The Rubric

I have a rubric for my two scores.

The first is entertainment. Did I love the movie?

Score	Theater Viewing	Score	DVD Purchasing
5	I’m going to see it again.	4	Buying it when it comes out.
4	If someone asks, I’ll go.	3	Might buy it later
3	I’ll probably see it once.	2	I’ll probably rent it once
2	I regret seeing it at all.	1	If I’m bored, I’ll watch it on TV/plane
1	I want my money back.	0	Don’t ever bring this movie up

So Avengers was a 9, The Accountant was a 10. I reserve an extra point to give to the movie at my discretion. Avengers was good on its own. I saw it multiple times in the theater and bought it. With The Accountant, I wanted to take my son to see it (he ended up saying no) but I looked for an opportunity. I bought it as soon as it came out with my own blow money. It touched me on a personal level so it got the extra point (it's the only character I can say for sure I related to).

The second is art. I break things down by role: actor, cinematographer, editor, writer, director, and producer. The order is intentional, based on how visible the effect is.

Actors are charged with communication. How well do they communicate the story. Are they believable? Did they look like they were having fun? Total of 3 points, 2 given.

The art department is a whole amalgam of artistry. Cinematographers are color and shot setup. Did they make choices that were just beautiful or impressive shots? Were they just showing off? Costumes, set design. And of course, CGI. Total of 3 points, 2 given.

Music can make or break a movie. It's one of my disappointments with Marvel: the music is just bleh. Compare that to Wonder Woman ... yeah, you get it. Total of 2 points, 1 given.

Editors are like bass players - you know if they know what they're doing if you don't notice them. Sometimes pacing can be the editor, sometimes the story. I can usually tell by where in the movie I notice it. Total of 3 points, 2 given.

The writer's responsibility is tricky. By the time the movie is done, the script will be completely different. I know that I can trace dialogue, theme, and pacing back to the writer. But even that's iffy. However, no one would refute that the writer's job is one of the most important, if not the most. So, a total 4 points with 3 earned automatically. This reflects that it's really easy to lose that given point, but hard to go lower.

The director has all fingers in all pies. In one way or another, as the leader, the movie is either his fault or his glory. The director is the main decider of creative staff. A good leadership style (depending on the team) is to be hands off. In that case, how much goes to the director? How much to the artistic team? Didn't the director hire the artistic team? So, a total of 3 points with 2 points given. This, for me, is the hardest to defend but the director is the leader. It makes sense that the most weight be given to his role.

Finally, there's the producer. From a cinematic point of view, the producer is more responsible for the money. But, he does decide to adapt the work or purchase the script. So, I give a total of two points with one given. If the movie really shouldn't have been made, zero.

Then, I take the total and divide by 2. I may fudge a half-point up or down depending on how I felt.