On the day after I saw David Mamet going all "groomer hysteria"on Fox News, I get to see this Armond White chap extolling Zack Snyder’s "sophisticated mythmaking" as a "yearning for faith." (I realize the article is from last year...)
Yes dear — angrily nursing a nostalgic grudge that the modern world (read: white people in a modern world) has no central unifying myth is a cornerstone of fascist ideology. It's why the three big male Modernist poets were fascist or had fascist sympathies.
“It’s as if moral, play-by-the-rules business successes like Donald Trump and Elon Musk didn’t exist!”
👨🍳😘
“…the real magic of the movies: their ability to mold the masses into an ideological uniform movement. Join me at the barricades as we make Hollywood great again!”
When White felt it necessary to translate a Latin cliche in NR, Bill Buckley rolled over in his grave and threw up his hands - what had the NR readership come to? This is what happened after Yale started recruiting public school non-legacy students in the ‘60’s!
Apr 12, 2022·edited Apr 12, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
A few weeks ago I watched Max Ophuls sumptuous final film Lola Montez . A French film -It's an amazing piece of work. Every little part is perfect and complete and contributes to making the entire film perfect and complete . The sets, the costumes the players the camera movement and a remarkably literate script all add up to make a gorgeous and compelling film . Plus- there is a remarkable amount of cleavage . French cleavage. Which, as all cineastes know is the best kind. It certainly added to my enjoyment.
This Armond White fella is WAAAAY over my head, I don't even know where to start with a sentence like this:
"His lament struggles to stand up as backlash but can’t locate professional principle — which Donald Trump’s resignation from the Screen Actors Guild zeroed in on — so Scorsese’s backlash doesn’t quite inspire a movement."
You are not alone! Bring back the Hayes Code! In the good old days, such rules weren't just for the sake of decency, but education. When I was conceived in my parent's bedroom my mother kept one foot on the floor at all times, or so she said. I feel like this should explain something about the trajectory of my post-pubescent life later on, but I'm not sure what.
Apr 13, 2022·edited Apr 13, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
I'm sorry, but I can't help not enjoying Armond White's better writings about film. These days I pretty much only read him when you provide a link, but when I do it takes me back to the days reading him in the New York Press, which was often exhilarating in similar ways to reading old Lester Bangs stuff in Creem. I don't know, but it seems every piece I've read at National Review contains a throwaway sentence or two that has nothing to do with the rest of the article but serves as chum in the water for the brain dead audience. Like the one about Trump losing his SAG card in this one. I figure maybe it's hard to get paid for serious writing about film these days, so if flinging a little shit is a requirement of the paycheck, so be it.
Not that I usually agree with him. When he's on, I find his takes wacky and entertaining, but by no means dumb or ill thought out. In this case, for example, I'm with Scorcese in loving that time when the great directors were meticulously studying each other's work and creating a dialogue that consisted of great directors and films referencing and trying to one up each other and their own great films and really have no idea what White is trying to say to counter that.
On a side note, I notice that his mention of Nomadland as an example of the fetishization of disillusionment is consistent with nearly all other reviewers. I concede the possibility that I am the nutcase here, but I'm pretty sure it was meant to be much more of an aspirational tale than one of disillusion, and I'm afraid it says something terrible about so much of humanity that fails to see that. Watch that long scene towards the end where she's sitting by herself on the edge of a canyon at sunset and tell me that's a scene of disillusionment. I don't see it.
I read "Did you notice there are no positive role models in Goodfellas...." and immediately collapsed. I am screaming.
"light-loafered critics"
Money quote! Keep this up I'll need to come up off of another 7 dollars this month.
On the day after I saw David Mamet going all "groomer hysteria"on Fox News, I get to see this Armond White chap extolling Zack Snyder’s "sophisticated mythmaking" as a "yearning for faith." (I realize the article is from last year...)
Yes dear — angrily nursing a nostalgic grudge that the modern world (read: white people in a modern world) has no central unifying myth is a cornerstone of fascist ideology. It's why the three big male Modernist poets were fascist or had fascist sympathies.
“It’s as if moral, play-by-the-rules business successes like Donald Trump and Elon Musk didn’t exist!”
👨🍳😘
“…the real magic of the movies: their ability to mold the masses into an ideological uniform movement. Join me at the barricades as we make Hollywood great again!”
👨🍳😘
Culture must serve the interests of the State, and the State must serve the interests of the wealthy.
When White felt it necessary to translate a Latin cliche in NR, Bill Buckley rolled over in his grave and threw up his hands - what had the NR readership come to? This is what happened after Yale started recruiting public school non-legacy students in the ‘60’s!
A few weeks ago I watched Max Ophuls sumptuous final film Lola Montez . A French film -It's an amazing piece of work. Every little part is perfect and complete and contributes to making the entire film perfect and complete . The sets, the costumes the players the camera movement and a remarkably literate script all add up to make a gorgeous and compelling film . Plus- there is a remarkable amount of cleavage . French cleavage. Which, as all cineastes know is the best kind. It certainly added to my enjoyment.
This Armond White fella is WAAAAY over my head, I don't even know where to start with a sentence like this:
"His lament struggles to stand up as backlash but can’t locate professional principle — which Donald Trump’s resignation from the Screen Actors Guild zeroed in on — so Scorsese’s backlash doesn’t quite inspire a movement."
The Atlas Shrugged and God's Not Dead cinematic universes aren't going to watch themselves.
You are not alone! Bring back the Hayes Code! In the good old days, such rules weren't just for the sake of decency, but education. When I was conceived in my parent's bedroom my mother kept one foot on the floor at all times, or so she said. I feel like this should explain something about the trajectory of my post-pubescent life later on, but I'm not sure what.
"...foreign filth such as communism, existentialism, and espresso."
Another nominee in the category of "Best Use of the Rule of Three by Roy Edroso."
And as a bonus, "... along with pot and the Black Panthers."
And...we have a band name!
>“sneaking filth into our young’uns culture-trough.”
…and brainwashin' our fighting boys:
https://youtu.be/H265U0PpqCI
….
(All the easier when the Communists have the music:
https://youtu.be/vvCGZEqk8Ak
….)
Next: George Romero's "Zhdanov the Dead".
"...the naive, genocidal delusions..." of GREEN BOOK? What the fuck is he going on about?
I'm a huge Antifa Ekberg fan.
I'm sorry, but I can't help not enjoying Armond White's better writings about film. These days I pretty much only read him when you provide a link, but when I do it takes me back to the days reading him in the New York Press, which was often exhilarating in similar ways to reading old Lester Bangs stuff in Creem. I don't know, but it seems every piece I've read at National Review contains a throwaway sentence or two that has nothing to do with the rest of the article but serves as chum in the water for the brain dead audience. Like the one about Trump losing his SAG card in this one. I figure maybe it's hard to get paid for serious writing about film these days, so if flinging a little shit is a requirement of the paycheck, so be it.
Not that I usually agree with him. When he's on, I find his takes wacky and entertaining, but by no means dumb or ill thought out. In this case, for example, I'm with Scorcese in loving that time when the great directors were meticulously studying each other's work and creating a dialogue that consisted of great directors and films referencing and trying to one up each other and their own great films and really have no idea what White is trying to say to counter that.
On a side note, I notice that his mention of Nomadland as an example of the fetishization of disillusionment is consistent with nearly all other reviewers. I concede the possibility that I am the nutcase here, but I'm pretty sure it was meant to be much more of an aspirational tale than one of disillusion, and I'm afraid it says something terrible about so much of humanity that fails to see that. Watch that long scene towards the end where she's sitting by herself on the edge of a canyon at sunset and tell me that's a scene of disillusionment. I don't see it.