Rating System for Movies, Videos and DVDs

A = Absolutely Fantastic

B = Better than most

C = Certainly worth seeing

D = Divided: some good/some bad

E = Eh? (as in the Canadian "Eh?", i.e. "iffy")

F = Fergeddit

G = Gawd Awful

Note:  As of the end of February, 2011, we're dropping this rating system. How can you rate a work of art according to some kind of score that ranks it relative to other works? There's no such equivalence among works of art. Henceforth, every review will end with just a capsule comment that will be noted here in the Index as "CC".  

MOVIES

50/50 (CC: Good only for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance) (Oct 17/11)

A History of Violence (E)  (Oct 25/05)

A Mighty Heart (B) (June 28/07)

A Prairie Home Companion (B+) (June 27/06)

A Prophet (C) (March 28/10)

A Serious Man (B-) (Oct 22/09)

A Single Man (E) (Dec 17/09)

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (An offensive hoot) (Nov 27/11)

A Very Long Engagement (E) (Jan 5/05)

Ajami (C-) (June 27/10)

An Education (C+) (Nov 11/09)

Antichrist (E) (Nov 24/09)

Adventureland (D) (April 14/09)

After the Wedding (D) (May 2/07)

Amal (D-) (Sept 5/08)

And When Did You Last See Your Father (B) (June 23/08)

Another Year (D) (Feb 7/11)

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (C) (April 14/09)

Aristocrats, The (Sept 1/05)

Around The Bend (E) (Movie page)

Art School Confidential (E) (May 2/06)

(The) Artist (CC: an artsy experiment that wears thin) Jan 15/12

Assassination of Richard Nixon, The (C) (Feb 21/05)

Avatar (N/A) Jan 11/10

Avenue Montaigne (or "Fauteuils d'Orchestre") (B+) (May 2/07)

Aviator, The (C) (Jan 5/05)

Away From Her (C+) (May 21/07)

Away We Go (E) (June 6/09)

Babel (D) (Feb 16/07)

Bad Education (E) (Jan 19/05)

Ballad of Jack and Rose, The (D) (April 27/05)

Balls of Fury (D) (Aug 29/07)

The Bang Bang Club (Interesting but not emotionally involving) (June 2/11)

Barney's Version (E) (Jan 17/11)

Becoming Jane (C) (Aug 8/07)

Before Sunset (B) (Movie page)

Beginners (June 25/11) CC: Low-key human interest but underwhelming on the whole.

Being Julia (B) (Movie page)

Bella (D) (May 4/08)

Best of Youth, The: Part One (D) (June 15/05)

Beowulf and Grendel (E) (March 17/06)

Biutiful (CC: Moody angst, arty and contrived) (Feb 23/11)

Blades of Glory (C or E) (March 23/07)

Blue Valentine (D-) (Jan 21/11)

Bobby (C) (Aug 29/07)

Body (E) (Feb 3/10)

Bon Cop, Bad Cop (E) (Sept 22/06)

Borat (C-) (Nov 8/06)

(The) Bourne Ultimatum (D) (Aug 8/07)

Boy A (B) (Sept 5/08)

(The) Boys Are Back (C-) (Oct 6/09)

(The) Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (D-) (Dec 4/08)

Breakfast on Pluto (C-)  (Jan 11/06)

Breaking and Entering (C-) March 8/07

Bride and Prejudice (E) (March 21/05)

Bridesmaids (Fun inspite of bathroom humour) (June 2/11)

Brick (F) (May 23/06)

Bright Star (C) (Nov 11/09)

Brokeback Mountain (C-) (Dec 31/05)

Broken Flowers (B) (Sept 7/05)

Brothers (B+) (June 15/05)

Bruno (D) (July 17/09)

(The) Bubble (C) (July 20/07)

Buried (D) (Oct 22/10)

Burn After Reading (D-) (Dec 24/08)

Caché (E) (Feb 16/06)

Capote (B) (Nov 25/05)

Casino Royale (C) (Feb 2/07)

Certified Copy -- Airy fare that's worthwhile mainly for Juliette Binoche (April 11/11)

Charlie Wilson's War (C) (Jan 17/08)

Che, Parts One and Two (C+) Mar 1/09

Choke (E) (Sept 26/08)

(The) Class (Entre Les Murs) (B) (Jan 26/09)

Clean (D) (March 21/05)

Closer (D) (Dec 5/04)

Congorama (D) (Jan 24/07)

Constant Gardener, The (E) (Sept 7/05)

Contagion (CC: entertaining but not amazing) (Oct 17/11)

Control (C) (Nov 22/07)

Conversations With Other Women (C minus) (August 12/06)

(The) Counterfeiters (C) (May 4/08)

Crash (G) (May 18/05)

C.R.A.Z.Y. (D) (Oct 25/05)

Crazy Stupid Love (Aug 11/11): Lots of fun despite the off-putting start

Cyrus (B) July  16/10

(The) Darjeeling Limited (B) (Oct 4/07)

Dear Frankie (B+) (April 8/05)

Death At A Funeral (D) (Oct 4/07)

(The) Death of Mr. Lazarescu (B-) (June 8/07)

Defiance (D) (Jan 10/09)

Departures (C-) (Feb 22/10)

(The) Descendants (CC: Very good) (Dec 20/11)

(The) Devil Wears Prada (D) (August 12/06)

(The) Diving Bell and the Butterfly (B-) (Jan 30/08)

Doubt (C-) (Dec 24/08)

Down Terrace (B) (Dec 6/10)

Downfall (April 27/05)

Dreamgirls (C-) (Dec 27/06)

Due Date (D-) (Dec 6/10)

Easy A (B) (Oct 22/10)

(The) Edge of Heaven (C) (June 23/08)

Everything Is Illuminated (C-) (Dec 12/05)

Exit Through The Gift Shop (E) (June 3/10)

Factory Girl (D) (Feb 16/07)

(The) Father of My Children (B-) (Nov 11/10)

(The) Fighter (D) (Feb 23/11)

5 x 2 (E) (July 10/05)

Flame & Citron (D-) (Aug 23/09)

(The) Flight of the Red Balloon (C) (June 4/08)

For Your Consideration (E) (Nov 28/06)

Force of Nature (C) (Oct 22/10)

40 Year Old Virgin, The (E) (Sept 7/05)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (C-) (May 4/08)

Friends With Money (E) (May 2/06)

From Paris With Love (N/A) (Feb 22/10)

Frost/Nixon (C-) (Dec 24/08)

Funny People (D) (Aug 23/09)

Gainsbourg (CC: too arty) (Oct 22/11)

Garden State (C) (Movie page)

Get Him to the Greek (F) (June 3/10)

Ghost Town (C-) (September 26/08)

(The) Ghost Writer (D) (March 28/10)

Good Night, and Good Luck (D) (Nov 25/05)

Gran Torino (E) (Feb 8/09)

Greenberg (B-) (April 17/10)

(The) Guard (CC: great fun, if you can get through the accents) (Sept 30/11)

Half Nelson (D) (Sept 6/06)

Hangover (C-) (June 6/09)

Hangover II (Entertaing but not amazing) (June 2/11)

Happy-Go-Lucky (D-) (Nov 16/08)

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanomo Bay (E) (May 18/08)

Head In The Clouds (E) (Movie page)

Head On (D) (July 10/05)

Higher Ground (CC: Grows on you in a quiet, authentic way) (Sept 30/11)

History Boys, The (C) (Dec 11/06)

(The) Hoax (C-) (April 14/07)

Horrible Bosses CC: The drek submerges the clever touches (July 19/11)

Hot Fuzz (C-) (May 2/07)

Hot Tub Time Machine (E) (March 28/10)

Hotel Rwanda (C) (Jan 19/05)

Howl (DVD) CC: an interesting cultural landmark but not a fun movie (Nov 7/11)

Humpday (B) (July 31/09)

Hunger (B+) (April 14/09)

(The) Hunting Party (D) (Sept 18/07)

(The) Hurt Locker (B??) (July 17/09)

I Am Love (D-) (Aug 2/10)

I (Heart) Huckabees (B) (Movie page)

I Love You, Man (D+) (March 24/09)

I Love You Phillip Morris (DVD) CC: Blech! (Nov 7/11)

I Shot My Love (D+) May 5/10

(The) Ides of March (CC: Not as good as it looks) Jan 15/12

I'm Not There (C) (Dec 8/07)

In A Better World (CC: Impressive but too self-consciously grand) (May 14/11)

In Bruges (B-) (Feb 26/08)

In Good Company (C-D) (Jan 5/05)

In The Loop (C-) (Oct 22/09)

Inception (C or F) (Aug 9/10)

(The) Informant! (D) (Oct 6/09)

Inglourious Basterds (C-) (Dec 31/09)

Intimate Strangers (C) (Movie page)

Into The Wild (B-) (Oct 25/07)

(The) Iron Lady (CC: Almost very good) (Jan 23/12)

Iron Man (D) (May 18/08)

I've Loved You So Long (C-) (Dec 4/08)

Jack Goes Boating (C-) (Oct 22/10)

J’ai Tué Ma Mère (D) (Feb 22/10)

Jane Eyre -- Beautiful But Not Passionate (April 11/11)

Jarhead (E) (Dec 12/05)

Journals of Knud Rasmussen, The (E) (Sept 22/06)

Julie and Julia (D-) (Dec 17/09)

Junebug (B) (Nov 4/05)

Juno (D) (Dec 8/07)

Kenny (B) (March 26/08)

King, The (B) (June 9/06)

(The) King's Speech (A-) (Dec 21/10)

Kinsey (C) (Movie page)

Knocked Up (C) (June 8/07)

La Danse (C+) (June 27/10)

La Vie En Rose (C+) (June 28/07)

Ladies In Lavender (C+) (July 10/05)

Lady Chatterley (C) (Aug 29/07)

Lars and the Real Girl (B) (Feb 13/08)

Last Chance Harvey (C+) (Feb 8/09)

(The) Last King of Scotland (C) Nov 8/06

(The) Last Mistress (E) (Sept 5/08)

(The) Last Station (C+) (Feb 3/10)

Le Grand Silence (B+) July 20/07

L'Enfant (A minus) (April 12/06)

Les Anges Exterminateurs (E) (Jan 24/07)

Les Choristes  (D) (Feb 21/05)

Letters to Juliet (C-) (June 27/10)

Lie With Me (E) (Dec 12/05)

Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The (C) (Jan 19/05)

Life As We Know It (C-) (Nov 11/10)

Limitless (CC: ok as a thriller but nothing more) (March 24/11)

(The) Limits of Control (E) (June 6/09)

Little Ashes (D) (June 6/09)

Little Children (F) (Feb 16/07)

Little Miss Sunshine (A) (Sept 6/06)

(The) Lives of Others (C) (Feb 16/07)

Look At Me (C) (April 18/05)

Looking For Alexander (E) (April 18/05)

Machinist, The (F) (Dec 5/04)

(The) Magic Flute (A) (March 24/09)

Mamma Mia! (A) (July 21/08)

Maria Full of Grace (C) (Movie page)

Marley & Me (E) (Dec 31/09)

Matador (A, C-) (Feb 16/06) 

Match Point (D) (Feb 1/06)

Me, You and Everyone We Know (Sept 1/05)

Merchant of Venice, The (C) (Jan 28/05)

Melancholia (CC: Impressively arty but the hand-held camera killed me) Dec 20/11

Michael Clayton (D) (Jan 29/08)

Mid-August Lunch (C) (July 16/10)

Midnight In Paris (CC: mildly entertaining) (Oct 22/11)

Milk (C-) (Dec 4/08)

Million Dollar Baby (D) (Jan 28/05)

(The) Misfortunates (C-) (April 17/10)

Mother (C-) (March 28/10)

Motorcycle Diaries, The (B) (Movie page)

Mr. Brooks (C-) (June 8/07)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (C) (Sept 1/05)

Mrs. Henderson Presents (D) (Jan 11/06)

Munich (D) (Feb 1/06)

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (F) (July 18/06)

My Week With Marilyn (Showbiz Fun) (Dec 12/11)

My Winnipeg (E) (July 5/08)

(The) Mysteries of Pittsburgh (D) (May 10/09)

Napoleon Dynamite (D) (Movie page)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (C) (Oct 16/08)

Nightwatching (C-) (March 1/09)

No Country for Old Men (B-) (Dec 8/07)

No Reservations (E) (Aug 8/07)

Notes on a Scandal (C) (Feb 16/07)

Observe and Report (E) (May 10/09)

Of Gods and Men (CC: a profound study of faith, courage, charity) (March 11/11)

Once (C-) (June 8/07)

127 Hours (C+) (Dec 6/10)

One Week (E) (March 24/09)

Our Idiot Brother (CC: too cluttered and cutesy) (Sept 30/11)

(The) Page Turner (E) (April 14/07)

Palindromes (C) (June 15/05)

Paris Je T'Aime (C) (May 21/07)

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (F) (Dec 31/09)

Pineapple Express (C-) (Dec 31/09)

Pink Panther, The (B/E) (March 9/06)

Please Give (D) (June 3/10)

Police, Adjective (CC: fascinating for connoisseurs) Jan 7/12

(The) Pool (B) (May 10/09)

Pride and Prejudice (C) (Nov 25/05)

Primer (C) (Dec 20/04)

(The) Proposal (C-) (June 28/09)

Queen, The (B) (Oct 14/06)

Rabbit Hole (D) (Jan 17/11)

Rachel Getting Married (B-) Oct 27/08

Ray (C) (Movie page)

(The) Reader (C-) Jan 26/09

Restrepo (B) (Aug 2/10)

Revolutionary Road (D) (Jan 10/09)

Role Models (C) Nov 16/08

Running With Scissors (F) (Nov 28/06)

Ryan (C) (March 21/05)

Sabah (D) (July 21/05)

Savages (E) (Jan 17/08)

Schultze Gets The Blues (B) (March 21/05)

Science of Sleep, The (C) (Sept 22/06)

(The) Secret in Their Eyes (B) (May 5/10)

Secrets of the Tribe (D) (May 5/10)

Sin Nombre (C-) (April 14/09)

Slumdog Millionaire (C) (Dec 4/08)

Sea Inside, The (D) (Jan 28/05)

Shame (Elegant Ennui) (Dec 12/11)

She's The Man (D) (March 17/06)

Sideways (D) (Dec 20/04)

(The) Social Network (B) (Oct 22/10)

(The) Soloist (B) (Dec 31/09)

Somewhere (B) (Jan 21/11)

Squid and the Whale, The (D) (Nov 25/05)

Stage Beauty (D) (Movie page)

(The) Steam of Life (C+) (May 5/10)

Stranger Than Fiction (C) (December 11/06)

Starting Out In The Evening (E) (Jan 30/08)

Step Brothers (C-) (Sept 5/08)

Summer Hours (C) (July 31/09)

Synecdoche, New York (D) (Dec 4/08)

Syriana (E) (Dec 31/05)

Taking Woodstock (D-) (Dec 30/09)

Thank You For Smoking (E) (March 17/06)

There Will Be Blood (E) (Jan 30/08)

This Is England (B) (Nov 22/07)

This Way of Life (B+) (May 5/10)

Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (C) (March 9/06)

Three Monkeys (D) (May 10/09)

Transamerica (D) (Feb 1/06)

(The) Tree of Life. CC: artsty, moody, beautiful and tiresome (June 20/11)

(The) Trip CC: Some charm but not enough substance (July 19/11)

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (D) (March 9/06)

Tropic Thunder C- (Feb 8/09)

(The) Trotsky (E-) (June 3/10)

Truands (D) (Jan 24/07)

True Grit (C or E, depending) (Jan 17/11)

Two Days in Paris (F) (Sept 18/07)

Two Lovers (B+) (May 10/09)

United 93 (D) (May 2/06)

Up In The Air (C-) (Nov 24/09)

Valet, the (C-) (May 21/07)

Venus (C) (Feb 2/07)

Vera Drake (B+) (Movie page)

(The) Visitor (C-) (May 18/08)

Volver (F) (Nov 28/06)

Walk on Water (C) (March 21/05)

Walk The Line (B) (Feb 1/06)

Waltz With Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) (D) Jan 26/09

We Don't Live Here Anymore (F) (Movie page)

Wedding Crashers, The (D) (Sept 16/05)

Wendy and Lucy (C-) (March 1/09)

Where The Truth Lies (E) (Oct 25/05)

(The) White Ribbon (C) (Mar 17/10)

Wilby Wonderful (D) (Movie page)

WIn Win -- Story and Characters Too Slight, Despite Good Acting (April 11/11)

(The) Wind That Shakes the Barley (C) (March 23/07)

Winter's Bone (B+) (July 16/10)

Woodsman, The (C-) (Feb 4/05)

(The) Wrestler (B+) (Jan 10/09)

Yes (E) (Sept 16/05)

(The) Yes Men Fix the World (C) (Feb 3/10)

You Don't Mess With The Zohan (B-) (June 4/08)

Young Adult (CC: not good enough) Jan 7/12

(The) Young Victoria (B) (Jan 11/10)

Zodiac (C-) (March 8/07)

VIDEOS and DVDs

200 American (E) (Sept 16/05)

A Good Year (E) (June 8/07)

A Royal Scandal (F) (August 29/07)

Anatomy of Hell (E) (March 21/05)

Angels in America (C) (March 21/05)

Before Sunrise (B) (Videos and DVDs page)

Bent (N/A) (March 21/05)

(The) Bucket List (C-) (June 23/08)

Captive, The (E) (Videos and DVDs page)

Collateral (D) (April 27/05)

Dancing At Lughnasa (B) (April 8/05)

Dogville (G) (Feb 28/05)

Door In The Floor, The (E) (Feb 28/05)

Dreamers (E) (Videos and DVDs page)

Eastern Promises (C-) (Dec 30/07)

Enchanted (C-) (April 16/08)

Facing Windows (D) (March 21/05)

Family Stone, The (E) (June 6/06)

Finding Neverland (D) (April 27/05)

Fracture (B) (Dec 30/07)

Gaz Bar Blues (C) (Videos and DVDs page)

(The) Good Shepherd (D) (April 14/07)

Housekeeper, The (C) (Videos and DVDs page)

I, Claudia (B) (Feb 28/05)

If.... (A) (March 26/08)

(The) Illusionist (C) (May 2/07)

In This World (D) (Videos and DVDs page)

Intimacy (C) (Videos and DVDs page)

Jesse Stone: Sea Change (D) (April 16/08)

Ladykillers, The (E) (Videos and DVDs page)

Love Is The Devil (Aug 10/05)

Marie Antoinette (C) (April 14/07)

Master and Commander (D) (Videos and DVDs page)

My House In Umbria (C) (Videos and DVDs page)

Naked States (D) (Sept 16/05)

(The) Nanny Diaries (E) (Dec 30/07)

Nine Songs (E) (March 9/06)

Open Water (E) (Feb 28/05)

(The) Prestige (E) (May 2/07)

(The) Queen's Sister (C) (Aug 29/07)

Reign Over Me (B) (Dec 30/07)

Rescue Dawn (D) (Dec 30/07)

Seducing Dr. Lewis (B) (Videos and DVDs page)

Sex Is Comedy (E) (Feb 28/05)

Sicko (B) (March 26/08)

Terminal, The (D) (Jan 5/05)

True Romance (C) Dec 30/07)

Under The Tuscan Sun (D) (Videos and DVDs page)

Waitress (C) (Feb 13/08)

You, Me and Dupree (F) (April 14/07)

Movie Essays

Academy Awards 2007 (Feb 16/07)

Academy Awards Afterglow (March 9/06)

An Overview (June 15/05)

Aspects of Academy Awards (Feb 7/11)

Battle Royal: Britain vs Hollywood -- Academy Awards 2008 (Feb 26/08)

Food in Movies: mini-essay (June 27/06)

The Secret to the Academy Awards (March 9/06)