Though I have written long reviews on other websites in the past, I decided I want to use a review format that is simple and gets to the point without giving away spolilers. I hate spoilers as they ruin a movie.
My reviews consist of five parts:
- Basic information on the movie including the director, stars, the year it was made and its MPAA rating or equivalent if available.
- An opening line that gives my general opinion of the movie and often a very brief introduction to the movie so you can know my opinion right up front.
- A summary of the movie plot which does not give away any spoilers, I hope.
- A basic review, usually in one to three paragraphs, which explains my opinion and take on the movie. I occasionally get carried away talking about a movie, so don't hold me to that one to three paragraphs.
- A rating of the movie expressed as 1 to 5 fingers, further outlined below.
My reviews are short and to the point, but I give the reason why I feel a certain way about a film and not just 'because the movie rocks' or 'man this movie sucked, you'd be stupid to like it'. Heck, even some writers of long movie reviews will still come to those aforementioned conclusions as their reviews are often recaps and spoilers. Why have a movie spoiled for you only to be told you would be stupid to like it?
My review style, like movies, is not going to be to everybody's liking, and that's precisely why it's a good thing there are so many review sites on the internet as we can all find something that works for us. What works for me is giving my opinion on a movie and a basic summary without spoiling the movie, and making it quick but worthwhile for both of us so we can each spend more time watching movies rather than writing and reading reviews.
My Ratings
My rating of the movie is expressed from 1 to 5 fingers, hence the name 5 Finger Movie Review. The more fingers, the better.
- 5 Fingers = Exceptional. A classic. I give it a high five.
- 4 Fingers = A very good movie.
- 3 Fingers = Good. Could be better, but worth a watch.
- 2 Fingers = Not a good or entertaining movie, or otherwise flawed.
- 1 Finger = Poor. Stinker. Turkey. The bottom of the barrel. I give it a finger!
I will occasionally give a 'Plus' in addition to a finger rating (e.g. 3 Fingers Plus). This will indicate a movie which has a little more artistic or entertainment value than I usually ascribe to the rating but does not merit the next rating up. This will only apply to 2 and 3 finger ratings.
Translating My Ratings for Sharing
Being I use a different rating system than stars, if I have reviewed your movie and you would like to quote my rating for promoting your movie, just convert it to the same number of stars. A 'Plus' would also count as a half star. So if I rated your movie 3 Fingers Plus, for example, you can quote it as 3 1/2 stars, or 3 1/2 out of 5, whichever you prefer. 2 Fingers would be 2 Stars, 4 Fingers would be 4 Stars, etc.
If you quote me, you can use either my nickname Toxic Fletch, or my name as Joe Fletcher Martin.
Toxic Fletch
