Are we running out of ideas so quickly that simply homaging greatness is akin to greatness itself ?
"Hugo" won best film by the National Board of Review . . . I wonder what film they saw.
; - - - A picture from the book I've yet to read. (If I ever will) 
"Hugo" is a well shot, decently acted small quaint children's film that cinephiles will get an extra kick out of. It isn't a cinema masterpiece. And the 3D isn't the greatest 3D ever recorded as some critics have said, and truth be told it's miles better than "Shutter Island" just a tad better than most directors films and below Scorsese's other films. But Martin has been homaging the history of film since "Taxi Driver". Which contains numerous homages to Godard films and John Ford films. Two of Scorsese's biggest influences. 
"Hugo" for my dollars is far less subtle. It's very noticeable "Hugo" by the end of the film isn't about the adventures of a young boy...it's about the preservation of old films.
"Hugo" for my dollars is far less subtle. It's very noticeable "Hugo" by the end of the film isn't about the adventures of a young boy...it's about the preservation of old films. 
;-Although I did get to see "Voyage to the Moon" from 1902 cleaned up and in 3D on the big screen. Which I must say was a magnificent treat for a film lover, but homaging a filmmaker that's over 100 years old as important as he was in the history of film does not a great film make. But still great to see :) Okay lets get this review started. The sets are gorgeous (oscar worthy) though as advertised as an amazing adventure, there are only a handful of sets showcased in the film. A toyshop, library, house, train station, movie theatre, and the gears of the clocks inside the train station. That's it, they travel outside of the train station once and when they do it's usually a street corner near a bridge, river, and a movie theatre.
"Hugo" Cabret is an orphan cliche and stumbles across the wonderful trope of an adventurous young french girl whose idea of adventure consists of books. (She's basically the French equivalent of Lisa Simpsons) but played rather sweetly by Chloe Moretz. 
made famous as Hit Girl in the hit film "Kick Ass" 
(And if you try to think perverted fan-fiction thoughts she'll murder you.) "Hugo" however isn't violent and barely passionate, it is a quaint cute little story that has the substance of a Hallmark story of the week, however directed by a master director.
"Hugo" is a young boy whose an apprentice clockmaker with his father who finds a mysterious wind up figurine and tries to repair it. Then dies and "Hugo" is whisked off to work with his uncle repairing clocks in the train station and he's the drunk cliche trope character who doesn't love "Hugo" and basically uses him for cheap child labor.
At the beggining of the film "Hugo" is caught stealing parts from a toymaker and the toymaker asks him to empty his pockets after he's caught stealing. The toymaker finds a little notebook with drawings of the wind up figure and begins to feel sad, he takes the boys book and threatens to burn it. His granddaughter is Chloe Moretz who befriends "Hugo" and assures him he won't burn the book and he can get it back later. She also informs him that her grandfather cried when he read through the book. (This is a piss poor plot device used to get to what the film is really about.)
Ehem, the Grandfather character gives "Hugo" some ash tells him he burnt the book and the boy cries and then later is revealed this is a trick...hurray now "Hugo" has to work off his robbery and being an orphan in order to win back this book. Well Chloe and him eventually break back into the grandfathers house, spilling a mysterious cabinet filled with crazy fantasy drawings (which will later be revealed) getting his book back and discovered that in all the coincidences the clockwork man "Hugo" has spent numerous hours repairing only will operate with a key Chloe Moretz says her grandfather gave her. Get it now...the key that Chloe has works on the machine that "Hugo" had and his father tried to repair that he found in an old museum. "Hugo" thinks that turning on the machine will solve some mystery about his father or the meaning of life or something...his father died in a fire, basically repairing the robot is his idea of finishing something his father started which is him embarking on a mystery his father was too dead to even know about all the dad character wanted to know was what it did when you turned the machine on, yet to my amazement the film tries to fool the audience into thinking this big mystery will give "Hugo" closure, when in reality his dad died before he even embarked on it. (Which really bothers me from a writing standpoint.) 
Well the machine turns on and draws the famous "Voyage to the Moon" picture of a rocket in a moon with a face...and the kids turn over the picture to Chloe's grandmother and she cries and talks about hating the past. Well the go to the library (Chloe's character loves books remember) and research the film, and find an expert on George Melies (Whom we find out is Chloe's grandfather and the toymaker from the train station - both of which I believe were completely made up for the sake of the book and have no basis in fact about the real George Melies, but if I can believe Eli Roth shot Hitler in the face than I guess I'll believe this.)
Anyways they end up sneaking an old film of Melies back to Chloe's grandparents house and showing the grandmother who becomes very nostalgic as possible a lot of film fans are. And the grandfather George Melies (played pretty well by Ben Kingsley) stumbles in on the session and reveals the whole history of how he made the films, fell in love with making the films and eventually had to sell his old films, joined the war effort, burned down his studio and founded a toy shop in the train station. And that's the plot of "Hugo" there are a few side characters that have cute little moments, the most memorable being the station guard played by Sasha Barron Cohen and a few others that aren't really important to the plot but have cute moments. 
The film ends in a theatre with a beautiful montage of Melies films and a hammy speech about preserving films with "Hugo" now feeling apart of a family and ending with Chloe's character in a cliched voice-over about 'that boy she met' at an after party after a screening of Melies films.
"Hugo" has a level of charm that is beautiful but not masterful, and no where near perfect. I was happy I saw it but not enriched in anyway as I'd expect a great film to always do.
<- "Hugo" is not like this.
(No sound)
<- This is what "Hugo" is about. It is not a film about a young boy who loves to tinker.
So many film lovers are praising 'Hugo' and I don't really see why. The history of film is interesting but something I already knew about and the part where the film meets the real world history I felt didn't match up that well.
(The real George Melies) 
(Ben Kingsly as him) 
;--- There is even an homage to this famous old picture.
Hmmm.....I think you are writing this to try convince us that this film is not worth seeing. Unfortunately, I already saw it last night, and so I have already formed a positive opinion. First, you were incorrect in saying that the father did not work on the automaton, as that is part of the boy's flashbacks. Second, you should add a "spoiler alert" as what you have written is more of a summary of the plot rather than a review. Third, in showing the pictures of George Melies and Kingsley, you did a, what did you call it?, oh, yes, "piss poor" job of showing what the actor looked like through most of the film, which was a remarkable likeness. My rating for the movie, B+. My rating for your review, C.
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