RIP Roger Ebert

[Bridge]

It's regrettable he died. While I don't bear him any ill will as a person - I often agree with him actually - my disdain for professional critique is too great for me to recognize him as an important person. I value his opinion just as much as anybody else's. The only qualifications you need to be able to judge a movie's merits is an understanding of film as an artform and experience - which is something anybody can acquire. Most of it is also wholly aesthetic, something which cannot be anything other than subjective. That's not to say one should disregard critics just because they are critics, however it is depressing to see how much blind faith people generally place in their opinions. There is such a thing as being more qualified to make a judgement, but as far as having a better judgement is concerned - it doesn't exist. IMO.