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This post largely concerns the ethos guiding my film reviews on Letterboxd and the related methodology I’ve been inadvertently tweaking for years.

• My initial review for each film must fall between 130-140 characters. Brevity, as the Bard says, is the soul of wit, and this method imposes guidelines to ensure parity and circumscription throughout.

• I consider my enjoyment of a film distinct from its quality. To make an easy example, The Godfather is an exceptionally made film about which I couldn’t care less. Ergo, each review is accompanied by one of seven markers intended to convey my enjoyment level. These symbols, which a friend termed Bryangles, reflect the nature of the review.

• I employ the full gamut of a five-star rating metric, as its ten-point qualitative scale is easily subsumed by review aggregators such as Metacritic, IMDB, and Rotten Tomatoes. However, since classifying the qualitative barriers separating two consecutive points on a scale can be an uncertain practice, I’ve provided a clearly explained guide below.

• I do not award zero stars. A ‘blank’ rating creates a perception that a critic neglected to render a verdict, but more importantly, I do not believe there is a film in existence in which no value can be derived. Even if you were appalled or bored, you got something out of the experience, and someone labored to provide you with it. Like tipping with a penny, that effort deserves some acknowledgement.

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Five Stars – A transcendent film. By creating or pushing new boundaries in a genre, it becomes a standard bearer in cinematic technique or theory. Films in which artistic achievements are pervasive throughout every element of the production, either by sheer virtuosity or the herald of a zeitgeist.

Four-and-a-half Stars – An outstanding film. It clearly transcends the limitations of contemporary genre fare with a more selective appeal that may leave its merits hotly debated. Films in which artistry is clearly apparent or avant-garde, executed with a consistency that leaves its impact undeniable.

Four Stars – A great film. It doesn’t push boundaries, but it faultlessly realizes its goals. In some cases, the film emerges as pure entertainment, executing the necessities of its genre tropes with crowd-pleasing aplomb. Slick, intelligent, or structured films whose merits may be too conformist or avant-garde.

Three-and-a-half Stars – A beguiling film. It may require some suspension of disbelief or imaginative extension for its rewards, lending it more selective appeal. Films where a few big ideas or awe-inspiring elements are sufficient to surpass its obvious limitations and may permanently lodge it in cultural consciousness.

Three Stars – A solid film. In spite of a fundamental flaw or numerous issues, it has more merits than faults. Either patently conventional films or those with innovative efforts resulting in a nonlethal misfire. Some elements of the production may warrant praise, but the overall effort is lacking or unpolished.

Two-and-a-half Stars – An okay film. Its faults are numerous enough that it can’t be saved by a single achievement in any aspect of the production, but still emerges as watchable. Films made by talented people with good ideas that clearly miss the mark, falling short of succeeding in what they set out to do.

Two Stars – An inferior film. It’s plagued with problems and lacking everything except sheer enthusiasm. Films made by untalented people with good ideas or talented people with bad ideas where the execution is desperately garbled. In some cases, a distinctly bad film that manages to succeed on charm alone.

One-and-a-half Stars – A bad film. Its problems are severe, readily apparent, and distinctly unpleasant, guaranteeing either annoyance, boredom, or both. Films most often made by untalented people with bad ideas and confusing intentions, leaving the final product either unclearly presented or fatally mishandled.

One Star – A terrible film. In spite of its efforts, it invokes problems so severe that the entire work is rendered offensive. Films made by either talented or untalented people with heinous ideas; the final effort either succeeds at translating an odious vision or bungles it to the point of wanton ineptitude.

One-half Star – An awful film. Dispassionate, drab, and completely unengaging, it not only fails to register any emotional or intellectual impact, the overall effort is dross. Films pervaded by portions so boring and nonsensical that merely holding the attention of its audience becomes a zero-sum endurance trial.

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▲▲▲ – Favorite

▲▲ – Love

▲ – Like

► – Apathy/Neutral

▼ – Dislike

▼▼ – Contempt

▼▼▼ – Hatred

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