I can remember quite a lot of times like the Mitchell and Web skit. A lot of course has to do with the mood of the academic or reviewer - if they have not had a very good time of it, then it can be quite an ordeal. I remember something that Fellini should have filmed. It involved a famous Italian literature professor who had a bad leg the result of a fall, he came into the seminar on crutches. It so happened at the time, a young guy had to read his paper - on Kafka (maybe) - and already he was in a state of sheer panic about delivering his paper during the seminar, because of the "presence" of the Professor. I am sure on paper it was fine, but the performance was terrible. He was so nervous. This was not helped by the Professor who was cursing under his breath in Italian - his leg was hurting - and the student of course read this as a direct critique of his paper. Then things went quite operatic when all a sudden one of the steel crutches crashed to the floor, and the Professor shouted out "No!". This had a profound effect on the reader, who I am sure was close to wetting himself. However, it turned out it was all to do with a blind that was up too far and allowing the sun - to affect the professor's critical faculties.