I think what's missing is that Kriss uses "nerds" as his foil, but what he's talking about would better be described as fan culture.
If you want a less histrionic version of this conversation, A.O. Scott, formerly the head film critic at the NYTimes, did a Times podcast where he talks about why he left film criticism. He basically says that Hollywood and fan culture have formed a kind of symbiotic relationship where the role of the critic has basically gone away. Fans want what they want. Hollywood gives it to them. And any attempt to interrogate these movies is dismissed as hate.
I think what's missing is that Kriss uses "nerds" as his foil, but what he's talking about would better be described as fan culture.
If you want a less histrionic version of this conversation, A.O. Scott, formerly the head film critic at the NYTimes, did a Times podcast where he talks about why he left film criticism. He basically says that Hollywood and fan culture have formed a kind of symbiotic relationship where the role of the critic has basically gone away. Fans want what they want. Hollywood gives it to them. And any attempt to interrogate these movies is dismissed as hate.