FYI on the BSG "look":
http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Naturalistic_science_fiction
It was the deliberate choice of the series co-creator Ronald D. Moore. I also recall an interview from around the time the show began where Moore said that he thought the hand-held camerawork was "cool".
Some criteria for "bad cinematography" that *might* be valid: 1. Does it call attention to itself in such a way that it takes you out of the story?, 2. In an attempt to create realism or naturalism, does it do just the opposite?, 3. Does it cause vertigo/nausea in more than a few individuals.
I am also of the school of thought that the cinematography should generally be an attractive feature of a movie and ideally should be a drawing card as opposed to something that drives audiences away or results in bad word-of-mouth. So a really "ugly" look to most viewers is something to be avoided. Of course "ugly" is pretty subjective. My $.02.
Dylan W
