For me, at least now, when I give a film an A+, that means it is one of my all time favorites. And after the release of Django, which is just an A film for me, it made me realize, I've had no all-time favorites come out so far this decade as the last film to receive a grade that high from me was Inglourious Basterds (mine you I have seen films, such as Brazil, that I have seen after Tarantino's campy masterpiece that I would give such an accolade to that were released prior to 2009, such as Rashomon and Brazil). So what years over your cinema viewing filmography have you witnessed what you would consider an A+ film.

2009 - Inglourious Basterds
2007 - Ratatouille
2006 - Children of Men
2004 - The Incredibles
2001 - Spirited Away
2000- Gladiator
1999 - American Beauty
1997 - Princess Mononoke
1994 - Pulp Fiction
1993 - Groundhog Day
1990 - Goodfellas
1989 - Back to the Future Part II
1988 - Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1987 - The Untouchables
1986 - Stand By Me
1985 - Back to the Future, Brazil
1982 - Blade Runner
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
1980 - The Empire Strikes Back
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1972 - The Godfather
1971 - Fiddler on the Roof
1964 - Dr. Strangelove
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1950 - Rashomon
1940 - Fantasia

My last A+ film was The Dark Knight in 2008....however Skyfall came damn close.

Your taste was impeccable up until 1999.

I do not give an A+. A is my highest grade, and I tend to award ten to twenty a year, similar to Roger Ebert and his four-star reviews. I see an A as an honor and an indication of excellence (often within the frame of the given genre), but not rarefied to an extreme level. I know Mike, for example, will argue with himself for years whether to give a film a 10/10 or not. Just not my style.

If I did give an A+, these 2012 films would have received one:

Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Lawless
Not Fade Away
Rust and Bone
Zero Dark Thirty

2011:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Jane Eyre
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

2010:

The Fighter
Never Let Me Go
Somewhere
The Way Back

For me, An A is my stamp of excellence, an A+ is when a film enters my all-time favorites list

Highest grade is a highest grade. If your highes grade is an A, always, then your A is basically your A+.

Fascism is fascism.

For me...

A+ = Top 20/25 all time, one of the best films ever made or a film I have enjoyed the most in my life.
Must be earned over time and multiple viewings. Basically cinematic perfection.

A = One of the absolute best of that year and one of the better films ever made. In my Top 50 of all time.
Awarded after at least two viewings, proving its excellence was not just a possible fluke of emotion on my end. Near perfection.

A- = One of the year's best and guaranteed a spot on my Top 10 of that year.
Can be awarded after first viewing and represents all the qualities I love in film, but certainly has enough flaws to keep it from the next tier of greatness.

So here are my definite A+ rated films:

2006 - The Departed & Pan's Labyrinth
2005 - The 40-Year-Old Virgin
2004 - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2000 - Gladiator
1999 - The Matrix & American Beauty
1997 - The Devil's Advocate
1996 - The Rock
1994 - The Lion King
1993 - Jurassic Park
1992 - Aladdin
1991 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and a couple others are always teetering on becoming A+, but I haven't given them the jump quite yet...

Glad we agree on Gladiator Viper, I think we are the only two on this website

Count me in.

I don't give perfect scores unless a film left a lasting impression on me that I return to regularly each year.

2010 - How to Train Your Dragon
2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
2003 - Tokyo Godfathers
2001 - Moulin Rouge!
1997 - Princess Mononoke
1993 - The Nightmare Before Christmas
1990 - Edward Scissorhands
1989 - The Little Mermaid
1988 - Beetlejuice
1975 - The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1964 - Mary Poppins
1940 - Fantasia

I usually don't consider an A+ a perfect score, it's more or less, the idea that I can love a film, but it won't be one of my all time favorites. I'm kind of like IMDB top 250 in that sense, a new film will pop in for a while, then just continuously drop out.

I'd say the last time a film popped in my top 50 would have to be either Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I count them both as one epic conclusion) or maybe Source Code, none this year.

I don't consider it a perfect score either. Maybe a 9.8 or higher. And I usually grade films within the context of the year. So Django and Skyfall were significantly better than the movies I had already given an A, thus they earned the A+.

2012- Django, Skyfall
2011- Drive
2010- Scott Pilgrim, Inception
2009- None
2008- The Dark Knight, Wall-E
2007- None
2006- None
2005- None
2004- Anchorman, Shaun of the Dead
2003- Return of the King, X-Men 2
2002- The Two Towers
2001- Fellowship, Zoolander, Memento

I like your two favorite films of 2012 Flava

I give A+ whenever I feel like it, no real criteria other than loving the film:

2012 The Hobbit (still plenty to watch)
2011 Hugo, Drive
2010 Toy Story 3
2009 Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air, A Serious Man
2008 Cloverfield, The Dark Knight
2007 Ratatouille, Zodiac, No Country for Old Men, Stardust, The Lives of Others, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild
2006 Casino Royale, The Prestige
2005 Match Point, Munich
2004 Before Sunset, Sideways
2003 City of God, Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol 1, Lilja 4ever
2002 The Two Towers
2001 Fellowship of the Ring, Ghostworld, Mullholland Drive

2012: The Dark Knight Rises
2011: Little White Lies
2008: The Dark Knight
2006: Blood Diamond
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Girl Next Door, Man on Fire, Garden State
2003: Return of the King
2002: The Two Towers
2001: The Fellowship of the Ring, Vanilla Sky, Das Experiment, Hannibal
2000: Gladiator, The Family Man, Erin Brockovich
1999: Notting Hill, Fight Club
1998: Armageddon, American History X, Meet Joe Black, You've Got Mail
1997: Titanic
1996: Ransom, Con Air
1995: Braveheart, Se7en
1994: Forrest Gump, True Lies
1991: Terminator 2
1989: Lethal Weapon 2
1988: Die Hard
1987: Lethal Weapon
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1971: Straw Dogs
1955: East of Eden

That's about all I can remember right now. 2004 =

I don't really do the A+ thing. Just an A.

2011: Drive
2009: Inglourious Basterds
2006: Apocalypto
2004: Collateral
2003: The Last Samurai
2000: Get Carter
1988: Rambo III
1987: Predator
1985: Rocky IV, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Commando

I'm going to stop there. There's just too many. Pretty much every year from 1980-2011 has an "A+" film in it. I consider my whole Top 50 to be "A+" films. Considering I've seen thousands of movies, the top 50 of those being "A+" is still holding the grade in pretty high regard.

BJs A+ films through the years:

2012: The Dark Knight Rises
2008: The Dark Knight
2007: Juno, There Will Be Blood
2003: Whale Rider
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Memento
1999: The Matrix
1997: Titanic
1994: Pulp Fiction, the Lion King, The Professional
1993: Jurassic Park, The Nightmare Before Christmas
1991: Terminator II - Judgment Day
1985: Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club
1982: Blade Runner
1980: Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
1977: Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope
1976: Network
1974: The God Father Part II
1973: The Sting
1972: The God Father
1967: The Jungle Book
1966: The Good the Bad and the Ugly
1950: All About Eve
1939: The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind

Here are my A+ (5-star) films:

Looper (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
Winter's Bone (2010)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
The Departed (2006)
The Descent (2005)
Adaptation (2002)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
The Green Mile (1999)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tombstone (1993)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Unforgiven (1992)
Die Hard (1988)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Aliens (1986)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Halloween (1978)
Jaws (1975)
The Godfather (1972)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

2007 - I'm Not There, No Country for Old Men
2001 - Moulin Rouge!, Mulholland Dr.
1997 - Deconstructing Harry
1993 - Groundhog Day
1987 - The Princess Bride, Full Metal Jacket, The Untouchables
1986 - Blue Velvet
1980 - Stardust Memories, The Shining
1979 - Apocalypse Now, Alien
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1976 - Taxi Driver
1975 - Love and Death
1971 - McCabe and Mrs. Miller
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
1966 - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
1964 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1958 - Vertigo
1950 - All About Eve
1939 - Gone With the Wind
1927 - Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Seems like we agree on three movies Shack, Groundhog Day, the Untouchables, and Dr. Strangelove, all three masterpieces, but vastly different films.