OWR: One Word Reviews

Some folks have requested an explanation for what this OWR stuff is all about. I cannot claim the invention of said reviews as my own, but maybe one day I'll be considered the man who popularized them. First, let’s cover a little history. Several years ago, it was relayed to me through a friend that my buddy Christo’s one word review of Gangs of New York was “Cartoonish”. I found this to be a superb concept and proceeded to begin using it myself. Christo has given me his blessing and claims that he is honored that I stole his idea. The OWR is my chance to sum up an entire movie using solely one word.

However, I do believe that one-word reviews can occasionally be misleading regarding the overall quality of a film. So you will also see a rating for each movie from 1-100. Things to keep in mind here:

• This is not a letter grade. A 70 is still a pretty good movie – one that I would enjoy watching a second time. Whereas a C-/D+ would mean you didn’t try very hard or should take a more remedial version of the course. Anything 85 or above can be considered a truly great movie.
• I tend to see more good movies than bad movies. Why on earth would I want to spend my time watching bad movies? So when you see that nearly all the movies are rated above 50, don’t complain.
• My ratings are correct – if you disagree, you probably didn’t understand the movie as well as I did…

I’ll post a new OWR every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Feel free to comment and take issue. I may refer you to point #3 above if necessary. And if you have one-word-reviews of your own, please chime in to your heart’s content.

NOTE: To see all editions of OWR (starting with the most recent), click here.