I felt the exact opposite. The Artist is the laziest ode to anything I've ever seen. Really, the two leads run from decent to fabulous, and the fault of the movie rests squarely on the shoulders of the director. The director felt it enough to shoot in digital, convert to B&W, slather a good coat of digital white crisco over the frame, and add in some references to old movies (silent or not) and it would be enough of a calling card.

Well, sorry Frenchie, your silent film shortcuts made the experience even more ingratiating. You, your DP, and the camera crew apparently need to go back to film school and study more silents. Silent films weren't just movies without sound or color. They had an art to them. There were established methods of speaking to the audience through the frame. A lot of the shots were crystal clear, not shot through murky grease which was normally reserved for close ups. The framing of the movie was more important than this lazy movie gave credit for.

And, the pacing. This movie dragged. At a mere 100 minutes, the movie felt like it just kept coming. Part of it was that the director thought references to other movies would pull you through. A 6-minute score piece from Vertigi made it feel like 12-20 minutes, all the while I wanted to be watching Vertigo instead (also, I find it hilarious that Vertigo was used as a reference since it was the most color-conscious film of Hitch's career). References to Sunset Blvd made me long for that movie. I know it was trying to "Woody Allen" the references in a new way while still recalling the original (see Zelig, Stardust Memories), but they were far too overt and dumb without anything new to say.

This movie appeals to the art house crowd who want to believe they're more cultured than they actually are. The critics who revel in the idea of a modern love letter to old films so much that anything with a little bravado (which this had...the whole concept is very cheeky and glib) gets put into upper echelons.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch Singing in the Rain.

Wow, two strong reviews. I must see it for myself!

"As soon as we acquaint ourselves with the primitive filmmaking language"

What primitive filmmaking language? This is nothing but a sound film without the dialogue audio. Its framing, pacing, editing, all give you the hallmarks of contemporary filmmaking. Lazy contemporary filmmaking at that!

Seriously Paul, as someone who's interested in language you don't know the first thing about the language of cinema.

Yup. My ex saw it and was pretty much repulsed by everything in it. Almost got up and walked out. Think I'll save my ten bucks.

Loved the shit out of it, maybe even more than Paul.

Couldn't have said this any better, here's why The Artist isn't worthy of its praise:
http://cinema-scope.com/wordpress/cs-onl…

@6 Yes. Very much that.