Yes, I would even go so far as call some movies I gave a lower rating better than the ones with a perfect rating. Mostly bocause the themes they are concerned with are more complex and more important. 
For example the last time I saw "Mad Dog and Glory" (1993) I gave it a four star rating. "Good Men, Good Women" only got 3and1/2. Nevertheless, I prefer Hou hsia-hsiens film in all aspects, also thinking it's a better film. It isn't perfect in what it does, but what it does is so much better than McNaughtons effort, that it doesn't hurt the film in comparison.
Hope I could clarify a bit