First to preface this rating system I need to say three things:
1. As a high school teacher who gives grades and scores to student work every single day, I've always tried to reserve the highest echelon so I can properly distinguish the best of the best. Therefore, five-star films are rare indeed and I hope I don't disappoint my reader if I award the best film of the year with only 4 1/2 or even 4.
2. Bear in mind that 5-star films aren't necessarily my favorites. I'll probably watch Lord of the Rings and American Beauty a dozen more times before I see Seven Samurai again. More to the point, accessibility and universality is a factor. If a movie has a cult following, it will usually get a 4 1/2 but not a perfect 5.
3. Acting standards for comedies, thrillers, and action flicks is a world apart from dramas. Otherwise no action or comedy in the world could ever attain a 5-star rating. Since that would be an obvious bias I've come to the decision that genre definitely matters, and where the demands of a great drama lie in certain places, they lie somewhere else entirely for other genres. Still, most of the classic movies are dramas because jokes and action sequences feel old a lot faster, and classics (according to my definition) must transcend time.
★★★★★
An all-time classic; a masterful and original creation without blemish, offering insightful commentary that is universally relevant, far beyond the scope of its own place in history; can be viewed from cradle to casket, and appreciated greatly by all walks of life.
Drama: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Requiem for a Dream, A Separation
Action: Star Wars Trilogy, The Matrix, Casino Royale, Kill Bill
Thriller: The Silence of the Lambs, Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park
Comedy: Groundhog Day, What About Bob?, Blues Brothers
Animated: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin
★★★★ 1/2
An instant classic; a masterful and original creation, offering insightful commentary that is relevant beyond the scope of its own place in history; it can be viewed in multiple life phases, and deeply appreciated by people of many different stripes.
Drama: The Reader, Le Huitieme Jour, Cool Hand Luke, Donnie Darko, About Schmidt, Lars and the Real Girl, American Beauty
Action: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Dark Knight, Lethal Weapon 2
Thriller: Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Fight Club, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Departed
Comedy: Dumb and Dumber, Cool Runnings, Superbad, Princess Bride
Animated: The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Spirited Away
★★★★
A film deserving universal acclaim for its aesthetic and moral qualities; since you will find yourself ruminating with respect to its comments for some time after viewing it, you could probably watch it repeatedly over a sustained period of time, unless it caters to a narrow audience is probably nominated for Best Picture; no serious flaws blemish its story, its characters, or its technical delivery.
★★★ 1/2
A film deserving widespread acclaim for its aesthetic and moral value; it can be viewed often over an extended time frame; original in what it says and how it says it, thereby offering insightful commentary with respect to its subject matter.
★★★
A film deserving some acclaim for its aesthetic and moral value; watchable many times over; although not exactly original, it offers a fresh spin on what's been said and done before.
★★ 1/2
A film probably worthy of several viewings, if one wishes to appreciate fully its aesthetic and moral offerings; expect generally positive reviews with some dissent; hardly original, yet bearing the marks of well-established themes, characters and plots and putting them to good use.
★★
A film perhaps worthy of a single viewing, if one is inclined to appreciate its aesthetic and moral offering; despite some significant missteps it manages an intelligible message and story arc; expect mixed reviews from critics who begrudge it for its pandering, clumsiness, simple-mindedness or its overdependence on special effects.
★ 1/2
A film with negligible aesthetic and moral value, although it could still be enjoyed if not taken seriously or given any serious scrutiny; mixed reviews from critics due to its misguided theme or artistic irrelevance. Many box office hits that target a specific demographic.
★
A film without any discernible aesthetic or moral value; only in a perverse and self-destructive state of being could a viewer possibly give it praise. Dungeons and Dragons is one memorable example. I try to avoid true one-star movies so fortunately I haven't seen one in a long, long time.
1. As a high school teacher who gives grades and scores to student work every single day, I've always tried to reserve the highest echelon so I can properly distinguish the best of the best. Therefore, five-star films are rare indeed and I hope I don't disappoint my reader if I award the best film of the year with only 4 1/2 or even 4.
2. Bear in mind that 5-star films aren't necessarily my favorites. I'll probably watch Lord of the Rings and American Beauty a dozen more times before I see Seven Samurai again. More to the point, accessibility and universality is a factor. If a movie has a cult following, it will usually get a 4 1/2 but not a perfect 5.
3. Acting standards for comedies, thrillers, and action flicks is a world apart from dramas. Otherwise no action or comedy in the world could ever attain a 5-star rating. Since that would be an obvious bias I've come to the decision that genre definitely matters, and where the demands of a great drama lie in certain places, they lie somewhere else entirely for other genres. Still, most of the classic movies are dramas because jokes and action sequences feel old a lot faster, and classics (according to my definition) must transcend time.
★★★★★
An all-time classic; a masterful and original creation without blemish, offering insightful commentary that is universally relevant, far beyond the scope of its own place in history; can be viewed from cradle to casket, and appreciated greatly by all walks of life.
Drama: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Requiem for a Dream, A Separation
Action: Star Wars Trilogy, The Matrix, Casino Royale, Kill Bill
Thriller: The Silence of the Lambs, Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park
Comedy: Groundhog Day, What About Bob?, Blues Brothers
Animated: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin
★★★★ 1/2
An instant classic; a masterful and original creation, offering insightful commentary that is relevant beyond the scope of its own place in history; it can be viewed in multiple life phases, and deeply appreciated by people of many different stripes.
Drama: The Reader, Le Huitieme Jour, Cool Hand Luke, Donnie Darko, About Schmidt, Lars and the Real Girl, American Beauty
Action: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Dark Knight, Lethal Weapon 2
Thriller: Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Fight Club, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Departed
Comedy: Dumb and Dumber, Cool Runnings, Superbad, Princess Bride
Animated: The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Spirited Away
★★★★
A film deserving universal acclaim for its aesthetic and moral qualities; since you will find yourself ruminating with respect to its comments for some time after viewing it, you could probably watch it repeatedly over a sustained period of time, unless it caters to a narrow audience is probably nominated for Best Picture; no serious flaws blemish its story, its characters, or its technical delivery.
★★★ 1/2
A film deserving widespread acclaim for its aesthetic and moral value; it can be viewed often over an extended time frame; original in what it says and how it says it, thereby offering insightful commentary with respect to its subject matter.
★★★
A film deserving some acclaim for its aesthetic and moral value; watchable many times over; although not exactly original, it offers a fresh spin on what's been said and done before.
★★ 1/2
A film probably worthy of several viewings, if one wishes to appreciate fully its aesthetic and moral offerings; expect generally positive reviews with some dissent; hardly original, yet bearing the marks of well-established themes, characters and plots and putting them to good use.
★★
A film perhaps worthy of a single viewing, if one is inclined to appreciate its aesthetic and moral offering; despite some significant missteps it manages an intelligible message and story arc; expect mixed reviews from critics who begrudge it for its pandering, clumsiness, simple-mindedness or its overdependence on special effects.
★ 1/2
A film with negligible aesthetic and moral value, although it could still be enjoyed if not taken seriously or given any serious scrutiny; mixed reviews from critics due to its misguided theme or artistic irrelevance. Many box office hits that target a specific demographic.
★
A film without any discernible aesthetic or moral value; only in a perverse and self-destructive state of being could a viewer possibly give it praise. Dungeons and Dragons is one memorable example. I try to avoid true one-star movies so fortunately I haven't seen one in a long, long time.
