hello-60963 Visual and music worth more then a speech sometimes

cricketbat I wanted to like The Artist more than I did. I love silent movies and I was excited to see this Best Picture winner. However, I may have built it up too much in my mind. It's enjoyable, but it didn't grab me like I expected it to. The cast does a great job, the visuals are beautiful and I love the references and homages to the silent era. The story, however, is overly simplistic and it seems to drag. It may have been my fault, though, I watched it when I was tired -- never a good idea.

gverdonk A silent film, in black and white, led by two French stars that are virtually unknown in the United States, it doesn't seem like the kind of movie that, outside of art-house buffs, would catch on with a broader audience. But, the Weinstein instincts were right on as the movie played like gangbusters to critics (who applauded several times through the screening at Cannes), but moreover, Hazanavicius' film is a pure joy. Wildly entertaining, with a big generous heart, "The Artist" is not just an exercise in old school filmmaking, it's a beautifully told story that is classic and timeless in feel.

shoobe01-1 There's no there, there. Dirt simple story you can see coming a mile away, so it's all about how they tell it, and it's told poorly. Pointless scene setting takes forever (that breakfast seems to have taken 1/3rd of the movie), important points skip on by. Acting and most photography is unimpressive. Too many straight on one shots. Too much mugging for the camera, too talkative, when it's a form that requires expression and movement. And too much feels like a gimmick. A silent movie it ain't. The two sound interludes make no sense. I expected it to become a sound picture with the advent of sound in film. That might have been interesting, and a way to show how the world changed overnight.