Gil Whiteley's rating system:

4 Stars,
Almost never happens, but if I give it 4 Stars you need to get out of the house and go see it. Examples of 4 Star movies, The Godfather, Dr.  Strangelove, Life is Beautiful, this year I gave 4 Stars to Ghost Dog and The Girl on the Bridge. I know, you missed both of them, didn't you!

3 1/2 Stars,
This is a very god movie worth of going to, there's usually nothing wrong with it but I'm stingy with my 4 Star rating. Examples of 3 1/2 Star movies, Shakespeare in Love, As Good as it Gets, Good Will Hunting. This year I gave 3 1/2 Stars to Remember the Titans, The Gladiator and several others.

3 Stars,
This is a definite recommend, Oscar winners have come out of this category. Examples of 3 Star movies, Sixth Sense, Armageddon, this year I gave 3 Stars to Mission Impossible II, The Perfect Storm.

2 1/2 Stars,
This is usually a good film, but has something wrong with it, or has a designated audience. Examples of 2 1/2 Star movies, There's Something About  Mary, The Waterboy, this year I gave 2 1/2 Stars to Coyote Ugly and Mystery Men.

2 Stars,
This is still a recommend; these are middle of the road pictures that you know what you're getting. Almost every Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger film have been 2 Stars. This year I gave 2 stars to Boiler Room and the Beach.

1 1/2 Stars,
You're wasting your money! These are usually exploitation films of sometime teenyboppers coming of age stuff. This year's, Woman on Top is the perfect example. Summer of Sam was a 1 1/2 Star movie.

1Star, 
If it's offensive and/or stupid, usually gets film 1 Star. The Waterboy is a classic example; unfortunately these movies sometimes make hundreds of millions of dollars. (Shame on you) What Planet are you From was a 1 Star film this year.

1/2 Stars,
I don't go this low very often, but when a movie is this bad, you need to know about it. The Mummy made my 1/2 Star rating, and they're making a sequel. There's no accounting for taste.

0 Stars,
Only Two movies in the past couple of years have reached this lofty status. I hope you didn't see them but you may have, Battlefield Earth and Night at the Roxbury.

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