Posted by Dan Ewert : 7/21/2002 02:27:00 AM (Archive Link)
After I watch a movie, I usually hop online and look up details and trivia on IMDB.com. Then I’ll read Roger Ebert’s review (Ebert's AI review is here). I do this because I’m interested in what somebody else has to say about a flick and because Ebert reviews everything. Sometimes I wish I didn’t read his reviews, though, since I usually think he’s a complete idiot. AI is a case in point. As I said before, I consider a primary theme to be the question of whether or not a machine can love and have emotions. Ebert, however, skips right over this because he’s already decided the answer is no, and then that colors the rest of his review. He already answers the question and therefore is ignorant that the question exists in the first place. Besides, if the twit knew anything about philosophy of mind and the issues at stake, he wouldn’t be so dismissive of the concept. It’s a tad more involved than wondering if a toaster can think.

So, no, I don’t like Ebert. Aside from this, there have numerous other occasions where he’s utterly missed the point of a movie or where he’s gotten details dead wrong. Thus far, I’ve only read one review where I completely agreed with him. For the rest of the reviews, I only agree with certain sentences… when they’re taken out of context.