You’re Too Kind

But exactly how kind we were being? How would you measure?

Luckily, we have a database that we can mine for some statistics. We looked a list of how each critic rated each movie. (Our scale goes from 0 to 4 stars in 1/2-star increments, with 2 1/2 stars being roughly the boundary between "recommended" and "not recommended.") We then looked at the median, which is a good way to get rid of outliers. Then, because the medians were so similar, we calculated the average. Finally, since we have it, we included the total number of reviews from that critic in our database. By the way, a redesign of our web site is in the works, and we expect to be able to make this sort of data available, updated automatically with each new review we write. For now, though, we’re using an abacus, a pen, and paper (figuratively). These results are as of February 10, 2008.

As it turns out, we’re pretty kind, especially if you consider that 3 stars is a recommendation. The kindest reviewer is Anand, followed closely by John, Risë and Andrea. When these guys dislike a movie, you might want to think twice before buying a ticket. On the flip side, Pablo, Ryan, and Nick are the hardest to please. You might look at the movies they do recommend and give them another thought.

Falling in the middle are Matt and Marty, our two most prolific writers. Indeed, the Movie Habit composite is right there with them.

So without further ado, here is how “kind” Movie Habit’s current crop of critics is, in order from kindest to most skeptical. Bear this in mind when you see the next glowing review or scoffing rejection. You might want to take that recommendation with a grain of salt (or perhaps with a pound of the stuff).

We’ve also added this information to the sidebar of each critic’s “About Us” page.

Anand Ramachandran

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	3.08 stars
Number of Reviews	12

John Adams

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.99 stars
Number of Reviews	74

Risë Keller

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.98 stars
Number of Reviews	63

Andrea Birgers

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.96 stars
Number of Reviews	99

Movie Habit Composite

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.84 stars
Number of Reviews	1,720

Matt Anderson

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.84 stars
Number of Reviews	280

Marty Mapes

Median Rating	3 stars
Average Rating	2.83 stars
Number of Reviews	1,026

Ryan Hurtig

Median Rating	2.5 stars
Average Rating	2.64 stars
Number of Reviews	29

Pablo Kjolseth

Median Rating	2.5 stars
Average Rating	2.54 stars
Number of Reviews	39

Nick Reed

Median Rating	2.5 stars
Average Rating	2.44 stars
Number of Reviews	50