GUEST COLUMN
The guest chair is ready
A visiting writer will occasionally take over this space to make a case, challenge a rating or notice something Mike missed.
A PERSONAL FILM INDEX
We see movies for
five different reasons.
The parts matter more than the total score…
…But the scores do matter.
SPECIAL REPORT · FROM 8,750 FEET
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL 2026
This year’s festival wrapped on Monday, September 7 — and an amazing, wild set of movies is coming to theaters soon.
The big secret reveal was Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s mind-blowing documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, You Can See Everything.
The Oscar race is on! I’m looking at John Malkovich, Sandra Hüller, Andrew Scott, John Turturro, and others. I spoke to some of them today (7 Sept); they’re all self-deprecating but we know they want (and deserve) the recognition!
Visit the Telluride Film Festival Site →TELLURIDE STANDOUTS
Six films from Telluride 2026 that Mike is especially excited about.
Six movies to watch for as the festival discoveries make their way to theaters.
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RECENTLY ADDED
Latest ratings
The newest additions to Mike's growing and entirely defensible cinematic record.
THE PANTHEON
Mike's highest-rated movies
The aggregate is the average of five category scores. A 7 means outstanding, best-in-class. The exceedingly rare historical 8 is displayed as 7+: beyond best-in-class, without changing the scale.
MIKE VS. METACRITIC
Where the opinions part company
Mike's aggregate is converted to a 100-point scale so the disagreement is visible at a glance.
MIKE IS HIGHER
Mike saw more in these
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METACRITIC IS HIGHER
The critics were more impressed
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THE MIKE LENSES
What the five scores reveal
These lists are generated automatically from the component ratings—not hand-picked after the fact.
THE FULL INDEX
Explore all movies
⌕
MIKE BY THE NUMBERS
The taste profile
Enough data to support strong conclusions and several completely unnecessary arguments.
Average by category
Aggregate score distribution
Integer bands only. No fake precision in the buckets.
Genres in the collection
Choose a genre to see every movie in that part of the collection.
VISITING COLUMNIST
A different seat in the theater
Occasional guest essays, alternate verdicts and friendly dissent.
THE METHOD
Why five? Why seven?
A rating system should distinguish meaningful differences without pretending subjective judgments are laboratory measurements.
Why five categories?
We watch movies for different reasons. These five categories delineate those reasons—and they matter more than the aggregate average. It makes more sense to consider a movie along these dimensions than to reduce it to one oversimplified score.
Any movie that receives a 5 or higher in any category is recommended.
Why 0–7?
Seven is the maximum number of meaningful differentiations we can make in a subjective judgment. Beyond that, we are splitting hairs and implying precision that isn't really there.
What is 7+?
Seven is the maximum category rating: outstanding, best-in-class. A handful of historical 8s are shown as 7+—a special designation for an accomplishment so extraordinary it sets a new standard.
Does it have something to say?
Is this an important movie, made by someone who really has something to say?
How hard was the swing?
How hard was it to bring this vision to the screen?
Look. Sound. Craft.
How does it look and sound?
Did it make you FEEL?
Does it make you FEEL? If it’s a comedy, did you laugh? If it’s a horror film, were you really scared?
Are we going somewhere?
Is this team skillfully taking you somewhere?
THE MIKE SCALE
Compact on purpose.
Component ratings are integers. The aggregate may be decimal because it averages five integer judgments.
1Very poor
2Poor
3Below average
4Solid
5Very good
6Excellent
7Outstanding
7+New standard
OWNER TOOLSAdd a movieOpen
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What people are saying
The latest arguments, endorsements and polite objections from Movie Mike readers.