Hugo Cabret

Saw it today in a sneak preview today at the Director's Guild in LA. James Cameron who was there professed it's a masterpiece and the best 3D to date. And he's right on both fronts. The film is exquisitely crafted. The cinematography and set design is likely going to take home a couple gold guys. It's a film lover's dream movie. As with many of Scorsese's films, it's an inspired film history lesson along side of being a dreamlike children's fable. A really unique combination that will work for the film enthusiasts and discerning family's with kids. Maybe a bit long for broad audiences with very little kids, but the images are so enchanting, it should win over most everybody. Sasha Baron Cohen is a brilliant and hilarious standout as the twitchy constable. It should be very well received just on the 3D alone.

In the late 20's, in Paris, the orphan Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a lonely boy that lives hidden from the cruel Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) behind the walls of the train station, keeping the clocks working. He survives stealing breads, milk and other nourishment from the station stores. Hugo's father (Jude Law) was a watchmaker that had taught Hugo how to fix clocks and gadgets and died in a fire in his workshop. Then his alcoholic Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), who is the responsible for keeping the station clocks working but vanished months ago, brings Hugo to work with him.

Hugo is trying to fix an automaton, the only memorabilia he has from his father, stealing parts from the bitter and cranky owner of a toy store, Papa George (Ben Kingsley). However it is missing a heart-shaped key to make it work. Hugo believes that the robot possesses a last message from his father. When George holds Hugo, he takes a notebook from the boy with the notes that he is using to repair the automaton.

Hugo follows George and meets his granddaughter Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is raised by her grandparents after the death of her parents. Isabelle befriends Hugo seeking to live the adventure of her life. When Hugo sees that the girl has the key that he needs, he brings her to his hideout and the automaton works and draws a poster from 1902 George Méliès' film "Le voyage dans la lune". Hugo and Isabelle continue to research about the filmmaker and they find a hidden secret about George Méliès.

"Hugo" is a wonder for any cinema lover, with a great tribute to George Méliès. Martin Scorcese delivers his best film after many years, with a wonderful story of a boy that fixes machinery and ends fixing the heart of an old man.

It is unbelievable that users without any cinema culture give low rating to a film that is a great homage to the silent movies, with many references along the story. The boy Asa Butterfield, from "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas", gives another excellent performance and the girl Chloë Grace Moretz, who has a lovely smile, shows a fantastic chemistry with Asa Butterfield.

It is intriguing that at least three movies nominated to the Oscar 2012 have points in common: "The Artist" is a film about the transition from the silent movie to the spoken films; "Hugo" is set in Paris in the late 20's and has references to actors, actresses and directors of the silent movies; and "Midnight in Paris" is also set in Paris in the 20's. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "A Invenção de Hugo Cabret" ("The Invention of Hugo Cabret")

It has taken me a long time to get round to watching Hugo, but I am so glad that I did. This is a wonderful and simply glorious ode to early cinema told through the eyes of Hugo (Asa Butterfield), an orphan who after the death of his clockmaker father (Jude Law) ends up living in the walls of a Parisian train station charged with winding the station's numerous clocks.

Hugo's only link back to his late father is through a majestic mechanical automaton, a sort of tin man which his father had been restoring in his spare time. As appears to be the way with all tin men this one is also missing a heart, but this time it is a heart shaped key which Hugo is convinced if he can find will unlock the secrets inside. This leads young Hugo on a dangerous but adventurous search which often lands him in the clutches of either the local shopkeeper (Ben Kingsley) or the Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). Help is at hand though from the shopkeeper's god daughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and as the two join forces they soon discover they have more in common than they thought.

In Hugo, Scorsese has produced a truly magical tale which sucks the viewer into the screen via the innovative use of 3D so immersing us within the dynamics of Parisian life and the wonders that take place within the walls of the station. Butterfield is perfectly cast as young Hugo, a curious young boy determined to survive in a hard and cold world which constantly seems to deal him a bad hand; you simply can't help but love him. Moretz after a slightly shaky start soon finds her feet (and her accent), Kingsley is excellent, especially as the story develops and there is strength in depth from a top notch supporting cast including Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone and Christopher Lee to name but a few.

Hugo's strength however is in its story, which effortlessly unfolds in front of you with real grace and elegance. Scorsese's love for the history of his craft and his desire to share this tale of early cinema is evident in every frame. Whilst it may not be the most historically accurate portrayal of cinematic history it has a true and good heart which beautifully captures the essence of what is cinema.

Some people have criticised Scorsese for creating a children's movie that is inaccessible for most children. I strongly disagree on this point. To me Hugo is a classic children's movie which works across all age spectrums, much in a similar vain to Spielberg's ET. In a world of Woody, Buzz, Jessie and meatballs that fall from the sky (which don't get me wrong are all fabulous in their own right), it is refreshing to see a children's movie of old. It feels like a magical Christmas movie to me, perfectly accessible and enjoyed by all.

Hugo is fully deserving of the many accolades that it picked up during the awards season. It is a wonderful and engaging film which I will show my children when they are a little older and I am certain they will fall in love with cinema in the same way their father need did so many years ago.

Review by Will Malone www.maloneonmovies.com

Like many, I suspect, I went into this film ready to be dazzled by the cinematography and a rare, nice clean story by Director Martin Scorcese. I wasn't disappointed although I found the story lagging in a few brief spots. Cutting the film another 10 minutes might have solved that. Having said that, though, a month later I'm all ready to view it again!

To me, the most interesting and amazing scenes were not involving the two young main characters and the railroad station, but the ones in the last 30-or-so minutes which dealt with very early films and how they made them. It was incredibly colorful and an education to film buffs everywhere. Anyone who loves movies and appreciates the history of the art should love the last part of this story.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the story still offers many great sights and sounds and I have no quibbles with any of the actors. Youngsters Asa Butterfield ("Hugo") and Cholë Grace Moretz ("Isabelle") were both about 13 when they made this and seem to have good careers ahead of them. I didn't recognize Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector. He was great in that role. As for Ben Kingsley, when is he ever bland?

This is one of those "family films" that can be enjoyed just as much - and probably more - by adults. I wish Scorcese would make more of this kind of material.

Since its release, I've been confused why Martin Scorsese made this film. I knew very little about it of course, only that it was an adventure movie about an orphan boy living in the walls of a Paris train station. It certainly doesn't sound very Scorsese-like.

However that is merely the framing for what is an ode to the earliest days of cinema, and in particular one of its true pioneers, Georges Melies. With references to "Arrival of a Train" – one of the world's first films by the Lumiere brothers, Melies's "A Trip to the Moon" and many others, this really is a treat for movie fans. Yes on a very basic level it is a children's movie, but really there's far more here for adults. Scorsese wonderfully juxtaposes his most technologically advanced film yet to demonstrate the genius and inventiveness of cinema in its earliest days.

There are fine performances from the two children, as well as Ben Kingsley as Melies and Sasha Baron Cohen as a determined and love struck station inspector. I actually thought that Helen McCrory stole the show as Melies' wife Mama Jeanne.

I never got to see Hugo in 3D, but the blu ray version looks truly sumptuous, with some breath taking imagery of early 20th century Paris. The film does tailor off significantly towards the end, with Scorsese seemingly unsure of what to do with the final act once the children had solved their mystery. What comes before is truly magical though and this film gets a big thumbs up from me.