Look out James Cameron. There's a new king of the world when it comes to making 3-D movies. It's director Martin Scorsese. His new movie Hugo which was shot in 3-D is a masterpiece. (Pictured above Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley) When you see Hugo in 3-D, it's clear that Scorsese kept the 3-D technique in mind with every shot. The result? You never forget that you are watching a film in 3-D. There's an occasional money shot where he throws things at you. But Scorsese elevates 3-D to an art form. Scenes pop. There's a magical feel to the movie. Gears, fish, boots, even animated drawings beg you to touch them. It's ethereal.
Previously, I've compiled a list of the top ten 3-D movies from the last ten years. It's time to revise the list in light of Martin Scorsese's Hugo. I've bumped James Cameron's Aliens of the Deep. (2005) The list already has two other Cameron moives, Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) and Avatar. (2009) So let's countdown from number ten to number one of the best 3-D movies in the last ten years.
10. Up (2009) 9. Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) 8. Beowulf (2007) 7. Tron: Legacy (2010) 6. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) 5. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) 4. Despicable Me (2010) 3. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 2. Avatar (2009) 1. Hugo (2011) Here's my review of this masterpiece. Check out the scene below where a box of sketches of the fantastic come alive.
Last night Stephen Colbert took on Republican Mitt Romney's ad that has President Obama saying "If we keep talking about he economy, we're going to lose." One problem with Romney's ad, it was totally out of context since OBAMA WAS QUOTING JOHN McCAIN. Well, Stephen Colbert uses Romney's logic for great comic effect in his segment, "Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger."
Remember when Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977) professes his love for the Evil Queen from Disney's Snow White? (1937) It was an animated scene and funny. (YouTube link to clip.) Well, I've seen the pilot for the TV show "Once Upon A Time." The show is kind of dumb. Fairy tale characters like Snow White, Prince Charming and the Evil Queen really exist in another time. They get transported to modern day Maine. That's kind of lazy since you don't have to create characters for a show just steal them from fairy tales. I wonder if the executives at ABC were on drugs when it was pitched to them.
Anyway, the Evil Queen is played by Lana Parilla. Well, she's certainly lovely. (Picture above.) As for the show, I consider her the fairest of them all. Now that I think of it, evil women can be attractive. The Evil Queen. Megyn Kelly (Fox News Blonde) and Right-Wing author Ann Coulter.
Today the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns, 23-20. If it's brown flush it down. Sorry for that. The Bengals have won five out of seven games trailing in the fourth quarter. Let's call them the Cardiac Cats! The Bengals were down to Cleveland, 17-7 at the half.
It was a tale of two halves. The Browns were pounding the Bengals. The Browns stopped the Bengals in a goal line stance. The Bengals had trouble tackling. Browns running back Peyton Hillis was breaking tackles. The Browns were playing football AFC North style. The Browns forced a fumble. Within one minute, the Browns turn that fumble into a touchdown. The Browns lead 17-7.
But the Bengals are used to being behind at half. The Browns went up again by ten points in the third quarter, leading 20-10. But rookie Bengals QB Andy Dalton hit tight end Jermaine Gresham for a 22 yard TD pass. Dalton has now broken the team's rookie touchdown pass record with 16 TD passes. It's 20-17 in the third quarter.
Before I get to the big play, let me just say it's team sport. The defense held when it had to. And what can I say about Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Bengals star defensive end Carlos Dunlap was down for the game. Folks, during the 2010 draft, the big stud at defensive tackle was Ndamukong Suh and seeing him wreck havoc with Detroit, you see why. But the Bengals drafted defensive tackle Geno Atkins with their fourth pick. And wow. He may not be as big as the top picks but he's quick and powerful. Geno sacked Browns QB Colt McCoy and pressured him into an interception. The Bengals now have two very good defensive tackles in Domata Peko and Geno Atkins. And don't forget about special teams. They held Browns returner Joshua Cribbs. That ain't easy. Bengals kicker Mike Nugent was clutch again.
But let's get to the fourth quarter. The Bengals tie. And when the Browns tried to go ahead with a field goal in less than two minutes to go, there was a bad snap. Missed it. If it's brown, flush it down. Um, sorry. With 58 seconds left, and the Bengals have the ball. It's third and six. QB Andy Dalton takes the snap and is getting pressure from the Browns. He throws a bomb to rookie Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green for 51 yards. Dalton goes down from a hit from a Browns player. Green catches it and takes it to the five. (Pictured above.) Watch how Green attacks the ball and pulls it down. Wow. Seconds later, the Bengals kick a field goal. They go ahead 23-20. The Bengals defense holds. Bengals win, 23-20 and sweep the Battle of Ohio.
Playoffs? Yes, Jim Mora. The Bengals have taken another step towards the postseason. Three more wins should do it. Four more wins and the Bengals are going to get in. Up next are the bums from Pittsburgh. Could we beat these bums in a laugher?
When you see the ads for Director Alexander Payne's The Descendants, you would think this movie is more of a comedy than a drama. Well, be prepared for more of a drama with small amounts of comic highlights. Does that mean you should stay away from this film. No. This movie is the "Ordinary People" for this twenty first century decade. And you would be missing one of the best films of the year.
The Descendants starts out by introducing us to Matt King. (George Clooney) He's a lawyer and a lifetime resident of Hawaii. His wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) was involved in a boating accident which has made her comatose. His problem is that he is now forced to raise his two daughters, ten year old Scottie (Amara Miller) and seventeen year old Alexandra. (Shailene Woodley) Raising them is a task that he is not equipped for. Unfortunately, a doctor informs him that Elizabeth will not awake and that she is basically brain dead. Since she had a living will, the hospital will soon stop all life preserving methods.
Complicating all of this is that while Elizabeth lies comatose, are two things. Matt must dispose of acres of land which has been in his family trust. It's probably the first time the rule against perpetuities has been used as a plot device in a movie. The descendants, i.e. all of Matt's cousins eagerly await for the sale since they will make millions. Second, Matt finds out from his estranged daughter, Alexandra, that Elizabeth had been having an affair with a realtor named Brian. (Matthew Lilard)
The screenplay was written by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash and Alexander Payne. It's based on a novel called "The Descendants" by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The screenplay does an excellent job with the dialogue. The characters all say things that sound real. Payne's direction focuses on the emotions in the faces of the characters. He adeptly balances drama one second and comedy the next. Payne also makes Hawaii an integral character in the film.
A movie such as this which is a character study, needs great performances by the actors for it to set sail. And the film has them. Shailene Woodley makes her teenage Alexandra rebellious, grief stricken and later adult strong. Amara Miller doesn't overact and her ten year old Scottie is perfect. Good to see Matthew Lilard as the other man. He's desperate and a bit shallow as Brian. But this film belongs to George Clooney. If you can read a person's emotion by looking at their face without the person saying anything, that's the epitome of fine acting. Every expression on Clooney's face tells a story. Hurt. Confusion. Love. It's a greater performance than what he did in Up In the Air. (2009) George Clooney should get an Oscar nomination for his performance.
The Descendants is a slice of life type of movie. It's the story of a family facing great tragic changes. It's an engrossing and heartfelt story. The grade is A.
Director Martin Scorsese's Hugo starts out with virtuoso 3-D camera shots of a Paris train station as it follows a young boy named Hugo Cabret. (Asa Butterfield) We see Hugo watch life in the station from within the giant clocks. And the thing that overwhelms you is the majesty of the 3-D. (3D) You feel as if you can touch the gears on the clocks. Scorsese avoids much of the throwing stuff at you cliches of 3-D cinema but he does not disdain the medium. In fact, he embraces it. Yes, you get the occasional thing thrown at you. But it's as if he set every shot with the realization that he's making a 3D film CGI snow, statues, trains, shoes, gears all pop. You don't forget that you're watching a 3-D film. And this movie is the best 3-D film ever made. All of this is owed to Scorsese's prodigious talent and his wise decision to film in 3-D. This is one movie I recommend you pay the extra bucks to see in 3-D.
Hugo takes place in the early thirties. The place is Paris, France. Hugo (Asa Butterfield) is a young orphan boy who lives in a train station. He has a skill in fixing mechanical things, a skill he got from his father. (Jude Law) Through flashbacks we learn that Hugo's father left him an automaton, a kind of gear driven robot. Unfortunately, his father cannot get the automaton to work. When the father dies, Hugo is taken to the train station by his uncle Claude (Ray Winstone) where he helps to take of the clocks. When Claude disappears, Hugo is left all alone.
Hugo's existence depends upon him stealing food from the shops in the station. He must hide from the local cop, (Sacha Baron Cohen) who likes to round up any orphan and ship them off to the orphanage. His entertainment is to watch life of the patrons from the clocks. But Hugo's goal is to get the automaton to work.
One day, Hugo tries to steal a toy from a small toy shop. He's caught by the owner, Georges. (Ben Kingsley) When the owner takes a book containing sketches of the automaton from Hugo, he follows him home. There he entices the owner's granddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz) to help him recover the book. She indicates that she wants to help but also looks upon Hugo as her guide to adventure.
The performances are pitch perfect. Asa Butterfield is wonderful as Hugo, a boy searching for his meaning in life. Jude Law's performance as the loving father makes you cry when he dies. Sacha Baron Cohen is a bit cartoonish as buffonish cop but so what? I laughed at his comedy. Film legend Christopher Lee plays a kind librarian. Helen McCrory (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) is the dedicated and loyal wife of Georges. Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick Ass?!) radiates light as the charming Isabelle. And what can I say about Ben Kingsley. He shows all the ranges for Georges. Broken. Hurt. Joyful.
Accompanying this film is the beautiful score by Howard Shore. It definitely transports you to Paris. It's lush and Impressionistic. And check out the Django Reinhardt jazz band playing in the cafe.
John Logan (Gladiator; Star Trek: Nemesis) based his screenplay on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Logan's work here is poetic. And director Martin Scorsese take that poetry and translates it to the screen. Scenes are more like paintings the way Stanley Kubrick did in 2001: A Space Odyssey. (1968) I don't know which sets are real or CGI but Scorsese's Paris made me fall in love with the city.
It's no secret that the character of legendary filmmaker Georges Méliès, makes an appearance in the movie. The film covers his pioneer work in making movies about fantastic places, and creatures. Yes, I consider some of it to be science fiction. We learn in the movie that Méliès was a magician before he became a filmmaker.
And it's the concept of storytelling is magic that Logan and Scorsese are conveying. You see Hugo is not just valentine to filmmaking. Part of it is. I watched in wonderment as Méliès made his movies even if by today's standards the worlds he created primitive. But in Hugo we also learn of Isabelle and Hugo's love of books. It's this unique human ability to transport one to another world with a story that is the magic. And that's what Hugo celebrates.
Hugo is a family movie. But it's more than that. It's a movie that adults will also enjoy. Martin Scorsese has created a classic. You owe it to yourself to see this film in 3-D. The grade is A +.
Sarah Palin described bloggers as people in their pajamas sitting in their mother's basement. Well, Sarah I sometimes blog in my pajamas. Your comment has inspired a great name for this blog. Thanks, Sarah.
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