The rating scale is based on a 5-star scale, but runs from a minimum 0.25 to a maximum 4.75 rating. This is because movies are still being made. As long as movies are being made, there will never be a 0-star or a 5-star rating. A 0 would mean it was the worst film ever made, and a 5 would mean it was the best ever made. They would have to stop making movies and I'd have to see every single one ever made to be able to make such a bold proclamation.
Given that, I must also tell you that the scale runs in quarter star (.25) increments. This is to help me be more precise with my ratings. Some films are just slightly better than others, and this increment system best helps me determine that.
The categories are:
4.75 = One of the greatest films ever made
4.50 = Worthy of a standing ovation and an instant classic
4.25 = Worthy of a standing ovation and a very memorable film
4.00 = A memorable film that serves as an asset to the genre
3.75 = Excellent piece of cinema but just shy of greatness
3.50 = An overall solid film
3.25 = Crowd favorite; worthy of repeat viewings, but not necessarily too spectacular
3.00 = Quite good, but may be considered passable
2.75 = Nothing particularly spectacular, but still entertaining just the same
2.50 = Average; nothing too remarkable
2.25 = Alright, but certainly passable
2.00 = Passable; mediocre at best
1.75 = Weak; perhaps a good bit of potential, but it fails in the execution
1.50 = Very weak with little potential
1.25 = Ridiculous, brainless and serving lowest echelon of sense and entertainment
1.00 = Pathetic; has no reason to exist except to make money
0.75 = Bad; any potential is buried too deep to justify its existence; a lost cause
0.50 = Historically bad
0.25 = One of the worst films ever made
When you are looking at my lists, here are a few helpful pointers (this is also listed on the List main page):
The rating is given and then movies achieving that rating are listed alphabetically underneath it. The film title is given with the year it was released in parentheses:
Film Title (year)
If a single asterisk appears after the film title, the film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. If two asterisks follow the film title, it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I denote this just to give you a feel for how "award winning" films have fared with me and how my opinions may differ with that of the Hollywood elite.
