The Artist, Haywire and The Descendants

Would I ever normally go to see a silent, black and white movie at the cinema? No. So it was only because of the rave reviews that I went to see "The Artist". Also, apparently, the music was supposed to be good. What can I say. It was OK, but I was not that impressed.  It was more that it had novelty value than it was an engaging experience. It started off  OK, and the final scenes quite reasonable, but the middle section was really boring. And the music was very ordinary. So not a film I could recommend.

I was glad to get back to a mainstream action movie. "Haywire" is pretty forgettable, but at the time it had it's moments. Steven Soderbergh keeps up a fast pace in this "agent gone off the radar" thriller, although it is the back story to why this has happened that takes up most of the film. There are maybe just too many fight scenes, but they are mainly mercifully short. And the way the music stops to leave us with the sounds of battle is quite amazing. Newcomer Gina Carano, picked for her martial arts experience, but not for her acting, just about holds things together without too much embarrassment. The location photography is excellent, Barcelona and especially the chase around Dublin. Reasonably good fun.

I had high hopes for "The Descendants", and mainly it lived up to them. A family drama set in Hawaii would always be worth watching, and there was just enough drama to keep me interested. George Clooney is obviously a candidate for best actor, and I guess that in other hands, his pivotal role might have been too much. There was just a sense that here was George making a statement with a role quite different from his usual choices of the suave hero. But for me, it is the rest of the cast that outshine the star. Amara Miller and Shailene Woodley as the two daughters are great. Alexander Payne has created something that is moving and beautiful to look at. The dialogue sometimes falters, but overall, it delivers an engaging movie. Just a shame about the Hawaiian themed music, that was a move too far.