Format and Ratings

A word on Format and Ratings.

The title of a Review post will have the following format for a title:

07-03-02 United 93 (2006)

This is the date, (07-03-02 is March 2nd, 2007) ; the film title (United 93) and the year the film was released (2006) .

The top of the review will state when I saw the film, on what format, and the rating.

The when may be specific or general. I fully intend to review films I saw a while ago, there's no way I'll be able to watch and do a decent review of a new one daily.

Format will generally be one of the following: Theater, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS (it happens) or Broadcast (including SD or HD and the Channel).

My ratings are from 1 to 10 and going to tend to be skewed to the high end of the scale. I really like film in general and can usually find something worthwhile in most films. To rate something I usually start in the middle (5). If something is worth my time, if I believe that seeing it was better than not seeing it, it'll score at least a 5. Anything lower than 5, and I consider it a waste of my (not necessarily your) time. Since I don't tend to watch stuff I know I'll dislike, ratings less than a 5 aren't common, but do occur.

Here's a general scale:
1 - A complete waste of money and time; mine and the producers.
2 - Bad. Perhaps painfully so.
3 - Bordering on Bad. May have an interesting premise, but doesn't deliver at all.
4 - Uninteresting. Flat.
5 - Worth watching. OK.
6 - Good. Interesting. Maybe not engaging.
7 - I enjoyed it. Engaging. May recommend it.
8 - I really enjoyed it and will recommend it.
9 - I absolutely loved it, or recognize it as an undisputed classic.
10 - Phenomenal. Not only is it a classic or groundbreaking film, but I it love it as well.

It should be noted that even when a film is treading in the 1-3 range, I almost always watch the entire thing. Also, some films may be intentionally bad or revered for their badness(Plan 9, anyone?). I rate films based both on my personal enjoyment and their merits as a film. I can definitely rate bad films above a 5, but you'll rarely see them go above 7, Army of Darkness being a distinct exception.