Hugo

Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Michael Stuhlbarg

Dir. Martin Scorsese
Scr. John Logan

There is no doubt that this is a delightful film. It’s lush and quaint and celebrates the early days of the cinema. The performances are whimsical and heartfelt. And you won’t find a more magical piece of imaging at the cinema. I very much enjoyed it, but it won’t necessarily stay with you or challenge you or surprise you. I don’t quite understand why it has received so very many Oscar nominations, except that maybe there is a fear that Scorsese is going to pop his clogs or stop making movies or a recognition that his career deserves more than just the one win. See it, by all means. It’s a visual symphony and a lovely, if somewhat overlong, tale. But I would recommend The Descendents or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy over Hugo in a heartbeat.

That’s it.

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Hugo: I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason.