Hugo

"We could get into trouble."
"That's how you know it's an adventure."

Hugo (Butterfield), an orphan, lives in the Paris train station.  He watches the activities of the station from behind the clocks he winds every day, and steals food and supplies for the station merchants.  The supplies are for an automaton that he was rebuilding with his father (Jude Law).  Hugo believes the completed automaton will have a message from his late father.

To get the automaton to work, he steals parts from the toy store, but is caught by the owner Georges (Kingsley).  Instead of calling the police, he forces Hugo to work in the shop.  Hugo befriends Georges' goddaughter, Isabelle (Moretz), and they try to finish the automaton and find it's secret.


I can say without hesitation... this is my favorite Martin Scorsese film.  It is a special film that loving looks back on the early years of film.  The plot twists and turns and are never what you expect... and do not disappoint.  The casting is solid, if unexpected, and everything works.

Filmed in 3D, the movie has a unique look and feel that add to its overall mystique.  As Roger Ebert said, "Leave it to Scorsese to make his first 3-D movie about the man who invented special effects."  Regardless, it is a well-made, entertaining film with incredible special effects, which is the reason it won all of the visual Oscar awards in 2012.

Hugo (2011) 126 minutes
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret
Ben Kingsley as Georges Melies
Chloe Grace Moretz as Isabelle
Sacha Baron Cohen as Inspector Gustave