Reference: Grade Line

Rick Retro’s Reference Rundown #6: Opinion Block, Grade Line

Retro Reviews Reference

Following the Header Block in a review is the Opinion Block.

The first line of the Opinion Block is the Grade Line, where I reveal my overall grade for the reviewed work.

Works are graded as if I were a schoolteacher, using an A to F scale, with a plus or minus possible for every grade except F. The letter grades are followed by an arrow (^, v, or >) indicating which third of the grade the work fits into, upper, lower or middle. The “^” means it’s roughly in the top third of the grade level. I might have considered grading it higher and could improve the grade in the future. The “v” means it’s in the bottom third and could be revised downward. The “>” is in the middle third of the grade level and is a fairly solid grade that’s less likely to change on further viewings. A “?” instead of an arrow indicates that the grade is preliminary. There’s a chance I may change any grade on further review, but a “?” indicates a grade particularly likely to be modified later.

Unlike school, I don't consider D-minuses to be a passing grade. I view a D-minus and F both to be dismal failures of approximately equal lack of value. But when I give an F, there was something I found Funny. Just something that tickled me in a so-bad-I’m-almost-entertained way that deserves special recognition. You’ll want to stay far, far away from anything I grade D-minus, but a few of you might get a kick from checking out a grade-F disaster every now and then. Think D-minus for Dreadfully Dreary and F for Frighteningly Funny.

When I grade, I grade the smallest units that can easily be divided up. So I’ll give just one grade to most standard theatrical films, while I will grade each chapter of a book, each episode of a TV series, or each song on an album.

The grades are given grade points as follows:
A+ 20.0
A 12.0
A- 8.0
B+ 5.0
B 1.0
B- 0.2
C+ 0.1
C 0.0
C- -0.2
D+ -2.0
D -5.0
D- and F -10.0
The arrows after a grade do not affect grade points given.

When I review a simple work, such as a feature film, or a TV series episode, the grade will be reported like this:
Grade: B+^ (5.0)
...showing the grade and grade points assigned to one decimal point.

When I review a complex work, I assign weight, for example, to chapters or episodes of widely different lengths and then instead of one letter grade for a novel, TV series, TV series season, or album, I calculate a weighted GPA that will be from -10.00 to 20.00. The GPA for a complex work will be reported like this:
GPA: 5.25 (B+>) [49]
...showing the GPA to two decimal points and the approximate grade represented by the GPA in parentheses. The number in brackets from 00 to 99 is the percentage of works of the same type with a lower GPA. You could see an “n/a” (not available) in the brackets if there aren't enough of the same type of works graded yet to include a meaningful score.

In addition, I assign Hall of Fame points whenever something is graded A-minus or better.
These are also weighted by length and media type, but in general an A-minus is worth 1 point per unit, an A is worth 2 and an A+ is worth 6. I do also remove 1 point per unit for a D+, 2 for a D and 6 for a D- or F. Because I can. 😁

After the grade for simple works, the number of Hall of Fame points earned will be reported like this:
/ HOF: 12

After the grade for complex works, the number of total Hall of Fame points earned will be reported like this:
/ HOF: 71 [59]
The number in brackets from 00 to 99 is the percentage of works of the same type with a lower total of Hall of Fame points. You could see an “n/a” (not available) in the brackets if there aren’t enough of the same type of works graded yet to include a meaningful score.

Think of the GPA like a baseball player’s batting average that will give you the overall reliability of the quality of a complex work like a novel, TV series season, or album. In contrast, the HOF total is more like a ballplayer’s home run total. The HOF total shows longevity and counts the great moments along the way.

Originally posted to text group 2025-01-05
Last updated 2025-02-03

Retro Reviews Reference Pages:

Reference Overview
Header Block:
Primary Information Line
Version Line
Secondary Information Line
Franchise/Series Lines
Opinion Block:
Grade Line
Entertainment Quality Line
Dark Whimsy Line
POPCAP Line
Left-Right Line
Footer Block:
Review Lines
Genre Line
Content Block:
Overall Content Line
Content Detail Line
Viewpoint Block:
My View Line
Christian Values Line
Biblical Values Line
Political Values Line

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