Armond White Ruins/Vastly Improves the NY Film Critics Circle Awards
1/13/2011 Posted by Admin
Movie News
By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover
Depending on how you view these things, the decision to let Armond White host the New York Film Critics Circle Awards show on Monday was either the worst idea in history or the best. For those of you who don't know your Kaels from your Eberts, White is the cantankerous head critic of the New York Press, where he likes to do things like, oh, say Noah Baumbach's parents should have aborted him and thus get barred from the premier of Greenberg. Or claim that "True Grit" is nothing on "The Ladykillers," apparently the film White feels is the Coen Brothers masterpiece. White has also claimed that Ebert "destroyed film criticism," believes the Village Voice's J. Holberman is a racist and thinks that Michael Bay is a genius.
Basically, exactly the type of person you want hosting your awards ceremony.
True, White is the chairman of the NY Film Critics but it stands to reason the organization has some other members who might be a little better served to emcee a gala event. Even Harry Knowles would have been a better choice if the Village Voice, New York Post and Gawker are to be believed.
According to multiple sources and media, White turned the night into a nightmare for nearly everyone involved. White's first act was to verbally spar with Darren Aronofsky, whose "Black Swan" White had, unsurprisingly, trashed...for not being as good as Kanye West's "Runaway" video. Seriously. Aronofsky apparently took White to task for lacking compassion, something which White more or less took in stride, responding that he was just happy Aronofsky read New York Press. Even though Aronofsky came right out and said White was just one more reason not to read the paper.
White then continued his "hilarious" roasting of the ceremony's guests by paying Michelle Williams a backhanded compliment by ignoring the film she was there for, this year's "Blue Valentine," and complimenting her for her work in a film from more than half a decade ago, 2004's "Land of Plenty." White's antics were apparently so insulting that Annette Bening had to tearfully take to the stage urging everyone to just get along.
White closed the evening with more barbs at Baumbach, seemingly his favorite target since Spike Lee stopped paying attention to him, thanking the critics for not giving any awards to "Greenberg." Maybe if we're all really lucky, White will be asked to host next year's Oscars. Because after all, nothing makes ratings like a train wreck.
January 13, 2011 at 11:32 PM
I really don't know what to make of Armond White. He sounds like a pompous elitist asshole who thinks he knows more about film than anyone else. Every critic is entitled to their opinions, but I question his sanity. He hates some of the best films of the year like Toy Story 3, Social Network, King's Speech, Inception, Kids Are All Right, The Town, and Black Swan. Yet he praises some of the worst films of the year like Grown Ups, Takers, Resident Evil 4, Johan Hex, and Marmaduke. Now I will admit that he is intelligent and knows a great deal about film criticism, but he still comes off as a troll.
January 15, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Yeah, he basically is a real life version of a message board troll. I think that in general he goes out of his way to rave about films that he knows everyone else will hate because he knows it'll bring readers to his paper. And damn if it doesn't work.
I agree that somewhere buried inside him is actual intelligence but I also think he can be pretty vile, as with the Greenberg incident.