THIS MONTH YOU SHOULD YO KNOW
Michel Hazanavicius
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You'll hear his name a lot in the next month or two, so let's take a brief look at him (and practise pronouncing his last name). Michel Hazanavicius is the French director of the OSS 117 spy-spoof flicks, but the reason he's become current hot property is his latest film, The Artist.
No longer twisting a genre's arm and spinning a spoof out of it, Hazanavicius's new film is a loving homage to the Hollywood silent era _ with a few winks. The light, entertaining, black-and-white film leads the most nominations count for the Golden Globe Awards with six nods, and we're ready to break the bank and put all our money on it winning best comedy or Musical Picture. When the Globes are announced on Jan 15, there's a good chance for Hazanavicius to grab the best director prize, too, and the film is now a sure bet to star in the Oscar nomination list to be announced soon.
Hazanavicius made two OSS 117 movies in 2006 and 2009; they're gleeful parodies of 1960s spy movies and starring Jean Dujardin, who also leads the cast in The Artist. The latest film tells the story of George Valentin, a silent movie star who refuses to accept the advent of sound and finds his popularity on the decline. The Artist also stars Benerice Bejo _ Hazanavicius' wife _ in the role of an upcoming actress whose career takes off along with the sound era. Bejo is also nominated in the best supporting actress category.
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