Report Bravo_Zulu's Profile

Brief description of my rating style; it's not too unorthodox, please bear with me. My ratings have used the /5 Star system for some time, and each star represents one of five broad aesthetic categories in a film which include the Acting, the Story, the Designing, the Music, and how well all of these umbrella categories come together into the final product, the Directing.
Each category represents a star, and one of those stars is rewarded when I feel that the film has satisfied one of these aspects. I reward half stars in the same category if there is an attempt in that category, but is not developed far enough or feels somehow lacking. No star is rewarded if there is no attempt or unsatisfactory attempt in the category.
Again, each category is really an umbrella category which can be further divided as there are clearly more than just five broad categories that go into a film.

For example, I break down the Acting category into what is appropriate for each film medium such as Live Action Acting or Voice Acting in Animation. In Animation as well, I keep an eye out for how developed the characters interact and act out emotion. If the voice acting compliments the character's emitted emotions in animation, that's spot on to me. If there is a disconnect between voice acting and the context on screen, that's a paddling to me. Environment and prop interaction is considered acting to me.

The Environment and props themselves I consider to be Design. Design refers to both categories: character design and environment design. Environment design refers to the background, character design is how the physical features and costume of a character. Both design categories should influence the overall tone and mood of the production, contributing to the film's atmosphere. Again, a half star or no star can be rewarded in this category as well.

The Story should be coherent, succinct, and organized in order to win a star. My favorite stories are so tightly knit with so few holes that I consider them water proof, even after searching for plot holes. If the film has a few plot holes, it's not the end of the world (or the review for me), I keep on watching to see the resolution. If the resolution resolves but weakly, I give half a star.

Music is the broad category that includes the soundtrack and sound effects and how they are edited into the film. Excellent music is as memorable in a film as the movie itself (take Star Wars, or Harry Potter's scores) My favorite productions have music that is so developed that not only does each scene get a unique piece attached, but also each character has music attached which makes them so memorable. Suddenly, these characters do not just have physically unique features, but also have memorable soundtracks to accompany them wherever. A half star is rewarded if such music is not developed as intricately.

The Direction refers to how each of the previous four categories finally culminate into the final product, the film. It refers to the final gestalt of the production, how the director nuanced the mood, tone, atmosphere of the film. This is the most difficult star for me to give, because I reward this star for how big an impression the film left me. Very often I can easily give the four previous stars but the final product did not leave a big enough impression for me to reward the final star. In those cases, I may pity the production and give half of the star, thinking, "well, they fulfilled the rest of the categories, but..."

In each medium, I reward one particular production with a sixth star, placing the production on a pedestal as one that stands out even above other 5 star productions. These few I consider masterpieces and excel in all categories. they are my favorite production in the medium (if one could have a favorite in any extensive medium!). Part of reasons is sentimentality, sometimes nostalgia I admit, but I always analyze and I try very hard to find holes (to no avail, which only furthers the film's impression on me.

For example, my 6 star film in my opinion to stand against all other films from my perspective is Kenneth Branagh's 1996 adaptation of Hamlet. In addition to the script being Shakespeare and therefore beautifully written, the acting is flawless by the entire cast. Hamlet's story is one of the most analyzed stories in all of English literature, meaning it's one of the most in depth. The Music is as grandiose as to fit Danish royalty, thanks to Sir Patrick Doyle's music score. The final result is magical, sublime, flawless, waterproof. It had moved me especially the most out of any movie I have seen of yet. Though I have seen many beautifully directed films and look forward to many more in my life, this film Hamlet I am confident to say will remain on my pedestal. I look forward to the next film that challenges that title!