It's funny that you seem to think the only reason The Artist got all this recognition was because the Academy is a bunch of old farts and they're the only ones that can relate to or enjoy it. Yet from my personal experiences just the opposite has been true. I went to the movie with a few of my friends once, and then my mom and sister the other time. It was my friends and my sister who liked or loved the movie, and my Mom who thought it was mediocre and didn't want to watch a silent movie. If anything I think the Artist comes off as refreshing to a lot of younger audiences because we've never seen anything like it. And most critics mentioned what a breath of fresh air it was. That's likely to be the real reason it got so many accolades, not because the people who give these awards are all 80 or 90 year olds that can remember Chaplin.