The Artist

Ratings: 8.0/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Romantic, Comedy Drama

The Artist is certainly an interesting movie. It left me speechless. I would say it's great, but not exceptional. Ever since the "new" era of movie making, silent movies have long been forgotten. Sure, the legend of the famous Charlie Chaplin still lingers, but not to the extend that he's missed by millions. There's just too many legends to be missed nowadays, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Michael Jackson etc. The last I remembered of such "silent-like" movies/series is the Mr Bean series. And thankfully, Rowan Atkinson is still in showbiz. Charlie Chaplin wasn't my era, I only vaguely recalled it being shown on our local channels as "fillers" when I was like about 5 years old or younger.

What I'm trying to say is that while it's refreshing to bring an "old" concept back in the modern age, I believe it will soon be chucked away and forgotten in years to come. No matter how much I love it, I was especially fond of the 2 leads for creating such a nostalgic experience for me, the inevitable will happen because the movie lacked the impact. It had the "novelty", soundtrack and great performances by the star-studded cast, but something is missing.. which I cannot put my finger, or comment on. 

I did feel for the characters, but felt that the story dragged a little too much in the middle... about how despite the extreme of circumstances, the male lead still refused to adapt to change. The Artist is about a famous silent movie star who outlived his fame when the new era of talking movies kicked in, and his stubbornness to change would gradually cause his ultimate downfall... 

There's love, there's comedy, there's heart-warming and beautiful moments, and there's lots, real lots of concentration needed on the audience's part due to the nature of the film. In a good way, it forces you to be involved. 

Despite my "imperfect" reviews and "harsh" thoughts above, considering the hype and awards it has received, I'm hopeful that our local TV stations will screen this on TV in years to come, and sure hope that the memory of this forgotten "era" will forever be kept alive...