Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...

Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA (1927-1932)Pennies from Heaven The film's timeline moves from the decadent world of the 1920s—when Hollywood was the place for party people—to the stock market crash...

Tick-TockTime passes in The Artist, just like in every other movie…but the characters in The Artist feel time passing in a more extreme way. Or at least George does. This awareness of the changin...

Drama; Comedy; RomanceThe Artist is a greedy movie. Not only does it span parts of two decades, examine the lives of two different movie stars, and straddle the line between silent film and talkieâ...

There must be a reason why The Artist isn't called The Actor or The Director. Is the title an homage to the artistry (and artists) of early cinema? A shout-out to the old trope of the tortured arti...

A lot happens in the closing shots of The Artist. The scene opens on a chorus line of men holding clapboards, as they fall away one by one to reveal a stage. George and Peppy dance a duet in unison...

PG-13Aside from all the drinking and smoking that goes down (it was Hollywood in the 20s, after all), The Artist is pretty wholesome. There are only a few instances of profanity (the middle finger...