I’m pretty bummed over the death of legendary film critic Roger Ebert. Before Rotten Tomatos and IMDB, I remember using his movie guide to figure out what I should (make my parents) rent from the video store. Masterfully written and laced with his signature acerbic wit, Ebert’s reviews were so effective because of the relativist approach he took when evaluating a film’s merit:
When you ask a friend if Hellboy is any good, you’re not asking if it’s any good compared to Mystic River, you’re asking if it’s any good compared to The Punisher. And my answer would be, on a scale of one to four, if Superman is four, then Hellboy is three and The Punisher is two. In the same way, if American Beauty gets four stars, then The United States of Leland clocks in at about two.
– Roger Ebert, in his review of Shaolin Soccer. April 23, 2004.
This applies to just about everything else.
Continue reading “Roger Ebert’s Relativist Approach, and How it Applies to Everything Else.”
Forrest M. Burnson 