Author Topic: Of Grading Movies  (Read 14409 times)

Corndog

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #70 on: April 03, 2018, 11:36:53 AM »
Adding to the conversation:

I've long employed the 4-star ratings system:

★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★ 1/2 - Great
★★★ - (Very) Good
★★ 1/2 - Average
★★ - Poor
★ - Woof

With the first and last ratings rarely being used, and most films falling somewhere in between. As a result, I often feel as though it's not a great way to define how I feel about a film. I am beginning to wonder if instead, I should shift to a 5-star scale without the half stars, like this:

★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★ - Loved it
★★★ - Liked it
★★ - Didn't like it
★ - Hated it

While there is actually one less, I feel at least like those categories are better defined and would be easier for me to assign to each movie, which also making things a little clearer how I feel about a certain film.

Thoughts?
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1SO

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #71 on: April 03, 2018, 11:58:27 AM »
What I often find lacking from your ratings are levels of Bad. ★ is so rare that I don't even know a single time you've given it. That leaves ★★ as the catch all for any film that doesn't work, and for me there's a major difference between a disappointment, a failure, an embarrassment and something that's just offensive.

I also liked that ★★★ sub-divided in Good and Very Good. (Don't you also use Okay?).

Corndog

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #72 on: April 03, 2018, 12:03:49 PM »
What I often find lacking from your ratings are levels of Bad. ★ is so rare that I don't even know a single time you've given it. That leaves ★★ as the catch all for any film that doesn't work, and for me there's a major difference between a disappointment, a failure, an embarrassment and something that's just offensive.

I plan on being slightly more strict/liberal with the new ratings system. I often feel like I end up throwing everything in either 2.5 or 3 right now, when really those should be spread into 2, 3, and 4 more often. So films at the top of my current 3 will go to 4, and films at the bottom of 2.5 will go to 2. Meanwhile, I will use 1 star more liberally, and I also often felt like I was being way too easy on films I "Didn't Like" by classifying them as 2.5 (average). 2.5 should not be average, and often they are films I didn't like.

We'll see how this goes. In all honestly, the rating itself means less than how it's described. For instance, I believe you are right in saying I rated some 3 star, okay, while others are 3 star, very good (and even others as 3 star, good). So in that instance, you get a sense how I liked it based on the descriptor, not on the star rating. This does over-simplify things, but I think in the long run it will be easier for both me and anyone who reads my reviews.

As for my 1 star films, here is what I have according to Letterboxd, which is likely pretty accurate, while also me probably being a little too harsh on a couple of them. But looking through this list, they are films I pretty well hate.
https://letterboxd.com/corndogchats/films/ratings/rated/1/
« Last Edit: April 03, 2018, 12:05:55 PM by Corndog »
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Corndog

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #73 on: April 03, 2018, 12:22:28 PM »
Let me see if I can explain my thinking more on this:

★★★★★ - Masterpiece
Most previous 4 star movies will remain here, while I will be slightly more liberal in including high level 3.5 movies here (in the past I have been hesitant to always give something 4 instead of 3.5).

★★★★ - Loved it
3.5 star movies will go here, with some of the high level 3 star movies going here as well.

★★★ - Liked it
This one remains the most the same, except its size should shrink with some movies moving up to 4. There may be the occasional high level 2.5 which jumps here.

★★ - Didn't like it
There will be movement in both directions here as well, with bottom tier 2.5 movies falling to here, while other 2 star movies falling to just 1 star.

★ - Hated it
Previous 1 stars included here, and the bottom tier of 2 also falling here.
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smirnoff

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #74 on: April 03, 2018, 06:14:38 PM »
In my head this is kind of what how my ratings are weighted. There are 10's, and then everything that's not a 10. The only reason you needs all those other numbers is because 10's are so rare and you don't want to rate everything else a 1. :))



Sandy

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #75 on: April 03, 2018, 09:41:07 PM »
 :))

Monty

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #76 on: April 04, 2018, 03:40:52 AM »
Ratings System:
Masterpiece
Excellent
Very Good/Good
Average/Poor
Very Poor/Avoid

Decided on the following. Taking out the ½ stars is a good mov(i)e :)
« Last Edit: April 04, 2018, 03:56:17 AM by Monty »


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1SO

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #77 on: April 26, 2018, 01:05:34 PM »
this is the best movie I've seen so far this year.

(...)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

I am starting to believe you're one of the forum's harshest graders.

I have two theories about it.

1. I've now seen so many movies that I've seen most of the films I would consider Great. It's all a treasure hunt and a Very Good film is rare and exceptional to me

2. Ever since I created my List of Essentials, which are all rated ★ ★ ★ ½  or higher, it's created a barrier to where I have to determine if a film is worthy of going onto the list. I debated it with Taking Off and after a 2nd viewing it may very well end up on the list. In this particular case, I'd like to have a better reason for why the film moved me so much, because it contains a lot of elements I could see as being off-putting in a different mood, mostly in regard to the very thin plot and the abundance of music that might've been unappealing on a different day.

I also see the flip side of this. This harshness shows how passionate I am about 500+ films that are on my Essentials.

But reason 1 doesn't account for low ratings for new releases. I think I've only seen you rate one movie ***1/2 in the recent years. Your yearly top tens are all *** Very Good.

My 5 Most Recent Essentials:

My Essentials contains 41 features from this Decade, (if you include "Sherlock" A Scandal in Belgravia), down from 76 last Decade but not by that much. (Take away the 17 films from 2008/2009 and the number's even closer.) And for as many films of the 30s and 40s I watch, they've only produced 33 and 37 Essentials.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #78 on: April 26, 2018, 01:19:27 PM »
You make lots of sense but now that I've seen Cinderella there my mind keeps crashing.
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1SO

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Re: Of Grading Movies
« Reply #79 on: April 26, 2018, 02:51:10 PM »
I’ve written about Cinderella twice. I’d love to read your reasoning against Cinderella.