A young orphan navigates the innards of a 1930s Parisian train depot where he winds the clocks for his wayward drunk uncle. While marveling at the many passersby, Hugo attempts to fix an automated robot his deceased father discovered in the basement of a museum. Soon, joined by the adopted niece of the stations toy shop owner, and chased by the terminals vicious station master, the automaton will lead him on a fantastic adventure of discovery. Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" is an incredible flight of fancy and wonderful dalliance in historical fiction. Working for the first time in 3D, Scorsese's film truly inhabits the dimension and impeccably sees its abilities. Asa Butterfield and Chloe Morentz, reuniting following "Let Me In" really find the right notes here and wonderfully capture the essence of the film's young heroes. The adult roles are filled by some wonderful character actors, including Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ray Winstone, and Jude Law, who add color and flavor to every scene in which they appear. I recently viewed "Cinema Paradiso" and thought it didn't quite achieve its goal it tried so hard to attain. Here, Scorsese, screenwriter John Logan, and his cast and crew have fashioned a wonderful tribute to the movies and furthermore have created a film that will stir an interest in classic films for the younger generations.
