More of a Novelty

Rating: 4/10 (8 January 2012)

"The Artist" is more of a novelty than a film. The fact that it is silent didn't bother me as much as the predictable story, hammy acting, and 16mm square format film. It's not a bad film but I didn't feel it was worth all the rave reviews and I certainly don't feel it should be a contender for Best Picture.
The story is very predictable. I always felt I was 2 steps ahead of the script and I was bored for much of the film. I wish the cinematography had been a little fancier to offset the lack of sound. It didn't look like it was shot in real black and white. It looked like it was shot in color and transferred to black and white which gives it a muddy look. The music was pretty good. My favorite character was the dog.
If you want to see a good silent film, my favorites are "The Passion of Joan of Arc" and "City Lights." I don't really recommend "The Artist" except as a novelty.