An explanation

While browsing through a friend's excellent movie review blog ( http://jfrazier57.blogspot.com/ Check it out! ). I came across one of his older posts where he comments on how he rates movies, and what his system means. This got me thinking on what a good film is to me, is it something that changed the film world forever? Or just merely a stupid comedy that made me laugh so much that I, and probably only I, found it great. Honestly I pondered this for awhile, what does my system mean to me? Why is one movie better than the next? What gave it that edge? And what should I use for a rating system?

I thought of being original, perhaps rating on a scale of one to five frogs, or cats, or some other animal. Maybe a scale of one to ten stars, but the more stars you add the less impact a scale has. Then I thought of percentages, one to one-hundred percent, but really that only makes it harder to review something.

In the end I settled on one of my favorite rating systems, Grades. A film I watch, or anything else I will review, will be graded on that standard system of grading A-F, that way it is a system that everyone is familiar with and there will be no confusion.

So, with that in mind, I will now give my explanation of what those letter grades mean on my system of reviewing.

A: When a film touches me personally, or makes me think harder about a subject or life itself, I grant the coveted "A" on it. Now, this isn't for every film that gets released, some films are great, but lack that certain something that makes them an "A" film. An "A" film is a great film, thought-provoking and excellently filmed, casted, and presented, very little to nothing about this film detracts from the experience. My "A" reviews might be few and far between, but unlike in school, getting a "B" from me is an excellent thing.
(Ex: Fight Club, Taxi Driver)

B: A great film, highly enjoyable, and totally worth seeing twice or more. This grade in itself is my recommendation to see the film that gets this grade, with the thought that you too will enjoy it as much as I did. It didn't get an "A" because it lacked something, or because there may have been one too many flaws that stopped it from reaching the pinnacle of film greatness.
(Ex: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 300)

C: A mediocre attempt at a film, something that may be interesting the first time you watch it, but more than likely will not be something you ever plan on seeing twice. There may be plot holes, bad directing, or bad acting that dragged this film down to the level of mediocrity that is the Limbo for so many films.
(Ex: Dare Devil, The Punisher)

D: A film that was vomited onto the screen in an attempt to capture someones attention or just to make money. These films are usually doomed to reside in the five-dollar bin at your local department store. Nothing worth watching here, and not recommended at all.
(Ex: Next, Hackers)

F: The worst film that could possibly have been made. This is a movie so terrible, so awful, that it makes you wonder who would ever green-light this film. Lacking in every department, and having nothing good about it whatsoever, this is a film that should be tied to the one ring and dropped into the volcano in Mordor never to be seen again. This film is a failed abortion birthed from the anus of Hollywood and destined to be flushed down to hell.
(Ex: Showgirls, Fahrenheit 9/11)