While I’m on the subject of academics writing rot and being called on it, I discovered this weekend that Uwe Boll, widely criticized as one of the worst directors of all time, has a doctorate in literature. An IMDb contributor reviews a work from his oeuvre, the videogame-“inspired” Alone In The Dark, like this:

“[T]he other practitioners of cinematic drivel can rest a little easier now; they can walk in the daylight with their heads held high, a smile on their lips and a song in their hearts. It’s okay, they’ll tell themselves. I didn’t make Alone in the Dark.”

This and other entertaining reviews are to be found on Wikipedia’s “Films considered the worst ever” page. I recommend in particular that you read the tale of back-and-forth critical bitchery recounted there under the heading of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

(It is interesting that, like that of Paul W S Anderson, the director of Aliens vs Predator, Boll’s work is reviled even by his presumed target audience: Comic Boy Guy-style fan-boys. They hate him for messing about with the templates for his creations even more than they hate him for making lousy movies.)