Review of "THE ARTIST"

THE ARTIST:

This black and white, (almost) entirely silent film has been winning rave reviews. Dare I call it artsy-fartsy? Nah. You might think I'm unsophisticated.

George Vatinin, (no resemblance intended, so they say, to anyone else such as Rudy Valentino), is the swashbuckling star of silent films, but his wife complains he can't talk to her. He won't talk in several situations, a point that is made over and over. The most important reticence is refusal to speak for the new 'talkies' just coming out, which leads to his career tanking. Then, the stock market crashes, leaving him jobless and penniless. Peppy Miller is a young actress whom George helped start her upward climb. As George's fortunes fall, hers rise, and she becomes a romantic star. When George hits bottom and attempts suicide, she nurses him back to health, and gets him back into movies through dancing, though he still doesn't speak.

This movie is full of cliché's, melodrama, and predictability--by the second half, you know she will rescue him from his plight. It has so much schmaltz (literally, rendered chicken fat), I grieve for the flocks of poultry that must have been killed for this cinematic production. And, I suspect it's all deliberate, that the film's creators were intentionally spoofing early silent films.

But in spite of all the above, the movie is fun to watch. The music is cute, though not stirring, and the characters are enjoyable.

Rating - +++ it gets your pulse up as much as a jog. If you've been planning to see it anyway, while you're working out is a good time.

Review of "BREAKING BAD"

BREAKING BAD (disks 1 and 2):

If a serial killer like Dexter can be a likeable protagonist, why not a meth dealer?  Walter White does have a lot of sympathetic characteristics; he's a talented chemistry teacher who has to work a second job and is treated with contempt by his students and coworkers.  His teenage son has cerebral palsy and his wife just found out she's pregnant.  Then he gets diagnosed with lung cancer, and for some reason, his insurance company won't cover the illness.

What's a guy to do?  Well, as a skilled chemist, he knows how to cook methamphetamine.  He finds a former student willing to sell the stuff for him, and he's in business.

Of course there are complications.  His wife knows there's a secret and is ready to leave him if he doesn't come clean with her.  His brother-in-law is a federal narcotics agent who is looking for this new meth supplier and sometimes does come close to suspecting Walt.

Like Dexter, the series is exciting, with lots of intricate plots and subplots.  Each season has a unifying theme so you're drawn from one hour to the next.  The music is stirring, but forgettable.  All in all it's a good show to help working out, but it falls short of Dexter for a few reasons.  Walt is dour and not nearly as likable as Dexter and the show has much less humor.  But the biggest problem for me is that Walk has an alternative to cooking meth; an employer who swindled him years ago is now willing to hire him so he can get health insurance.  But Walt refuses the offer; that he'd rather cook meth makes the series a lot less appetizing for me.

Still, I give it ++++ - it gets your pulse up as much as a run.