Our reviews and opinions of the films are just as valid as any of the authors who managed to get their books published. Before the internet, when a movie was released to the theaters, most people read exactly one review of it -- in whichever newspaper they happened to buy. Siskel and Ebert's variously-named TV shows were very helpful in that you often got opposing opinions from those guys.
Authors' often-wrong evaluations of films in their various books never stopped me from viewing the films when they came on TV. The only influence books had on me seeing films were those of Laurel and Hardy, since I would buy them on Super 8 film, perhaps one or 2 a year, and given the price, one had to be selective. That was the only way I was able to see many of the shorts of L&H. Years later I was pissed when I saw some L&Hs (when they were more easily avaiable on VHS) that I thought were great but had avoided for years buying since the various authors trashed them!
