In 3-D, HUGO is a dazzlingly wondrous feast for the eyes, which tugs at the
heart of any fan of movies past.
I agree with you, Kirby, much of everything else in the film is
underwhelming, particularly Sacha Baron-Cohen. HUGO grinds to an abrupt,
uncomfortable halt whenever he is on the screen.
Aside from some spectacular eye-candy shots and unlike MIDNIGHT IN PARIS,
which is my favorite film of the year, Scorsese fails to relay little in the
way of affection for the city. Perhaps, Paris, with its tradition of the
arts and avant-garde, is one of the few places where a magical moviemaker
like Melies could have found such fertile ground to grow his screen magic.
Earl Blair
CAPTAIN BIJOU
www.captainbijou.om
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kirby McDaniel" <ki...@movieart.net>
To: <MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 11:34 AM
Subject: [MOPO] RECOMMENDED: HUGO
Finally I saw this Christmas release.
I was a little underwhelmed in some respects and quite overwhelmed in
others.
It's a 3D film that must be seen in 3D. Scorsese uses 3D in an
intelligent way to
try to capture some of the magic at the birth of cinema. The art
direction, set decoration, photography,
movement, blocking, staging, and
production values are at once grand and astonishing. It's worth seeing
for that alone.
As a kids' film, it is a little too grown-up, I think. For age 10 and
above.
Not that there is anything objectionable in it; I just wonder if it can
hold the attention of a young kid. It is not short. In fact, it may be a
little
too long for someone who is not absolutely enthralled with the subject,
but
that would not include me.
The movie is Professor Scorsese's ticket to impart his rapturous love
of early cinema. He tries, with remarkable success, to dramatize the
mechanical world of the early 20th century using 3D to make it all come
alive and to lionize the tinkerers, chemists, cameramen and directors who
literally invented
moving pictures.
As a testament to Scorsese's abilities as a director especially his power
to harness vision within an enormous production, the film is impressive.
Seeing this movie on TV in 2D will be almost like missing it.
It's a movie-lovers movie and it is large.
How was I perhaps a little underwhelmed? The Cinema is
the star of this movie. This is not a star-turn picture. The acting is
good,
but Scorsese never lets these actors, with the exception of Sacha
Baron-Cohen, whom
he doesn't seem able to control entirely,
get anywhere near stealing this picture. In this sense, the film is the
polar opposite
of a movie like TREE OF LIFE where the actors are unleashed to carry the
film or
MONEYBALL which is old fashioned Brad Pitt movie star stuff cooked to
perfection.
K.
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