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Rating of
3.5/4
The Academy Has Spoken
Rod - wrote on 10/19/2013
George Valentin is a silent film actor who refuses to "talk" in the movies. As he meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, a great shift on his career comes his way.
***
The reason why it won the OSCAR Best Picture is that this film stood out among the the rest of the nominated films that year. It's uniqueness (which is not actually new) made the jury voted in favor of this silent film. Even it used an old cinematic technique, it was able to give equivalent entertainment as to the modern action/scifi/animation films today. However, I got confused whether the "silent film" meant muting the voices, or relying totally on the movements of the actors?
Story wise, it was decent. The story is clear even with the absence of dialogues. The actors are very good! Jean Dujardin deserved his awards here, …
Rating of
3/4
Simple, honest, romantic filmmaking.
memento_mori - wrote on 10/04/2013
The Artist. What do we know about it?
It gave international attention and acclaim to Jean Dujardin and Michel Hazanavicius, it swept the Academy Awards last year and it pissed off raging nerds everywhere, who complained it's just so beloved because it's in black-and-white and silent. It's more than that.
The definite strong point in the film is the acting. My word, two people I have never even heard of gave such praiseworthy performances, delving deep into the psyches of two troubled characters.
I am also very fond of the journey these two are on. I say 'journey', because that is the distinguishing difference between a silent film from the 20's and a silent film from 2011, because the script is better, therefore the character arches are better. It of course takes some liberties in …
Rating of
3/4
Charming with an Old School Twist
JLFM - wrote on 07/24/2012
When it comes down to it, the Academy Awards aren't always exactly fair. Especially when it comes to Best Picture. Both The Artist and Hugo were nominated for best picture, and both were a love letter to cinema. From there, it should've been obvious one of these two films would win; it just came down to choosing the better picture. And while I personally believe Hugo deserved the honors, The Artist was more than a worthy rival, and was full of charm and spunk.
It's 1927, and George Valentin is on top of the world. He's starring in film after film after film. He was an idol. But things change, and change is precisely what stops George Valentin's career. After pushing a former nobody named Peppy Miller into the acting world, things regarding films begin to change. Silent films are no …
Rating of
3.5/4
The Artist review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 04/02/2012
A fictional romantic drama silent movie (with a touch of dialogue perfectly inserted in the conclusion) that is optimistic and simple, yet strikingly effective and entertaining. Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) accidentally bumps into silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). She gets casted in a film of George and becomes more successful than he is. There is a major change in the movie industry; talkies are in while silent films are out. George creates a silent movie to prove a point but eventually fails and suffers various hardships. Even to the point of firing his loyal driver James Cromwell (Clifton).
Viewing Valentin’s rise and fall was heart breaking, though some trepidation’s this reviewer had were the depiction of Valentin's hallucinations made the film longer …
Rating of
2.5/4
The Artist Speaks Volumes by Staying Silent
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/22/2012
I can see why this film has earned all the awards and nominations it has this year. It takes a chance on something different and unique and, yes, it succeeds. The Artist does have a lot going for it: it's technically brilliant - I felt like it did a fantastic job of capturing that old Hollywood era - the look, the feel, I really did feel transported back to that time.
Second, the music (since this is a silent film) speaks volumes - it's quiet when it has to be quiet, it can turn thrilling, bombastic, romantic - and it does it at the right times and is superb. Finally, the acting is spot on. Both Jean Dujardin (playing George Valentin, the silent film star whose time is fading) and Bérénice Bejo (playing the awesomely-named Peppy Miller, a newly-minted actress whose star is rising) …
Rating of
3/4
Try it, you'll like it. But it's not perfect.
Gabe - wrote on 02/21/2012
It's black and white and it's silent, oh, and it was made in 2011. Good, I'm glad I got that out of the way, now I can write about things other than the obvious.
The obvious comparison is Singin' in the Rain (1952), what? Hear me out, both films, at their core are about the transition from the silent era to the era of the talkie and Singin' in the Rain, was, yes, a musical and The Artist is not, but they don't differ all that much when broken down to their cores. In Singin' in the Rain, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is the handsome leading man who is able to seamlessly make the trasition, while his beautiful co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) is not. In The Artist George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) has no such co-star, he is the star. But, when talkies take over, he believes that nobody …
Rating of
3/4
A Cool Movie That is a Bit Too Long
Alex - wrote on 01/08/2012
A unique movie that gets an extra half star due to the risk and execution. At times, though, it was boring and just too long (but only 1:40) for today's audience.
The Story: The weakest link to this film relies in its plot. If you recall, many movies have been made about Hollywood's failed silent film stars and their struggles. While this one seems unique, it is not based on any individual star and does not contain the level of detail and drama that I wish for. It is a silent movie and even silent movie directors would have passed on this movie to make. There isn't enough drama.
Style/Cinematography: Outstanding. I felt like I was whisked back to the 1920s, watching the premier of a Buster Keaton or Charlie Chapman movie. The begging was so perfect and so engrossing. It was …
