The Artist – Review (Who’s that girl?)

Wow…

Finally… Finally… and Finally… I have seen the film. Few interesting facts I got to know before watching this movie -

A Hollywood rarity… For the first time in more than 80 years… Silent + black & white film… By French Director and leaded by French actor and actress. This crew doesn’t have any idea how this going to work…

Hmmm… These are quite risky things in this 21^st century to make a (huge) success. Isn’t it?  I went with open minded and it doesn’t fail me. It completely captivated me.

Directed by

Michel Hazanavicius

Produced by

Thomas Langmann

Written by

Michel Hazanavicius

Starring

Jean Dujardin

Bérénice Bejo

Uggie

Music by

Ludovic Bource

Cinematography

Guillaume Schiffman

Editing by

Anne-Sophie Bion

Michel Hazanavicius

Trailer

Story Plot – A well known story. Plotted between 1927 and 1932 in Hollywood. A renowned actor – George Valentin in silent cinema who falls in love with a promising new actress – Peppy Miller. But sooner the silent film grows out of fashion and is replaced by talkies. Eventually the fame of the actor is gone.

Having this simple and know plot doesn’t fascinate the audience much. Cleverly the director added few other things into it to drive the whole film.

1. The story is built on a perfect mixture of emotions and humour.

2. The character’s attitude, gestures and facial expression are perfect and authentic to that period. They have completely focused on their emotions. This must for a silent movie. The charming characters bring the old Hollywood feel. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo studied few 1920’s Hollywood characters and movies.

On seeing the Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) character I could able to correlate with the character Kalpana, the actress (Aishwarya Rai) in the movie Iruvar. I don’t know why.

3. The title cards are very minimal and placed in perfect spots. Certain dialogues are like piercing.

Peppy and her boyfriend @ George House – Her boyfriend says to George ‘My father is a big fan’.

@ A movie – A lady on seeing Uggie, George’s dog says the dog is very cute but George replies her ‘If only he could talk!’

4. Soundtrack – Ludovic Bource really did a good job. Breathtaking. The character’s emotions are wonderfully combined with the background scores. The background scores are played in the set to act comfortable.

My favourite soundtracks

My Suicide -

Waltz for Peppy -

5. The introduction of talkie is shown very creatively in this movie. Watch the film you will know what I’m saying here.

6. The dog – Jack (Uggie) is an also a perfect choice. It is like giving break for the audience. But the character is also vital one.

7. Cinematography is ideal.

8. The ending is also imaginative.

The movie is dedicated to someone. If you see the end title you will get to know. I couldn’t able to get it. If someone get to know then please share the detail.

Having said all these…

‘The Artist’ is unbelievable…

Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Uggie won the Palm Dog Award for best performance at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

The movie was nominated for six Golden Globe awards and won three. Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score, and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

And the movie is also nominated for twelve BAFTA.

Oscar nominations will be announced on January. Will this movie be loud enough to get nominated and won the title? We have to wait and see. Fingers crossed.

A MUST WATCH MOVIE!!! YOU WILL NEVER REGRET FOR IT!!!

Clicks!!!

 

 

Biutiful

^^^Fifty Movies In Fifty Days^^^

Movie #: 50/50

Rating: 5/5

Crew:

Directed by

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Produced by

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Alfonso Cuarón

Guillermo del Toro

Fernando Bovaira

Sandra Hermida

Jon Kilik

Ann Ruark

Written by

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Armando Bo

Nicolás Giacobone

Starring

Javier Bardem

Maricel Álvarez

Hanaa Bouchaib

Guillermo Estrella

Diaryatou Daff

Cheng Tai Shen

Nasser Saleh

Music by

Gustavo Santaolalla

Cinematography

Rodrigo Prieto

Editing by

Stephen Mirrione

Release year

2010

Running time

148 minutes

Country

Mexico

Spain

Language

Spanish

Chinese

Wolof

Plot:

Alejandro did it again. Another movie about DEATH. Unlike the other movie this film is about a single character Uxbal. But still there are some other story line connected to Uxbal. A very depressing movie. Javier Bardem really did a fantastic job emotionally and physically. No one would have done it. And the making of the film is very natural.

Location – Barcelona, Spain.

Uxbal is working in an underworld job. He sells drug with a help of an African guy. And also he helps a group of Chinese people to work in a bag manufacturing company and construction. In addition to this he does communicate with the dead people for extra money. (Thank God, Alejandro didn’t get into it a lot). All these earnings are for his two children. Uxbal has been separated from his wife who is affected by bipolar disorder.

He did all the risk jobs and earns money to make sure his kids will be alright when he heard the news that he will die soon.

The movie has a complete balance. The death has been shown spiritually, scary, emotionally and beautifully. The soundtrack is too perfect. Gustavo really did a good work.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

^^^Fifty Movies In Fifty Days^^^

Movie #: 49/50

Rating: 5/5

Crew:

Directed by

Cristian Mungiu

Produced by

Cristian Mungiu

Oleg Mutu

Written by

Cristian Mungiu

Starring

Adi Carauleanu

Luminiţa Gheorghiu

Mădălina Ghiţescu

Vlad Ivanov

Anamaria Marinca

Alexandru Potocean

Laura Vasiliu

Cinematography

Oleg Mutu

Editing by

Dana Bunescu

Release year

2007

Running time

113 minutes

Country

Romania

Language

Romanian

Plot:

Romania, 1987.

Two college friends, Gabriela and Otilia are in a trouble. Gabriela is pregnant and she wants to get abortion unknowingly. They secretly arrange a meeting with a doctor Bebe to do the illegal abortion in a hotel.

How far Otilia does go for her friend is the rest of the story.

A stunning and riveting movie.

1. The doctor explains the complete procedure of the abortion.

2. And slowly he takes advantage of it.

3. Otilia’s visit to her boyfriend’s – Adi house on his mother’s birthday. The dinner scene

4. Otilia and Adi’s private conversation.

5. The complete end is untold. 

Russian Ark

^^^Fifty Movies In Fifty Days^^^

Movie #: 48/50

Rating: 4/5

Crew:

Directed by

Alexander Sokurov

Produced by

Andrey Deryabin

Jens Meurer

Karsten Stöter

Written by

Anatoli Nikiforov

Alexander Sokurov

Starring

Sergei Dontsov

Music by

Sergei Yevtushenko

Cinematography

Tilman Büttner

Release year

2002

Running time

96 minutes

Country

Russia

Language

Russian

Plot:

This movie really bored me a lot but loved the whole subject /idea and the way it has been taken. The only reason I have taken this movie is for Alexander Sokurov.

The reason for boring – The whole movie is taken in a museum (That is ok). But the characters and conversation is all about the Russian history. Might be enjoyed if I know few historical characters in Russia.

The reason for loving – The subject of the film. (Read the plot below). The whole movie is taken in a Russia Museum State Hermitage Museum. The whole 96 minutes looks like single sequence shot.

The protagonist died in an accident and he narrates the whole movie. His face is not shown. He wanders in the museum. He accompany with a French traveller Marquis de Custine. They both traverse from one room to another. There they happens to people belong to different centuries. Sometimes they are not visible to them and sometime they does. They talk with them, gaze the museum, history and see what happened there.

There are hundreds and hundreds of characters involved with splendid costumes. The movie end with a great musical orchestra. Finally the protagonist leaves the place.

Where is the friend’s home

^^^Fifty Movies In Fifty Days^^^

Movie #: 47/50

Rating: 5/5

Crew:

Directed by

Abbas Kiarostami

Produced by

Ali Reza Zarrin

Written by

Abbas Kiarostami

Starring

Babek Ahmed Poor

Ahmed Ahmed Poor

Cinematography

Farhad Saba

Editing by

Abbas Kiarostami

Released year

1987

Running time

83 min.

Language

Persian

Plot:

Very simple plot but taken very interestingly.

The film tells a deceptively simple account of a conscientious schoolboy’s quest to return his friend’s notebook in a neighboring village, since, should his friend fail to hand it in the next day, it is likely he will get expelled. Hence this film has been seen as a metaphor for the sense of civil duty, about loyalty and everyday heroics. The traditional beliefs of Iranian rural people are also shown in many parts of the movie.

Turtles Can Fly

^^^Fifty Movies In Fifty Days^^^

Movie #: 46/50

Rating: 5/5

Crew:

Directed by

Bahman Ghobadi

Produced by

Babak Amini

Hamid Ghobadi

Hamid Ghavami

Bahman Ghobadi

Written by

Bahman Ghobadi

Starring

Soran Ebrahim

Avaz Latif

Release year

2004

Running time

95 min

Country

Iraq

Iran

Language

Kurdish

Plot:

Place – Kurdish. A refuge camp on Iraqi-Turkish border.

Time – US invation

Characters –

Satellite – A boy around 15. He is the only person in that place who knows how to fix antenna / satellite. And he is the boss of a large group of local children and refugee children. He gives them work and order them to install antenna. He is the boss. With the little knowledge of ‘English’ he lies to everyone and gets the attention of others. Pashow and Shirkooh are his very close workers.

Henkov – A refugee armless (both the arms) boy. He came to this camp because his place has been shattered completely. He is also around 15. He has the gift of seeing the future (clairvoyance).

Agrin – Sister of Henkov. She is also around 15. She has her own darker side. She had a kid age around 2. Satellite falls in love with Agrin.

The story revolves around them. And the darker secrets are unfolded very slowly.

Mind-blowing performance by these kids.