"Hollywood Capers"

"Hollywood Capers" (short), 1935. A cat sneaks into a movie studio.

Directed by Jack King. Starring Tommy Bond & Bernice Hansen.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: F
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: There's some sort of... robot Frankenstein monster? And about a half dozen characters introduced and then ignored. I don't get it. D

GPA: 1.4/4

"A Cartoonist's Nightmare"

"A Cartoonist's Nightmare" (short), 1935. A Looney Tunes animator dreams he's in his own cartoon.

Directed by Jack King. Starring Billy Bletcher.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: Cute premise, with a mild sense of whimsy. There are only two or three good gags. It's kind of like a poorly-drawn Mickey Mouse cartoon. C

GPA: 2.1/4

Angel: Season Three

Angel: Season Three, 2001-2002. The vampire detective has a child.

Created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. Directed by Tim Minear (4 episodes), Greenwalt (2), Bill L. Norton (2), Fred Keller (2), James A. Contner (2), Marita Grabiak (2), David Grossman (2), Turi Meyer (2), Skip Schoolnik (1), Michael Grossman (1), Whedon (1), & Terrence O'Hara (1). Written by Jeffrey Bell (6 episodes), Minear (5), Greenwalt (4), Mere Smith (3), Scott Murphy (2), David H. Goodman (2), Whedon (1), & David Fury (1). Starring David Boreanaz, with Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, & Amy Acker.

Concept: D
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: D
Enjoyment: This season's story arc is uninteresting and rambling, with enough material for five or six episodes at most, and there's almost nothing in the show that isn't part of that story. They try really hard to give Angel somewhere to go as a character, but they fail miserably. He was played out after a year or two of Buffy, and everything they're throwing at him here is just a lot of sharks to jump. C

GPA: 1.8/4

"I Haven't Got a Hat"

"I Haven't Got a Hat" (short), 1935. Animal children perform at their schoolhouse.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Starring Billy Bletcher, Joe Dougherty, Bernice Hansen, & Martha Wentworth.

Concept: F
Story: F
Characters: C
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: Slightly painful to watch in places. The musical bits are okay. C

GPA: 1.5/4

A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man, 2014. A small German anti-terrorist agency does some spying.

Directed by Anton Corbijn. Written by Andrew Bovell, based on a book by John le Carré. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Grigoriy Dobrygin, Rachel McAdams, & Willem Dafoe.

Concept: B
Story: A
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: It's not as stylish as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but it's much more effective at getting the audience emotionally involved. It starts with an almost overwhelming barrage of information, which steadily sifts and clarifies throughout the film until by the final scene everything's pared down to hanging on one or two details. And then the ending punches you in the gut. B

GPA: 3.4/4

"Buddy's Circus"

"Buddy's Circus" (short), 1934. A baby wanders into a circus.

Directed by Jack King. Starring Jack Carr.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: F
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: There's a framework of a plot, and some attempts at gags, so... I guess they tried? D

GPA: 1.2/4

300

from my 100 Popular Movies Marathon, part 30 of 100



300, 2007. 300 Spartans defend a pass against the entire Persian empire.

Directed by Zack Snyder. Written by Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, & Michael Gordon, based on a book by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley. Starring Gerard Butler, with Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Tom Wisdom, Andrew Pleavin, Andrew Tiernan, & Rodrigo Santoro.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: F
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: D
Enjoyment: Boring. It feels like more running time is spent on patriotic speeches than action scenes. And the action scenes are mostly just men holding spears out while people run into them in slow-motion. Extra slow slow-motion. D

GPA: 1.4/4

The Muppet Show: Season Two

The Muppet Show: Season Two, 1977-1978. The Muppets put on a weekly variety show.

Created by Jim Henson. Directed by Peter Harris (12 episodes), & Philip Casson (12). Written by Jerry Juhl, Joseph A. Bailey, Henson, & Don Hinkley. Starring various guest stars, with Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, & Dave Goelz.

Concept: A
Story: D
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: The best TV show ever made, in its stride. A+

GPA: 3.3/4

[update of a previous post - original is here]

Ernest & Celestine

Ernest et Célestine, 2012. A mouse and a bear become friends and outlaws.

Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, & Benjamin Renner. Written by Daniel Pennac, based on a book by Gabrielle Vincent. Starring Lambert Wilson & Pauline Brunner.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: Delightful, and visually unique. It gets more than a little heavy-handed with its lesson, and the ending is forced and disproportionately unoriginal compared with the rest of the movie. But for the most part it's a wonderful film. A

GPA: 3.2/4

Birdman of Alcatraz

Birdman of Alcatraz, 1962. A convicted murderer becomes a bird expert.

Directed by John Frankenheimer. Written by Guy Trosper, based on a book by Thomas E. Gaddis. Starring Burt Lancaster, with Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand, Betty Field, & Telly Savalas.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: They could have been a lot more interesting if the movie wasn't so focused on making its point. B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: Mostly good, but the aging makeup is awful. C
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's okay. I only got moderately bored, which is pretty good for a 2½ hour character study. There isn't anything in it that stands out as notable. C

GPA: 2.3/4

Obvious Child

Obvious Child, 2014. A stand-up comic gets dumped, then gets pregnant.

Written & directed by Gillian Robespierre; story by Karen Maine & Elisabeth Holm, based on a short film by Anna Bean, Maine, & Robespierre. Starring Jenny Slate, with Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, David Cross, Richard Kind, & Polly Draper.

Concept: C
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Enjoyable, well-made, and forgettable. B

GPA: 2.9/4

"How Do I Know It's Sunday"

"How Do I Know It's Sunday" (short), 1934. Items in a general store sing and dance and are attacked by flies.

Directed by Friz Freleng.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: F
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's an imitation of earlier cartoons that weren't particularly good to begin with. Why are there so many old cartoons that don't have characters? C

GPA: 1.4/4

"Sittin' on a Backyard Fence"

"Sittin' on a Backyard Fence" (short), 1933. Cats try to get with a lady cat.

Directed by Earl Duvall.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: Parts of it are vaguely amusing. I kind of love the voice work - mostly people saying "meow" in the most grating voice possible. C

GPA: 2.1/4

"Buddy's Beer Garden"

"Buddy's Beer Garden" (short), 1933. Singing and dancing at a beer garden.

Directed by Earl Duvall. Starring Jack Carr & Bernice Hansen.

Concept: F
Story: F
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: Pointless and harmless. The gags aren't funny, but at least there are gags, which is more than can be said for the last couple cartoons I've watched. C

GPA: 1.3/4

"I've Got to Sing a Torch Song"

"I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" (short), 1933. People around the world listen to the radio.

Directed by Tom Palmer.

Concept: F
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: Just a barrage of ethnic stereotypes and outdated cultural references - which isn't uncommon for 1930's Looney Tunes, but in this case there isn't anything worthwhile buried in the mess. F

GPA: 1.0/4

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 2014. Mistrust between intelligent apes and post-apocalyptic humans leads to conflict.

Directed by Matt Reeves. Written by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, & Amanda Silver; characters by Jaffa & Silver; based on a book by Pierre Boulle. Starring Andy Serkis & Jason Clarke, with Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, & Toby Kebbell.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's got intelligent writing, believable characters, amazing visuals, and everything about the world seems real. It takes itself very seriously - as seriously as if it were a film about a real war. There's never even the slightest break from darkness. There are some really cool Apes Kicking Ass shots, but in context they're too tragic to be fun. And there's zero suspense - everything is too inevitable for that. It's an impressive movie, though, and I look forward to when they finally get around to remaking the original. B

GPA: 3.3/4

"Buddy's Day Out"

"Buddy's Day Out" (short), 1933. Some people go on a picnic.

Directed by Tom Palmer. Starring Jack Carr & Bernice Hansen.

Concept: F
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: F
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: Hideous character design, awkward animation, no sense of humor, and no reason for existing. F

GPA: 0.8/4

Transformers 4

Transformers: Age of Extinction, 2014. The CIA takes up killing alien robots.

Directed by Michael Bay. Written by Ehren Kruger. Starring Mark Wahlberg, with Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, & Jack Reynor.

Concept: D
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: F
Pacing: F
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: D
Enjoyment: What the hell was that? I went in knowing it would be awful, but I wasn't ready for how upsetting it would be. It's offensively incompetent. F

GPA: 0.7/4