The Artist

Deb 7 Me 7

This is a classic entertainment movie about classic entertainment and it’s evolution. The film pays tribute to the great movies and actors of the past, with many visual and story references to movies like Sunset Boulevard and Citizen Kane but mostly Singing in the Rain. It looked to me like the film was shot in color and then converted to black and white, I say this because the scenes seemed to be washed in light, much the way you shoot for color. Typically, classically, you light more dramatically for b/w because all you have is dark and light, so they made the most of light and shadows. Not so here, where many of the scenes were sort of clinically white. Actors were asked to be over-the-top a lot of the time, much the way acting was done in the old days, but everyone was likeable and did a swell job. I didn’t recognize a lot the players, Malcolm MacDowell was on screen for thirty seconds but made the poster billing and a new slimmer version of John Goodman did his usual superb job in a major role here. In keeping with the old days the music score played a huge part of telling the story and it made a real contribution here too, I really liked the music’s role. It was a good story, dramatic with lots of comic relief and good attention to detail. Seeing this movie was a fine way to spend the evening.

Melancholia

Deb 5 Me 3

First off, look up the word melancholy; if the idea of watching melancholy for two hours is your idea of a good time, this might be for you. But probably not. Sure there is enough melancholy to fill a ward, but there’s boredom too. Think about that before plopping down your hard earned pay.

All this is disguised by some beautiful and fascinating imagery, but it leads to nothing. And the score, it plays a huge role in the film, from the long Wagnerian slo-mo opening montage to the swells of orchestration throughout the film, punctuated with popular songs, you’re still left in a drab emotional vacuum.

It was rated R for graphic nudity and sexual content and you can dismiss that right away. Sexual content was incidental and distant, and the nudity (I don’t know about it’s being graphic) was there for a few minutes, but it was cold and joyless skin shots. So if you like big music and lots of effects, this might whet your appetite, but if you like some sort of a story with maybe an occasional smile, go somewhere else.

The Descendants

Deb 5 Me 8

I’ve seen a couple film with Clooney, Perfect Storm and the Goats movie, and liked them both. I really liked this one too and he was a big part of the appeal, but again, it’s the kids. Where are they getting these child actors these days? There must be a Tiger Woods type camp or camps worldwide that are turning out these amazing creatures.

So we have a good story, set in a great location with a nice subplot. Overall a dramatic theme with a surprising amount of comic relief, almost enough that you forget it’s a drama. It also looks like it was shot on film. If it was shot in digital, and I think a few scenes were, then digital has arrived.

Deb sometimes has a problem with time compression, that players evolve or grow or transform from one state to another much too quickly; and she felt like that occurred here. I was okay with it, everybody was believable and it was easy to follow. A nice way to spend the evening.