The Artist: 2011

I didn't expect to watch another silent film after Wings, the first film to win Best Picture and supposedly the only silent film to win Best Picture. But apparently another silent film one, and that's The Artist. Although I suppose one could say that The Artist is not quite a silent film; there is some sound and talking. But trust, it's not much.

My surprise over The Artist winning quickly faded when I saw one of the producers: the Weinstein Company. Ah, yet again an Oscar campaign that resulted in a movie winning that didn't necessarily deserve the honor. (According to Vulture, Weinstein had a private showing of The Artist for Academy members and two of Charlie Chaplin's granddaughters were there--talk about a feeling guilty for what film used to be vote.)

The Artist isn't a bad movie. At times, it's fun with how it pokes fun at the overly dramatic actors of silent films. Just watching the trailer gives a glimpse at the sincere goofiness.

While the film has endearing moments, humor, and a dog--all qualities of an enjoyable film--it lacks what it needs to be deserving of an Oscar. Sure, a modern day silent movie is intriguing, but The Artist doesn't seem to do anything new with that genre or structure. The tilted of the camera at times to reflect George's dismay and fear over talkies becomes distracting rather than symbolizing George's confusion.

The Artist is a fine film, just not what I would think of as a Best Picture winner.

The Social Network: 2010

While The Social Network didn't win Best Picture (it was nominated), I decided to go ahead and watch it instead of rewatching the 2011 Best Picture winner The King's Speech as I had already seen it. And not rewatching The King's Speech had nothing to do with my feelings about the film. I actually really enjoyed the film when I watched it. This was a case of 2010 having a lot of amazing films I didn't see and still want to see. The Social Network just happened to be my pick from the list of nominees because it was available at my library and when I needed it. And yeah, I wanted to see Justin Timberlake's performance. I was curious.

Watching The Social Network felt odd at times because I kinda knew how the story would turn out. I mean, it's about Facebook. I know that Facebook has crazy success today (despite the whole Cambridge Analytica scandal) and that Mark Zuckerberg is still the CEO. So it was like watching Titanic in that case, only this time the ship dodged the iceberg and went on to make billions of dollars.

That being said, the film is incredible. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue was an absolute pleasure, as always. The sharpness fit the intelligent characters and the fast-paced tech world. The actors were believable, including Timberlake who plays the founder of Napster and is total scum despite what Mark in the film initially thinks of him. Visually, the film is fantastic. The quick cuts, the lighting, the types of shots--I loved how each shot told me more about characters.

The story ties up rather neatly, which made it clear to me that it wasn't exactly all true, and I'm okay with that. When I watch a film that isn't a documentary, I don't need the full true story as long as it's entertaining. But I do wonder how Mark Zuckerberg feels about the film because it is NOT at all flattering. (Turns out, he was hurt by the film. And knowing that makes me feel a little bad for liking it, but not that bad. After all, I think Zuckerberg is doing okay.)