Not only is nerd culture dead, but film criticism is lying next to it in the morgue.

Once again, I must stress that the internet has many good qualities, and since its rise, a lot of good stuff has come from it. However, the internet has not only ruined social relationships, self-esteem, my life and politics; it has also brought about the end of good film criticism.

Now, film criticism can be unpacked in various amounts of ways, but the most simplistic is that a critic gauges the value of a movie. Even before the internet, this was already a slippery slope because as humans we all have our own taste and views. It's hard to cut that part out of our thinking when talking about content created by another person. We will always have that bias inside of us that will always tamper our criticism just a bit.

That being said, we used to have people like Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel and I'll even throw out Richard Roeper. These men had their faults as critics and sometimes let their emotions and bias get in the way of good criticism. I mean, go watch Roger Ebert's review of "Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter" on YouTube. He is basing his entire stance on the movie on emotion and it's hilarious. However, these men went to school to learn how a movie should operate and work. They paid their dues, so to speak. Their opinion and thoughts hold weight of some kind.

With the rise of internet, any Joe Walmart with an iPhone can be considered a film critic and never have set foot in a journalism class or a film school. That's right, I'm looking at you Jermey Jahns, Chris Stuckmann, The Schmoes and all of those YouTube folk. They are bloggers, not professional critics. They make money on spewing out their views to the public without any degree to back it up. Granted, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand how movies work. However, getting an education helps immensely and adds credibility to what you are saying.

Not everybody on YouTube is a hack fraud. Brad Jones, of Cinema Snob fame, generally puts out good, realistic analysis of films. Also, RedLetterMedia are probably the most insightful critics you'll find these days. However, when people base whether or not they are going to see a movie upon their so-called critiques, that's problematic and defeats the purpose of film criticism.

The other aspect that has murdered film criticism are websites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and the culture that surrounds them. Those two websites have not only hurt film criticism, but the entire movie industry. It's no secret that most people just want to fit in. They are afraid to be viewed by the public as dumb and there is even a fear that they'll be labeled hipsters. So, they'll see that "Suicide Squad" has a 30 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and feel obligated to bash it in their own reviews. Even if that's not truly how they feel, at least they'll look smart and not create too many waves. Gene Siskel himself once said, "The desire to be popular, the want to fit in; death to a critic." Those websites perpetually create an easy route to just be one of the flock. So, we aren't even getting genuine opinions anymore. It's all one big circle jerk.

I'll end this by saying that I love movies. Movies and Pro-Wrestling are my life. I plan on being broke and miserable my entire life because I want to make a living off that stuff, somehow. That's why it pains me to see film criticism in the shape it is in because it is such a crucial part of the filmmaking process.

I write reviews on Letterbox. I don't do it for views, likes or any of that stuff. I don't use it to prop myself up above everyone else. I do it because I love talking movies. I'm a blogger, I am not a critic. I accept my appropriate title. What truly separates me from most "critics" these days is not the money or fame. If you are doing something purely for money it's not your passion. It's not what drives you. No, What separates me is that I was willing to put my money where my mouth is and am working on getting a degree in film to get credibility so that, one day, people can look at my review and trust it. Not just spew thoughts through various jump cuts for five minutes to please the peanut gallery known as YouTube.

Once again, I am not propping myself up or on an ego trip. My film criticism is far from great. I think "Rock of Ages" is a good movie, for crying out loud. What I'm saying is, go out and earn credibility. Use your actual thoughts and opinions. Don't be afraid to go against the grain and give your real thoughts. Nerd culture is dead and never coming back. However, there is still hope for film criticism. We just have to filter out the real from the phony.