Although I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from film reviewing (due to travel and work commitments), I have been ruminating on what it means to be a film reviewer and sprocket fiend (read Patton Oswalt’s book Silver Screen Fiend for clarification). One particular thought has struck me like a cobra - I must conceive a better reviewing system if I want to call myself a real film reviewer.
To begin with, I have decided to discontinue my use of the star rating system, as I find it to be clichéd, as well as a limiting method of assessing films. From now on, all films I review will be evaluated using a score out of 100, based on the following, more granular, ten criteria:
- Experience and engagement
- Originality
- Storytelling
- Characters and performances
- Direction
- Cinematography and visuals
- Production values
- Editing
- Music and sound
- Enduring imprint
Each of these criteria will be marked out of ten, which will then amalgamate into an overall score out of 100.
In addition to this new rating system, I have also decided to pay more attention to older classics that have mysteriously evaded me. I'd like to give a big shout out to Patton Oswalt, Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese for reviving this love within me. I feel that an encyclopaedic knowledge of film (as opposed to my amateurish attempt at cinephilia) is the direction I should move towards not just as a film reviewer, but as a filmmaker. If I’m going to mention my two biggest idols in filmmaking, then I might as well deepen my passion for classic cinema the way they did (and continue to do). I am planning to view many (if not all) of the 100 films in my watchlist for the rest of this year.
My reviews will also be more conversational in their tone while retaining a diverse vocabulary and will include more specific references to the film without revealing spoilers. I hope that I can provide you with a more rigorous analysis of films, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
