Exemplars of my ratings scale
The list starts with a typical 10 and counts backwards to a 1. Comparing diverse films seems wrong, yet nothing clarifies my feelings toward a film more than when I compare it to other films. Go figure. I rate films based on my own criteria because these are my personal ratings. I don't attempt to guess how others will feel.
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- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve BuscemiMinnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.I give a 10 to my favorite films. Other examples are Chinatown, Rear Window and His Girl Friday.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.A 9 rating means a high level of excellence. Other examples are Donnie Brasco, The Great Escape, and The Third Man.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.An 8 is a very good film. Perhaps it is a great film with flaws. Films that are 8 and above represent about 15% of the films that I have assigned ratings to. Other examples are Michael Clayton, The Lion in Winter and On the Waterfront.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodPatrick McGoohanRoberts BlossomAlcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.A 7 is a good film. Other examples are Minority Report, Pale Rider, and The Guns of Navarone.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMeryl StreepBruce WillisGoldie HawnWhen a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.A 6 is a fairly good film. I might have problems with parts of it, but overall regard it as a film that is enjoyable to watch. It is a qualified thumbs up. Other examples are Space Cowboys, The Goodbye Girl, and Roman Holiday.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydTreat WilliamsHysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.A 5 is so-so. This is a neutral recommendation. Other examples are Pearl Harbor, Rain Man, and Going My Way.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsMeryl StreepRobert RedfordKlaus Maria BrandauerIn 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.I assign a 4 when I did not like the film but felt that parts of the film had merit or were well done. I don't recommend the film overall. Other examples are Murder by Death, Sweet Charity, and Penny Serenade.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanSharon StoneSamuel L. JacksonA spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.A 3 is a film that I didn't like. However much I may like an isolated element like the cinematography or some actor's performance, the film still impresses me as bad overall. Other examples are The Proposal, A View to a Kill, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
- DirectorPitofStarsHalle BerrySharon StoneBenjamin BrattA shy woman, endowed with the speed, reflexes, and senses of a cat, walks a thin line between criminal and hero, even as a detective doggedly pursues her, fascinated by both of her personas.Very bad. Other examples are Furry Vengeance, The Swarm, and Harold and Maude.
- DirectorJane WagnerStarsLily TomlinJohn TravoltaAndra AkersTrisha Rawlings, a Beverly Hills socialite suffers from loneliness following the separation of her womanizing husband Stu. Strip, a young drifter, became infatuated with her and, develops a May/December relationship with her.A total misfire. This category has a wide range in quality because it isn't possible to go into negative ratings. I have seen some films that were so amateurish that they shouldn't even rate as high as a 1. So while many 1's are much better than others, they are still awful. Other examples are Dogville, Showgirls, and David and Bathsheba.