Hugo (PG)
Scott:
Michael I.: Tonight I'm reviewing "Hugo", a 3-D family movie directed by the incomparable Martin Scorsese.
Orphan Hugo Caberet (Asa Butterfield) is charged with winding all of the train station clocks of 1930's Paris, all the while stealing parts from a local toymaker (Ben Kingsley) in order to repair an automaton (a simple robot). But when Kingsley catches Hugo, he forces him to hand over his notebook -- the only chance of repairing the automaton and finding the secret message left to Hugo by his deceased father (Jude Law). Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer and Helen McCrory add to the robust cast.
"Hugo" is truly a special movie.
Now, I don't use the word 'special' to describe movies very often. In fact, I don't usually use the word 'special' at all -- there's so many more adjectives to use in my vocabulary to describe things, but let me elaborate.
A few years ago, I fell in love with the first couple of Harry Potter movies. I've never read the book series, but Christopher Columbus had helped translate those tomes into a magical movies. As the series wore on and the children got older, it lost it's magic for me. Maybe it was the change of directors or the darkening tone as the series progressed. But "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" will always be one of my favorites and one of the best live-action family films in recent history.
Fast forward 10 years and we're inundated with 3-D technology and subpar storytelling, just in order to become number 1 at the box office on opening weekend. So here's why "Hugo" is special -- Mr. Scorsese tells a story of wonderment and discovery while reminding us of a time when cinema was truly magical (without all the computer generated graphics and what not).
Without giving away too much of the plot, Mr. Scorsese offers the audience a lesson in Cinema History 101. Knowing his passion for film preservation and restoration, I can tell why it was so important for him to give such as ode to the moving picture. The last time I saw this done so prevalently was in Quentin Taratino's "Inglourious Basterds".
Mr. Scorsese not only uses 3-D technology to embellish his own visuals, but also the archival footage that helps propel the storyline. Now, George Lucas has plenty of finances in order to turn the "Star Wars" series into 3-D, but I doubt that we would have ever seen "Voyage Dans La Lune" in anything other than two dimensions if it was not for this movie. Bravo!
"Hugo" should be at the top of your holiday viewing list, especially if you have children.
I give "Hugo" four out of five stars. "Hugo" is a must-see for any cinephile, whether Mr. Scorsese had directed it or not.
