Best Films of 2011/ Oscar Predictions

[Corvus T. Cosmonaut]

Wholeheartedly agree on 'Shame'. Flawed, but so very, very good. So good.

[Alexandros]

I really don't get the enormous love for "The Artist". Don't get me wrong, it was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm getting the vibe that its impact is completely overestimated. Is it Hollywood wallowing on nostalgia?

[Vertigo]

I really don't get the enormous love for "The Artist". Don't get me wrong, it was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm getting the vibe that its impact is completely overestimated. Is it Hollywood wallowing on nostalgia?

Yes. Although personally I didn't enjoy it at all - there was no flair or dynamism in the cinematography and direction, so it didn't feel like there was anything compensating for the lack of sound. Silent movies from the actual period tended to be very fast-paced and dynamic from what I've seen, and unfortunately this was the critical period element that Hanavicius failed to utilise. A couple of ingenious sequences (ironically the ones which involved sound), but I generally thought it was a disappointment.
The celebration of golden age Hollywood by a foreign country is obvious Oscar-bait, though - with Weinstein backing and an American supporting cast it's an awards juggernaut.