"The Policemen's Little Run"

"The Policemen's Little Run" (short), 1907. A crowd of bumbling cops chases a dog.

Directed by Ferdinand Zecca. Written by André Heuzé.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent). Very simple (and simple-minded), but it works.
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). I enjoyed this a lot more than I should have. It's so very dumb, there's no slapstick, and none of the gags are really funny. But it's amusing anyway. I guess I like clowns?
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

Samurai Jack: Season Four

Samurai Jack: Season Four, 2003-2004. An ancient samurai wanders the Earth in the distant future.

Created by Genndy Tartakovsky. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (13 episodes), Robert Alvarez (6), Randy Myers (6) & Chris Savino (1). Written by Bryan Andrews (7 episodes), Brian Larsen (5), Jim Smith (3), Paul Rudish (3), Genndy Tartakovsky (3), Erik Wiese (2), Aaron Springer (2), Charlie Bean (1) & Mark Andrews (1). Starring Phil LaMarr.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). With the exception of a couple great episodes, this season is distinctly not as good as the other three. (It's still a lot better than most other TV shows, though.)  There's a lot of experimenting for ways to break the usual Jack-fights-badguys-and-saves-the-day formula. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it's always a little frustrating; you can tell they're grasping for new ways to stall. It's a little sad to think how great it would have been if they'd done something to develop the character instead of just come up with novel ways to avoid him.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 3.3/4 (Very good)

"Back Alley Oproar"

"Back Alley Oproar" (short), 1948. Sylvester's singing keeps Elmer Fudd awake.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Written by Michael Maltese & Tedd Pierce. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good). Blanc seems to have had a lot of fun with this one.
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Great musical gags, which is to be expected from Freleng (they're the only thing he ever really excels at). But also, a pleasant surprise, there's a lot of great character-driven humor, which is doubly remarkable as it's both Freleng and Sylvester - usually both pretty boring in the character department.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

Warrior

From my 2011 Leftovers Marathon, part 13 of 14.



Warrior, 2011. Estranged brothers compete in a mixed martial arts tournament.

Directed by Gavin O'Connor. Written by O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis & Cliff Dorfman; story by O'Connor & Dorfman. Starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy & Nick Nolte.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good). The basic story's been done before a million times, but hasn't been done this well since Rocky.
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent). The fights are so good, I feel a little cheated that we don't see all of them. Meanwhile, the Concerned Wife scenes are awful.
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). Pretty damn exciting.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.4/4 (Very good)

more Lumière films

"Carmaux: Drawing Out the Coke" (short), 1896. Some sort of industrial... something... I don't know. Unknown director.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). At least something unusual is happening.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.3/4 (Bad)

"Poultry-Yard" (short), 1896. Girls feed chickens. Unknown director.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). They throw some seed, and then, they throw some more seed.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.8/4 (Very bad)

"Snowball Fight" (short), 1897. A crowd has a snowball fight. Directed by Louis Lumière.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). Oh, look: fun.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.5/4 (Eh)

"Card Party" (short), 1897. Some guys play cards. Directed by & starring Leopoldo Fregoli.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). It's like they asked themselves, "What are the most boring things we could watch people do?"
Objective Rating (Average): 1.2/4 (Bad)

"New York: Broadway at Union Square" (short), 1896. Cops direct traffic. Unknown director.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). It's kind of interesting to see footage of 1890's New York. And the cops clearly do not care if anyone gets run over by a street car; in fact, they seem to be encouraging it.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.5/4 (Eh)

"Ask Father"

"Ask Father" (short), 1919. A suitor has trouble getting to see the girl's busy father.

Directed by Hal Roach. Written by H.M. Walker. Starring Harold Lloyd & Bebe Daniels.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Cartoonish fun.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

(update of a previous post - original is here)

The Gay Divorcee

The Gay Divorcee, 1934. A woman who wants a divorce stages a hotel rendezvous.

Directed by Mark Sandrich. Written by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost & Edward Kaufman, based on a musical by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb & Samuel Hoffenstein. Starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent). This movie would be a lot shorter if Ginger would just carry some pepper spray.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad). I never want to hear "The Continental" again.
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good). Mostly great, but I can't give full points thanks to the bizarre pacing problems. There'll be scene after scene with no songs, and then, out of nowhere, the 17-minute "Continental" (during much of which the characters are absent).
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). It's the first movie starring Astaire & Rogers, and the studio clearly didn't know what they had. Heavy on farce, light on musical numbers. And the musical numbers are heavy on chorus lines and light on Astaire and Rogers.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.1/4 (Okay)

"Shake Your Powder Puff"

"Shake Your Powder Puff" (short), 1934. Barnyard animals put on a show.

Directed by Friz Freleng.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Old-timey cartoon animals, doing their old-timey cartoon dancin' thing. Cute.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.2/4 (Okay)

"Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove"

"Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove" (short), 1934. Minor celebrities put on a show.

Directed by Louis Lewyn. Starring Leo Carrillo.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: 0/4 (Terrible)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 0/4 (Terrible)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). There are a couple acts that aren't awful - notably, a Bing Crosby song - but 90% are painfully tedious.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.6/4 (Very bad)

"Show Kids"

"Show Kids" (short), 1935. Kids put on a show.

Directed by Ralph Staub. Written by Joe Traub. Starring Tad Alexander.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 0/4 (Terrible)
Acting: 0/4 (Terrible)
Music: 0/4 (Terrible)
Subjective Rating: 1/10 (Eew get it away, 0/4). I am angry that someone put this on a DVD.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.2/4 (Terrible)

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man, 2012. A teenager gets super powers, and his dad's friend gets killy.

Directed by Marc Webb. Written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent & Steve Kloves; story by Vanderbilt, based on a comic book by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko. Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone & Rhys Ifans.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent). I'm generously ignoring the complete lack of originality. Even given that it's a remake of a recent film, this level of unoriginality is baffling.
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent). Blah - but, for a Spider-Man movie, it's a huge improvement.
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 4/4 (Great). No, seriously, there is some spectacularly great acting in this.  Such a waste.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Much to my surprise, it's entirely adequately entertaining. There's not much sense comparing it to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Super hero movies have come a looong way since 2002. This would have been mind-blowing back then. Now, it's superfluous and, apart from the acting, completely forgettable.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

From my 2011 Leftovers Marathon, part 12 of 14.



Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, 2011. A couple of guys are mistaken for psychotic, murderous hillbillies.

Directed by Eli Craig. Written by Craig & Morgan Jurgenson. Starring Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden & Jesse Moss.

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: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad). Most of the acting is perfectly good, except that a lot of the people in this movie have a charisma vacuum. Watching them makes me cringe.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Amateurish production, but pretty funny.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.8/4 (Eh)

some more Lumière films

"Promenade of Ostriches, Paris Botanical Gardens" (short), 1896. A short parade of exotic animals. Unknown director.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). You call that a promenade of ostriches? There's only one ostrich! Seriously, though, this is dumb.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.3/4 (Bad)

"Childish Quarrel" (short), 1896. A baby abuses another baby. Unknown director.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). I don't care if this is one of the first films. Taking pictures of your kids will never be interesting to anyone, ever.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.9/4 (Very bad)

"Lion, London Zoological Garden" (short), 1896. A zookeeper feeds a lion through bars. Unknown director.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). I guess it might be interesting if you've never seen a lion before.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.1/4 (Bad)

"Demolition of a Wall" (short), 1896. A wall is knocked down. Directed by Louis Lumière. Starring Auguste Lumière.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). Yep, they sure demolished that wall...
Objective Rating (Average): 1.3/4 (Bad)

"Transformation by Hats, Comic View" (short), 1895. A man portrays a rapid series of characters. Directed by Louis Lumière.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent). Pretty darn good for a few seconds apiece.
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). An actor! Doing something designed to entertain! Now we're really getting somewhere. Also, for what it's worth, it has one of my all-time favorite titles.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.2/4 (Okay)

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee's Big Adventure, 1985. A childish man searches for his stolen bicycle.

Directed by Tim Burton. Written by Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens & Michael Varhol. Starring Reubens.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). Pee-wee is awesome. And he's one of the only subjects that fits well with Burton's style (although it might have been a better movie if it had a more comedy-minded director).
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)

Doctor Who #44: The Dominators

Doctor Who: "The Dominators," 1968 (the first story of seven from season six). Evil aliens show up on a planet of pacifists.

Directed by Morris Barry. Written by Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln. Starring Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Ronald Allen, Kenneth Ives & Arthur Cox.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Bad, but an amusing sort of bad.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.5/4 (Eh)

MASH: Season Five

MASH: Season Five, 1976-1977. Hijinks in an army hospital.

Created by Richard Hooker (novel) & Larry Gelbart (developer). Directed by Gene Reynolds (8 episodes), Burt Metcalfe (5), Alan Alda (4), Alan Rafkin (2), William Jurgensen (2), Joan Darling (1), George Tyne (1), Harry Morgan (1) & Joshua Shelley (1). Written by Jim Fritzell (6 episodes), Everett Greenbaum (6), Gene Reynolds (6), Jay Folb (4), Ken Levine (3), David Isaacs (3), Burt Prelutsky (3), Allan Katz (2), Don Reo (2), Alan Alda (2), Gary Markowitz (1), Linda Bloodworth (1), Richard Cogan (1), Bill Idelson (1), Sid Dorfman (1), John D. Hess (1) & Reinhold Weege (1). Starring Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Loretta Swit & Larry Linville.

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)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). A little better than season four. Frank Burns has a less important role in most episodes, which is nice. And Colonel Potter has loosened up, so it makes a little more sense that all the shenanigans (and the increasingly dangerous Frank Burns) are tolerated. The tone of the show is pretty solidly locked in to match the movie by this point, with only a couple breaks from realism early in the season.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season Five

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season Five, 1991-1992. A giant space ship flies around the galaxy, ostensibly exploring but usually running errands.

Created by Gene Roddenberry. Directed by Les Landau (4 episodes), Winrich Kolbe (3), Cliff Bole (3), David Carson (2), Gabrielle Beaumont (2), Paul Lynch (2), Robert Scheerer (2), Corey Allen (1), Patrick Stewart (1), Robert Wiemer (1), David Livingston (1), Chip Chalmers (1), Jonathan Frakes (1), Robert Lederman (1) & Peter Lauritson (1). Written by Michael Piller (6 episodes), Ronald D. Moore (5), Rick Berman (4), Jeri Taylor (4), Brannon Braga (4), Joe Menosky (3), Sara Charno (2), Stuart Charno (2), Peter Allan Fields (2), René Echevarria (2), Philip LaZebnik (1), Lawrence V. Conley (1), Ron Jarvis (1), Philip A. Scorza (1), Susan Sackett (1), Fred Bronson (1), Grant Rosenberg (1), Hilary J. Bader (1), Pamela Gray (1), Shari Goodhartz (1), T. Michael (1), Adam Belanoff (1), James Kahn (1), Barry Schkolnick (1), Paul Schiffer (1), René Balcer (1), Herbert J. Wright (1), Paul Ruben (1), Maurice Hurley (1), Naren Shankar (1), Gary Perconte (1), Edith Swensen (1), Jean Louise Matthias (1), Ronald Wilkerson (1), Richard Fliegel (1) & Morgan Gendel (1). Starring Patrick Stewart & Jonathan Frakes.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent). Good effects, bad design.
Acting: 3/4 (Good). All over the map.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent). The music has improved quite a bit from past seasons. But I sure do hate that theme song.
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). There's an unusually high density of great episodes in season five. There's a handful of really bad ones, too (things are pretty seriously marred by the arrival of Ensign Ro, or as we like to call her, cousin Pam), but not as many as in most seasons.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.7/4 (Good)

Doctor Who #7: The Sensorites

Doctor Who: "The Sensorites," 1964 (the seventh story of eight from season one). A human spaceship is trapped in orbit around a planet of telepaths.

Directed by Mervyn Pinfield (4 episodes) & Frank Cox (2). Written by Peter R. Newman. Starring William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill & Carole Ann Ford.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 0/4 (Terrible). Often the only emotion conveyed is triumph at having made it through a line successfully.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Usually when 1960s Doctor Who is bad, it's due to the time constraints they had to work in - no time to work out the kinks or take a second take when things didn't go right. (And they do have all those problems here, in greater abundance than usual.) In this case, though, there's nothing anyone could have done to save it, short of having the writer shot. It would have been better if they'd just had the actors make it up as they went along. Sometimes I think they did.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.0/4 (Bad)

some Lumière films

"Exiting the Factory" (short), 1895. Employees exit a factory. Directed by Louis Lumière.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). In its defense, it is exactly what it claims to be.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.2/4 (Bad)

"Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat" (short), 1896. A train arrives. Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumière.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). Yes, it's just a train pulling into a station, but at least it's a dynamic train.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.7/4 (Eh)

"Baby's Lunch" (short), 1895. A baby is fed. Directed by Louis Lumière. Starring Auguste Lumière & family.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Oh, a baby. Great. The world will forever watch Lumière's kid eat a cracker.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.9/4 (Very bad)

"The Sprinkler Sprinkled" (short), 1895. A boy plays a prank on a gardener. Directed by Louis Lumière. Starring François Clerc & Benoît Duval.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible). But at least they tried.
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). Finally, something happening! Humor! Characters! Dramatic tension! You're on the right track, guys.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.4/4 (Bad)

"Dragoons Crossing the Saône" (short), 1896. Horsemen cross a river. Unknown director.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). I have no idea what's happening. If this is staged, it's pretty impressive, but I'm assuming it's not. At first I thought, oh, a period film! Then I remembered it's 1896.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.5/4 (Eh)

"Gorilla My Dreams"

"Gorilla My Dreams" (short), 1948. A gorilla couple adopts Bugs Bunny.

Directed by Robert McKimson. Written by Warren Foster. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). I really wanted to like this one. Bugs does some pretty funny stuff, and there's some amusingly blunt violence. But the story doesn't work - it's several minutes of exposition, followed by a few minutes of fighting, and then it just stops.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.3/4 (Okay)

Tabloid

From my 2011 Leftovers Marathon, part 11 of 14.



Tabloid, 2011. Conflicting stories of an alleged abduction are told.

Directed by Errol Morris.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
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: n/a (arguably)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Meh. If you've seen the trailer, the movie doesn't have anything more to offer.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.3/4 (Okay)

"Slick Hare"

"Slick Hare" (short), 1947. Elmer Fudd tries to feed Bugs Bunny to Humphrey Bogart.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Written by Tedd Pierce & Michael Maltese. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
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: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Mostly dumb, with a couple notable exceptions. Bugs' dance number is wonderful.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

Submarine

From my 2011 Leftovers Marathon, part 10 of 14.



Submarine, 2011. A teenager worries about his parents' marriage at the expense of his own relationship.

Written & directed by Richard Ayoade, based on a book by Joe Dunthorne. Starring Craig Roberts & Yasmin Paige.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). It goes through the motions of a movie I should like, but it doesn't work. An occasional good sense of humor makes it more-or-less watchable.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

"Rabbit Transit"

"Rabbit Transit" (short), 1947. Bugs Bunny races a tricky turtle.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Written by Michael Maltese & Tedd Pierce. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Nothing special - just Freleng playing it safe, as usual.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

"The Golden Beetle"

"The Golden Beetle" (short), 1907. An old man waves his hands around in front of some special effects.

Directed by Segundo de Chomón.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 0/4 (Terrible)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). I don't get it.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.2/4 (Bad)

"The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog"

"The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog" (short), 1905. A family has funny names.

Directed by Edwin S. Porter.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). It's a cute joke, but hardly a movie. The funniest part is the "wait, seriously?" moment when you realize that, yes, that was the whole film.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.6/4 (Eh)

"Tweetie Pie"

"Tweetie Pie, 1947. A cat tries to eat a bird.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Written by Tedd Pierce & Michael Maltese. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). The first Sylvester and Tweety cartoon. It's hard to judge. Everything in it has been recycled so many times that it doesn't really have a chance. There are a few very good gags. I've never been a fan of Tweety, or Freleng's style, but I enjoyed this well enough, considering.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

Shame

From my 2011 Leftovers Marathon, part 9 of 14.



Shame, 2011. A sex-obsessed man doesn't get along with his sister.

Directed by Steve McQueen. Written by McQueen & Abi Morgan. Starring Michael Fassbender & Carey Mulligan.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent). Excellently realized, but with no development to speak of.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad). In the few great scenes, the pacing works wonderfully. Most of the movie feels like filler, though, and the slow pace is just slow.
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). It's very well made, but unpleasant to watch (though not quite as unpleasant as I'd expected - we're not talking Requiem for a Dream levels of horrible) and without anything to make me give any fucks about it (apart from a singing Carey Mulligan).
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)