I have the habit (almost pathological!) of watching every Academy Award-nominated movie before the ceremony. I guess it’s a family thing. Me, my mom and my brother are cinephiles and, during Oscar season, we pull some serious movie all-nighters. Each one with their lists and priorities. The preferences don’t always match (my brother always turns his nose up at the blockbusters) and we even place our bets! Each one rooting for their favorites… And we watch them all!
This year has been no different. When I got the nominations list, THE ARTIST quickly grabbed my attention. It’s been nominated to 10 categories (right behind Scorsese’s THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET!) while being a SILENT, BLACK AND WHITE MOVIE. How about that?
Apparently, when it was launched in the United Kingdom, many people left the movies frustrated during the first minutes. They had to put warnings all over the ticket booths so the audience knew what to expect. I don’t know about you, but, to me, the effect was the opposite: I was DYING to see it.
I enjoyed it. Didn’t love it though, it wasn’t breathtaking, but pretty good. First for telling a bit of the story of cinema (late 20s/early 30s), when silent movies start their downfall while the sound ones start to come up. Also for the fantastic work of both main actors (Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, both nominated!). She’s even better than him. Amazing dramatic scenes. Touching. Flawless.
A simple yet pleasant movie to watch. Not to mention silent films haven’t been made for at least 50 years (please correct me if I’m wrong!) so it makes for a great new experience! A new format. The images become twice as important and we pay much more attention to what’s being shown… We devour the details. At least that’s how I felt!
A must-see. Asap. In a movie theater! You’d better run, since the Oscars are right around the corner and The Artist is a pretty strong candidate. I’m not placing my bets since there is a bunch of movies yet to be seen… I’ll place them until the day of the ceremony! I’ll get there!
