Armond White
{{short description|American film and music critic}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = Armond White
| image =
| birth_name = Armond Allen White
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1953}}
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| nationality =
| occupation = Film critic
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Wayne State University (BA)|Columbia University (MFA)}}
}}
Armond Allen White (born 1953){{cite web |url=https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/7996/the_baddest_film_critic_in_new_york_grew_up_in_detroit_and_went_to_wsu |title=The Baddest Film Critic in New York Grew Up in Detroit and Went to WSU |last=McGraw |first=Bill |date=2014-01-18 |website=Deadline Detroit |access-date=2021-11-10 |quote=This week, White, 60, made news when he was purged from the New York Film Critics Circle, the nation's oldest such group. |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103002221/https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/7996/the_baddest_film_critic_in_new_york_grew_up_in_detroit_and_went_to_wsu |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Armond White |url=https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Armond+White |access-date=July 10, 2023 |website=The African-American Literature Book Club |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030161927/https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Armond+White |url-status=live }} is an American film and music critic who writes for National Review and Out. He was previously the editor of CityArts (2011–2014), the lead film critic for the alternative weekly New York Press (1997–2011), and the arts editor and critic for The City Sun (1984–1996). Other publications that have carried his work include Film Comment, Variety, The Nation, The New York Times, Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, and First Things.
White is known for his provocative, idiosyncratic,{{cite book|first=Daniel |last=McNeil|chapter=The last honest film critic in America: Armond White and the children of James Baldwin|title=Film Criticism in the Digital Age|editor-first1 = Mattias| editor-last1 =Frey| editor-first2 = Cecilia |editor-last2=Sayad |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year= 2015|pages= 61–78|isbn=978-0813570723}} and often contrarian reviews, which have made him a controversial figure in film criticism.{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-14-worst-movie-reviews-from-americas-jerk-fil|title=The 14 Worst Movie Reviews From America's Jerk Film Critic|first=Jack|last=Moore|date=October 31, 2011|publisher=Buzzfeed.com|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180307041022/https://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-14-worst-movie-reviews-from-americas-jerk-fil|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} As an African-American, gay, conservative film critic, he has been called a "minority three times over in his profession."{{cite news|last=Brown|first=David Morgan|title=Film Critic Armond White is Not a Troll|url=https://www.highonfilms.com/film-critic-armond-white-is-not-a-troll/|work=HighonFilms|date=22 February 2021|access-date=December 5, 2022|archive-date=October 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030161744/https://www.highonfilms.com/film-critic-armond-white-is-not-a-troll/|url-status=live}}
Early life
White was born in Detroit,{{cite web |url=https://lithub.com/on-the-upstart-nyc-alt-weekly-that-gave-us-armond-white/ |title=On the Upstart NYC Alt Weekly That Gave Us Armond White |last=Knipfel |first=Jim |date=2020-08-24 |website=Literary Hub |access-date=2021-11-15 |quote=Born in Detroit, Armond first appeared on the New York scene as editor of the Brooklyn's City Sun. |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115195027/https://lithub.com/on-the-upstart-nyc-alt-weekly-that-gave-us-armond-white/ |url-status=live }} the youngest of seven children. His family was the first African-American family to move to a primarily Jewish neighborhood on the city's northwest side, where he grew up. Raised Baptist, he later became Pentecostal, and identifies as "a believer."{{cite news|last=Jacobson|first=Mike|date=February 15, 2009|url=http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/54318/|title=No Kiss Kiss, All Bang Bang|work=New York|access-date=April 26, 2010|page=[http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/54318/index1.html 2]|archive-date=August 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814014636/https://nymag.com/movies/profiles/54318/|url-status=live}}
White's interest in journalism and film criticism began as a student at Detroit's Central High School, when he first read the book Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by film critic Pauline Kael, whom he cites for "her willingness to go against the hype", along with Andrew Sarris, for his "sophisticated love of cinema",Staff (2004). [http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/winter2004/features/the_critic.php "The Critic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314003912/http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/winter2004/features/the_critic.php |date=March 14, 2005 }}. Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2010. as major inspirations for his choice of career.Kipp, Jeremiah (April 2002). [http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/20/armond.html "Beyond Entertainment: An Interview With Film Critic Armond White"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626074200/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/20/armond.html |date=June 26, 2009 }}. senses of cinema. Retrieved April 20, 2010.{{cite web|last=Lingan|first=John|date=May 15, 2008|url=http://splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/interview-armond-white|title=Interview: Armond White|publisher=SpliceToday.com|access-date=April 27, 2010|archive-date=February 2, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202235032/http://www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/interview-armond-white|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://nypress.com/armond-whites-mid-year-awards/|title=Armond White's Mid-Year Awards|last=White|first=Armond|date=July 3, 2012|work=New York Press|access-date=December 18, 2012|archive-date=January 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114223819/http://nypress.com/armond-whites-mid-year-awards/|url-status=live}} White received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism at Wayne State University,{{cite news|last=Penn|first=Asher|title=Armond White|url=http://sexmagazine.us/articles/armond-white/1|work=Sex Magazine| archive-date= August 31, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100831215841/http://www.indiewire.com/critic/armond_white/|url-status=dead}} followed by a Master of Fine Arts degree in film from Columbia University's School of the Arts in 1997.{{cite web|url= http://www.indiewire.com/critic/armond_white/|title= Armond White, New York Press| publisher=IndieWire.com| access-date=May 8, 2010|archive-date= August 31, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100831215841/http://www.indiewire.com/critic/armond_white/|url-status=dead}}
Career
White was the arts editor for The City Sun, where he wrote film, music and theater criticism, for the span of its publication from 1984 to 1996. He was hired by New York Press in 1997 and wrote for the paper until it ceased publication in August 2011. He then assumed the editorship of its sister publication CityArts starting in September.
White is a member of the National Society of Film Critics[http://www.nyfcc.com/members.php?member=34 New York Film Critics Circle] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315144632/http://www.nyfcc.com/members.php?member=34 |date=March 15, 2010 }}. Retrieved May 4, 2010. and New York Film Critics Online.[http://nyfco.org/ New York Film Critics Online]. Retrieved May 8, 2010. He is a three-time chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle (1994, 2009 and 2010),{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Gregg|date=October 16, 2008|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id5cad753451dc1bfe7eff3fa49a9c002|title=N.Y. Film Critics re-elect Armond White|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=May 8, 2010|archive-date=October 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021013339/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id5cad753451dc1bfe7eff3fa49a9c002|url-status=live}}White, Armond (2010). [http://www.nyfcc.com/message-from-the-2010-chairman/ "Message from the 2010 Chairman"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113145527/http://www.nyfcc.com/message-from-the-2010-chairman/ |date=January 13, 2011 }}. New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved January 14, 2011. has served as a member of the juries at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Mill Valley Film Festival, and was a member of several National Endowment for the Arts panels. He has taught classes on film at Columbia University and Long Island University.
In 1992, White was one of nine newspaper and magazine writers to win the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for music criticism.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1992/music/news/ascap-deems-taylor-winners-announced-101738/ |work=Variety| date=December 1, 1992 |title=ASCAP Deems Taylor winners announced|access-date= March 7, 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180307035949/http://variety.com/1992/music/news/ascap-deems-taylor-winners-announced-101738/ |url-status=live}}
In January 2014, White was expelled from the New York Film Critics Circle for allegedly heckling director Steve McQueen at an event for the film 12 Years a Slave.{{cite magazine|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|last=Gleiberman|first= Owen|date=January 13, 2014|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/01/13/armond-white-kicked-out-of-ny-critics/ |title=Why Armond White got kicked out of the New York Film Critics Circle|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date= January 13, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Child|first=Ben|date=January 7, 2014|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/07/steve-mcqueen-garbage-man-awards-heckle/|title=Steve McQueen heckled as 'garbage man' at New York film awards|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=January 13, 2014|archive-date=August 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814014631/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/07/steve-mcqueen-garbage-man-awards-heckle|url-status=live}} White maintained his innocence,{{cite news|last=Feinberg|first=Scott|date=January 7, 2014|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/embattled-film-critic-armond-white-669032|title=Embattled Film Critic Armond White: I Never Heckled Steve McQueen (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=January 13, 2014|archive-date=August 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814014727/https://pandg.tapad.com/tag?gdpr=0&referrer_url=&page_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fnews%2Fgeneral-news%2Fembattled-film-critic-armond-white-669032%2F&owner=P%26G&bp_id=penskemedia&ch=%7B%22architecture%22%3A%22x86%22%2C%22bitness%22%3A%2264%22%2C%22brands%22%3A%5B%7B%22brand%22%3A%22%20Not%3BA%20Brand%22%2C%22version%22%3A%2299%22%7D%2C%7B%22brand%22%3A%22Google%20Chrome%22%2C%22version%22%3A%2297%22%7D%2C%7B%22brand%22%3A%22Chromium%22%2C%22version%22%3A%2297%22%7D%5D%2C%22mobile%22%3Afalse%2C%22model%22%3A%22%22%2C%22platformVersion%22%3A%225.15.0%22%7D&initiator=js&data=%7B%22category%22%3A%22News%22%7D|url-status=live}} and called his expulsion a "smear campaign."{{cite web|last=Chen|first=David|date=January 8, 2014|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/armond-white-denies-heckling-steve-mcqueen-nyfcc-awards/|title=The /Filmcast Speaks to Armond White About Heckling Claims: 'It's a Smear Campaign'|publisher=/Film|access-date=January 14, 2014|archive-date=January 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115012522/http://www.slashfilm.com/armond-white-denies-heckling-steve-mcqueen-nyfcc-awards/|url-status=live}} The previous year, White had shouted protests at Michael Moore while Moore was delivering a speech, as White felt Moore had been unfairly maligning the Catholic Church. After White's expulsion, film critics Harlan Jacobson and Thelma Adams defended White, with the latter calling the move "Stalinist". White received an Anti-Censorship Award at the 35th annual American Book Awards for being "unfairly removed" from the critics' organization.{{cite news |last1=Cornish |first1=Stephanie |title=Jamaica Kincaid and Armond White win American Book Awards |url=https://afro.com/jamaica-kincaid-and-armond-white-win-american-book-awards/ |access-date=September 3, 2018 |work=Afro |date=August 27, 2014 |archive-date=September 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903115120/https://afro.com/jamaica-kincaid-and-armond-white-win-american-book-awards/ |url-status=live }}
Views on film
In 2013, Time Magazine wrote that White's reviews on Rotten Tomatoes agreed with the Tomatometer consensus just under 50% of the time.{{cite magazine|last=Aciman|first=Alexander|title=The World's Most Contrarian Film Critic: Armond White|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/18/the-worlds-most-contrarian-film-critic-armond-white/|magazine=Time|date=18 October 2013|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222011835/https://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/18/the-worlds-most-contrarian-film-critic-armond-white/|url-status=live}}
White has called Intolerance the greatest film ever made,{{cite news |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2016-09-12-0100/intolerance-dw-griffith-century-masterpiece |title=Intolerance: D.W. Griffith's Century-Old Masterpiece |last=White |first=Armond |work=National Review |date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=December 20, 2022 |archive-date=January 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112180455/https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2016-09-12-0100/intolerance-dw-griffith-century-masterpiece |url-status=live }} and has called A.I. Artificial Intelligence the best film of the 21st century.{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=A.I. Is the Best Film of the 21st Century|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/06/movie-review-a-i-artificial-intelligence-the-best-film-of-the-21st-century/|work=National Review|date=30 June 2021|access-date=October 29, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029005158/https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/06/movie-review-a-i-artificial-intelligence-the-best-film-of-the-21st-century/|url-status=live}} He has listed directors Steven Spielberg, Alain Resnais, Zack Snyder, Clint Eastwood, and S. Craig Zahler{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Best Movies of the Decade|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/01/movie-reviews-best-movies-of-decade-2010s/|work=National Review|date=8 January 2020|access-date=October 29, 2022|archive-date=January 8, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200108232622/https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/01/movie-reviews-best-movies-of-decade-2010s/|url-status=live}} among his favorites.
A conservative, White often criticizes films with perceived left-wing messages, such as There Will Be Blood, Parasite, Don't Look Up,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title='What Is the Worst Film of 2021?'|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/what-is-the-worst-film-of-2021/|work=National Review|date=12 January 2022|access-date=October 29, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029004026/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/what-is-the-worst-film-of-2021/|url-status=live}} and Three Thousand Years of Longing,{{cite news|title=A Guilt-Soaked Epic|url=https://www.nypress.com/news/a-guilt-soaked-epic-AGNP1020080109301099957|date=11 November 2014|work=NY Press|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222004223/https://www.nypress.com/news/a-guilt-soaked-epic-AGNP1020080109301099957|url-status=live}} but he has praised the leftist director Jean-Luc Godard, writing that Godard's films "saw past political fashion".{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Why Jean-Luc Godard Matters|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/09/why-jean-luc-godard-matters/|work=National Review|date=16 September 2021|access-date=December 21, 2022|archive-date=August 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814014627/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/09/why-jean-luc-godard-matters/|url-status=live}} White is also critical of films that promote consumerism, arguing that Toy Story 3 does so, while citing Small Soldiers as a superior film featuring toys. He has said that when reviewing, he analyzes a film's political viewpoint, because "Ideology is everywhere...[films are] made by people with feelings and ideas and agendas...To me there's no such thing as just entertainment." Films that White has praised include Mom and Dad,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Mom and Dad: The Most American of American Movies|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/movie-review-mom-and-dad-brilliant-satire-of-family-madness/|work=National Review|date=24 August 2018|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222065115/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/movie-review-mom-and-dad-brilliant-satire-of-family-madness/|url-status=live}} Richard Jewell,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Richard Jewell Is Eastwood's History of the Future|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/movie-review-richard-jewell-director-clint-eastwood-sheds-light-on-show-trial-hysteria/|work=National Review|date=13 December 2019|access-date=December 21, 2022|archive-date=December 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221234318/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/movie-review-richard-jewell-director-clint-eastwood-sheds-light-on-show-trial-hysteria/|url-status=live}} Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Tarantino's Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood Is His Best Film|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/tarantinos-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-is-his-best-film/|work=National Review|date=26 July 2019|access-date=December 5, 2022|archive-date=December 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205053946/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/tarantinos-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-is-his-best-film/|url-status=live}} France,{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/movie-review-france-inside-media-sainthood/|title=France — Inside Media Sainthood|work=National Review|access-date=December 21, 2022|archive-date=December 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221234314/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/movie-review-france-inside-media-sainthood/|url-status=live}} and Cry Macho.{{cite news|last=Armond|first=White|title=Cry Macho Answers Toxic Masculinity|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/movie-review-cry-macho-answers-toxic-masculinity/|work=National Review|date=17 September 2021|access-date=December 21, 2022|archive-date=August 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814014624/https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/movie-review-cry-macho-answers-toxic-masculinity/|url-status=live}}
White has provided extensive commentary on gay cinema, favorably reviewing I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, God's Own Country, and Summer of 85, while unfavorably reviewing Brokeback Mountain and Bros.{{cite web|last=White|first=Armond|url=http://www.nypress.com/article-16861-bosom-buddies.html|title=Bosom Buddies|date=25 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103224342/http://www.nypress.com/article-16861-bosom-buddies.html|archive-date=3 January 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.out.com/armond-white/2017/11/03/gods-own-country-upgrades-brokeback-mountain|title=God's Own Country Upgrades Brokeback Mountain|work=Out|date=3 November 2017|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222004232/https://www.out.com/armond-white/2017/11/03/gods-own-country-upgrades-brokeback-mountain|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=The Better-Than List for 2021|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/the-better-than-list-for-2021/|work=National Review|date=7 January 2022|access-date=October 29, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029004029/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/the-better-than-list-for-2021/|url-status=live}}
White often analyzes and discusses race in cinema, having unfavorably reviewed Black films such as Precious, 12 Years a Slave, Get Out,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Return of the Get-Whitey Movie|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/02/jordan-peeles-get-out-trite-get-whitey-movie/|work=National Review|date=24 February 2017|access-date=November 12, 2022|archive-date=November 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112021534/https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/02/jordan-peeles-get-out-trite-get-whitey-movie/|url-status=live}} Nope, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Devotion. He has praised films such as Night of the Living Dead and Hi, Mom! for their depictions of racism,{{cite news|title=Night of the Living Dead: Return of the Politically Repressed|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/night-living-dead-more-politically-insightful-get-out/|work=National Review|date=2 February 2018|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222001641/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/night-living-dead-more-politically-insightful-get-out/|url-status=live}} has cited Cyborg in Zack Snyder's Justice League as a positive example of a black superhero, and Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a poor one.{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Zack Snyder's Cyborg: The Black Kid Hollywood Ignored|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/04/zack-snyders-cyborg-the-black-kid-hollywood-ignored/|work=National Review|date=9 April 2021|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222001653/https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/04/zack-snyders-cyborg-the-black-kid-hollywood-ignored/|url-status=live}}
White is generally critical of superhero movies, unfavorably reviewing The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, Avengers: Endgame, and The Batman, while calling Marvel Cinematic Universe films "formulaic".{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/movie-review-zack-snyders-justice-league-restored-grand-vision/|title=Zack Snyder's Restored Grand Vision|date=19 March 2021|work=National Review|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005619/https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/movie-review-zack-snyders-justice-league-restored-grand-vision/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Marvel's The Avengers reviewed by Armond White for CityArts|url=https://www.nyfcc.com/2012/05/marvels-the-avengers-reviewed-by-armond-white-for-cityarts/|date=3 May 2012|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005620/https://www.nyfcc.com/2012/05/marvels-the-avengers-reviewed-by-armond-white-for-cityarts/|url-status=live}} He has praised Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance reviewed by Armond White for CityArts|url=https://www.nyfcc.com/2012/02/ghost-rider-spirit-of-vengeance-reviewed-by-armond-white-for-cityarts/|work=New York Film Critics Circle|date=21 February 2021|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222010621/https://www.nyfcc.com/2012/02/ghost-rider-spirit-of-vengeance-reviewed-by-armond-white-for-cityarts/|url-status=live}} Watchmen, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder's Justice League; writing that Snyder "rescued comic-book movies from nihilism and juvenilia, making modern myths worthy of adult spirituality and politics".{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|title=Avengers: Endgame: Nostalgia for Arrested Adolescents|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/avengers-endgame-review-nostalgia-arrested-adolescents/|date=26 April 2019|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005620/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/avengers-endgame-review-nostalgia-arrested-adolescents/|url-status=live}}
White has attacked contemporary film criticism, awards shows, and film journalism.{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/the-golden-globes-and-the-propaganda-reflex/|title=The Golden Globes and the Propaganda Reflex|work=National Review|date=16 December 2022|access-date=December 21, 2022|archive-date=December 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221234316/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/the-golden-globes-and-the-propaganda-reflex/|url-status=live}} He derided the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 poll for selecting Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles as the greatest film of all time, calling it "a dull Marxist-feminist token" chosen for political reasons.{{cite news|last=White|first=Armond|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/sight-sound-poll-results-the-end-of-popular-cinema/|title=Sight & Sound Poll Results: The End of Popular Cinema|work=National Review|date=7 December 2022|access-date=December 20, 2022|archive-date=December 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220022224/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/sight-sound-poll-results-the-end-of-popular-cinema/|url-status=live}} He provided his own selections for the poll, which included À bout de souffle, Battleship Potemkin, Intolerance, Jules et Jim, L’Avventura, Lawrence of Arabia, Lola, The Magnificent Ambersons, Nashville, and The Passion of Joan of Arc.{{cite tweet|url=https://twitter.com/3xchair/status/1604853156718194688|title=My S&S Poll: A bout de soufflé Battleship Potemkin Intolerance Jules et Jim L'Avventura Lawrence of Arabia Lola (Demy) The Magnificent Ambersons Nashville The Passion of Joan of Arc @3xchair #MSGA|author=White, Armond|user=@3xchair|number=1604853156718194688}}
= Favorite films =
{{div col | colwidth=25em}}
- L'Avventura (Italy, 1960)
- Intolerance (US, 1916)
- Jules et Jim (France, 1962)
- Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962)
- Lola (France, 1961)
- The Magnificent Ambersons (US, 1942)
- Nashville (US, 1975)
- Nouvelle Vague (France, 1990)
- The Passion of Joan of Arc (Denmark, 1927)
- Sansho the Bailiff (Japan, 1954)
{{div col end}}
White made some comments about some of these, saying: "Movies don't change but we do. I did not see Sansho the Bailiff until recently and it had the same powerful effect on me as A.I. did ten years ago, so off with Spielberg to give Mizoguchi's masterwork its props. Godard's rarely screened Nouvelle Vague looms in my memory as his grandest work—grander and more important still due to cinephilia's recent decline."
Personal life
White is gay and a Christian.{{cite magazine|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|title=Why Armond White got kicked out of the New York Film Critics Circle|url=https://ew.com/article/2014/01/13/armond-white-kicked-out-of-ny-critics/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=13 January 2014|access-date=October 28, 2022|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028234110/https://ew.com/article/2014/01/13/armond-white-kicked-out-of-ny-critics/|url-status=live}} According to the New York Times, he "lives by himself in Chelsea with no pets or plants, amid piles of DVDs. Standing 6-foot-3, he cuts an imposing figure. Yet in conversation, he comes across as exacting, quiet and polite, far different from what his writing—and seeming bad behavior—might suggest."{{cite news|last=Buckley|first=Cara|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/movies/armond-white-ousted-critic-has-words-on-expulsion.html|title=Armond White, Ousted Critic, Has Words on Expulsion|work=New York Times|date=17 January 2014|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222011005/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/movies/armond-white-ousted-critic-has-words-on-expulsion.html|url-status=live}}
Public reception
In his 2009 essay "Not in Defense of Armond White", Roger Ebert called White "an intelligent critic and a passionate writer" but also a "smart and knowing [...] troll".{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |date=August 14, 2009 |title=Not in defense of Armond White |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/not-in-defense-of-armond-white |access-date=28 December 2018 |website=RogerEbert.com |archive-date=January 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124090019/https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/not-in-defense-of-armond-white |url-status=live }} White has in turn criticized Ebert, writing, "I do think it is fair to say that Roger Ebert destroyed film criticism. Because of the wide and far reach of television, he became an example of what a film critic does for too many people. And what he did simply was not criticism. It was simply blather."{{cite news|last=Chen|first=David|title=Armond White: "I Do Think It Is Fair To Say That Roger Ebert Destroyed Film Criticism"|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/510231/armond-white-i-do-think-it-is-fair-to-say-that-roger-ebert-destroyed-film-criticism/|work=Slashfilm|date=20 July 2010|access-date=October 28, 2022|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028234702/https://www.slashfilm.com/510231/armond-white-i-do-think-it-is-fair-to-say-that-roger-ebert-destroyed-film-criticism/|url-status=live}}
In 2014, film critic Walter Biggins of RogerEbert.com wrote the essay "In Defense of Armond White", a reference to Ebert's earlier essay. Biggins criticizes White's combative style, but defends him as a critic, calling White "an important, distinctive, and...necessary voice in film criticism". Biggins writes: "He's no troll, and he's one of the few critics capable of noting the inherent—and latent—racism of much of cinema and its discourse... he has provided a rare black voice, and perhaps an even rarer conservative voice, to film/video commentary."{{cite news|last=Biggins|first=White|title=In Defense of Armond White|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/features/in-defense-of-armond-white|work=RogerEbert.com|date=14 January 2014|access-date=October 28, 2022|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028234110/https://www.rogerebert.com/features/in-defense-of-armond-white|url-status=live}}
Time Magazine called White an "undeniably talented writer" who "developed a kind of notoriety for his rather contrarian opinions. Some of his colleagues have praised his against-the-grain approach to film criticism, while many others, including a broad swath he's publicly condemned, have been less kind".
White has responded to criticism of his reviews: "If there were a whole bunch of critics who I thought were doing a good job, then I would stop...Because really, the reason why I do what I do is because I think there are things that need to be said about movies, about culture, about the world, that nobody's saying.
Critic Thelma Adams has cited White as an influence on her work.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2014/01/profiles-in-criticism-thelma-adams-126922/|title=Profiles in Criticism: Thelma Adams|last=Sollosi|first=Mary|publisher=IndieWire.com|date=January 30, 2014|access-date=February 19, 2017|archive-date=February 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010144/http://www.indiewire.com/2014/01/profiles-in-criticism-thelma-adams-126922/|url-status=live}}
=Awards=
| class="wikitable" |
| | Year
!| Award !| Category !| Result |
|---|
| 1992
| American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers | Deems Taylor Award | {{Won}} |
| 2014
| Anti-Censorship Award |
Bibliography
- The Resistance: Ten Years of Pop Culture That Shook the World, 1995 ({{ISBN|978-0879515867}})
- Rebel for the Hell of It: The Life of Tupac Shakur, 2002 ({{ISBN|978-1560254614}})
- Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicles, 2009 ({{ISBN|978-0984215904}})
- New Position: The Prince Chronicles, 2016 ({{ISBN|978-1536878561}})
- Make Spielberg Great Again: The Steven Spielberg Chronicles, 2020 ({{ISBN|978-0984215911}})
In popular culture
- White is briefly mentioned in Charlie Kaufman's 2020 absurdist novel Antkind. The novel's protagonist, a paranoid failed film critic, believes he is being spied on by White through the use of miniature drones disguised as bugs.{{cite book|last=Kaufman|first=Charlie|title=Antkind|year=2020|publisher=Random House|edition=First|pages=16–17|isbn=9780399589683}}
Further reading
- McNeil, Daniel. Thinking While Black: Translating the politics and popular culture of a rebel generation. Rutgers University Press, 2023 {{ISBN|978-1-97883-087-5}}
- Roberts, Jerry. The Complete History of American Film Criticism. Santa Monica Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-59580-049-7}}
- Lopate, Phillip (ed.). American Movie Critics: An Anthology From the Silents Until Now. Library of America, 2006. {{ISBN|1-931082-92-8}}
See also
- Elvis Mitchell – African-American film critic
- African-American Film Critics Association
- Vulgar auteurism
References
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120124183849/http://cityarts.info/?s=Armond+White Official website]
- {{IMDb name|1192112|Armond White}}
- [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/armond-white/movies Armond White] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100913050834/http://www.nypress.com/flex-10-armond-white.html Armond White] at New York Press
- [http://www.nationalreview.com/author/1152026 Armond White] at National Review
{{Authority control}}
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