The Artist

  I finally got around to seeing "The Artist" the other day, and even though it won Best Picture at the Oscars in February, I still went in with fairly low expectations. This is because we have all gotten around to hating the Academy for picking the most obvious Oscar bait as their victor.

  But "The Artist," while their were certainly many better films than it in 2011, it still managed to be one of the most entertaining and irresistible films of that year. Very, very nostalgic. Nostalgia has become a huge theme lately. Films such as "Hugo," "War Horse," "Super 8," "The Artist" and so many films this past year try to go back to a different time when film was supposedly better. This one, like "Hugo," was not only a trip to a different era, but its plot was actually about film.

  This is a silent film, not necessarily because the director thought it would be fun to make one, but because it's following the personality of George Valentin, who refuses to leave his era. That's a common theme in this movie, refusing to allow the future and staying with your own time period. This is true, and I had evidence all around me, because 75% of the theater was above the age of sixty. This is why I have decided to allow the 3D revolution to grow.

   What I loved about "The Artist" was how interpretable it was.  What I've noticed, is films with minimal dialogue ("Drive," "WALL-E") tend to be the easiest to analyze and interpret.  I picked up several truly great interpretations of this film that the director might not have even noticed.

  Something I'd also like to point out was I originally thought these actors winning Oscars was ridiculous, but after seeing the movie, I realized how you can make a great performance by saying nothing.  These actors told story through their actions, and captured great emotion.  I don't think they deserved to win the Award, but they definitely deserved their recognition.  This movie also contained the best performance from an animal.  Toast to Uggie.

  This feels like it was really made in the 1920s, and has a fantastic score that keeps with the mood of the film.  "The Artist" was not the best movie of 2011, but it was certainly up there.

A-