
As always, Armond White has proven himself a master at stirring the pot. I can’t wait to see the mini-backlash (if one gels) against Benjamin Kerstein’s hateful hatchet piece on Roger Ebert, the genesis of which was apparently White’s comments in his recent interview on the /Film podcast. White has never been generous of spirit with his colleagues, and it is probably his biggest failing as a critic. His disdain for Ebert in particular was explicated in an article a while back called “What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Movies.” The populism of Ebert and Gene Siskel’s television program, as well as Ebert’s writing in particular, has long been a target of highbrow critics. Nearly three decades ago, Ebert and Gene Siskel had a dustup with John Simon on Nightline over Return of the Jedi of all things. Like Simon, Kerstein apparently favors an ugly, ad hominem approach in his own writing. Read the rest of this entry »







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