Just a little info about how I rate the things I watch (for anyone who may be interested/following). I watch movies/series for escapism and entertainment only, and my ratings are based purely on personal enjoyment.  

I’m not very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of what makes a good/great movie or series (in the eyes of critics), and if I’m being completely honest, I don’t really care all that much. I just like what I like… even if it happens to be the most jankiest, cheesiest, low budget thing to ever exist.

In the past few years I’ve been following some YouTubers who talk more in-depth about lighting, cinematography, score, casting, editing, etc., and while it has given me a better understanding (and a greater appreciation) of these components of film-making, ultimately they don’t directly influence my ratings.  The story, characters (and character interactions), content, themes/tropes, etc., just need to “click” with me in some way. That’s really all I care about.

So… if you’re browsing my Diary/Films and find yourself wondering, “How the hell could she give that 5 stars!?”  Well, I hope this sheds some light on it. 😜

My Rating System:
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🔴 0.5★
Absolutely horrible. Only watched a few minutes before dropping it. This is almost always because of horrendous acting and/or dialogue that utterly destroys any (potential) immersion and enjoyment of the story.

🔴 1★
Awful and/or boring. Dropped it at some point after the "few minutes" mark. Tried to give it a chance, but eventually I just couldn’t endure it anymore and had to bail.

🔴 1.5★
Mostly awful and/or boring. Had some not-so-terrible moments, and I somehow managed to watch it all, but ended up really regretting it. Should have dropped it and not wasted my time and/or money.
     * In very, very rare instances, a film that I feel deserves a 0.5 rating may get a 1.5 rating simply because I hate-watched the entire thing. (For some awful reason I feel compelled to watch the trainwreck all the way to the end). This only happens with shitty, butchered adaptations of source material that I love dearly.  I’m looking at you, Death Note (2017) and Persuasion (2022). 😡

🟡 2★
Not overwhelmingly terrible. Had a few decent moments, but overall it wasn’t enjoyable and I kind of regret wasting my time with it.

🟡 2.5★
Again, not overwhelmingly terrible. Had some good moments, and I didn’t regret watching it, but I didn’t really enjoy it overall.

🟢 3★
A “popcorn” experience. Decent and entertaining for what it was. Not a bad way to kill a couple of hours, but ultimately forgettable and not something I would watch again.

🟢 3.5★
A caramel-coated “popcorn” experience. :) Very similar to a 3-star, but slightly more enjoyable and memorable. However, still not something I would watch again.

🔵 4★
Very enjoyable.  I had a fun time with this. A good experience that I would recommend, and would probably rewatch again at some point.

🔵 4.5★
Extremely enjoyable. Very close to being a top fave, but just had a little “something” missing that didn’t quite push it over the edge for me into a 5-star. Definitely recommended, and something I would rewatch multiple times.

🟣 5★
Loved it! Not everything about this may have been “perfection” for me, but it had multiple aspects that made it a fantastic experience. Highly recommended, and something I will continue to rewatch countless times throughout the years.

Some examples of my ratings, in descending order from 5 to 0.5: