Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season Four

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season Four, 1995-1996. Political stability erodes under the threat of shape-shifting infiltrators.

Created by Rick Berman & Michael Piller. Directed by James L. Conway (5 episodes), LeVar Burton (5), David Livingston (4), Les Landau (3), René Auberjonois (2), Avery Brooks (2), Alexander Singer (2), Winrich Kolbe (1), Reza Badiyi (1) & Jonathan West (1). Written by Ira Steven Behr (9 episodes), Robert Hewitt Wolfe (8), Ronald D. Moore (6), Hans Beimler (5), René Echevarria (3), Nicholas Corea (2), Toni Marberry (2), Jack Treviño (2), Michael Taylor (1), Lisa Klink (1), David Mack (1), John J. Ordover (1), Richard Danus (1), Robert Gillan (1), Tom Benko (1), Barbara J. Lee (1), Jenifer A. Lee (1), Jane Espenson (1), David Weddle (1), Bradley Thompson (1), Daniel Keys Moran (1), Lynn Barker (1), Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (1), Mark Gehred-O'Connell (1), Naren Shankar (1), Louis P. DeSantis (1), Robert J. Bolivar (1) & George A. Brozak (1). Starring Avery Brooks.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Not as consistently good season three, but pretty good.  They start out the season with more ambition than even the movies have: a full-scale battle with Klingons. The willingness to take the story in unexpected directions fizzles out, though. Some of the more interesting moves (like renegade Gul Dukat) are ignored as soon as they're set up. And the season finale, which is meant to end on a cliff-hanging twist, basically serves to point things back in the direction of status quo.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands, 1990. A man with scissors for hands is taken in by a suburban family.

Directed by Tim Burton. Written by Caroline Thompson; story by Burton & Thompson. Starring Johnny Depp.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent). Lots of great characters, but I have to take a point off for pointless villainy.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent). Depp and Alan Arkin are great. But then there's Winona Ryder.
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). The style and the sense of humor are fun (and of course Tim Burton has been trying and failing to recapture it for more than two decades). The attempt to force drama in the second half is tedious.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3, 2013. Iron Man challenges a terrorist.

Directed by Shane Black. Written by Drew Pearce & Black, based on comic books by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Warren Ellis & Adi Granov. Starring Robert Downey Jr..

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Easily the best in the trilogy. The action isn't anything exceptional, but it all works; it never devolves into cartoons punching each other. And Tony Stark gets to actually do stuff other than dress up, fly around, and wise crack, which hasn't happened since he finished building his first suit.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.9/4 (Good)

"Paperman"

"Paperman" (short), 2012. A man tries to catch a woman's attention with paper airplanes.

Directed by John Kahrs. Written by Clio Chiang & Kendelle Hoyer.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). Beautifully expressive animation. And very un-Disney-like in almost every way. John Lasseter is clearly shaking that place up.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.1/4 (Very good)

Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph, 2012. An arcade game villain wants to be loved.

Directed by Rich Moore. Written by Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee; story by Moore, Johnston & Jim Reardon. Starring John C. Reilly.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great). "The selfish man is like a mangy dog chasing a cautionary tail."
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Funny and cute. There's a good balance between exploiting the fun of the concept without overdoing the video game references.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)

Star Trek into Darkness

Star Trek into Darkness, 2013. A terrorist attacks Starfleet.

Directed by J.J. Abrams. Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof, based on a TV show by Gene Roddenberry. Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto & Benedict Cumberbatch.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible). Ask just about any Trek fan what's wrong with most of the post-Wrath of Khan movies, and there's a very good chance you'll get a synopsis of Star Trek into Darkness.
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
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). It's reasonably entertaining, especially if your expectations are low. It's not exactly a movie, though - more a giant homage to other movies. There isn't a single thing anywhere in it that even pretends to be original.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

Dr. Jack

Dr. Jack, 1922. A healthy woman is treated as if she were sick.

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. Written by Hal Roach, Sam Taylor & Jean C. Havez, with H.M. Walker. Starring Harold Lloyd & Mildred Davis.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
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: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Easily one of the best crafted Harold Lloyd films in terms of storytelling. It's heavy on pathos, and, despite being punctuated by slapstick gags and culminating in zany antics, is more effective than most dramas of the era (not that that's saying much).
Objective Rating (Average): 2.3/4 (Okay)

Runaway Bride

From my Bad 90s Movies marathon, part 8 of 8.



Runaway Bride, 1999. A misogynist writer stalks a woman in order to attack her in an article.

Directed by Garry Marshall. Written by Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott. Starring Julia Roberts & Richard Gere.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
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: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Moderately upsetting.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.4/4 (Bad)

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook, 2012. A bipolar man has trouble coping with his ended marriage.

Written & directed by David O. Russell, based on a book by Matthew Quick. Starring Bradley Cooper.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 4/4 (Great)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It hits all the standard Romantic Comedy/Dramedy mileposts without ever feeling cliche or at all unnatural.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.1/4 (Very good)

Armageddon

From my Bad 90s Movies marathon, part 7 of 8.



Armageddon, 1998. Oil rig workers are recruited to destroy a giant asteroid; meanwhile, various things explode for no good reason.

Directed by Michael Bay. Written by Jonathan Hensleigh & J.J. Abrams; adapted by Tony Gilroy & Shane Salerno; story by Robert Roy Pool & Hensleigh. Starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck & Liv Tyler.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 1/4 (Bad)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). The quintessential made-to-order blockbuster: the movie that even Michael Bay admits is bad.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.0/4 (Bad)

"Roundhay Garden Scene"

"Roundhay Garden Scene" (short), 1888. Some people are in a garden.

Directed by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible).
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: n/a
Dialog: n/a
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: n/a
Acting: n/a
Music: n/a
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). I feel silly rating this. But I've always taken the approach of ignoring historical context as much as possible and judging a film based purely on my experience watching it. So, there it is. The first motion picture ever, one of the most important three seconds in the history of art - not exactly gripping.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.4/4 (Terrible)

Grandma's Boy

Grandma's Boy, 1922. A coward is recruited in a manhunt.

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer. Written by Hal Roach, Sam Taylor & Jean C. Havez, with H.M. Walker. Starring Harold Lloyd.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
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). A handful of scenes are fairly amusing. A lot aren't. It keeps up the usual Harold Lloyd pleasant-but-unmemorable quality.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.9/4 (Eh)

"Jack-Jack Attack"

"Jack-Jack Attack" (short), 2005. A babysitter watches a super-powered baby.

Written & directed by Brad Bird; story by Teddy Newton, Mark Andrews, Rob Gibbs & Bosco Ng. Starring Bret Parker.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Apparently, this consists largely of a deleted sequence from The Incredibles. It's very obvious which parts are original to the short and which are from the feature, from the difference in quality. And unlike some of these DVD-bonus-feature Pixar shorts, it doesn't really work independently from the movie.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Two

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Two, 1995-1996. A spaceship stranded on the other side of the galaxy continues to make its way home.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller & Jeri Taylor. Directed by James L. Conway (4 episodes), Winrich Kolbe (4), Cliff Bole (4), Jonathan Frakes (3), David Livingston (3), Alexander Singer (3), Les Landau (2), Kim Friedman (1), LeVar Burton (1) & Marvin V. Rush (1). Written by Jeri Taylor (6), Brannon Braga (6), Kenneth Biller (6), Michael Piller (3), Lisa Klink (2), Arnold Rudnick (1), Rich Hosek (1), Tom Szollosi (1), Larry Brody (1), Nicholas Corea (1), Michael Sussman (1), Gary Holland (1), Anthony Williams (1), Richard Gadas (1), Joe Menosky (1), Andrew Shepard Price (1) & Mark Gaberman (1). Starring Kate Mulgrew.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
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). The writing has improved drastically, especially near the end of the season, getting unexpectedly heavy (but without losing any of the Adventure quality that makes it fun). Now it's really only the quality of the characters that keeps it from being as good as TNG. Most of them are extremely shallowly written, with the most entertaining being good for little more than comedic relief. Janeway is the only one who's getting more interesting as we get to know her better.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.6/4 (Good)

The Prophecy

From my Bad 90s Movies marathon, part 6 of 8.



The Prophecy, 1995. Angels fighting a war come to Earth after an evil soul.

Written & directed by Gregory Widen. Starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas & Virginia Madsen.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 3/10 (Bad, 1/4). I had very low expectations, but it still managed to surprise me with how bad it is. There's just so much room for it to be fun despite itself, it's weird how completely it manages to fail.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.4/4 (Bad)

Shall We Dance

Shall We Dance, 1937. Two dancers are falsely rumored to be married.

Directed by Mark Sandrich. Written by Allan Scott & Ernest Pagano; adapted by P.J. Wolfson from a story by Lee Loeb & Harold Buchman. Starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It's Astaire and Rogers, doing what they do, so of course it's good. But by 1937 they've already performed the best dance numbers ever put on screen, so the attempts to do something "new" are naturally underwhelming. There's a lot of superficial novelty (ballet, roller skates, Ginger Rogers masks (so damn creepy)), which is silly considering how extremely unoriginal a movie it is. Also, there's no payoff for Astaire's character's hints at a new dance style combining tap and ballet, which is confusing.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.5/4 (Okay)

"Toy Town Hall"

"Toy Town Hall" (short), 1936. Nursery toys put on a radio show at night.

Directed by Friz Freleng.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible). No story.
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: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). Nice songs, some cute creatures, and celebrity caricatures that are completely unrecognizable today.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

"Sheik to Sheik"

"Sheik to Sheik" (short), 1936. A radio salesman dreams he's in an Arabian desert.

Directed by Roy Mack. Written by Cyrus Wood & A. Dorian Otvos. Starring Georges Metaxa, Ann Barrie & John Berkes.

Concept: 0/4 (Terrible)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 0/4 (Terrible)
Dialog: 0/4 (Terrible)
Pacing: 0/4 (Terrible)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 0/4 (Terrible)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Roy Mack films are usually just flimsy excuses for some half-assed musical numbers, with a script that was probably written by an incompetent producer on his drive over to the studio that morning. This one manages to stand out as being worse than usual. The singer they got to do the majority of the songs can't lip sync, can't act - he can barely even get his lines out - and isn't even an entertaining singer.
Objective Rating (Average): 0.4/4 (Terrible)

The Grey

The Grey, 2012. Arctic plane crash survivors are hunted by wolves.

Directed by Joe Carnahan. Written by Carnahan & Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, based on a story by Jeffers. Starring Liam Neeson.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). I was suspicious of the good things I'd heard about this, and expected campy action at best. No. It's an intense, scary, all around well made movie. Kind of like Alien crossed with wilderness survival.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.9/4 (Good)