Hugo Movie Review

November 23, 2011
by
1 min read

Photographer: James Schlefstein
Make Up Stylist: LaTavia Dawson
Models: Natalie Hartford & Lauren Ashenden

by Rick Grant
Martin Scorsese’s homage to the early pioneers of film is a cinematic masterwork. It’s told through the eyes of an orphan boy, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield). Set in Paris, France in 1930, Scorsese’s scene-craft’s amazing attention to detail, along with John Logan’s adaptation of Brain Selznick’s novel, produced a magical film that upgrades the family movie to true film art.
Hugo lives inside the labyrinth of the Paris clock tower. His greatest fear is being discovered by the mean Station Inspector (Sasha Baron Cohen) and shipped off to a concentration camp for street urchins–the fearsome overcrowded orphanage. His father was a watchmaker and mechanical genius. But he was killed in a fire, leaving Hugo with his broken automaton– a mechanical robot that writes messages on paper, driven by a clock-works mechanism.
John Logan’s script allowed Scorsese plenty of leeway to create his intricate mosaics. The story references Dickens’ David Copperfield and other more modern stories like Harry Potter. Hugo is always running away from the Station Inspector who has a deal with the orphanage to nab as many parentless boys as possible.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s masterful portrayal of the orphan-hunting Inspector is a pivotal part of the film. Cohen’s scene stealing Inspector leads to Hugo’s relationship with a bitter ex-film maker, Georges Melies, (Ben Kingsley) who, at first, judges the boy to be a good-for-nothing thief.
Yes, it’s all about connections that tie Hugo with Georges and his godchild, Isabelle. She befriends Hugo and he helps her have her big adventure. The key factor in Georges depression is the First World War– after which people lost interest in the new medium of moviemaking. The savage war produced appalling death numbers and badly maimed veterans.
Clearly, Scorsese’s tribute to the inventors of movies, such Georges Melies and Harold Lloyd, is a cinematic trip back in time when imagination not money ruled the fledgling movie business. Ah yes, Scorsese’s elaborate sets and attention to detail reminds audiences how exciting moving pictures were to people. A film about a train coming into a station would make audiences duck under their seats, thinking the train would hit them. And, that’s many years before 3-D.
Indeed, this year quality films have been as scarce as intelligent candidates. In terms of Scorsese’s in-depth visual story telling, well written script, and the exceptional acting by the cast make this one of the best films of the year.

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

Recent Posts

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

Welcome to Rockville 2025
SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
omaha-steaks-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

Vote of No Confidence

Next Story

SPORTS w/The Jock 11/25/11

Latest from Movies

Theater, Dance and Film

Through May 4 “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” Theatre Jacksonville theatrejax.com  “How to $ucceed in Business Without Really Trying” Amelia Musical Playhouse, Fernandina Beach ameliamusicalplayhouse.com May 2 “Our Town” St. Francis-in-the-Field, St. Augustine apextheatrejax.com May 2-11 “The Foreigner” Center for Spiritual Healing, St. Augustine aclassictheatre.org May

Monthly Movie Wrap-Up

Words by Wavery Loyd                                                                                             

April Theater, Dance and Film

April 1-6 “Les Miserables” Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts fscjartistseries.org April 3 “A Year With Frog and Toad” Thrasher-Horne Center thcenter.org April 3-11 “Beautiful: The Carole King Story” Alhambra Theatre & Dining alhambrajax.com April 3-13 “Oklahoma!” Artist Connection Theatre artistconnectiontheatre.org April 4 “The Great Gatsby:

Cartoons Are For Kids

Animation is cool Words by Waverly Loyd I asked someone their favorite animated movie, and they said, “I’m an adult. I don’t watch kid’s movies.” And I thought, “Wow, you must be so fun to be around.” (derogatory) Apart from the fact that watching animated movies is good for

Good Girls Go to Heaven, Groupies Go Backstage

The Rise and Fall of Groupies Words by Ambar Ramirez The show begins like any other. Overhead lights dim, stage lights flare and the crowd roars. Backstage, a woman adjusts her smudged eyeliner and pulls her fur-lined coat tight as she watches the band take the stage. She’s not
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s