The Rating Scale Discussion Thread

[soitgoes...]

Is that how you'd characterize L'Heure d'été (which I haven't seen either): a shade above mediocre?

Yes. If there were boobies, I'd have given it a ten.

[Rowland]

You know, I haven't seen ואלס עם באשיר yet, but a ***1/2? Really? Many of my trusted critical sources dimissed it as a shade above mediocre, and yet here you are scoring it higher than Allen's L'Barcelona d'Vicky Cristina.

[baby doll]

How do you know? Are you Kurosawa Fan? Surely by now you've come to realize that your tastes aren't quite in line with others.

I don't have a problem with him liking (or even loving) the film; I'm just curious how passionate he is about it. If he only thinks it's a shade above mediocre, and gives it a nine, what score does he give a truly great horror film like Psycho or The Seventh Victim?

[soitgoes...]

It's not so much that he liked the film, I'm just curious how passionate he is about the film. If he only thinks it's a shade above mediocre, and gives it a nine, what score does he give a truly great horror film like Psycho or The Seventh Victim?

I used the phrase "shade above mediocre" as sarcasm. He never used it. Of course he likes it a lot. He gave it a 9.

If you want to read his thoughts, and his passion for the film, perhaps read them in the Drag Me to Hell thread?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Well, I don't use the ten-point scale myself, but if you look at Michael Sicinski's web site, he'll only give out a nine once or twice a year. So unless you really, really, really like a film, keep in your pants.

Unlike you, I actually like to think for myself.

[baby doll]

Unlike you, I actually like to think for myself.

I think that's a cheap shot. With any rating system, the key thing is learning to keep it in your pants. If you're whipping out nines and tens left and right, then when you give a movie an eight, it's like you're saying it's only pretty good. So a six for The Hurt Locker is what? Not really worth the time?

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think that's a cheap shot. With any rating system, the key thing is learning to keep it in your pants. If you're whipping out nines and tens left and right, then when you give a movie an eight, it's like you're saying it's only pretty good. So a six for The Hurt Locker is what? Not really worth the time?

I'm not wasting my time explaining my ratings to you. How many nines and tens have you seen in my signature? How many tens have you ever seen me hand out? The thing is, like every other time you decide to post, you run your mouth about subjects you aren't terribly familiar with, regurgitating other's educated opinions as your own.

I'll keep my rating scale how I like it, and you can stop paying attention to it if it bothers you. Because honestly, I couldn't possibly care less what you think.

[megladon8]

I don't feel guilty giving out 9's or 10's when I really, really love a movie. I don't give out nearly as many as I did, say, 4 years ago when I was on RT and still a relative newbie to the analysis of movies.

But really, who is anyone to criticize someone else's way of thinking about or rating movies? If I love a movie enough to give it a 9 and you didn't, well, I don't see why there should be any conflict from that. Or the other way - for example, I really can't stand anything I've seen by Godard. I think the highest rating I've given one of his films is a 5. Yet I know he's quite well-renowned and critically loved.

People are different. 'Tis what makes the world (and more specifically, our movie-related discussions) more interesting.

[Ezee E]

K-Fan is pretty legit in his rating of movies. I don't remember the last time I saw a 9 from him, and I don't even think I've seen a 10 from him.

It may be mind-blowing to baby_doll that he liked a movie that Drag Me To Hell got such a high score. But then again, he hasn't seen the movie, and I also doubt he read why K-Fan liked it so much.

In the end, rating scales are meant for readers to get interested in a certain movie. Right? That's the real purpose, for it to get somebody's attention so that they will also see the movie, and possibly understand their viewpoint if you read their thoughts. Would I see or be interested in a movie from a high score from baby doll? No. K-Fan? Yes.

[Ivan Drago]

I'm surprised I've been good about keeping 9s and 10s in my pants (I felt weird typing that) over the years. I remember when I was like 14 or 15 and just getting into movies when I was giving every movie I saw a 9 or 10. However I still feel like I like too many movies - there have been only 9 movies that I've first seen this year that I didn't like. But I'd rather watch something good than something like Disaster Movie just so I can see something bad.

[Sycophant]

Someone, sooner or later, is going to have to post something about wishing he had a 9 or a 10 in his pants to keep. If it doesn't happen soon, I guess I'll have to do it.