The Artist

I finally saw this year's underdog Oscar nominee, The Artist. It is a good movie overall, but I was somewhat disappointed, possibly because I expected too much.

Even though I am not an expert, I have seen a good number of movies from the era (20s-30s) back when I was an avid movie watcher. The Artist captures the cheesiness and predictability of the story lines of the day. Unfortunately, that is not where the charm of the classics lies. At least for me. Busby Berkeley movies, for example, are pretty boring. You watch them for the musical sequences.

If anything, The Artist reminds us how most dialog in modern movies is unnecessary. Think back and you will remember a lot of very powerful scenes without a single spoken word. Who can forget the opening sequence in The Hours, for example.

To end on a positive note. If you have seen the movie, the following video of Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell (the king and queen of tap) dancing to Cole Porter's music in Broadway Melody of 1940 will look familiar. This homage made me think how great it would be if someone did a sequel (The Artist 2!) about the musical era of Hollywood. The plot would still be cheesy, but there would be a lot of dancing!