# Ratings %% Enter notes below this line %% ## TLDR; this is how I approach star ratings: I somewhat blame [[Letterboxd]] for being great, but I now _really_ love keeping track of the media I consume and what I think of it. Despite that, star ratings have always been weirdly difficult for me until recently when I made a ratings rubric. I keep a note pinned that I still pull up all of the time. ==**rule 1**: _No half stars_.== It's an unnecessary level of granularity that only makes the decision more difficult. Ratings are an inherently subjective thing; it's hard to feel confident about something that doesn't have a Right™ answer. ==**rule 2**: _Rate things at the project level_.== Rating individual episodes or songs feels almost like rating individual chapters. I'll go crazy and no longer enjoy the process. If I rate something, it's at the project level. That means tv seasons, graphic novel volumes, music albums, etc. ==**rule 3**: _"did I like it" and "is this good" are two different questions_.== Both are things I try to take into account, but it's not a science, so I'll never have a defensible argument for a choice, I guess, and that's okay. ==**rule 4**: _connected to the previous rule, I *try* to assess what I think the goal of the creator(s) is and rate based on that_.== --- # Content Rating Guide ## 🎥 Movies ### ★☆☆☆☆ — Hall of Fame bad - Hall-of-fame bad - I need people to know this is horrible - I can't take someone's taste seriously if they genuinely think this is good - Hate-watch worthy - Walked out of the theater - Laughably poor acting - Incoherent plot - If I were three weeks into a hospital stay, alone, and this automatically came on the TV, I would turn it off and sit in silence ### ★★☆☆☆ — Bad - Not for me - Bad overall - Can't recommend it - Will not watch again - Flat characters - Poor dialogue - Poorly shot ### ★★★☆☆ — Fine/Good - Enjoyed it! - I'd tell someone if they asked that it was good - Met expectations - Would watch again but not seek it out ### ★★★★☆ — Great - Exceeded expectations - I'd bring it up to people to recommend it - It would be a contender for "top [number] of movies of that year" for me - I would rewatch this on my own - Resonated with me on some level - Outstanding performance - Has at least one stand-out scene ### ★★★★★ — Hall of Fame good - Hall of Fame good - I need people to know how great this is - I would instantly be convinced to try the next thing from this creator - Compelled to find behind-the-scenes clips and interviews - Must rewatch - Profound impact --- ## 📺 TV / Miniseries ### ★☆☆☆☆ — Hall of Fame bad - Hall-of-fame bad - I need people to know this is horrible - I can't take someone's taste serious if they genuinely think this is good - Couldn't finish an episode - Painful to watch - Lowest production quality - Unbearably slow or nonsensical ### ★★☆☆☆ — Bad - Not for me - Bad overall - Can't recommend it - Lost interest quickly - Unremarkable - Formulaic ### ★★★☆☆ — Fine/Good - Enjoyed it! - I'd tell someone if they asked that it was good - Met expectations - Interesting plot or concept - Engaging enough to finish it - Good production quality ### ★★★★☆ — Great - Exceeded expectations - I'd bring it up to people to recommend it - It would be a contender for "top [number] of TV shows of that year" for me - Has had at least a few episodes that made it hard to not binge - Movie-like performances/production - Strong character development ### ★★★★★ — Hall of Fame good - Hall of Fame good - I need people to know how great this is - I would instantly be convinced to try the next thing from this creator - Redefined a genre - Frustrated that a season is over - A series ending is upsetting --- ## 💿 Music Albums ### ★☆☆☆☆ — Hall of Fame bad - Hall-of-fame bad - I need people to know this is horrible - I can't take someone's taste serious if they genuinely think this is good - Couldn't sit through a single song - Annoying to listen to ### ★★☆☆☆ — Bad - Not for me - Bad overall - Can't recommend it - Can't remember what it sounds like after - Forgettable - Too many skippable tracks ### ★★★☆☆ — Fine/Good - Enjoyed it! - I'd tell someone if they asked that it was good - Met expectations - Had a song or two that I'd add to a playlist - Has an established signature or theme ### ★★★★☆ — Great - Exceeded expectations - I'd bring it up to people to recommend it - It would be a contender for "top [number] of albums of that year" for me - Thought about it the next day - Made me want to learn about the artist - Possibly got added to Heavy Rotation ### ★★★★★ — Hall of Fame good - Hall of Fame good - I need people to know how great this is - I would instantly be convinced to try the next thing from this creator - Consider buying to never lose access - Nearly every track is exceptional - Timeless --- ## 📖 Books ### ★☆☆☆☆ — Hall of Fame bad - Hall-of-fame bad - I need people to know this is horrible - I can't take someone's taste serious if they genuinely think this is good - Couldn't sit through a chapter or two - Filled with errors - Confusing in a bad way - Unreadable writing style ### ★★☆☆☆ — Bad - Not for me - Bad overall - Can't recommend it - Cliche-ridden - One-dimensional characters - Struggled to finish ### ★★★☆☆ — Fine/Good - Enjoyed it! - I'd tell someone if they asked that it was good - Met expectations - Interesting concept - Wasn't painful to get through ### ★★★★☆ — Great - Exceeded expectations - I'd bring it up to people to recommend it - It would be a contender for "top [number] of books of that year" for me - Couldn't put down at parts - Especially resonant - Well written - Emotionally impactful - Makes me want to learn about the author ### ★★★★★ — Hall of Fame good - Hall of Fame good - I need people to know how great this is - I would instantly be convinced to try the next thing from this creator - Life-changing read - Will likely revisit - Extremely/noticeably well written - Influenced my worldview --- ## 🕹️ Games ### ★☆☆☆☆ — Hall of Fame bad - Hall-of-fame bad - I need people to know this is horrible - I can't take someone's taste serious if they genuinely think this is good - Returned immediately - Unplayable due to bugs ### ★★☆☆☆ — Bad - Not for me - Bad overall - Can't recommend it - Boring - Buggy - Tedious ### ★★★☆☆ — Fine/Good - Enjoyed it! - I'd tell someone if they asked that it was good - Met expectations - Relatively bug-free - Fun - Interesting ### ★★★★☆ — Great - Exceeded expectations - I'd bring it up to people to recommend it - It would be a contender for "top [number] of games of that year" for me - A clear example of some kind of creative expression - Deep character development - Visually interesting - Doesn't ever feel like work ### ★★★★★ — Hall of Fame good - Hall of Fame good - I need people to know how great this is - I would instantly be convinced to try the next thing from this creator - All-time favorite - Endless replay value - Never a drag - Killing time toward the end so the game doesn't finish - 100% achievements - Emotionally resonant --- _These are just guides. A thing I'm rating doesn't have to hit all or any of these bullet points but being able to use one helps point me in the right direction._