How we review
Every review has a person's name on it, a score out of ten, one line of verdict, and an answer to the only question that matters on a Friday night: is it worth the ticket?
The score
Halves are allowed. The word next to the number is fixed, so a 7 from one of us means the same as a 7 from another:
- 10 Classic
- 9 Essential
- 8 Great
- 7 Good
- 6 Fine
- 5 Mixed
- 4 Weak
- 3 Bad
- 2 Awful
- 1 Avoid
- 0 Avoid
The call
- Worth the ticket. See it at the cinema.
- Stream it tonight. Worth your subscription.
- Wait for streaming. Fine at home. Not worth the ticket.
- Skip it. Your time is worth more.
The call isn't the score in other words. A 6 can be worth the ticket if it's built for a big screen; a 9 can be a "stream it tonight" if it's a quiet two-hander.
Whose score is "ours"
When one of us reviews a film, that review is Screenism's verdict, and its score is the one that sits next to IMDb's and Rotten Tomatoes'. If someone else on the team disagrees, they can write a second opinion. It runs under their name with their own score, and shows on the film's page beside the main review. We'd rather show the argument than hide it.
Against the crowd
Our score always sits next to the crowd's. When we're far from IMDb or the critics, we say so in the review and say why.
What we owe you
- We pay for our own tickets and subscriptions. If a cinema or a studio ever gives us a free screening, the review says so.
- Nobody pays for a review or a score.
- No spoilers past the first act without a warning.
- Some reviews start as a voice note and get typed up for the reviewer. The opinion and the score are always theirs, and they approve every word before it goes up.
How we choose what's on the site
Only the reviews are opinion. Most of what you see is picked by the facts, not by us:
- Showing in Kampala comes from Century Cinemax's own listings, every morning.
- Coming soon and Trending this week come from the film database, by release date and by how many people worldwide are looking at a title.
- News comes from the trade papers and from CinemaUg, matched to the films and fandoms we cover.
- Scores from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic sit on every title page, whatever we think.
- Festival records list winners and nominees as the festival announced them, not just the ones we liked.
- Lists are labelled: a director's own favourites, a critics' poll, or ours.
- Search finds any film or series in the world, covered or not.
What we do choose: which films we review, which fandoms get a hub, and the Board's picks each week. Where to watch always shows Uganda first. Services you can't get here are marked as US, never passed off as available.
More writers means more tastes. If you think we're missing something, tell us on Instagram, or write for us.
Write for us
Send a review on WhatsApp, as text or a voice note, with your score, your one-line verdict and your call. If it runs, it runs under your name, with a page of your own. See who we are.