Art Star (classification)

1 art

1.1 books
1.2 films
1.3 comedy , theatre

art
books

in 1915, edward o brien began editing best american short stories. annual compiled o brien s personal selection of previous year s best short stories. o brien known work indefatigably: claimed read many 8,000 stories year, , editions contained lengthy tabulations of stories , magazines, ranked on scale of 0 3 stars (representing o brien s notion of literary permanence. ) @ end of each book, o brien listed stories published during preceding year. o brien awarded no stars stories failed survive either test of substance or test of form. o brien listed these stories without comment or qualifying asterisk. o brien awarded 1 star stories may claim survive either test of substance or test of form. each of these stories may claim possess either distinction of technique alone, or more frequently, glad say, persuasive sense of life in them reader responds part of own experience. o brien awarded 2 stars stories of still greater distinction warranted second reading because each of them has survived both tests, test of substance , test of form. o brien awarded 3 stars - highest rating - small group of stories had finer distinction—the distinction of uniting genuine substance , artistic form in closely woven pattern spiritual sincerity earnest, , creative belief strong, each of these stories may claim, in opinion, position of permanence in our literature criticism of life. o brien further listed these stories in special roll of honor. in special list o brien further attached additional asterisk stories o brien enjoyed. stories indicated asterisk seem me not distinctive, highly distinguished necessitate ultimate preservation between book covers. final short list stories reprinted in volume have been selected.

oliver herford s essay asterisks, quips never, think, mob of overworked employees pitifully huddled in ill-ventilated factory asterisks in sweatshop of twaddle. literary editor katrina kenison dismisses o brien s grading systems excessive @ best, fussy , arbitrary @ worst.

book reviewers not use star-rating system though there exceptions. west coast review of books rates books on scale of 1 ( poor ) 5 ( superior ) stars. according editor d. david dreis, readers love ratings publishers don t.

films

in 31 july 1928 issue of new york daily news, newspaper s film critic irene thirer began grading movies on scale of 0 3 stars. 3 stars meant excellent, 2 good, , 1 star meant mediocre. , no stars @ means picture s right bad, wrote thirer. carl bialik speculates may have been first time film critic used star-rating system grade movies. one-star review of port of missing girls launched star system, newspaper promised permanent thing.

according film scholar gerald peary, few newspapers adopted practice until french film magazine cahiers du cinéma started polling critics in 1950s , boiling judgment down star rating, bullet reserved movies magazine didn t like. highest rating film earned 5 stars. british film magazine sight , sound rated films on scale of 1 4 stars.

not film critics approved. film scholar robin wood wondered if sight , sound readers accepted such blackening of characters.

several critics have complained own newspapers forced them adopt system. jay scott of canada s globe , mail writes, when globe editors first proposed four-star system of rating movies year ago, response globe critics was, put mildly, underwhelming. critic couldn t remember rock musician lou reed s comment (cleaned here publication in family newspaper) vis-a-vis publication used grades evaluate music. work year on album (jerk) can give b-minus, said. scott remembered scene bob fosse s jazz in director-hero, in hospital after heart attack, watches tv critic assign balloons indicate value of director-hero s latest film. know director-hero has sacrificed movie theatres - everything. , know critic has sacrificed review on air - nothing. s why first reaction idea of introducing sort of symbolic evaluation system - stars, balloons, numbers, letters, apples, oranges, thumbs or condoms - object; star system got no stars me.

while there no consensus maximum number of stars denote masterpiece, there no agreement on lowest rating is. film critic leonard maltin rates films on scale of 1 through 4 stars, although guide notes there no actual 1 star rating. these bottom-of-the-barrel movies , maltin s guide uses citation bomb . however, according maltin, 1981 bo derek film tarzan, ape man forced editors of book devise rating lower bomb . steven h. scheuer s defunct film guide grades films half-star ( abysmal ) 4 stars ( excellent ). despite scheuer s guide intentionally gives wes craven s film last house on left no stars making lowest-rated film in book.

critics not agree cutoff recommendation. gene siskel , roger ebert both consider three-star rating cutoff thumbs . film critic dave kehr - rates film 0 (a black dot) 4 stars - believes 2 stars borderline recommendation . kehr believes 1 star indicates film has redeeming facets.

critics not agree on lower ratings signify, let alone lowest rating. while maltin s , scheuer s guides respectively explain lowest rated films bomb(s) , abysmal , british film critic leslie halliwell instead writes no stars - lowest rating indicated blank space - indicates totally routine production or worse; such films may watchable @ least equally missable. halliwell , dave kehr, film critic jonathan rosenbaum believes one-star films have merit, unlike halliwell, rosenbaum believes no stars - uses round black dot - indicate worthless movie. scheuer s guide calls 1 , half star films poor , , 1 star films bad .

critics have different ways of denoting lowest rating when 0 . halliwell uses blank space. roger ebert uses term 0 stars denote films feels inept , morally repugnant. globe , mail uses 0 , or former film critic dubbed it, death doughnut . other critics use black dot. avoid critics make either half-star or 1 star lowest rating.

some critics use half-star option in between basic star ratings. leonard maltin goes 1 further , gives naked gun 33⅓: final insult 2⅓ star rating.

comedy , theatre

star ratings given out @ stand-up comedy performances , theatre productions. star ratings given @ edinburgh festival fringe, largest arts festival in world. since 2010, british comedy guide has collected on 4,300 reviews of around 1,110 different acts, across 83 different publications in form of star rating.

the use of star ratings controversial because public may ignore reviews , concentrate more star ratings alone.