that's maybe less arbitrary than the rest.
Despite online booking, ticket home-delivery, phone booking and the other paraphernalia of the multiplex experience, the pulsating thrill and racing heartbeat of getting a movie ticket remains unchanged for me. The magic of watching a movie on the not-so-big-any-longer screen is that for those few hours, you're in the film's world, you're consciously choosing to share the experiences and tribulations of the characters that inhabit this world. It's only fair to expect that this world live up to its hype, unlike the real world, which has very little hype and even fewer expectations riding on it.
Here, therefore, is a completely personal movie-rating scale devised after watching many of the much-hyped movies. In each case, a * is the existence of the attribute; no stars allotted for non-existence.
1. The film moves you or makes you think or makes you laugh (with it, not at it) (an extra * if you're still thinking about it favorably the next day)
2. The characters resemble human beings you may know or like to know (and I don't mean six-pack abs or perfect10 figures alone)
3. The performances make the characters believable
4. There is an interesting story, which is well-scripted and well-told (an extra * if the story is exceptionally different)
5. The film carries you along; there isn't a moment where you wish you hadn't spent all that money and effort to watch this one
6. The song-and-dance routines, if included, are foot-tapping or heart-warming
7. The dialogs and lyrics are non-cliched and add to the characterization/songs
8. The film explores some new ground, whether in story, direction, music or any other aspect
On this 10-star scale, my ratings on the last five movies I've seen:
Saawariya: 6 stars
OSO: 5
Dor: 8
Bheja Fry: 7
Dhamaal: 3
What are your ratings of your recently watched movies?
