Bini’s rating system for movies:

I use a four-star system:

0.5 – 1.5  stars:  varying degrees of unwatchableness
2 stars :  worth watching for free; generally competent though uninspired/unoriginal
2.5 stars:  worth renting/downloading; has its moments
3 stars: worth seeing in theatre; generally well-executed, solid script/acting
3.5 stars:  worth seeing more than once; inspired script/acting
4 stars:  worth owning; exceptional +/- personally meaningful to me

I’m used to this system because it’s based on the one they used to use in the TV guide of the newspaper from my childhood.  However, the limitation is that I don’t really end up using the ratings lower than 2 stars because obviously I wouldn’t have bothered watching enough of a movie to be able to decide whether it rates, say, 1 star or 1.5 stars.  That said, I think it’s still a pretty useful system.  Anyway, I just can’t get used to a 5 star system (which would give me more room to differentiate between good/great films).

Bini’s rating system for books:

*: not worth finishing

**: worth finishing

***: worth recommending

****: worth re-reading

*****: worth owning/ re-reading multiple times