Last night, at the 77th annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards, we asked Aaron Sorkin whether he’d ever gotten a review so withering that it brought tears to his eyes. “No one’s ever made me cry,” he said, then laughed and added, “Sometimes Armond White. Yeah. If I get a positive review from Armond, I think, Wait, what’s happened?” That certainly didn’t happen last year, when the famously contrarian film critic hosted the NYFCC ceremony and used the opportunity to further lacerate films and directors he didn’t like, including the Sorkin-penned The Social Network. This year, White didn’t have the hosting gig to make his opinions known, but he shouted out his opinions and non sequiturs from the crowd nevertheless, yelling “The Good Shepherd!” while Robert De Niro was speaking and shouting the name of the second black actress to be nominated for an Oscar — “Ethel Waters!” — twice while Viola Davis was on the stage. At least one star got White’s love, though: After Brad Pitt went to take a smoke break accompanied by Sorkin, Angelina Jolie, and a big security detail, Armond White ran up to the group to introduce himself to the Moneyball actor.
