re: "Hated hated hated hated hated this movie." Ebert's review turns 20

I think Ebert is one of the best film critics out there because of his ability to articulate WHY films were good or bad. He gave the average film-goer the tools to interpret film. And he was an endless champion of liking movies. He's famous for his bad reviews, but really, Ebert's big contribution was that he genuinely wanted people to like film.

Sure, I disagreed with him. He didn't like the Coen brothers, my favorite directors. He hated Blue Velvet. But part of criticism is actually having opinions.

And the Rob Schneider thing was personal. Schneider received a bad review from another film critic, and attacked the writer in print on a personal level. So Ebert ripped Schneider's weak arse argument apart. It was beautiful. You can't make a personal attack on someone and then complain when they use your words to make you look like a petty a-hole. It's not like Schneider's shitty movies were dependent on good reviews. They were "critic proof". Who cares if the LA times hated your movie? Grow a thicker skin.