have potential. It happens very rarely, though.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.9/4 (Eh)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971. Five children tour an eccentric candy-maker's factory. Directed by Mel Stuart. Written by Roald Dahl, based on his book. Starring Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson & Peter Ostrum.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good). Wilder is great, of course. The rest just get by.
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Gene Wilder, you so creepy.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 3.3/4 (Very good)

Take Shelter

Take Shelter, 2011. A man dreams of impending doom. Written & directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain & Tova Stewart.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad). It's so cliched, there are parts where you can actually say the lines along with the actors without having seen the movie before.
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Interesting, but not interesting enough to compensate for the pace. I never quite got into it, probably because the writing is uneven.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives, 2011. Several doctors make an argument for veganism. Written by, directed by & starring Lee Fulkerson.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible). Maybe I should say "n/a" rather than "terrible," but that doesn't seem right. Any and all movies need a story, and the lack of one should count against it.
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 0/4 (Terrible)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). It's very educational, and I think people should watch it. But it's also a bad movie - dull, extremely poorly made, and biased.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.9/4 (Very bad)

"The Meaning of Life"

"The Meaning of Life" (short), 2005. Life on Earth does its thing; meanwhile, the universe. Written by, directed by & starring Don Hertzfeldt.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). The short, silly, non-religious, cartoon version of Tree of Life. Its visuals might not inspire the same sense of awe (although they are impressive by normal standards), but it is infinitely more watchable. Also, first.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.1/4 (Very good)

Silent Running

from my 1970s Science Fiction Marathon, part 3 of 12

Silent Running, 1972. A mad ecologist tries to save Earth's last plant life... in space! Directed by Douglas Trumbull. Written by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino & Steven Bochco. Starring Bruce Dern.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible). With three writers - not including Trumbull - they still couldn't manage to come up with more than twenty minutes of material.
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad). Mostly fine, but the (crucial) model photography is terrible.
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad). Ever notice how sometimes when an expert specialist is put in charge of a project, his/her area of specialization suffers? It's the "Don't worry, he's got this" effect. Or, in this case, it could be more specifically identified as the "Where's Douglas? Oh, playing with his robots again" effect.
Acting: 1/4 (Bad). It's not Dern's fault, though. There's no way to not be bad with this material.
Music: 0/4 (Terrible). What... I just... what the fuck?
Subjective Rating: 1/10 (Eew get it away, 0/4). It is shockingly awful. I was literally shocked by how awful it is. It made me angry.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.7/4 (Very bad)

Hertzfeldt's Animation Show Cartoons

"Welcome to the Show" / "Intermission in the Third Dimension" / "The End of the Show" (shorts), 2003. Fluff balls introduce an animation showcase. Written & directed by Don Hertzfeldt. Starring Hertzfeldt & Robert May.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It's mostly gibbering nonsense, but in a good way.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes, 1968. An interstellar voyage crashes on the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Written by Michael Wilson & Rod Serling, based on a novel by Pierre Boulle. Starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans & Linda Harrison.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 4/4 (Great)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent). Some of the effects are great, some are bad.  All of the design is bad.
Acting: 3/4 (Good). Harrison's performance is easy to overlook, but pretty impressive once you start paying attention to it. And Hunter does remarkably well for being buried in rubber.
Music: 4/4 (Great). It's silly, but I don't care, I love it.
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). It's the quintessential science fiction film of an era (for all the right reasons), and a damn good movie besides that.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.4/4 3.5/4 (Very good)

(update of a previous post - original is here)

"Rejected"

"Rejected" (short), 2000. An animator makes horrible commercials. Written & Directed by Don Hertzfeldt. Starring Hertzfeldt & Robert May.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Some sort of non sequitur masterpiece.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 3.3/4 (Very good)

Doctor Who: Series Six, Part Two

Doctor Who: Series Six Part Two, 2011. An alien travels through space and time while putting off dying.

Created by Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber & Donald Wilson. Directed by Nick Hurran (2 episodes), Richard Senior (1), Richard Clark (1), Steve Hughes (1) & Jeremy Webb (1). Written by Steven Moffat (2 episodes), Mark Gatiss (1), Tom MacRae (1), Toby Whithouse (1) & Gareth Roberts (1). Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan & Arthur Darvill.

Concept: 3/4 (Good). Still too focused on an awful over-arching story, but for the most part that's limited to just a couple of the six episodes.
Story: 0/4 (Terrible). At its worst, it's horrible and makes no sense. At its best, it's clever and makes no sense. There are also some parts that make sense, but those are recycled and dull.
Characters: 3/4 (Good). Best part of this half-season? River Song is only in two episodes. (And her story's wrapped up enough that she might be gone for good!)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good). The Moffat-written episodes are just as awful as the first half of the season was, pacing-wise, but the other four slow down enough that we can catch our breath. There are even several strong emotional scenes.
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good). Mostly great, with just enough instances of of bad CG to bring it down a point.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Like the first half of the season, there's only one great episode. And if I hadn't seen Lost, I'd say the resolution to the season-long story arc couldn't have been more disappointing. Steven Moffat has made a remarkable 180 in the last couple years, going from being the best Doctor Who writer to the worst since the 1980s. It's really just the great cast that's carrying the show at this point. Although, given Moffat's demonstrated love of narrative curve-balls, I wouldn't be surprised if he turns around and does something great again next season. (And I haven't seen the latest Christmas special yet, so for all I know he already has.)
Objective Rating (Average): 2.6/4 (Good)