Freaks

from my 100 Popular Movies Marathon, part 24 of 100



Freaks, 1932. A woman feigns affection for a circus dwarf.

Directed by Tod Browning. Based on a story by Tod Robbins. Starring Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates, Henry Victor, Harry Earles, & Daisy Earles.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: F
Music: C
Enjoyment: Notable for being a weird movie, not for being a good movie. There are some okay scenes. Ford and Hyams are good together - although they're a very small part of the movie. It might have been an okay movie with better acting in the main roles. C

GPA: 1.6/4

Oculus

Oculus, 2014. A woman plans to document an evil mirror's evilness before destroying it.

Directed by Mike Flanagan. Written by Flanagan & Jeff Howard, based on their short film. Starring Karen Gillan & Brenton Thwaites, with Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, & Garrett Ryan.

Concept: B
Story: It opens with a dream sequence. This situation continues. There are probably a couple dozen instances (I'm not even exagerating) of Waking Up From Something Horrible Oh It Was All a Dream. Which I guess is the point? Which makes everything pretty pointless. D
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It's very scary, but takes cheap routes to get there. Like variations on a theme of eating glass. C

GPA: 2.4/4

The Twilight Zone: "A World of Difference"

The Twilight Zone: "A World of Difference" (episode 23 of 36 from season one), 1960. A man finds he's an actor, shooting a movie that he thought was reality.

Created by Rod Serling. Directed by Ted Post. Written by Richard Matheson. Starring Howard Duff.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: A neat idea that could have easily turned into a bad episode, but they handled it well. B

GPA: 2.8/4

The Conformist

Il conformista, 1970. A man concerned with normalcy goes to work for fascist Italy.

Written & directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, based on a book by Alberto Moravia. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, with Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin, Enzo Tarascio, Fosco Giachetti, José Quaglio, & Dominique Sanda.

Concept: C
Story: It wouldn't be a bad story, but it's badly told. D
Characters: Again, bad storytelling probably takes a lot away. D
Dialog: D
Pacing: F
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: Well, that's a mess. I guess it's important for innovating non-linear film? Unfortunately, the result in this case is just taking things out of a context where they might have worked. And I'm not sure it would have been any good to begin with. D

GPA: 1.9/4

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Steret, 2012. Crappy cops go undercover as teenagers.

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Written by Michael Bacall; story by Bacall & Jonah Hill, based on a tv show by Patrick Hasburgh & Stephen J. Cannell. Starring Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum, with Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, DeRay Davis, & Ice Cube.

Concept: D
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: Mostly harmless. It's not a funny as I expected it to be, and I didn't have high expectations. It's fairly amusing, though. C

GPA: 2.0/4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Five

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Five, 2000-2001. The vampire-hunter inexplicably has a little sister.

Created by Joss Whedon. Directed by David Solomon (4 episodes), David Grossman (3), James A. Contner (3), Whedon (3), Nick Marck (2), Dan Attias (2), Marti Noxon (2), Michael Gershman (2), & Christopher Hibler (1). Written by Jane Espenson (5 episodes), Douglas Petrie (4), Noxon (3), David Fury (3), Rebecca Rand Kirshner (3), Whedon (3), & Steven S. DeKnight (2). Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, with Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, & Anthony Stewart Head.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: Gellar is great. B
Music: Bonus points for silence. B
Enjoyment: It's as if time-travelling Joss Whedon read my complaints about previous seasons' moping/brooding, and adjusted the show accordingly. About halfway through the season, the boring boyfriend character is cut, and suddenly they have room to focus on telling great stories. And boy howdy they take advantage of it. A

GPA: 3.1/4

The Twilight Zone: "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

The Twilight Zone: "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" (episode 22 of 36 from season one), 1960. A meteor and power outage lead to paranoia.

Created & written by Rod Serling. Directed by Ron Winston. Starring Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, & Jack Weston.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: A great idea, not executed particularly well. The turns are too sudden and extreme to be believable, and it ends up more a political cartoon than the thriller or parable it's meant to be. C

GPA: 2.4/4

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014. Super secret spies are so secret they don't know their own secrets.

Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, based on books by Ed Brubaker, Joe Simon, & Jack Kirby. Starring Chris Evans & Scarlett Johansson, with Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, & Frank Grillo.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's great - nearly Avengers great - for the first two thirds or so. Then it gets boring. The quality of the action plummets, the plot "twists" are disappointingly unclever, and the banter disappears. B

GPA: 2.8/4

The Milky Way

The Milky Way, 1936. A milkman with an uncanny ability to duck becomes a boxer.

Directed by Leo McCarey. Written by Grover Jones, Frank Butler, & Richard Connell, based on a play by Lynn Root & Harry Clork. Starring Harold Lloyd, with Adolphe Menjou, Verree Teasdale, Helen Mack, William Gargan, George Barbier, & Dorothy Wilson.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: One of the funniest movies from Hollywood's "Golden Age" that I've seen - and by far the funniest Harold Lloyd movie. It doesn't have anything to offer other than laughs, but it's hilarious. A

GPA: 2.4/4

[update of a previous post - original is here]

The Cat's Paw

The Cat's Paw, 1934. A man raised in China comes to America and runs for Mayor of a corrupt town.

Written & directed by Sam Taylor; story by Clarence Budington Kelland. Starring Harold Lloyd & Una Merkel, with George Barbier, Nat Pendleton, Grace Bradley, & Alan Dinehart.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's more like a 1980's movie than something you'd expect to be made by a silent film star. Except that if it was made in the 80's it wouldn't be any good, while this is quite witty. B

GPA: 2.2/4

[update of a previous post - original is here]

The Twilight Zone: "Mirror Image"

The Twilight Zone: "Mirror Image" (episode 21 of 36 from season one), 1960. A woman encounters evidence of her double.

Created & written by Rod Serling. Directed by John Brahm. Starring Vera Miles & Martin Milner.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: It doesn't really go anywhere with its idea, but it's a creepy enough idea to make a good episode on its own. B

GPA: 2.6/4

The Twilight Zone: "Elegy"

The Twilight Zone: "Elegy" (episode 20 of 36 from season one), 1960. Space explorers discover a world frozen in Earth's past.

Created by Rod Serling. Directed by Douglas Heyes. Written by Charles Beaumont. Starring Cecil Kellaway, Jeff Morrow, Don Dubbins, & Kevin Hagen.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: I don't know why this episode didn't work for me. I like all the elements, and it's not badly put together. None-the-less, it didn't really work for me. C

GPA: 2.2/4

Muppets Most Wanted

Muppets Most Wanted, 2014. Jewel thieves use the Muppets as a cover.

Directed by James Bobin. Written by Bobin, & Nicholas Stoller. Starring Steve Whitmire & Matt Vogel, with Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, & Peter Linz.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: I guess the Muppets are in it. Technically. C
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: B
Enjoyment: We left the theater debating whether this movie or Muppet Treasure Island is worse. In retrospect, that was grossly unfair to Treasure Island. C

GPA: 1.8/4

"Party Central"

"Party Central" (short), 2014. The Monsters University monsters steal a frat party.

Directed by Kelsey Mann. Written by Pete Docter. Starring Billy Crystal, Charlie Day, Dave Foley, John Goodman, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, & Julia Sweeney.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: I loved these characters in their movie; here, they might as well not even be there. D
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: At least Disney's putting shorts in front of their movies (even if it is only the "kid's" movies). I love that. If they keep at it, they'll eventually make a good one again, I'm sure. C

GPA: 2.0/4

Flight of the Conchords: Season Two

Flight of the Conchords: Season Two, 2009. A New Zealand band fail to make it in New York.

Created by James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, & Bret McKenzie. Directed by Bobin (6 episodes), Taika Waititi (2), Troy Miller (1), & Michel Gondry (1). Written by Bobin (6 episodes), Clement (6), McKenzie (6), Duncan Sarkies (1), Iain Morris (1), Damon Beesley (1), Paul Simms (1), & Waititi (1). Starring Clement & McKenzie, with Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, & Arj Barker.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: C
Enjoyment: Boring. The best of this season is about even with the worst of the first season. C

GPA: 2.0/4

Creature Comforts America

Creature Comforts America [tv series], 2007. Animals share their opinions on various topics.

Created by Nick Park. Directed by Merlin Crossingham, Dave Osmand, & Richard Goleszowski. Starring "The Great American Public."

Concept: A
Story: F
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: It's a letdown compared with the British version, but it's still a cute show. B

GPA: 2.5/4

Movie Crazy

Movie Crazy, 1932. An accident-prone boy goes to Hollywood.

Directed by Clyde Bruckman. Written by Vincent Lawrence; story by Agnes Christine Johnston, John Grey, & Felix Adler. Starring Harold Lloyd, & Constance Cummings, with Kenneth Thomson, Louise Closser Hale, & Spencer Charters.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: D
Enjoyment: The gags are funny, and the love story is sweet. The production is a little rough around the edges, but it's an enjoyable movie. B

GPA: 2.2/4

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Six

Star Trek: Voyager: Season Six, 1999-2000. 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 Mike Vejar (5 episodes), David Livingston (4), Terry Windell (4), Allan Kroeker (3), John Bruno (2), Winrich Kolbe (2), Roxann Dawson (1), Robert Picardo (1), Gabrielle Beaumont (1), Les Landau (1), Allison Liddi (1), & LeVar Burton (1). Written by Joe Menosky (8 episodes), Brannon Braga (6), Bryan Fuller (6), Michael Taylor (6), Robert Doherty (4), Kenneth Biller (3), Robin Burger (3), Raf Green (3), Berman (2), Ronald D. Moore (2), Mike Sussman (2), Bill Vallely (1), Juliann deLayne (1), André Bormanis (1), Mike Wollaeger (1), Jessica Scott (1), David Zabel (1), Scott Miller (1), Gannon Kenney (1), Andrew Shepard Price (1), Mark Gaberman (1), Ronald Wilkerson (1), Paul Brown (1), Dianna Gitto (1), Bruno (1), & Picardo (1). Starring Kate Mulgrew, with Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Jeri Ryan, & Garrett Wang.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: C
Enjoyment: They've improved on the high quality of season five. There are only one or two low points, and the high points make for a (new) couple of my favorite Star Trek episodes. Now if only Janeway could get some decent development; they haven't done anything really interesting with her since season two. A

GPA: 2.6/4

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013. A young stockbroker starts a company to swindle investors.

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Terence Winter, based on a book by Jordan Belfort. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, with Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, & Rob Reiner.

Concept: Scarface without the violence. D
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A
Enjoyment: Everything about this makes for a movie I should have hated. In fact, I had a lot of fun. You never know what you're going to get with Scorsese. B

GPA: 2.9/4

Survivor: Season 24

Survivor: Season 24, 2012. A reality game on a South Pacific island.

Created by Charlie Parsons. Starring Jeff Probst.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: n/a
Music: C
Enjoyment: The first half of the season is dominated by an asshole who was thoroughly unpleasant to watch. The second half was a good game, but there still wasn't really anyone to root for. C

GPA: 2.1/4