Hugo (2011)

This movie reminded me of the movie Midnight in Paris (written and directed by Woody Allen) --not because of their similarity, but of their startling contrast-- wherein the city was depicted as romantic, quaint and quite personal. Of all the movies that I saw featuring Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, this is the first time I see the city as majestic, commanding and a real work of art. Based on the children's novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this movie was directed by the Hollywood heavyweight, Martin Scorsese. I was actually surprised to know that Scorsese directed this. Based on his great films like The Departed and Goodfellas, it seemed that this movie is not his cup of tea, or so I thought. He took me to Paris like no one ever did. Set in a Paris station in 1931, it all became a vivid adventure for Hugo and for me.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was not about Paris, although it was all I could think about. It's about the life of Hugo (played by Asa Butterfield who was a revelation), an orphan who lives at the station. He does his uncles job of setting the big ol' clock into motion every morning. This is how we know that he is good with machines and alas, he gets a challenge in a form of a non-functioning mechanical toy-person. His passion to fix this toy takes him to Isabelle (played by the cool Chloë Grace Moretz) who is well-versed and eager for an adventure. They both embark to a journey they will never forget. Also in the cast is the always great Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès, a toy booth owner whose role is much more important than I expected; and the funny Sasha Baron Cohen as the station inspector who never failed to let me hate him and love him at the same time. 

It's Scorsese's love letter to the movies. It's his way of showing the viewers that his prowess does not only lie on the mean streets and the world of gangsters. He definitely showed me how much he loves the art of cinema and he made me love this art even more. With the risk of giving out spoilers, I wanna add that my favorite part was when Méliès' former life was revealed, that he wasn't always a toy booth owner, but one of the great filmmakers and actors of all time. With the movie's entirety, it does not only make me wanna see Paris, but it makes me wanna see Paris during 1931. :)