The Artist

Late 1920s Hollywood, the golden era of silent movies is coming to an end, soon to be replaced by talkies. Movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) faces an uncertain future when he meets an aspiring actress Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). Sparks fly between the two but their careers are heading in opposite directions, as studio producer Al Zimmer (John Goodman) stops all silent movie production and hires Peppy to be the star of the talkies.

Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius has clearly done his homework on silent films and has come up with an absolute diamond of a movie. Shot in black & white and almost entirely silent, this is a cinematic treat, a magical trip back in time! The score is perfect, and we can forgive the use of Bernard Herrmann's 'Love Scene' from Vertigo, as it's used to great effect here and is a stirring piece of music. The two leads are nothing short of fantastic, and there's good support from John Goodman and James Cromwell. Authentic sets and costumes deserve a mention, Malcolm McDowell makes a brief appearance, and as if you needed any more reasons to go and see it, there's a very cute Jack Russell (called Uggie), he's in almost every scene with Jean Dujardin, and is a star!

The Artist has already picked up several awards for best film, best director and best score, and Dujardin won the best actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Well deserved and undoubtedly there's more to come! I can't wait to see it again.

UK release date: 30th December 2011

50/50

It's something that happens to other people. The Big C. Adam, at tender age of 27 (played brilliantly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is suddenly told he has a tumour on his spine. He remains calm, while his mother (the ever-dependable Anjelica Huston) worries herself silly, his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) turns to humour and alcohol, and his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) copes by avoidance and distance. As Adam takes up chemotherapy and counselling sessions with cute but inexperienced therapist (Anna Kendrick), his chances of survival are estimated at 50/50.

It's not as grim as you might expect from the subject matter, it's refreshingly honest and surprisingly funny throughout, adding a couple of tearjerking scenes for balance here and there. Adam's chances are fifty-fifty, and so the final outcome is never certain. Gordon-Levitt is excellent and you'd have to be made of stone to not feel for his character. By the end you'll want to hug the nearest person next to you and invite them out for a beer. Based on a true story and absolutely unmissable!

UK release date: 25th November 2011