How will I know if I can trust MovieFoot ratings?
It is simple; take the basic compatibility test by looking at the list of rated movies that you have already seen. If you agree with both the letter grade and icon rating (Run See, Go See, Wait or Stop) of the movies that you’ve seen, you can be confident that future MovieFoot ratings will match your own opinions. Be sure to read what the ratings mean FIRST. The ratings are done by a very small, consistent group of people so you won’t have wildly varying opinions. If you agree with the ratings that you see on MovieFoot.com now, then you can trust the ratings that you will see in the future and make MovieFoot your source for deciding what movies to see at the theater.
What do the four categories (Foot-O-Meter) with the purple, green, yellow and red icons mean?
MovieFoot summarizes each movie with one of four ratings that indicate what you should do.
Run Go See (purple icon) – This is an EXCELLENT movie that you should put at the top of your list to see above all others at the theater. Run Go See movies are rare.
Go See (green icon) – A very good movie that you should spend the money in the theater and go see.
Wait For DVD (yellow icon) – A good movie that is worth watching but there is no need to rush to the theater and pay top dollar to see it. You can wait until it is available for streaming, DVD rental or at the discount theaters.
Kick The Bucket (red icon) – Stop, do not waste time watching this movie. Do not waste your time or money even if it’s free.What Do The Seven Letter Grade Ratings on MovieFoot mean?
There are seven letter grades: A+, A, B+, B, B-, C and F.
A+ = (95+) The really rare super movie. This is in Avatar’s class and would be eligible for Movie of The Year. This is a movie that you can watch several times and it leaves an impact each time. It is not necessarily a big budget movie but it is a huge impact movie. An A+ movie is less than 5% of movies so don’t expect to see an A+ very often.
A = (90-94) An extremely good movie and would be eligible to win Top 10 Movie of The Year. It is one that is worth seeing over again and one that you will tell your friends to go and see immediately. Around 10% of movies will fit in this class.
B+ = (87-89) Now that was a good movie. A B+ is a good movie where you feel that you got your money’s worth. This is Hollywood class, excellently scripted, produced and acted. The average Hollywood movie has a two digit multi-million dollar budget and if it hits national screens it is most likely at least a B+ but not always. 75-80%+ of major releases will earn a B+.
B = (84-86) A decent movie but you can wait until it comes out on DVD, is available for streaming or is playing at the discount theaters for $1, $2 or $3 admission. A B movie may be worth the matinee price or it may be worth it if it has one of your favorite stars in it.
B- = (80-83) It may have a few good scenes but is an overall mediocre movie. Definitely don’t spend big ticket money on this movie unless you are dating or know someone in the movie. In that case, tell them it’s an A+ movie (after all, it is an A+ to them) but don’t tell them you use MovieFoot.
C = (70-79) You will regret spending both the time and money on this movie. Only go see this at the theater if -your sibling or close friend is in the movie – you’ve got a cameo appearance or you are a -major star in the movie -you are an investor in it because it will need every dollar of revenue it can get -you are taking someone on a date to break up with them or -you know someone in the movie and you don’t like them and you want to gloat on how bad it is
F = (Below 70) Don’t waste your time on this even if it comes with free popcorn or any of the above reasons given with a C grade.
Why aren’t there any C+, C-, D’s, F+ and F- grades?
You will regret spending time and money on anything below B-.
Why are the reviews so short?
Each movie review usually will fit into a standard text or tweet of 140 characters or less. The reviews are short but to the point and easily tweeted or sent by text.
What is the Laugh-O-Meter?
This is the actual count of the number of laughs in the movie. The Laugh-O-Meter does not just apply to comedies but to all movies. Even horror movies often have funny scenes. The Laugh-O-Meter gives you an approximate idea of how funny the movie is. The Laugh-O-Meter is usually accurate within 20% because everyone does not laugh at the same things. Often in a movie you can have a scene where half of the audience laughs and the other half does not. The reviewer for the Laugh-O-Meter considers their own laughing as well as the laughing of those in the audience.
Will I agree with ALL MovieFoot ratings if I score high on the compatibility test?
Of course not. Even the most compatible people have different opinions but they usually are small and rare. There may be cases where you don’t agree with a MovieFoot rating but if you scored high on the Compatibility Test, those times should be rare and the differences should be small.
Why MovieFoot ratings?
MovieFoot was started by an avid movie goer who simply could not trust many movie ratings. Have you been upset with ratings that said the movie was great yet as the credits rolled you said, “Did I actually pay for that?” Or a review that gave the movie a low rating and you left wishing you had time to watch it again? Sometimes the reviews may have been accurate and sometimes you wondered, “What were they smoking when they rated that movie?”
So the avid movie goer thought to themselves, “I wish there was a rating service where the movies were rated by a person who felt as I did about movies.” The thought then entered, “Why don’t you start such a service?” Thus, on a Wednesday afternoon in 2014 in a dark theater as the credits were rolling, the concept of MovieFoot was born.
Most movie ratings are obtained by averaging hundreds or thousands of ratings or by professional critics. Some simply have a LIKE or DISLIKE button with nothing in-between. So if the rating is 50%, are you in the half that liked it (and perhaps of that half, half loved it) or are you in the half that did not like the movie? The average of thousands of people may or may not agree with you. You may not agree with movie critics because often they don’t agree among themselves and have judgment criteria that may be totally foreign to you.
The most famous movie critics were Siskel and Ebert and they could have totally opposite opinions on the same movie. So which one did you believe, Siskel or Ebert? You just had to spend your money and take your chances. MovieFoot hopes to save money for those who are MovieFoot compatible. If you score high on the MovieFoot Compatibility Test, then you can trust that you will agree with the vast majority of MovieFoot ratings. If you do not score high on the MovieFoot compatibility test, then you must use another rating service, spend your money and take your chances.
What does the Minimum Age mean?
This is “OUR” opinion of the minimum age a child should be before seeing this movie. If the movie is rated R, then a minimum age is not given because a child should not see that movie. This age can vary depending on the strictness of what a parent want their child exposed to. We rate three areas (sex, talking and violence) in the movie for child appropriateness with a letter grade of A, B, C or F. A means suitable for all ages and F means only for a sailor.
Are movies rated on their morality?
Absolutely not! Virtually all R rated movies and many PG13s would not pass Sunday School muster. Even PG and G movies can sometimes have religiously objectionable content for some faiths. If you attend an R rated movie, then you already know the content so the rating itself gives you fair warning. MovieFoot rates movies solely on the entertainment value, not the moral value. But as mentioned, you already know an R rated movie will usually have an ample amount in at least one area (but often all three) of sex, language and violence. If you are considering a movie for your kids, then view the website kids-in-mind for a very specific detail on content that is objectionable.
How soon will MovieFoot ratings be posted after a release?
The ratings are dynamic. This means within minutes of a reviewer watching a movie the website is updated so each movie is updated on the website hours apart. Remember this is a free service and the founder and reviewers and unpaid. Tickets must be purchased and time and money must be spent on some movies that would not normally be seen. We strive to see every nationally released movie BEFORE THE NEXT WEEKEND of movie releases and that will take time. This means that you may not have a MovieFoot rating on the release weekend but you will have it before the next weekend. We post the reviews on the website shortly after seeing the movie, which means each movie is updated individually and the website is literally updated as fast we watch each movie. Until MovieFoot gets access to advance screenings, we have to stand in line and take the time off just like you do.
Will ALL movies be rated on MovieFoot?
No, MovieFoot only commits to rate movies that are nationally released after July 1, 2014. Many movies have a limited release and may only be shown in less than ten theaters nationwide. For example, many are only shown in New York and may never be shown in most cities. However, MovieFoot may rate some limited released movies.
Do I have to check the website each week to see the ratings?
As soon as we start the Foot-O-Meter you will not have to check the website. You can sign up for the Foot-O-Meter by clicking Get Weekly Email at the top of the website. An email will be sent each week as soon as we have reviewed the movies. The email will contain the Weekend Winner and the MovieFoot rating of each movie. Our goal is to have it to you before the NEXT Friday’s releases. This means you may have to see new releases a week after they’ve been released but there are always plenty of new movies and it is usually less crowded in that movie the next week after release. For now, before the next Friday’s releases is when the Foot-O-Meter will be emailed. As we become more efficient, the speed of the Foot-O-Meter correspondences will increase. Your email address will never be shared and will only be used to send the Foot-O-Meter each week and you may easily unsubscribe at any time.
Why is the website on a black background?
This allows you to check MovieFoot during a movie with minimal distraction. If you need to know if anything is after the credits the dark background minimizes glare to your fellow moviegoers. Although we discourage using your phone during a movie, we know it happens so if you have to check, we make it as unnoticeable as possible to fellow moviegoers.