Star Trek: "Bem"

Star Trek [The Animated Series]: "Bem," 1974 (the second episode of six from season two). A visiting diplomat joins and sabotages a mission.

Created by Gene Roddenberry. Directed by Hal Sutherland. Written by David Gerrold. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & James Doohan.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). The potentially interesting science fiction element is promptly ignored almost as soon as it's introduced. Meanwhile, we're supposed to care about the development of a character that would be annoying even if he were in a show with decent character writing. But at least there are no crimes against logic.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.9/4 (Eh)

Doctor Who #95: The Sun Makers

[note: My blog has gotten bloated with cast and crew details, and it's been taking up way too much of my time to post. I don't even remember why I include all that stuff. So: format change.]



Doctor Who: "The Sun Makers," 1977 (the fourth story of six from season fifteen). An evil corporation has enslaved the human race on Pluto. Directed by Pennant Roberts. Written by Robert Holmes. Starring Tom Baker, Louise Jameson & Richard Leech.

Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good). It's great to see Leela finally kick some ass. She gets to go into full on action hero mode.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Cartoonish fun. One of the better of the classic series. It's a relief, after watching so many bad Doctor Who episodes in a row, to see a really good one. I was starting to forget why I liked the show. You don't need a budget to make a great TV show - but you do need a writer.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

Doctor Who #60: Day of the Daleks

Data
Title: Doctor Who: "Day of the Daleks"
Year: 1972
Network: BBC
Episodes: 4, at 25 minutes each; the first story (of five) from season nine
Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson
Director: Paul Bernard
Writer: Louis Marks
Starring: Jon Pertwee
With: Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning, Aubrey Woods, Anna Barry, Jimmy Winston, Scott Fredericks, Wilfred Carter
Music: Ron Grainer (theme); Dudley Simpson
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Synopsis: time travelers from a dystopian future want to change history

My reaction
Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). It could have been a really good story, but the execution is terrible. The "action" is unintentionally funny, the villain can't act, and the Daleks have no business being there at all.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.9/4 (Eh)

Hudson Hawk

Data
Title: Hudson Hawk
Year: 1991
Length: 100 minutes
Director: Michael Lehmann
Writers: Steven E. de Souza & Daniel Waters; story by Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft
Starring: Bruce Willis
With: Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, Richard E. Grant, Sandra Bernhard, Donald Burton, Don Harvey, David Caruso, Andrew Bryniarski, Lorraine Toussaint
Music: Michael Kamen, Robert Kraft (and non-original music)
Cinematography: Dante Spinotti
Editing: Chris Lebenzon, Michael Tronick
I saw it: on video and TV several times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a burglar works unwillingly for weird international conspirators

My reaction
Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 0/4 (Terrible)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 0/4 (Terrible)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). I don't know why I like this movie. Of all the things one might do with this movie (such as throwing things at it, or hunting down and destroying every copy), liking it is one of the last things you'd expect.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.4/4 (Bad)

Doctor Who #58: Colony in Space

Data
Title: Doctor Who: "Colony in Space"
Year: 1971
Network: BBC
Episodes: 6, at 25 minutes each; the fourth story (of five) from season eight
Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson
Director: Michael E. Briant
Writer: Malcolm Hulke
Starring: Jon Pertwee
With: Katy Manning, Roger Delgado, Nicholas Pennell, John Ringham, Roy Skelton, Helen Worth, Bernard Kay, Morris Perry, Tony Caunter, Nicholas Courtney
Music: Ron Grainer (theme); Dudley Simpson
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), a few days ago
Synopsis: poor colonists and a mining corporation want the same planet

My reaction
Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 1/4 (Bad). Terrible effects, mediocre design.
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 0/4 (Terrible)
Subjective Rating: 2/10 (Terrible, 0/4). Sloppy and unimaginative. There is no redeeming value, except for the fact that it is associated with a usually good show. It's not nearly as bad as the worst Doctor Who stories, though (and that is a testament to just how bad Doctor Who can get).
Objective Rating (Average): 1.0/4 (Bad)

"Small Fry"

Data
Title: "Small Fry"
Year: 2011
Length: 7 minutes
Director: Angus MacLane
Writer: Josh Cooley
Starring: Tim Allen
With: Tom Hanks, Jane Lynch, Teddy Newton
Music: John Powell
I saw it: in the theater, a couple days ago
Synopsis: a fun meal toy swaps places with Buzz Lightyear

My reaction
Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 3/4 (Good). It's getting ridiculous how many characters there are in the Toy Story world. A 7 minute cartoon should not be loaded with celebrity cameos. Most of the new characters are very funny, though.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). One expects more from Pixar. It's cute and entertaining, but, for Pixar, it's only just a step above a DVD bonus feature.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.4/4 (Okay)

The Muppets

Data
Title: The Muppets
Year: 2011
Length: 98 minutes
Director: James Bobin
Writers: Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller, based on characters by Jim Henson
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Peter Linz
With: Chris Cooper, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel
Music: Christophe Beck (score); Bret McKenzie and many others (songs)
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Editing: James M. Thomas
I saw it: in the theater, a couple days ago
Synopsis: three fans reunite the Muppets

My reaction
Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Charming and hilarious. Not surprisingly, it often feels like a Muppet episode of Flight of the Conchords. But that's okay - that's a good fit for the Muppets. It's loaded with nostalgia and references to The Muppet Show, so much so that much of the movie might go completely over the head of a non-fan. And the character development is more mature than it's been in any of the earlier Muppet movies. The children in the theater where we saw it were clearly bored. But screw them, the Muppets were always meant to be for adults, and now they finally are. I'm impressed that Disney let the film-makers make their own movie; apart from a couple (very brief) out-of-place cameos by child stars, there's not any overt sign of this being a Heavily Marketed Product.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.3/4 3.4/4 (Very good)

[update: re-watched 11/24/2013]

Muppets from Space

Data
Title: Muppets from Space
Year: 1999
Length: 87 minutes
Director: Tim Hill
Writers: Jerry Juhl, Joey Mazzarino & Ken Kaufman
Starring: Dave Goelz
With: Steve Whitmire, Bill Barretta, Jerry Nelson, Brian Henson, Kevin Clash, Frank Oz, Jeffrey Tambor
Music: Jamshied Sharifi (and non-original music)
Cinematography: Alan Caso
Editing: Richard Pearson, Michael A. Stevenson
I saw it: in the theater (1999), on video several times (have on DVD)
Synopsis: space aliens contact Gonzo

My reaction
Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Goofy. Easily the funniest of the 1990s Muppet movies.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.9/4 (Good)

Muppet Treasure Island

Data
Title: Muppet Treasure Island
Year: 1996
Length: 99 minutes
Director: Brian Henson
Writers: Jerry Juhl, Kirk R. Thatcher & James V. Hart, based on a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
Starring: Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop
With: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, Frank Oz, Billy Connolly, Jennifer Saunders
Music: Hans Zimmer (score); Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songs)
Cinematography: John Fenner
Editing: Michael Jablow
I saw it: on video many times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a boy has a map to pirate treasure

My reaction
Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent). Treasure Island should make a great movie (although it never has), but it's a terrible fit for the Muppets. It's dark, suspenseful, morally ambiguous, and extremely bloody - not a setting for zany musical anitcs.
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent). It's never quite acting, but Tim Curry's performance is a lot of fun.
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). Nothing really works. Since it's not taken seriously, the plot's pretty much just a backdrop, and too Disney-fied to have been good anyway. The humor is rarely funny (although there are a handful of delightful bits). The musical numbers are all tedious crap. On the other hand, there's Tim Curry playing one of the most iconic villains ever and clearly loving every second of it.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.1/4 (Okay)

Joe Versus the Volcano

Data
Title: Joe Versus the Volcano
Year: 1990
Length: 102 minutes
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Writer: John Patrick Shanley
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
With: Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya, Barry McGovern, Amanda Plummer, Ossie Davis
Music: Georges Delerue (and non-original music)
Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt
Editing: Richard Halsey, Kenneth Wannberg
I saw it: on video several times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a terminally ill man is hired to jump into a volcano

My reaction
Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great). The special effects are cartoonish, and everything looks like a sound stage (despite being filmed on location), but that's all part of the whimsy. Embrace the whimsy.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Wonderfully absurd. I don't understand why there isn't more love for this movie. Maybe because everyone who watches it expects a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.1/4 3.2/4 (Very good)

Star Trek: "The Pirates of Orion"

Data
Title: Star Trek [The Animated Series]: "The Pirates of Orion"
Year: 1974
Network: NBC
Episode: the first (of six) from season two; 24 minutes
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Director: Hal Sutherland
Writer: Howard Weinstein
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
With: George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett, James Doohan
Music: Alexander Courage (theme); Ray Ellis, Norm Prescott
I saw it: on video a couple times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: pirates steal medicine Spock needs to live

My reaction
Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 1/4 (Bad)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). It's simple, lacking anything even remotely clever. But that can make for a better episode than when they try harder and end up with something that doesn't make sense.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.3/4 (Okay)

Time Bandits

Data
Title: Time Bandits
Year: 1981
Length: 116 minutes
Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers: Michael Palin & Terry Gilliam
Starring: Craig Warnock
With: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Ralph Richardson, Peter Vaughan, David Warner, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis, Tiny Ross
Music: Mike Moran
Cinematography: Peter Biziou
Editing: Julian Doyle
I saw it: on video many times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a boy gets caught up with time-traveling criminals

My reaction
Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 4/4 (Great)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 10/10 (Favorite of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Hmm. I don't seem to have anything to say about this except for Sweet Jesus I love this movie.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.5/4 (Very good) 3.6/4 (Great)

Thor

Data
Title: Thor
Year: 2011
Length: 115 minutes
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne; story by J. Michael Straczynski & Mark Protosevich; based on a comic book by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman
With: Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Dallas, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo
Music: Patrick Doyle
Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos
Editing: Paul Rubell
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Synopsis: a Norse god from outer space is exiled to Earth

My reaction
Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent). Good with banter, bad otherwise.
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good). Good design. The effects are good in places, and bad in others.
Acting: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). There's a section in the middle, for about 20 minutes, when it's a comedy. That part's kind of awesome. The rest is pretty dumb, but could have been a lot worse.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.0/4 (Indifferent)

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Data
Title: The Muppet Christmas Carol
Year: 1992
Length: 85 minutes (theatrical cut)
Director: Brian Henson
Writer: Jerry Juhl, based on a novel by Charles Dickens
Starring: Michael Caine
With: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, David Rudman, Jessica Fox, Steven Mackintosh, Meredith Braun, Robin Weaver, Raymond Coulthard
Music: Miles Goodman (score); Paul Williams (songs)
Cinematography: John Fenner
Editing: Michael Jablow
I saw it: on video many times, most recently today (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a wealthy, uncaring man is haunted by Christmas Muppets

My reaction
Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 4/4 (Great)
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: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). It's a great balancing act of the classic story with Muppet silliness. The humor is never great, but it's always at least pleasant. Meanwhile, the serious bits manage to be as effective as any other film of the story, despite the pretense of not taking things seriously.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.2/4 (Very good)

(updated from a previous post - original is here)

They All Laughed

Audrey Hepburn Marathon, part 13 of 13



Data
Title: They All Laughed
Year: 1981
Length: 115 minutes
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Writer: Peter Bogdanovich & Blaine Novak
Starring: Ben Gazzara, John Ritter
With: Audrey "Why Do I Have Top Billing" Hepburn, Patti Hansen, Dorothy Stratten, Blaine Novak, Linda MacEwen, George Morfogen, Colleen Camp, Sean H. Ferrer
Music: mostly non-original music
Cinematography: Robby Müller
Editing: William C. Carruth, Scott Vickrey
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Synopsis: private detectives hit on women

My reaction
Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent) It tries too hard (and fails) to have the feel of a golden era Hollywood film.
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent). Points off for bad sound mixing.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent). It's all very good music, but the movie would have been much more watchable without it. It's like someone's messing with a radio while you're trying to watch the movie.
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). John Ritter is funny sometimes, and some of the rest of the cast have a strange charm. It's all very pointless and meandering.

Objective Rating (Average): 2.3/4 (Okay)

The Muppets Take Manhattan

Data
Title: The Muppets Take Manhattan
Year: 1984
Length: 94 minutes
Director: Frank Oz
Writers: Frank Oz, Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses; story by Patchett & Tarses
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
With: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Juliana Donald, Lonny Price, Louis Zorich
Music: Ralph Burns (score); Jeff Moss (songs)
Cinematography: Robert Paynter
Editing: Evan A. Lottman
Oscars: nominated for Best Song Score
I saw it: on video many times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: the Muppets try to open a musical on Broadway

My reaction
Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). Frogs and dogs and bears and chickens and things. The plot is dumb and cliche, but never in a way that stops the movie from working.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.9/4 3.0/4 (Good)

The Great Muppet Caper

Data
Title: The Great Muppet Caper
Year: 1981
Length: 95 minutes
Director: Jim Henson
Writers: Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses, Jerry Juhl & Jack Rose
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
With: Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg
Music: Joe Raposo
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Editing: Ralph Kemplen
Oscars: nominated for Best Song ("The First Time It Happens")
I saw it: on video many times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: incompetent journalists try to catch a jewel thief

My reaction
Concept: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Story: 1/4 (Bad)
Characters: 4/4 (Great)
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good). Most of the songs are very good, but a couple are horribly tedious.
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). The worst of the original Muppet trilogy, but that's not much of an insult. The identical twins jokes and the John Cleese bit are enough to make up for the several un-Muppet-y musical numbers.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 2.9/4 (Good)

Robin and Marian

Audrey Hepburn Marathon, part 12 of 13



Data
Title: Robin and Marian
Year: 1976
Length: 106 minutes
Director: Richard Lester
Writer: James Goldman
Starring: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn
With: Robert Shaw, Richard Harris, Nicol Williamson, Denholm Elliott, Kenneth Haigh, Ronnie Barker, Ian Holm
Music: John Barry
Cinematography: David Watkin
Editing: John Victor-Smith
I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Synopsis: Robin Hood, twenty years later

My reaction
Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent). What is that ending? What is that even?
Characters: 3/4 (Good)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great). Hooray for historical accuracy and realism!
Acting: 3/4 (Good). Connery is surprisingly entertaining. Richard Harris is great. Middle-Aged Audrey seems out of place, like she's not aware of her age or how to use it.
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent, 2/4). It has a lot of strong parts, but doesn't work particularly well overall.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.6/4 (Good)

Contagion

Data
Title: Contagion
Year: 2011
Length: 106 minutes
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Starring: Matt Damon
With: Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anna Jacoby-Heron, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, Enrico Colantoni, Bryan Cranston, Griffin Kane, Sanaa Lathan, Demetri Martin, Elliott Gould, Chin Han, John Hawkes
Music: Cliff Martinez
Cinematography: Steven Soderbergh
Editing: Stephen Mirrione
I saw it: in the theater, yesterday
Synopsis: a deadly virus spreads around the world

My reaction
Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 1/4 (Bad).
Characters: 1/4 (Bad). They could have been a lot worse, considering how little time is given to any character. That said, it would have been a much worse movie if any more time had been spent with any of these characters.
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great)
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay, 2/4). Novel, but forgettable. There's no reason to care about anything in it, unless you're the sort to be scared by the plausibility.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.2/4 (Okay)

The Muppet Movie

Data
Title: The Muppet Movie
Year: 1979
Length: 95 minutes
Director: James Frawley
Writers: Jack Burns & Jerry Juhl
Starring: Jim Henson
With: Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton
Music: Paul Williams (score); Williams & Kenny Ascher (songs)
Cinematography: Isidore Mankofsky
Editing: Christopher Greenbury
Oscars: nominated for Best Adapted Score and Best Song ("Rainbow Connection")
I saw it: on video many times, most recently yesterday (have on DVD)
Synopsis: a frog makes friends on his cross-country trip to Hollywood

My reaction
Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 4/4 (Great). It might not contain the most compelling of character developments, but I can't not give full points for the Muppets.
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 3/4 (Good)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great). Kind of like the character category, it's not really fair to give 4/4 since the bulk of the design work was done for the TV show, not for the movie. Oh well.
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 10/10 (Favorite of my favorites, 4/4 5/4). My favorite movie.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.5/4 (Very good) 3.6/4 (Great)