Movie of the Day – OSS 117: Lost in Rio

After seeing this movie, it’s not hard to see why Jean Dujardin won for his role in The Artist, which isn’t to say that the roles are similar here.  It’s rather the general charisma that this man has on screen for a deadpan delivery of jokes and lines to his expressive nature in front of the camera.  He is an actor that is versatile and unique, easily one of my favorite actors given his body of work.  OSS 117 is the sort of spoof movie that is a bit more clever in the spy parody genre.  Where Austin Powers is more of a hokey, gag filled movie, OSS 117 is the smart and sophisticated spoof movie that isn’t on the nose and relies deadpan delivery with a smirk.  I guess since it is a French film, we shouldn’t expect less.

Movie of the Day – The Artist

Since this Oscar winning film is coming out on Blu-Ray next week, I decided to come back to one of my favorite films of 2011.  The Artist is the cinematic treat that comes around every awards seasons and seem destined to snag all the wins and acclaim.  Sure, I sometimes chide that these are the sort of films that are Oscar bait and are meant only to win awards.  but on the rare occasion, you get a film like this that reminds you of why you go to the movies and the progression that cinema has had over the century.

Movie Review – The Artist

A part of me wishes that I could go back in time to the silent era of films, the birthplace of the spectacle that I have come to love so much.  It was a time when actors had to act, utilizing the emotional rage of their expressive faces and fantasy-like production of films where it more of a film play, with costumes, full orchestra and glitz that went along with it.  It a sad thing that this era is long gone in the minds of most movie goers, know that the silent era gave way to the talkies and then the refinement of the medium through decades of toiling.  Leave it to the Oscar season to have a film come along and remind of what it is all about.  It reminds us why we go to the movies.  Why we will leave the comfort of our house and give ourselves to the silver screen, the flicker of the projectors bulb and the atmosphere that comes along with film watching.