Movie reviews. They’re something we all pay attention to whether we like to admit it or not. It certainly makes sense. If you’re going to spend $10 or more on going to see a movie in the theater, you’re going to want to make sure you’re getting what you deem as $10 worth of quality entertainment. If a movie you think you want to see comes out with terrible reviews, why not just wait a few months? I mean, if you save $9 by spending just $1 on it at RedBox, it’s worth the wait, isn’t it?
But, one thing we all know by now is to take the reviews written by movie critics with a grain of salt. After all, no two people are alike in their tastes, so just because someone else loved one movie does not mean you will.
Armond White is one such infamous movie critic. He’s known all over the world for his unimaginably critical and harsh reviews of films, no matter how good everyone else thinks they are.
Of course I don’t know him personally, so there’s no way I can say for sure what type of person he is. For as much as I know, he could just be an incredibly rude, malicious man that has no concern or appreciation for the hard work of others. But, from reading the reviews he’s written and from investigating a little more about him, it seems to me that he has simply self-appointed himself into the role of playing Hollywood’s devil’s advocate – for the simple sake of having one.
In fact, it may come as a shock to many that Armond White criticizes in the way he does in order to preserve the purity of both the film and journalistic industries. In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, White said, “I’m not part of the film industry, I’m a journalist. . . There is an ethical issue at stake, which has been forgotten.”
Yep, when it comes down to it, Armond White is nothing more than an earnest cinema purist that is passionate about the art form. See this interview he did with Beyond Entertainment, and you’ll quickly change your mind about him.
So, whether or not you agree with his opinion that Toy Story 3 is a movie “that only the brainwashed will buy into,” or that Avatar “is irritating to watch for nearly three hours,” or that Shrek Forever After is nothing more than ” the latest installment in the unimaginative, big-screen trivia game,” at least take his opinions for what they’re worth. After all, he does know what he’s talking about – a lot more than the rest of us. He has a Master’s degree in film theory, history and criticism from Columbia University.
I’m not saying that I agree with all his criticisms or that they’re fair. But does he deserve all the crap being thrown at him? I don’t think so.
