The Favourite

At first glance, The Favourite looks like your typical tight lipped, historically askew, British costume drama. It may look like a fancy Downton Abbey spin off, but your grandma may be too shocked and spit out her tea at times. With it’s sharp wit, intrigue, power struggles and plenty of sex, it becomes something brand new and striking.

The story begins as Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives at the palace. She was once a higher class woman with prospects but now, since her father lost her in a card game, she is nothing and hopes to work as a servant. The queen’s maid, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) is a distant cousin, who lets her stay. The work is hard, laborious and Abigail sleeps on the floor surrounded by the other servants. Quietly, Abigail means to rise up. Since Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is often ill, Sarah deals with political affairs and major decisions concerning the war with France. With Sarah so preoccupied, Abigail gains the queen’s attention and affection.Soon the queen asks that Abigail work with her as a maid. The tension already between Abigail and Sarah intensifies as they compete for the queen’s affections. And as Abigail learns Sarah’s darkest secret, she uses her power of seduction to become the queen’s favorite.

The relationship between Abigail, Sarah and Queen Anne is the main event in the story and is works wonderfully between these three brilliant actresses. What may look like a love triangle at times is a brilliant power struggle, heightened by secrecy, jealousy and whispers. Each woman has their motivations; Abigail wants to rise up and become a lady, securing her future. Sarah enjoys her political power by being so close to the queen. And Queen Anne, well I think she enjoys the attention and feeling powerful though her body has failed her so much. I could have watched these three push and pull back and forth all day.

I found Queen Anne to be the most interesting character. Being queen, people must love, revere and respect her, but it is obviously hard for them. She is not very beautiful, inside or out. She hobbles about on a crutch or is carted around in her wheelchair. She often eats things that make her sick, knowing full well the consequences and vomiting into a vase held by a poor servant. Yet she is also a very sad, sympathetic character. She obviously doesn’t have a political mind, yet is bombarded by so many decisions regarding a war we never see, only hear about. She is happiest when Abigail dances with her or on the floor with her many rabbits. And when we learn of the rabbits significance, it’s heartbreaking.

One of my favorite aspects of The Favourite are the unique camera angles and wonderful use of a fisheye lens. Many times, the camera look up at a character at a very sharp angle for wonderful dramatic effect. And throughout the film a fisheye lens is used to make a n oddly curved scene. It works wonders down that long hallway as Abigail goes by, or watching a carriage pass by at night. While this could have easily been another dry, fancy dress, big wig film, the quirky camera work and the unique characters lets it be anything but.

The Favourite is currently nominated for a whopping ten Oscars including original screenplay, cinematography, film editing, production design, costume design, Best Picture. All three leading ladies are nominated, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone for supporting actress and Olivia Colman for lead actress. And Yorgos Lanthrimos earned his first nomination as best director. The Favourite may not being the favorite of the evening, I doubt this film will end the night empty handed.

The Favourite is the sort of film my mom would want to see and then be shocked by the content. Sex is wielded like a weapon throughout the film and we walk inside a whore house at one point. The queen is not regal, but crippled by gout and isn’t above screaming like a raving lunatic through the hallways and crying like a child. And the men, who seem pretty much useless outside of politics in their ridiculous wigs, have their fun by pelting tomatoes at a naked man.

However, in the end I believe The Favourite is about the unique brands of friendship and villainy women can create. With all of Abigail’s flattery, it’s sad how Queen Anne is quick to forget all that she and Sarah have endured together. And every woman knows a true friend will let you know if you look like a badger.

“Because I will not lie! That is love!”

Bohemian Rhapsody

I’ll be honest, it took me forever to write this review because I kept getting distracted listening to my favorite Queen songs. Under Pressure, Hammer to Fall, Killer Queen, Radio Gaga, Flash and the title of this wonderful film, Bohemian Rhapsody, the list goes on. After seeing the film, I came home and turned up Queen’s music for my boys for days. My 4 year probably knows the lyrics to Radio Gaga now better than Baby Shark. You’re welcome, world.

But that’s what this film does to you. You see these rock legends at work and loving it.  They’re so passionate, talented and filled with music, that you can’t help but be infected. I especially loved scenes depicting the band getting “experimental.” After seeing how far this band of misfits came, their story butting heads with the music industry only to come out on top is inspiring. And while the end of the film is a bit more sobering with Mercury sharing his diagnosis with his band members, it does not dwell or stew in such sadness. Instead, the film is a celebration of Queen and leaves the audience feeling like we’ve just been to an amazing rock concert.

That effect comes easily when the last act of the film is a reproduction of Queen’s performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert. Since seeing the film, I’ve watched multiple videos of Queen’s actual performance and it is uncanny how the film replicates the concert. From the banners in the crowd, every movement the band members make, to the Pepsi cups on the piano, the scene is spot on. Since I was weeks away from being born at the time of that concert, seeing it recreated on the big screen is a really cool way to connect with a piece of rock and roll history.

While the film features all the members of Queen, with Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon and Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, the film focuses on Freddie Mercury, portrayed by Rami Malek. We see Mercury’s home life as a young man before the band is formed and his relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton). Later, in the midst of fame and fortune, we are shown a bit of Mercury’s promiscuous life in a montage that leads to his tragic diagnosis. But the film, like Freddie, doesn’t dwell on it and won’t let us feel sad for him, instead we are directed to the Live Aid concert and rock out until the end.

Malek’s Oscar nominated performance as Freddie Mercury is amazing. With every movement and gesture he becomes Mercury. He rocks every flamboyant costume with Freddie’s grandiose and flare and makes it all look naturally effortless. Looking back at old Queen videos, it is uncanny how Malek has fused into this role so perfectly. The best way to tell Malek and Mercury apart is the teeth. The teeth that were given to Malek’s are just too straight, but that’s no fault of his.

Along with Malek’s nomination for best actor, Bohemian Rhapsody has earned a total of five Oscar nominations. They include sound mixing, sound editing, film editing and Best Picture. I’m no expert on sound production, but I’ve read that the singing for Mercury’s part is a mix of Malek’s singing, Canadian singer Mark Martel and Mercury himself. Everything sounds spot on to me.

I remember back when it was first announced that there would be a “Freddie Mercury biopic” I honestly dreaded it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Queen and Mercury, but I was so afraid that a film about him would end so sadly and how much he would hate that. But Bohemian Rhapsody doesn’t let that happen and I was so relieved and happy. I think that between the amazing performances, spot-on musical moments, snappy-smart editing and ending on a high note, this wonderful film simply rocked its way into the Best Picture spotlight.

“Who even is Galileo?”

A Star is Born (2018)

A Star is Born is a story that seems to be revived every couple decades. The first film was in 1937. A remake with Judy Garland and James Mason came in 1954. And another came to be with Barbara Streisand in 1976. Now, with Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper stars and has made his directorial debut with his new, updated version of the story. Here, instead of discovering a young actress, his aging star of a character discovers a young singer/songwriter. Bringing this story into the modern music industry breathes new life into it and uses the opportunity to bring amazing original songs into the film. The music is so central to the film it is nearly a musical.

The soundtrack to this film is phenomenal. Each song is not only beautifully performed within the film but adds to the story. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. Shallow, nominated for best song, is a perfect duet that helps establish our characters and their budding love story. Is That Alright is a sweet emotional declaration of love and Lady Gaga kills it.  I’ll Never Love Again is a moving ending tribute that secretly reveals Jack’s intentions. And sometimes I just can’t stop listening to Always Remember Us This Way. I’m looking forward to seeing Cooper and Gaga perform on Oscar night.

Cooper and Gaga are awesome together, I imagine there will be talk of Oscar nominations, but we’ll see how thick the competition grows. Cooper portrays his fading rock star with so much charisma that the audience can’t help but fall for him as Gaga’s Ally does. He stumbles drunk and gravels his voice so convincingly that he could be Sam Elliott’s brother. And Gaga steals the show growing from a meek young woman singing in a drag bar to a superstar as bright on screen as Gaga is in real life. She seems so perfectly cast for this role, she makes it all look so natural. Her greatest moment for me was first singing Shallow on stage, she looks so perfectly determined, nervous and overwhelmed to shine in such a big and unexpected moment.

My biggest gripe with A Star is Born is that there seems to be no sense of time. We can assume this story takes place over years, but it feels like such a whirlwind that it could all be in a few weeks. Yes, I know it takes time to record albums and get to the Grammy’s and get in and out of rehab but it all it just thrown at us with nothing in the background to help us stay grounded in time. But perhaps that’s how this love story is, a whirlwind with time not factoring in. But I doubt that’s how Cooper meant it.

Also, he is not very subtle with foreshadowing is he? If you’ve seen any previous versions of A Star is Born, you know what happens, but if you don’t, just look for a few clues. There’s some bright, neon ones hanging in the background for a little too long in the beginning. But let’s give the guy a break, for his first time directing he does a great job.

A Star is Born has been nominated for eight Academy Awards including best original song, sound mixing, adapted screenplay, cinematography and Best Picture. While Bradley Cooper was shut out of a directing nomination, he did receive one for best actor, his fourth acting nomination. Sam Elliott is nominated for best supporting actor and Lady Gaga for best actress, both of them their first Oscar nominations.

Among the eight Best Picture nominees announced yesterday, A Star is Born feels a bit out of place. I agree that it’s a very well done film, but it just seems to be lacking that certain something to send it over the edge. Many of the other nominated films are about race, politics or boast multiple female leads. Bohemian Rhapsody already has the musical aspect covered. And yet, here stands A Star is Born, a remake or a remake featuring white leads in heterosexual roles and a lot of lens flare. Maybe the Academy was afraid to lose their main viewers. Or Cooper knew what he was singing about.

“Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.”

Oscar Predictions 2015

Oscar Sunday is almost here!  Which means we are all making our guesses and predictions on what films will go down in history as Oscar winners.  Personally, I think this year has been a bit bland, but let’s have fun with it anyway.

First off, let’s have some fun and pretend this is before 2010 again, where only 5 films were nominated for best picture for the past 65 years.  If only five films could be nominated for best picture, this year’s list would only include

Spotlight                  Mad Max                    Room                    The Big Short          The Revenant

Personally, I hate to cut Brooklyn off, but I think it would have been cut because 1. some might see it as a bit straight forward and underwhelming and 2. Mad Max and Room already have female protagonists and Hollywood is still pretty sexist.  A quirky movie about white guys betting on the collapse of the American economy would probably be seen as “more important” than the story of an Irish immigrant girl.  Bridge of Spies is pretty bland and The Martian isn’t serious enough.  These are only my opinions about how The Academy would have whittled it down, just for shits, giggles and food for thought.

Anyway, here are my Oscar predictions:

Animated Feature

Honestly, I’ve only seen Inside Out, but I so love Inside Out. And it is the only other nominated film that also has another nomination (original screenplay).  Pixar will take it again.

Production Design

Mad Max: Fury Road is my bet.  The world created is so crazy, beautiful and immersive.  I love all the details.  Honestly, I’ll be kinda pissed if I’m wrong here.

Makeup and Hairstyling:

I think this is a toss-up between Mad Max and The Revenant.  Both excel here in very different ways.  If I had to choose, I’d go with Mad Max simply because there are so many different characters with many different styling needs.

Visual Effects

All these movies are so worthy of nomination, but Mad Max stands above and beyond here.  

Film Editing

I’m never good at predicting this category.  The Big Short has the most stylized editing, Star Wars does such a good job that it feels like one of the old trilogy, but I feel like both of those seem too obvious.  I imagine there is so much going on in Mad Max that the editing must have been exhausting.  Chalk up another for my love, Mad Max.

Cinematography

I think The Revenant will overpower Mad Max on this one, just barely though

Adapted Screenplay

To me, the way The Big Short was written is simply what makes it great.

Original Screenplay

Maybe it’s because I watch it 3 times a week with my son, maybe it’s because I’m still not over Bing Bong, but I would love to see Inside Out win this.  I think it is by far the most inventive and imaginative film and it works because of the perfectly woven story.  

Supporting Actress

I know she’s a long-shot, but I loved Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight.  

Supporting Actor

Ugh, I find it sad that no one really stands out for me here.  I’d bet on Tom Hardy in The Revenant.

Actress

Unfortunately, I’ve only seen Room and Brooklyn, so I don’t haven’t seen a majority of the performances.  I loved Brie Larson in room, maybe she can pull ahead of Lawrence and Blanchette who have already won before.

Actor

THIS IS LEO’S YEAR! 

Director:

As much as I would love to see George Miller win for Mad Max, I think Alejandro González Iñárritu has it in the bag this year, again. But really, I want to see some women nominated next year, dammit.

Best Picture

This year comes down to two outstanding films- Mad Max and The Revnant

What I think should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

What I think will win: The Revenant

While The Academy did rightfully nominate Fury Road in all its awesome glory, I think it is too rough around the edges, not refined enough for this crop of voters to bring home the big trophy.  The Revenant is just as well done, a lot less colorful and little less crazy.  They’ll play it safe.  

But years from now, which of these movies will be remembered?  I plan to take my son to the Mad Max: Fury Road 20th edition re-release (let me know when tickets are on sale).  And we’ll talk about the tragedy and triumph of Room, laugh about how The Martian is nothing like the recent Mars expeditions, and forget about the rest.  I hope we all have such high hopes for the future. 

Whatever the outcome on Sunday, I wish all of you a happy Oscar night!

Zero Dark Thirty

As I walked into the theater to watch Zero Dark Thirty, I was joined by people from all walks of life.  There were wives in fashionable outfits, a large group of young men, a few in military attire and middle-aged couples with big guts.  There were all races spread through the theater.  There was even a boy no older than ten, shocking considering the realism and torture scenes.  All these different people were together, and I would assume from the way the film has been advertised  many of them for a film about taking Osama Bin Laden down, but I’m not sure if they expected how it was presented.

Directed by Katharyn Bigelow, the film follows a CIA operative’s search for Osama Bin Laden after the terrorist attacks of 9-11.  We watch from 2002 to 2011 as Maya (Jessica Chastain) aids and then leads the search.  She starts out on the hard stuff, aiding in the torture of detainees.  Between sleep deprivation and water-boarding  she and Dan (Jason Clarke) ruthlessly bombard prisoners with questions on the whereabouts of Bin Laden and his messengers.  When those methods are no longer allowed, Maya’s job is brought to a desk where her information is brought over phones, from third parties and moves much slower.  But when one key piece of information is brought into focus, the whereabouts of Bin Laden are more probable.  There is no way to know for sure if they have found his location, unless action is taken.  And Maya is the force behind making sure it happens.

As Maya and her co-workers inch closer to Bin Laden, we are steadily pulled in as well.  Many times, I feel that this sort of military/intelligence film gets boring or just loses me in all the red tape, but I found Zero Dark Thirty more and more compelling every minute.  There is a good mix of narrative, visual storytelling, action and our heroine is a force that refuses to quit.

Jessica Chastain presents Maya as strong and smart woman who will not be held back.  We watch nearly a decade of her young adult life go by, completely dedicated to finding Bin Laden.  The film doesn’t show Maya ever having fun on the town, on dates or having any real personal relationships, and we assume there isn’t time for them in her life.  Many may see Maya’s role more suited for a man, but the character is based off an actual female CIA agent who is presently undercover.  No matter how true to life Chastain brings her character, I believe her nomination for best actress is well deserved.

The action in this film is more realistic and less Hollywood than I think most people expected.  The torture is gritty and can be hard to watch.  Terrorist attacks are genuinely frightening, chaotic and that one big boom really catches us off guard, just like it’s supposed to.  And while watching Seal Team 6 in action may sound like a young boy’s fantasy, we’re reminded that this isn’t Call of Duty.  The Seals move carefully, try to get in and out quickly and professionally.  And there seems to be a sever lack of heroism telling a room of crying children that everything is okay when you just killed their parents.

Like I said, in my screening, I saw the whole spectrum, like a little America, in the theater.  However, by the end of the film is a feeling that I’m not sure any of us were ready for.  We see Maya in tears, her work of nearly ten years finally complete, but what does she do now?  Even harder to ask is was it all worth it?  While I don’t doubt that ridding the world of this terrorist leader was a good thing, this feels like a hollow victory, especially for Maya personally.  It took ten years to take out one man, how many decades do our agents have to sacrifice to get it done?

“You can help yourself by being truthful.”

The Dark Knight Rises

The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy picks up eight years after The Dark Knight.  Since then, Gotham has adopted Harvey Dent as their hero, keeping hundreds of thugs and mob men locked up under an act named for him, and the Batman hasn’t been seen since Dent was killed, taking all the blame.  Only Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) knows the truth about Dent and Batman’s innocence, but since this lie has helped make Gotham peaceful, he keeps the real story for another day.  The whole city is unaware that a storm is brewing, led by a man more evil and powerful than Gotham has ever encountered, Bane (Tom Hardy).  Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) first gets wind of this from a thief putting her allegiance in the wrong hands, just looking for a clean slate, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).  Bruce knows he must bring the Batman back to protect Gotham from this new rising terrorist, even though Gotham believes he is an enemy.

Throughout the film, there is the idea of pain, both physical and emotional.  There is Bane, his mask sending him a constant surge of morphine.  For a while, Gordon is in the hospital and we are told of his broken family.  We see Bruce limp, struggle to fix his leg and later physically build himself again.  Alfred tries to spare him pain by hiding the truth about Rachel.  And Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Bruce understand each other from their experiences growing up as orphans.

Then there is the idea of class warfare.  In all three films there has been a large gap between Gotham’s elite and the lowest of the low.  The fact that Wayne Enterprises has stopped funding an orphanage does not help.  Bane exposes this flaw and lets Gotham’s prisoners take control of the city, while trapping all the police underground.  Suddenly, the wealthy are thrown onto the streets while thugs crash in their homes.  And Bane begins this madness at a football game, destroying the stadium and a private box area  in front of a full crowd.  I doubt tickets to a Gotham Rogues game are cheap.

Then there is the idea that one man’s tools can become another man’s weapon.  It is hard not to be sickened by the stark reality of this after the shooting during this film in Colorado.  Anyone familiar with Batman comics knows that only villains use guns and Batman seldom kills.  His tools are designed only for him by Fox (Morgan Freeman) and hidden from falling into anyone else’s hands.  But Bane breaks in and starts using the tank-like batmobiles to roam and threaten the city.  Worse, Wayne Enterprises has secretly developed a fusion based sustainable energy source, but in the wrong hands, it has been turned into an atom bomb capable of destroying all of Gotham.

I believe The Dark Knight Rises was the best film of the summer.  How that will hold up come Oscar season is always questionable.  Nolan’s last summer smash, Inception, was a Best Picture nominee.  There is also more favor toward the finishing film of a trilogy with the Academy (LOTR:ROTK cleaned house) and TDKR finishes this franchise in a strong fashion.  Considering how there have been 10 nominees for the past three years now, I would not completely count TDKR out of the running, but I do consider it a long shot   However, I’m sure some sound and visual effect nominations are in store.  And did anyone else feel especially moved by Michael Caine’s Alfred this time around?  I know the field is thick, but I hope I’m not the only one looking for a supporting nomination there.

“Ah you think darkness is your ally?  You merely adopted the dark.  I was born in it, molded by it.  I didn’t see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!”

The Dark Knight

In early 2008, The Dark Knight was well anticipated for its summer release when it encountered unexpected tragedy.  On January 22, 2008, Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of a sleeping medication.  Days before his death, I remember seeing teaser posters going up in the local theater, with Ledger’s Joker hazed and writing Why So Serious? in blood in the foreground.  The weekend after Ledger’s death, those posters were gone.  The premature end to a great, young actor was too serious for the film community to keep such an ironic image in the public eye.  To further the sad irony, The Dark Knight deals with elements of chaos and tragedy that Ledger’s Joker unleashes across Gotham.

In The Dark Knight, Batman has become a well known vigilante, but not everyone agrees that what he is doing is good.  While some criminals are running scared, others are larger than ever, seeming to act out of defiance.  This leads some to believe that the Batman should be arrested.  But with the arrival of a new kind of criminal, who doesn’t have any motive other than just to throw Gotham into pure chaos, Batman is necessary.  Meanwhile, Bruce’s love interest, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is now dating Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham’s District Attorney.  It’s only a matter of time before they become The Joker’s targets.

It takes an amazing amount of discipline to portray chaos in a manner that doesn’t leave the audience confused.  In the film, Nolan has scene after scene of Gotham being thrown into The Joker’s insane plots to deal with and control.  There’s an attempted assassination during a memorial service.  Two ferries, one full of civilians, another full of prisoners, with the ability and choice to blow the other ferry up, or they will both be destroyed at midnight.  Most nerve wracking, in my opinion, is the threat that The Joker will blow up a hospital (we can only guess which one) if a certain man is not dead in an hour.  This puts all of Gotham in a frenzy to evacuate all the hospitals and protect a man that many citizens are trying to kill.  With The Joker hatching new schemes and Batman, Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the rest of Gotham scrambling to keep up, there is never a dull moment in this film.

The Dark Knight was nominated for an astounding eight Academy Awards, mostly for technical aspects, but only won two Oscars.  Heath Ledger posthumously won the award for best supporting actor with his daring and twisted portrayal of The Joker, and rightly so.  Every scene he is in, he controls it and mesmerized the audience.  His demeanor is so unsettling and raw that we are drawn in out of curiosity and cannot look away out of fear.  Some of his moments are hilarious in his own menacing way.  I love him visiting Harvey in a nurse’s uniform, complete with a red wig.  Others are horrific and surprising.  The magic pencil trick is a moment that shocks us and before we can even process what just happened, the scene is moving on with no remorse.  The Joker is a role that could mess with anyone’s head, and Ledger pushed boundaries with his character to points where his audience was in awe, disbelief and admiration.  He is an actor that is dearly missed.

Out of the trilogy, I hold The Dark Knight far above the other two films, and believe it is one of the biggest Oscar snubs in the past decade.  In fact, I suspect the Academy began picking ten Best Picture nominees after 2008 because of the great error in not nominating this film.  The story moves fast and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats.  The sounds and visuals are amazing and immersive. And Nolan’s direction is only surpassed by Ledger’s acting.  Though other films based on comic books have been good, none were great until The Dark Knight.

“You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with.  Nothing to do with all your strength.”

The Artist

The fact that The Artist is a black and white silent film makes all the difference.  It was a unique kind of film experience.  Our eyes soaked up the perfect shades of grey and understood the first language we ever learned; body language.  Our ears were more relaxed, not searching words to decipher for meaning, but instead had music that perfectly lead us to the correct emotional state of each scene.  Without booming voices and today’s typical loud things that happen in movies (explosions, gunfire, screaming, Michael Bay-style annoyances), the entire theater experience was quieter than expected and I could hear laughter from rows away.  It was easy to see ourselves in the shots of audiences watching movies.

George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent film star in 1927 who loves the attention it brings him.  He is a bit conceited, giving his dog more credit than his costar and wife.  When a fan bumps into him with photographers all around, George plays along, sparking the question, “Who’s that girl?”  With her picture in the paper next to a star, she has more confidence and becomes an extra at Kinograph studios, under the name Peppy Miller (Supporting Actress nominated, Bérénice Bejo).  Little did she know she would be working with George and that he would help her find the one thing that can make her stand out from the other girls.  There is an obvious attraction between the two.

Problems arise for George, when he refuses to move on to talkies.  At first, he laughs, thinking a talking film is ridiculous.  When he understands the threat it presents to his work, he tries to fight it, by making his own silent film and making arguments against talkies in the papers.  Soon, he realizes it is too late.  We understand him to be a man stuck in one place as the rest of the world, including rising star Peppy, moves on without him.  That staircase scene helped illustrate that idea perfectly, no words needed.

With his Clark Gable style looks and Fred Astaire moves, Best Actor nominated Jean Dujardin feels perfectly natural in this silent era role as George.  All his “mugging at the camera” does not feel like mugging, but a perfect portrayal of emotions that can range so far across his face and movement.  When he smiles, it’s joyous.  His lowest moments can break our hearts.  Even when George’s guard is up, Dujardin has a way of showing how George truly feels.  This sort of silent acting is not miming, but a true art that has to reach deeper than superficial words, and Dujardin proves that he is a master.

I believe that music is much more important in a silent film.  It sets the tone and can replace the voices some may miss.  In one scene, you will see how orchestras used to play live at the front of the theater, providing live music to accompany the film.  Ah, how I would love to experience a silent film the old fashioned way.  The music composed for this film spans a wide range of depth, from toe-tapping jazzy to sweepingly dramatic.  And it all keeps true to the era portrayed.  If these points are taken into consideration, there is no competition against The Artist for Best Original Score.

Besides Best Picture, Original Score and the two acting nominations, The Artist was also nominated for Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Film Editing, Costume Design and Michel Hazanavicius for Best Director.  That is a big 10 nominations for a film that seems so out of the ordinary.   Only one other film has more nominations this year, Hugo with 11.

What surprised me the most about The Artist, is that even though there are some themes that hearken back to Singin’ in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard, it feels very original.  I was not able -nor distracted enough to try- to guess what would happen next.  The plot was driven by the characters, and they felt so real and compelling that the whole audience celebrated their triumphs and mourned beside them; even the dog.

The Artist gives me hope for the next generation of film making.  Taking a step back and remembering exactly why we love film, what originally made it so great, is one of the best ways to improve upon this art.  This is an amazing homage to an important era in film history that keeps the visuals and ideas simple.  But most importantly, it puts story and character first.

If The Academy is looking to award the most unconditional film that celebrates why people have always loved the movies, The Artist will win the Oscar for Best Picture.