Entertainment For Lively Minds
Martin Scorcese's Hugo 3D
Posted by PaddyH on 21 December 2011 - 12:58am.
When:
20/12/2011
Where:
Showcase Cinemas, East Lancs Rd, Norris Green, Liverpool
Comments:
A wonderfully engaging love story to early film by Martin Scorcese. Young orphaned Hugo Cabret lives alone in a Paris railway station and uses his watchmaking skills to restore an automaton he believes holds a message from his beloved dead father. He meets the goddaughter of troubled Georges Méliès, who owns the toy kiosk in the station. Gradually a vault of memories of the people responsible for creating cinema is unlocked. It is a place where your dreams can be made real. The performances are universally wonderful especially Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory's. Youthful leads, Asa Butterfield (Hugo) and Chloë Grace Moretz (Isabelle, Georges' goddaughter) steal the show. But, the art direction, which sees 1930s Paris become a dreamy, storybook place of dreams and nightmares, creates the best character. Django plays in the station, James Joyce has a coffee at the start, such is the attention to detail. I was thoroughly enrapt, something that hasn't happened for a long time.
The Audience:
Painfully sparsely populated mid-afternoon crowd of about 15.
Food & Drink:
Are you having a laugh? Kermodian Code of Conduct applies. Actually, Young Miss H and her mate had a European butter mountain of popcorn. Coffee for me and Mrs H.
It Made Me Think...:
Films, made so lovingly, with such affection, care and intelligence, come around so infrequently that they must be cherished and shouted about from as many rooftops as we can clamber upon to do so.
The first
movie I’ve seen in 3D where I’m glad I went for that option - I saw it in 2D first, but for once the 3D is really worth it. Way better than Avatar or Tintin in 3D.
Ah
Glad you said that. I hate 3D and was going to go to the 2D version, but you are the third person who has told me to go for 3D, so think I will.
3D
Really is integral to the story, at least in places. It's a remarkable movie, Jo, really remarkable.
Not out
in Australia until January 12. But thanks for bringing it to my attention. Sounds like some overlap in feel and location with Woody Allen's rather lovely Midnight In Paris.
Midnight in Paris is good
Especially, when seen in having read his story 'A 20s Memory', nice homages to past and modernism.
But Hugo really is a footnote in cinema history. It's a remarkable film.
Missed it in 3D
Saw it last Friday when only 2D showings were available. Still enjoyed it however, but I could see where the 3D would have been advantageous.
A great film indeed. It's coming to that pre oscar season where the "hot tips" are coming out of the woodwork!