Reference: Grading System

The following is simply a reference post which I will link any reviews I post here to so you can get a better idea of what I mean when I give a C grade to something and then recommend that same movie.

Grading System
For those unfamiliar with my amazingly awesome acclaimed grading system :p, here's a basic rundown with some recent examples. It may seem like your typical A to F grading scheme, but what's different is that mine actually makes sense, unlike those of the idiots I frequently encounter on the net who declare things they like an automatic A-, A or A+ and for whom a C+ is a bad grade, which of course makes little to no sense when C is, obviously, the middle grade in the range being used.

A Masterpiece. Top 40 or so films ever made. Or at least that I've seen. If you haven't seen it, you better be queueing up with the DVD in your hand as you read this. This grade basically means there is a good chance that this film was directed by Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch or Francis Ford Coppola (eg. Batman Begins)

A- A Near-Masterpiece. In a typical year this film would rank in the Top 3 or so out of everything released. See it now unless you're busy watching an "A" movie (eg. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

B+ Excellent. A terrific, way above average moviegoing experience. While it isn't quite among the the greatest movies ever made it is nonetheless a film worth seeing at least once in theatres (eg. Revenge Of The Sith)

B Very Good. Again, a lot better than an average movie and one that you should see in theatres. It has some flaws or is too simple in its execution to warrant a higher grade, but basically achieves what it sets out to do to an acceptable standard and has a few stand-out elements (eg. War Of The Worlds)

B- Good. If you love the genre, see this movie now. If you're indifferent or don't care too much for the genre there's probably something better to watch at the movies right now but it's still highly recommended as a rental (eg. Layer Cake)

C+ Slightly Above Average. Does a decent job, maybe tries to be a little different and original but is still essentially your basic run-of-the-mill movie and is recommended as a rental (eg. The World's Fastest Indian)

C Average. This film is what you expect from a film of its genre and nothing more. If tries to be better than a typical flick it has failed, but at the same time it's still worth seeing once and is moderately enjoyable (eg. The Amityville Horror)

C- Slightly Below Average. If you're a fan of the genre, and only if you're a fan of the genre, is this movie recommended. Generally falls short of what it sets out to do, but is nonetheless watchable if nothing else is on and you don't have to pay to see it (eg. Guess Who)

D+ Poor. Definitely not recommended, this film falls short at most hurdles. If it's a comedy, it's short on laughs but draws an occasional chuckle every now and then to stop you from switching channels/leaving the theatre/jumping from a tall building. If it's a drama, it may bore you to tears but there's the occasional saving grace like a solid performance or an emotionally resonant scene that pops up out of the blue. This grade basically represents a very uneven film (eg. The Skeleton Key)

D Very Poor. Do not watch this movie unless you're a filmmaker learning about what not to do. This film should never have been given the green light. The story is lacking and is very rarely entertaining (eg. Madagascar)

D- Atrocious. This grade often signals a film has avoided an F-grade simply by falling into the so-bad-it's good category. Unintentionally funny films can be found here, and generally a D- suggests that you will sit there wondering how no one on set had the revelation during the filming of each horrible scene that they were making such an awful movie. How did the script get approval? Did the actors sign on without reading it? D- films are also known as Bermuda Triangle films, in that they carry with them so many of these mysteries and unanswered questions (eg. none recently, but Battlefield Earth comes to mind)

F There are no saving graces when it comes to an F-film. An F-film is a complete and utter failure; an incomprehensible mess, not even entertaining as a "bad movie" like the D- movies which you can at least laugh at. F-movies were planted on this earth by Uwe Boll and the Devil to ensure pain and suffering is unleashed upon those of us in countries which don't suffer the horrors of widespread povety and civil wars. Every print should be burnt, every DVD melted, everyone involved convicted of crimes against humanity (eg. The Ring Two)

As you may have noticed, there is no A+. Why? F represents total failure. A represents total success. Everything else in between is just a way of seperating films into categories determining to what extent they succeed and fail.

Also, there is no F+. This is due to the fact that (a) I don't need as many categories to determine how bad a bad movie is, especially as I see few of these such films anyway after checking out their reviews beforehand and also as such films are hard to categorise when I feel nothing but hatred towards them, and (b) an F is an F. It is a standalone way of saying that a film is the worst thing ever made. An F+ indicates that there is something that comes close to being an F without being an F. This is impossible, as an F is so bad that nothing can possibly come close. Thus, the absense of F+ better emphasises just how bad The Ring Two really is.