[Doc Faustus]

Why is it a problem that declaring something overrated is a matter of opinion? Has somebody developed a magical device that measures praiseworthiness? If so, I would like to borrow it, so I will know how to finally perfect my spaghetti sauce. If such a device does not exist, than there is no problem with a person declaring something overrated. It is automatically going to be saying "in my eyes, X has received an amount of praise that does not seem proportionate to its quality" it is not saying "the Praise-o-vac 10000 has rated Eraserhead an 8. It's praise levels are at 9.3. This does not compute! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" And in regards to Eraserhead, which people call overrated, it annoys people because it has become inacessible because critics in praising it make people feel that the movie is a cerebral experience, a feast for the intellect. David Lynch is not an intellectual. David Lynch is from Montana. David Lynch thinks pie is a wellbalanced breakfast. David Lynch fixed a roof for several weeks in exchange for food and forgot he had done so, instead believing the people at the diner were just really nice. He is an awesome director, he is a visionary, but he is not (lucky for him) an intellectual. It's a visceral experience, it's a spiritual and intuitive one. Smoke a bowl. Converse with the deity of your choice. Play the drums. Leave your notepad behind. Bringing your brain to a movie about tearing open your head by a firm believer in transcendental meditation is a mistake. Don't do book reports on tarot readings.