Now Playing: Hugo

Now that I’m mobile, the Oscar list needs to be whittled down.  Anything that can be watched on DVD has been, so I’m moving back to the theatre.  On Sunday evening, I took in the 3D version of Hugo, based on the fabulous kid’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Directed by the venerable Martin Scorcese and starring Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and the wonderful Asa Butterfield (whom I loved in The Boy in Striped Pyjamas). 

Taking place in my favourite city, Paris, during the thirties, Hugo is a very pretty movie.  It captures that sense of magic and fantasy that has so many fall in love with the City (as fellow Oscar contender, Midnight in Paris, attempts to express).  On top of allure of Paris, there is a layer of romantic machinery that really makes one (read: me) feel nostalgic for a time when technology was wondrous and not ubiquitous.  The city itself becomes more than  a backdrop - it becomes a character that allows for the unfolding of this story. 

The story itself is equal parts mystery,  tragedy, and comedy.  Excellent casting allows for small moments (the two dogs meeting) to become great ones.  And the fact that this is historical fiction, based on the real-life Georges Méliès and his works (getting renewed attention) makes it all the more intriguing.  It's hard to talk about the movie without giving huge parts of it away - it's the unfolding of the story that makes it so compelling. I will simply say you should watch it and that I give it 4 out of 5 stars.