Movie/DVD Reviews Intro

For the past few years, I've given reviews to the movies I've watched; usually by quarter or half-year.

I'm no professional, so I don't try to take it too seriously, but I'm one of the more "well read" (to borrow a term referring to books) I know, I I look at the effort as a way to offer up some advice.  Hopefully, I can turn my loyal readers (I believe there are at least two) onto something that may have slipped under their radar.

After my last review series, I was taken to task a bit by giving a high grade to Home Alone; a grade that it probably didn't deserve as a technical piece, but it did deserve because I just, plain had fun watching it (and my kids loved it).

So let me explain a little further on the grades.  I try to take into consideration a wonderfully directed or acted film-- and a usually note it in my review.  But my final "grade" is really about how much I enjoyed it.  I saw a lot of really fine films in 2008, but they were boring as shit.  I couldn't really mark them with a high grade because it sometime felt like torture to sit through them.

So the general grades are as follows:
A:  A fantastic movie.  Nearly flawless.  A "must see". 
B:  Highly enjoyable (B+) to moderately enjoyable.  Definitely worth watching.
C:  On the fence.  Has good and bad qualities. Hopefully what I write can steer you to know if it's something you'd be interested in.
D:  Bad flick.  It may have one or two redeeming qualities (and I'll try to mention those as well).
F:  Terrible.  Nothing worth watching.

I admit, my grade may curve from year to year (although I think I've been pretty consistent), but I do my best to keep at least the Quarter Series reviews tied together.  A film that got a B+ is one I enjoyed more than one that got a B.

I hope that helps.

And I kept my reviews more brief this time around (except for a few). Hopefully that makes them more readable.  And, as always, films were watched on DVD unless mentioned otherwise.  Why mention how I saw them? Things I saw in the theatres usually get a small bump (I have a decent home set-up, but nothing beats the theatre experience) and movies I saw on TV (hardly ever on broadcast networks; don't like cuts)may get a slight decrease just because there wasn't anything "extra" like what a DVD would have (usually noted if I especially liked an extra).

Finally, am I just lucky by seeing so grade B movies and not so many lesser ones?  No, I just know what I like and read reviews when I can, so I can usually avoid movies that would get lesser grades from me.  Eay as that.