12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys, 1995. A man from a post-apocalyptic future is sent back in time.

Directed by Terry Gilliam. Written by David & Janet Peoples, based on a film by Chris Marker. Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe & Brad Pitt.

Concept: A
Story: A
Characters: B
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: Clever, intricate, dramatic, funny. Amazing visuals. I have a hard time imagining how anyone might not like this movie. It's been more than five years since the last time I watched it, and I was a little worried that it wouldn't hold up - like a lot of other movies I loved when I was a teenager. Nope, still great. A+

GPA: 4.0/4

(update of a previous post - original is here)

The Heat

The Heat, 2013. An arrogant FBI agent and a crazy cop have to work together.

Directed by Paul Feig. Written by Katie Dippold. Starring Sandra Bullock & Melissa McCarthy.

Concept: F
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: Bonus points for the title sequence. C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's very funny, but underneath the humor is an earnestness. The same sort of tone usually works well for Paul Feig, but in this case it's horribly misplaced. It's like the movie doesn't know it's supposed to be a parody. C

GPA: 2.2/4

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Five

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Five, 1998-1999. 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 David Livingston (7 episodes), Cliff Bole (3), Les Landau (2), John Kretchmer (2), Winrich Kolbe (2), Allan Kroeker (2), Terry Windell (2), LeVar Burton (1), Mike Vejar (1), Anson Williams (1), Terrence O'Hara (1), Robert Duncan McNeill (1) & Allan Eastman (1). Written by Brannon Braga (11 episodes), Joe Menosky (9), Michael Taylor (9), Bryan Fuller (7), Kenneth Biller (5), Nick Sagan (5), Rick Berman (3), Jimmy Diggs (2), Harry 'Doc' Kloor (1), Jeri Taylor (1), Scott Miller (1), Eileen Connors (1), Robert J. Doherty (1) & Bill Prady (1). Starring Kate Mulgrew.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: Some of the best of Voyager so far. There are a few great episodes, and the worst episodes all have something interesting to offer. There are still only two good characters, one of whom is inconsistently written, so it's no TNG or DS9. But it's consistently pretty good. B

GPA: 2.5/4

The Twilight Zone: "Perchance to Dream"

The Twilight Zone: "Perchance to Dream" (episode 9 of 36 from season one), 1959. A man is convinced that he will die if he falls asleep.

Created by Rod Serling. Directed by Robert Florey. Written by Charles Beaumont. Starring Richard Conte.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: Not the most compelling episode, but the twist ending has the sort of cleverness that I expect from The Twilight Zone. B

GPA: 2.5/4

MythBusters: 2005 Season

MythBusters: 2005 season* [year three]. A couple special effects guys and cohorts test whether various urban legends are possible.

Created by Peter Rees. Starring Jamie Hyneman & Adam Savage.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: D
Special effects/design: B
Acting: n/a
Music: C
Enjoyment: Some of the best episodes of the series are in this batch. 2005 seems to be the beginning of MythBusters' few years of greatness. They've gotten the hang of how to make a good show, they have a lot of questions to test that we really want to know the answer to, and there's a real sense of discovery with most of the things they do. A

GPA: 2.4/4

*There doesn't seem to be any standard for what constitutes a season of MythBusters. No two sources I can find agree with each other. So I'm going with Wikipedia's arbitrary but conveniently simple method of dividing the show by broadcast year.

[quasi-update of a previous posts - originals are here, here & here]

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club, 2013. A redneck with AIDS fights the FDA.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack. Starring Matthew McConaughey.

Concept: D
Story: C
Characters: They're such caricatures, I could see this same script being filmed as a comedy. C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: B
Enjoyment: I'm never a fan of the true-story-of-triumph-over-adversity genre; it would almost always be better to make these stories as documentaries. McConaughey's performance is great enough to make this one work, though. B

GPA: 2.5/4

Short Term 12

Short Term 12, 2013. An employee at a short-term foster care facility had a bad childhood.

Written & directed by Destin Cretton. Starring Brie Larson.

Concept: Why is it that about 1 in 3 indie dramas are about child abuse? What is the obsession? D
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: The cast turns what would have been a run-of-the-mill coping-with-abuse story (seriously, why are there so many of these movies?) into something fairly remarkable. A
Music: B
Enjoyment: (Spoilers ahead.) There's a character who likes to tell stories, and it's pointed out that he's not necessarily faithful to reality. He chooses to end his favorite story at a happy point, although the "real ending" is bluntly tragic. This movie would seem to be one of his stories. You know these characters don't get to live happily ever after. The rules of tragedy, everything about their situations, and clear foreshadowing, tell us something earth-shatteringly horrible is about to happen. Cretton doesn't make us watch that part; he chooses to end the story at a happy point. I appreciate that. This movie's depressing and miserable enough as it is. C

GPA: 2.7/4

The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938. A rebel challenges a usurper.

Directed by Michael Curtiz & William Keighley. Written by Norman Reilly Raine & Seton I. Miller. Starring Errol Flynn.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: It's corny and dated, but in a way that's fun if you get into the old-timey adventure spirt of it. B

GPA: 3.0/4

[update of a previous post - original is here]

"Freddie Rich and His Orchestra"

"Freddie Rich and His Orchestra" (short), 1938. A swing band performance.

Directed by Lloyd French. Starring Freddie Rich, Nan Wynn & Joe Sodja.

Concept: C
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: F
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: F
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's pretty good music, which is all that should really matter with this sort of short, except that it's not quite good enough to warrant a filmed performance. And no one has much in the way of stage presence (except for the drummer, who is awesome). C

GPA: 1.3/4

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine, 2013. A rich woman loses her money and moves in with her sister.

Written & directed by Woody Allen. Starring Cate Blanchett.

Concept: Kind of A Streetcar Named Desire, except well-written. D
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: It's heavy for Woody, and a downer, with just enough humor to keep it entertaining. B

GPA: 3.2/4

The Twilight Zone: "Time Enough at Last"

The Twilight Zone: "Time Enough at Last" (episode 8 of 36 from season one), 1959. A dull bank teller is the lone survivor of a nuclear blast.

Created by Rod Serling. Directed by John Brahm. Written by Serling, based on a story by Lynn Venable. Starring Burgess Meredith.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: I'm finally starting to catch on: these don't work as science fiction because they're not science fiction. They're fairy tales. Modern, cynical fairy tales. That's okay. I like fairy tales, too. This one in particular makes no sense on a literal level, either with the plot or the characters - but it works, on a bedtime story level. B

GPA: 2.8/4

The Twilight Zone: "The Lonely"

The Twilight Zone: "The Lonely" (episode 7 of 36 from season one), 1959. A prisoner on a desert asteroid gets a robot companion.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Jack Smight. Starring Jack Warden.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's a little disappointing that they didn't do something more interesting with the conclusion. And it's getting to be par for the course that they don't address most of the many questions raised by the scenario. B

GPA: 2.8/4

Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station, 2013. The last day in the life of a man murdered by the police.

Written & directed by Ryan Coogler. Starring Michael B. Jordan.

Concept: C
Story: A
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: B
Enjoyment: The most soul-crushingly depressing movie I've ever seen. It opens with actual footage of the event. Obviously, this film is not entertainment. F

GPA: 3.0/4

Frozen

Frozen, 2013. A princess is isolated because she can't control her magic ice powers.

Directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee. Written by Lee; story by Buck, Lee & Shane Morris, based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen. Starring Kristen Bell & Idina Menzel.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: It's not my taste, to the point of making me cringe a little. But it's very effective, and well done for what it is. B
Enjoyment: Of the recent crop of Disney princess movies, this is the only one I've seen so far (unless you count Brave). I'm impressed. It's no Pixar or anything, but it's solidly good. A far cry from the Barbie doll ad that I was afraid it might be. B

GPA: 3.1/4

"Get a Horse!"

"Get a Horse!" (short), 2013. A bad guy after Minnie Mouse forces Mickey out of the movie.

Directed by Lauren MacMullan. Written by Paul Briggs, Nancy Kruse, MacMullan & Raymond S. Persi. Starring Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner & Billy Bletcher.

Concept: B
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: The first part, when it's just a straight old-timey-style cartoon, is great - whimsical and funny (which is really saying something for Mickey Mouse). Then the fourth wall thing comes along. It's a cute idea, but poorly executed, inexplicably losing any sense of comedic timing. It doesn't help that similar gags were done a lot better back in the 20s and 30s. C

GPA: 2.0/4

Her

Her, 2013. A man and an artificial intelligence fall in love.

Written & directed by Spike Jonze. Starring Joaquin Phoenix & Scarlett Johansson.

Concept: B
Story: A
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: I was expecting a great movie, and this greatly exceeded expectations. Absolutely every aspect of it is interesting and beautiful and unique. A+

GPA: 4.0/4

The Twilight Zone: "Escape Clause"

The Twilight Zone: "Escape Clause" (episode 6 of 36 from season one), 1959. A paranoid jackass sells his soul for immortality.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Mitchell Leisen. Starring David Wayne.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's a shame they didn't have time in one episode to really play with this idea. It could easily have been a feature film. It's amusing as it is, but frustratingly shallow compared to the potential. B

GPA: 3.0/4

The Twilight Zone: "Walking Distance"

The Twilight Zone: "Walking Distance" (episode 5 of 36 from season one), 1959. A man takes a walk into his childhood.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Robert Stevens. Starring Gig Young.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: Why did they make up the father to look old enough to actually be the guy's dad? Did the makeup department not understand the concept of time travel? C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: There are some very good bits in it, but overall it's slow and not particularly engaging. C

GPA: 2.6/4

oscar nominees

Here, for my own convenience, is a list of Oscar nominated films that I haven't seen yet (see the full list of nominees here):

Movies I look forward to seeing
- All Is Lost: sound
- Blue Jasmine: original screenplay, lead actress (Blanchett), supporting actress (Hawkins)
- Ernest & Celestine*: animated feature
- Frozen: animated feature, song
- Her: picture, original screenplay, production design, score, song
- Philomena: picture, adapted screenplay, lead actress (Dench), score

Movies I'll likely see because they're Important
- 12 Years a Slave: picture, directing (McQueen), adapted screenplay, lead actor (Ejiofor), supporting actor (Fassbender), supporting actress (Nyong’o), editing, production design, costume design
- Dallas Buyers Club: picture, original screenplay, lead actor (McConaughey), supporting actor (Leto), editing, makeup
- The Hobbit Part II: sound x2
- The Hunt: foreign film
- The Wind Rises: animated feature
- The Wolf of Wall Street: picture, directing (Scorsese), adapted screenplay, lead actor (DiCaprio), supporting actor (Hill)

Movies I don't plan to see
- August: Osage County: lead actress (Streep), supporting actress (Roberts)
- The Book Thief: score
- The Croods: animated feature
- The Great Gatsby: costume design, production design
- The Invisible Woman: costume design
- Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa: makeup
- The Lone Ranger: makeup, effects
- Lone Survivor: effects, sound x2
- Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, song
- Prisoners: cinematography
- Saving Mr. Banks: score
- any of the documentaries (because Oscars and documentaries do not mix; a nomination is a pretty good sign of a bad movie)

Movies I haven't heard of before today
- Alone Yet Not Alone: song
- The Broken Circle Breakdown: foreign film
- *Ernest & Celestine: animated feature
- The Grandmaster: cinematography, costume design
- The Great Beauty: foreign film
- The Missing Picture: foreign film
- Omar: foreign film

The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now, 2013. A teenage alcoholic meets a nice girl.

Directed by James Ponsoldt. Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, based on a book by Tim Tharp. Starring Miles Teller & Shailene Woodley.

Concept: D
Story: C
Characters: A
Dialog: C
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: A
Music: B
Enjoyment: A story about a class clown type - which often has an attempted light tone - and there is not a drop of humor anywhere to be seen. Granted, that's appropriate to the character; he likes to think of himself as the life of the party, but in fact has no sense of fun. But this movie's too boring to care about any of that dramatic stuff - much like I wouldn't give a crap about this guy's problems if I knew him. C

GPA: 2.3/4

Robin Hood

Robin Hood, 1973. Robin Hood annoys Prince John.

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. Written by Larry Clemmons & Ken Anderson, with Vance Gerry, Frank Thomas, Eric Cleworth, Julius Svendsen & David Michener. Starring Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov & Terry-Thomas.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: Cute animals, Roger Miller, and a likable hero - that's all I need. A

GPA: 3.2/4

"Ye Olden Days"

"Ye Olden Days" (short), 1933. Mickey rescues Princess Minnie from an arranged marriage.

Directed by Burt Gillett. Starring Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney & Marcellite Garner.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: D
Enjoyment: Fairly whimsical - not bad for a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Unfortunately, most of the dialog is sung and the music is pretty awful. C

GPA: 2.1/4

Before Midnight

Before Midnight, 2013. The Before Sunrise couple have a fight.

Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke, based on characters by Linklater & Kim Krizan. Starring Hawke & Delpy.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: A
Music: C
Enjoyment: Why do critics never fail to love movies about bitter people being bitter? I'm sorry, but festering resentments are just not interesting. C

GPA: 2.1/4

Inside Llewyn Davis

Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013. A 1960's folksinger isn't going anywhere.

Written & directed by Ethan & Joel Coen. Starring Oscar Isaac.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: B
Dialog: Strangely unremarkable for the Coens. B
Pacing: D
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: I'm reluctant to say I liked this. It's boring and plotless and lacking anything that I responded strongly to. But apart from the lack of a story, everything's done very well, and the music's good enough to make it worth watching (and possibly re-watching). B

GPA: 2.7/4

The Twilight Zone: "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"

The Twilight Zone: "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" (episode 4 of 36 from season one), 1959. A former movie star wants to live in the past.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Mitchell Leisen. Starring Ida Lupino & Martin Balsam.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Well, I guess they can't all be winners. C

GPA: 2.4/4

The Twilight Zone: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"

The Twilight Zone: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" (episode 3 of 36 from season one), 1959. An alcoholic former gunslinger is forced back into fame.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Allen Reisner. Starring Dan Duryea.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: The Twilight Zone take on character study? The fantasy twisty plot stuff is nice enough, but it's more the character and performance (neither great - just solid) that make this episode good. B

GPA: 3.1/4

For a Few Dollars More

Per qualche dollaro in più, 1965. Two bounty hunters are after the same bandit.

Directed by Sergio Leone. Written by Luciano Vincenzoni & Leone; story by Fulvio Morsella & Leone. Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef & Gian Maria Volonté.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: It's distinctly not as good as the other "Dollars" movies. It has the elements that make the other two into The Best Westerns Ever, but not used as well. If I'd only ever seen this one, it would blow me away. As it is, even after seeing it several times, it still manages to be a little disappointing. A

GPA: 3.2/4

(update of a previous post - original is here)

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek: Insurrection, 1998. There's a conspiracy to steal somebody's planet.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes. Written by Michael Piller; story by Rick Berman & Piller, based on a TV show by Gene Roddenberry. Starring Patrick Stewart & F. Murray Abraham.

Concept: B
Story: F
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: B
Music: D
Enjoyment: Here's a tip: if you're producing a movie, and the plot is largely built around bad cliches from 1970's TV shows (such as digging people out of cave-ins), maybe you shouldn't be writing the movie yourself. Just a thought. D

GPA: 1.4/4

Girl Shy

Girl Shy, 1924. A stutterer writes a bad book, meets a girl, and steals a series of vehicles.

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor. Written by Taylor, Ted Wilde & Tim Whelan, with Thomas J. Gray. Starring Harold Lloyd.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: The antics portion of the movie, as usual, is pretty good. The rest I could do without. C

GPA: 2.1/4

(update of a previous post - original is here)

The Twilight Zone: "One for the Angels"

The Twilight Zone: "One for the Angels" (episode 2 of 36 from season one), 1959. An old man makes a deal with Death.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Robert Parrish. Starring Ed Wynn & Murray Hamilton.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Cute. I'm a sucker for folktales, and Death-as-a-character is always fun. B

GPA: 2.9/4

A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven), 1946. A mix-up in the afterlife gives a man a chance to appeal his death.

Written & directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. Starring David Niven & Kim Hunter.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: A lot of the charm is in novelty, so I'm not sure how well it would hold up to repeated viewings. For now, I like it. A

GPA: 3.3/4

The Twilight Zone: "Where Is Everybody?"

The Twilight Zone: "Where Is Everybody?" (episode 1 of 36 from season one), 1959. An amnesiac explores an empty town.

Written & created by Rod Serling. Directed by Robert Stevens. Starring Earl Holliman.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: The ending isn't particularly good, but the rest of the episode more than makes up for it.  I've been putting off watching The Twilight Zone for way too long; so far, it's everything I'd hoped it would be. A

GPA: 3.2/4

the first hour of Dead Poets Society

from my 100 Popular Movies Marathon, part 16 of 100

Dead Poets Society, 1989. Prep school boys are inspired by their new English teacher.

Directed by Peter Weir. Written by Tom Schulman. Starring Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard & Ethan Hawke.

(estimated ratings, as I didn't finish the movie)
Enjoyment: I've seen this before, many years ago, so I knew it was going to be Cliche Theater, joyless (despite a theme which is contrary to joylessness), and a collection of many of my bad movie pet peeves. What I hadn't remembered is just how boring it is on top of all that. D
(Estimated) GPA: 1.9/4

Survivor: Season 22

Survivor: Season 22, 2011. A reality game in the Nicaraguan rain forest.

Created by Charlie Parsons. Starring Jeff Probst.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: n/a
Music: C
Enjoyment: Only one or two people know what they're doing, and everyone else seems to be complete idiots, which makes for a pretty boring and frustrating game to watch. I've only seen two seasons of this show so far, but I'd be surprised if this isn't one of the worst of the series. C

GPA: 1.8/4

Before Sunset

Before Sunset, 2004. The Before Sunrise couple reunite nine years later.

Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy; characters and story by Linklater & Kim Krizan. Starring Hawke & Delpy.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: There are a couple of great scenes near the end (and, to be fair, the way this movie works, a "couple" of scenes constitutes about a third of the movie). But the quality of the dialog and acting in some of the "now let me blather on about my Richard Linklater thoughts" scenes is so much worse, it's surprising they're made by the same people. C

GPA: 2.4/4

White Christmas

White Christmas, 1954. Broadway producers put on a show to save their buddy's ski lodge.

Directed by Michael Curtiz. Written by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama & Melvin Frank. Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney & Vera-Ellen.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: There are a couple of great songs, but most of them are filler. B
Enjoyment: The sad excuse for a script exists purely to hang musical numbers on, and the musical numbers aren't that great. C

GPA: 1.9/4

An Adventure in Space and Time

An Adventure in Space and Time (tv movie), 2013. Behind the scenes of the beginning of Doctor Who.

Directed by Terry McDonough. Written by Mark Gatiss. Starring David Bradley & Jessica Raine.

Concept: D
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's not by any means compelling drama, but there's not much to complain about, either. It's reasonably entertaining for someone who's a fan of Doctor Who and/or mid-century modern style. C

GPA: 2.5/4

Doctor Who: "The Time of the Doctor"

Doctor Who: "The Time of the Doctor" (tv special), 2013. The Doctor vs... everybody? I don't even know.

Created by Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber & Donald Wilson. Directed by Jamie Payne. Written by Steven Moffat. Starring Matt Smith & Jenna Coleman.

Concept: D
Story: F
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: F
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: Hands down, the worst Doctor Who episode since the 90's Fox TV movie. In fact, now that I think about it, there's arguably more to like in that than in this. The only part that's any fun is the few seconds of Capaldi at the end, and that's just because of curiosity. D

GPA: 1.4/4

Doctor Who: "The Day of the Doctor"

Doctor Who: "The Day of the Doctor" (tv special), 2013. Three Doctors are thrown together to help one of them make a decision.

Created by Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber & Donald Wilson. Directed by Nick Hurran. Written by Steven Moffat. Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt, Jenna Coleman & Billie Piper.

Concept: Okay, now can we all just forget about the Time War nonsense and move on already? C
Story: D
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Seeing Smith and Tennant side by side, it becomes painfully clear that the problems with the 11th Doctor aren't entirely due to Moffat's writing. Largely due to it, but not entirely. So... I guess that bodes well for series eight? I can hope. B

GPA: 2.4/4

Best of My 2013

The best titles in each of my ratings categories, of everything I saw for the first time since last year's year-end list:

Concept
1. "La Jetée" (short), 1962
2. Tabletop (season one), 2012-2013
3. Gravity, 2013

Story
1. Breaking Bad: Season Four, 2011
2. Training Day, 2001
3. Blood Simple, 1985

Characters
1. Breaking Bad (seasons 2+), 2009-2013
2. Frances Ha, 2013
3. Training Day, 2001

Dialog
1. Nebraska, 2013
2. Django Unchained, 2012
3. Wreck-It Ralph, 2012

Pacing
1. Gravity, 2013
2. The Grey, 2012
3. Captain Phillips, 2013

Cinematography
1. Black Narcissus, 1947
2. The Master, 2012
3. Gravity, 2013

Special Effects/Design
1. Oblivion, 2013
2. Gravity, 2013
3. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1984

Acting
1. Captain Phillips, 2013
2. The Master, 2012
3. Before Sunrise, 1995

Music
1. Shall We Dance, 1937
2. Match Point, 2005
3. Star Trek into Darkness, 2013

Enjoyment (my favorite titles)
1. Django Unchained, 2012 (A+)
2. Tabletop (season one), 2012-2013 (A+)
3. Monsters University, 2013 (A+)
4. Breaking Bad (seasons 2+), 2009-2013 (A)
5. Top Hat, 1935 (A)

GPA (the best titles)
1. Django Unchained, 2012 (3.8/4)
2. Captain Phillips, 2013 (3.7/4)
3. Training Day, 2001 (3.5/4)
4. Catching Fire, 2013 (3.4/4)
5. "La Jetée" (short), 1962 (3.4/4)