The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962. A young lawyer in the old west tries to champion law and order.

Directed by John Ford. Written by James Warner Bellah, & Willis Goldbeck, based on a story by Dorothy M. Johnson. Starring John Wayne, & James Stewart, with Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, & Woody Strode.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: The framing device is unnecessary and pretty dull, and the political convention scene is interminable. But when the movie's a Western, it's great. B

GPA: 2.7/4

[update of a previous post - original is here]

Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest, 1999. Actors from a cheesy sci-fi show are taken into space.

Directed by Dean Parisot. Written by David Howard, & Robert Gordon. Starring Tim Allen, with Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, & Enrico Colantoni.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Clever. It's more faithful to the spirit of Star Trek than half the actual Star Trek movies, despite the fact that most of its jokes are at Star Trek's expense. B

GPA: 2.8/4

Star Trek: Enterprise: Season Four

Star Trek: Enterprise: Season Four, 2004-2005. A spaceship crew forms interstellar alliances.

Created by Rick Berman, & Brannon Braga. Directed by Allan Kroeker (5 episodes), David Livingston (3), Mike Vejar (3), LeVar Burton (2), Michael Grossman (2), David Straiton (2), Marvin V. Rush (2), Roxann Dawson (1), David Barrett (1), & James L. Conway (1). Written by Manny Coto (9), Michael Sussman (7), Judith Reeves-Stevens (5), Garfield Reeves-Stevens (5), André Bormanis (4), Ken LaZebnik (2), Alan Brennert (1), Michael Bryant (1), Berman (1), & Braga (1). Starring Scott Bakula, with John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, & Connor Trinneer.

Concept: Gee, I wonder if they'll manage to form some sort of... federation.. of planets? Oh, the tension. D
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: D
Enjoyment: About half the episodes are bad, which is a pretty good ratio for Enterprise. Meanwhile, the good episodes are very good. If the show had gone on for the usual seven seasons, it might have been great by season six or so. Probably not, though. A lot of the time, the writers just don't seem to have any grasp of what makes good television. C

GPA: 1.6/4

Zoolander

Zoolander, 2001. A male model is brainwashed to be an assassin.

Directed by Ben Stiller. Written by Drake Sather, Stiller, & John Hamburg. Starring Stiller, with Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, & Jerry Stiller.

Concept: D
Story: F
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C
Enjoyment: There are maybe six jokes in this entire movie, and only half of them are funny. F

GPA: 1.2/4

Imaginary Oscars

These are the movies of 2014 that would win and be nominated for Oscars if my wife and I were the Academy. Because it's more fun than predictions.

We've seen more than fifty eligible movies this year (50 from 2014, and a handful that I consider 2013 releases), but still, thanks to not living in a major metropolis, there are a lot of important movies we haven't seen. Some notable omissions include: Whiplash, Nightcrawler, Inherent Vice, Mr. Turner, Two Days One Night, Goodbye to Language, The Immigrant, The Babadook, A Most Violent Year, Still Alice, and American Sniper.

Best Visual Effects
runners-up:
- Birdman
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Guardians of the Galaxy
winner:
- Interstellar

Best Costume Design
runners-up:
- The Imitation Game
- Mockingjay Part 1
- Only Lovers Left Alive
winner:
- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Production Design
runners-up:
- Foxcatcher
- Interstellar
- Only Lovers Left Alive
winner:
- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Score
runners-up:
- Alexandre Desplat, Godzilla
- Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
winner:
- Mica Levi, Under the Skin

Best Song
runners-up:
- "Everything Is Awesome," The Lego Movie
- "I'll Get You What You Want," Muppets Most Wanted
winners (tie):
- "For the Dancing and the Dreaming," How to Train Your Dragon 2
- "Glory," Selma

Best Cinematography
runners-up:
- Daniel Landin, Under the Skin
- Fredrik Wenzel, Force Majeure
winners (tie):
- Ryszard Lenczewski & Lukasz Zal, Ida
- Robert D. Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Directing
runners-up:
- Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ava DuVernay, Selma
- Richard Linklater, Boyhood
- John Michael McDonagh, Calvary
winner:
- Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Best Adapted Screenplay

runners-up:

- Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel, Noah

- Walter Campbell & Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin

- Lukas Moodysson, We Are the Best!

- Gillian Robespierre, Obvious Child

winner:

- Andrew Bovell, A Most Wanted Man

Best Original Screenplay
runners-up:
- Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Steven Knight, Locke
- Paul Webb, Selma
winner:
- John Michael McDonagh, Calvary

Best Supporting Actor
runners-up:
- Neil Patrick Harris, Gone Girl
- Stephan James, Selma
- Edward Norton, Birdman
- Chris O'Dowd, Calvary
winner:
- Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

Best Supporting Actress
runners-up:
- Carmen Ejogo, Selma
- Emma Stone, Birdman
- Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer
winner:
- Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Best Lead Actor
runners-up:
- Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
- Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Brendan Gleeson, Calvary
- Tom Hardy, Locke
winner:
- David Oyelowo, Selma

Best Lead Actress
runners-up:
- Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive
- Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
- Jennifer Lawrence, Mockingjay Part 1
winners (tie):
- Agata Trzebuchowski, Ida
- Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best Picture
runners-up:
- Boyhood
- Foxcatcher
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ida

- A Most Wanted Man
- Selma
winner:
- Calvary

Force Majeure

Turist, 2014. A man runs from an avalanche instead of protecting his family.

Written & directed by Ruben Östlund. Starring Johannes Kuhnke, & Lisa Loven Kongsli, with Vincent Wettergren, Clara Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius, & Karin Myrenberg.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: Bonus point for sound. A
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: A guy is a dick, then carries on being a dick for two hours. It's an artfully made film, but not what you would call entertaining. C

GPA: 2.7/4

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop, 1984. A cop unofficially investigates his friend's murder.

Directed by Martin Brest. Written by Daniel Petrie Jr.; story by Danilo Bach, & Petrie. Starring Eddie Murphy, with Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, & Lisa Eilbacher.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: Much more entertaining than I expected it to be (although, my expectations were pretty low). All of the action scenes are unnecessary and uninteresting, but Murphy is great enough to make the movie fun. B

GPA: 2.5/4

The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game, 2014. A WWII code-breaker invents the computer.

Directed by Morten Tyldum. Written by Graham Moore, based on a book by Andrew Hodges. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, with Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Hugh Alexander, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, & Mark Strong.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: C
Enjoyment: Pretty standard Oscar bait, but perfectly good for what it is. B

GPA: 2.7/4

The Sopranos: Season Two

The Sopranos: Season Two, 2000. A mobster sees a therapist.

Created by David Chase. Directed by Allen Coulter (4 episodes), Tim Van Patten (3), John Patterson (3), Martin Bruestle (1), Lee Tamahori (1), & Henry J. Bronchtein (1). Written by Robin Green (4 episodes), Mitchell Burgess (4), Frank Renzulli (4), Chase (2), Terence Winter (2), Todd A. Kessler (2), Jason Cahill (1), & Michael Imperioli (1). Starring James Gandolfini, with Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Vincent Pastore, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Nancy Marchand, Drea de Matteo, David Proval, & Aida Turturro.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: B
Enjoyment: There's a lot of greatness in it, especially in the scenes between Gandolfini and Bracco. But the last episode was disappointing; the story didn't end up going anywhere unexpected, and a number of plot points from earlier in the season went ignored. B

GPA: 3.0/4

"Poultry Pirates"

"Poultry Pirates" (short), 1938. Chickens raid a garden.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Starring Mel Blanc, & Billy Bletcher.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: There's one good sequence, a fist fight with a giant rooster, where Freleng's strengths come through. The rest of the cartoon is pretty much just filling time. C

GPA: 1.8/4

Batman Returns

Batman Returns, 1992. The Penguin and Catwoman don't like Batman.

Directed by Tim Burton. Written by Daniel Waters; story by Waters, & Sam Hamm, based on characters by Bob Kane. Starring Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Christopher Walken.

Concept: B
Story: F
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: D
Music: B
Enjoyment: Ridiculous and campy, but without ever being funny or entertaining. D

GPA: 1.8/4

Sullivan's Travels

from my 100 Popular Movies Marathon, part 49 of 100



Sullivan's Travels, 1941. A Hollywood director tries to experience life as a tramp.

Written & directed by Preston Sturges. Starring Joel McCrea, & Veronica Lake.

Concept: C
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: An enjoyable movie. Its more serious parts don't work as well as the comedy - it's too bluntly trying to say something rather than tell a story. But for a movie with a social message, it's aged remarkably well. B

GPA: 2.9/4

Grease

from my 100 Popular Movies Marathon, part 48 of 100



Grease, 1978. 1950s teenagers do cliche 1950s things.

Directed by Randal Kleiser. Written by Bronte Woodard; adapted by Allan Carr from a play by Jim Jacobs, & Warren Casey. Starring John Travolta, & Olivia Newton-John, with Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, & Didi Conn.

Concept: F
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: I think 1978 was just a terrible time to make a musical. A lot of these songs would be good, but they've had all the life produced out of them. Meanwhile, there's no story to speak of. I guess it's supposed to be a romance, but nothing in that vein ever amounts to more than an excuse to feature 1950s scenery. C

GPA: 1.5/4

"What Price Porky"

"What Price Porky" (short), 1938. Ducks declare war over chickenfeed.

Directed by Robert Clampett. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: A
Enjoyment: These ducks will cold-blooded murder you, provided it's funny. Don't mess with a Bob Clampett character. B

GPA: 2.5/4

"Porky at the Crocadero"

"Porky at the Crocadero" (short), 1938. Porky Pig gets a job at a club.

Directed by Frank Tashlin. Written by Lew Landsman. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: There are some gags I like, and solid comedic timing. It might have been a pretty good cartoon if it weren't for the black face. Porky Pig in black face. C

GPA: 2.1/4

The Twilight Zone: Season Two

The Twilight Zone: Season Two, 1960-1961. A collection of modern-day fairy tales.

Created by Rod Serling. Directed by Buzz Kulik (5 episodes), Douglas Heyes (5), Jack Smight (3), James Sheldon (3), David Orrick McDearmon (2), Richard L. Bare (2), Jus Addiss (2), John Brahm (2), Don Medford (1), John Rich (1), Boris Sagal (1), Montgomery Pittman (1), & Elliot Silverstein (1). Written by Serling (20 episodes), Charles Beaumont (5), Richard Matheson (2), E. Jack Neuman (1), George Clayton Johnson (1), & William Idelson (1). Starring Robert Cummings, Luther Adler, Joe Mantell, Richard Haydn, H.M. Wynant, Maxine Stuart, William Shatner, Inger Stevens, Brian Aherne, Fred Clark, Jean Carson, Art Carney, Thomas Gomez, Russell Johnson, Jack Carson, Agnes Moorehead, Dick York, Barbara Nichols, John Anderson, Burgess Meredith, Dean Jagger, Dane Clark, Buddy Ebsen, Philip Abbott, Patricia Smith, Cliff Robertson, Simon Oakland, Oscar Beregi Jr., Franchot Tone, Liam Sullivan, Dennis Weaver, Shelley Berman, & John Hoyt.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: There are a few bad episodes, and at its best, it's never as good as the best of season 1. It might be more consistently good on average, though. Or maybe I just enjoyed it more because I wasn't mistakenly expecting science fiction this time. B

GPA: 3.0/4

"Porky's Poppa"

"Porky's Poppa" (short), 1938. A cow competes with its mechanical replacement to produce milk.

Directed by Robert Clampett. Starring Mel Blanc.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It seems like every Clampett cartoon, all I have to say is that Clampett was completely insane. Funny, yes, but clearly a raving madman. B

GPA: 2.4/4