Make 'Em Laugh

Make 'Em Laugh (PBS, 2009)

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Rating: DOCQ=6, DOCP=7 / First Rate
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Documentary Series, Comedy

If you enjoy American comedy and a cultural history lesson, this series will not disappoint you. It would be impossible to include every comedian in such a program, but the significant and groundbreaking are all here. My biggest issue was the amount of overlap between episodes -some comedians fit in multiple places- and so you really have to watch the entire series. I wish someone would make something like this about British comedy!

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The Artist

The Artist (Michael Hazanavicius, 2011)

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Rating: Q=8, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Silent, 1920s-30s, Movies, Being an Actor, Romance

Finally. After what seems like years, I've finally watched The Artist and I couldn't have been more delighted. This is truly an amazing and ambitious film. The film student in me was sitting on the edge of the sofa- so many moments of homage to the classics, so much going on in the background. The storyteller in me was drawn in by the wonderful acting, humor, and timeless quality of the narrative. Yes, this is a movie about movies and love and revisiting the golden days of cinema. But above allThe Artist is about change. It is about fate. It is the artist's job to reflect the times and we must adapt in order to survive.

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