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Reviews
Hugo (2011)
An elegant and enchanting film that appeals to the child in all of us.
From it's very first page, Brian Selznick's 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' (2007) promised to be no ordinary work of fiction. The award-winning book was a gorgeous pastiche of words, illustrations, photographs and movie stills. It begins with a series of beautiful pencil drawings that transport us through a busy Paris railway station, and towards a giant clock, where behind lurks our hero, 13-year-old orphan Hugo Cabret.
This sequence is translated beautifully - and in groundbreaking 3D, nonetheless - in Martin Scorsese's tour-de-force adaptation, simply titled HUGO, which promises to be no ordinary cinematic experience, and indeed one of the best films of 2011.
HUGO is unlike anything Martin Scorsese has ever directed and yet it seems like the film he was born to make. The kid-friendly source material could easily have attracted the likes of French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Tim Burton and - dare I say it - Steven Spielberg; but, like any great artist, Scorsese makes the property his own, and with his formidable talent, produces an inspiring and sophisticated celebration of film history and the magic of cinema.
HUGO is a film that has to be seen in 3D. Much like James Cameron with his 2009 hit AVATAR, Scorsese pushes the boundaries of the gimmicky medium. The 3D not only enhances Robert Richardson's beautiful cinematography or Dante Ferretti's rich production design; it heightens the audience's involvement in this very poignant story and their understanding of the characters and their world.
The cast is simply brilliant. Asa Butterfield, who made a solid debut in THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, gives a focused and engaging performance as our title character, while Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit Girl in KICK-ASS) is charming as Hugo's wide-eyed, bookish friend, Isabelle. Sir Ben Kingsley delivers a superbly touching performance as early film pioneer Georges Melies, and Sacha Baron Cohen is a delight as the malicious, yet bumbling Station Inspector, clearly patterned after such slapstick performers of the silent era as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. In fact, the character's awkward romance with a beautiful flower seller (Emily Mortimer) reminded this reviewer of a similar love in Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS (1931). The rest of the supporting cast is made up of some of today's finest British talent: Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Frances del la Tour and the great Sir Christopher Lee. Each of these performers are impressive in their limited screen time.
HUGO has been labeled as Scorsese's love letter to cinema and it shows in every scene. There are homages to silent film classics ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN A LA CIOTAT (1897) and Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST! (1923) and, at the heart of the film, there is a fantastic montage of silent cinema, expertly assembled by Scorsese's regular editor Thelma Schoonmaker to Camille Saint-Saens' 'Danse Macabre'. But for this reviewer, the highlight of the film was Scorsese's recreation of the history and career of Georges Melies, a 'cinemagician' who employed trick effects and elaborate set designs in his own glass studio, to transport his audience to worlds of fantasy and make-believe.
At a time where big-budget 3D romps featuring dancing penguins or globe-trotting Belgian reporters, raises skepticism towards the 'family' film sub-genre, HUGO provides relief. It is nothing short of a masterpiece, an elegant and enchanting film that appeals to the child in all of us. At the end of the film, Melies invites his audience to come dream with him. Will you come dream with Marty?
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
A reasonably satisfying, fast-paced romp for all ages
Since 1929, 'The Adventures of Tintin' by Belgian artist Hergé has been delighting children and adults alike with its bold, unique visuals and engaging stories of adventure, global intrigue and mystery. The exploits of this wide-eyed, globe-trotting reporter and his lovable pooch Snowy, have been translated in over 50 languages and adapted into every conceivable medium. Perhaps the most popular incarnation of the character was the animated series produced in 1991 by Canadian entertainment company Nelvana. For this reviewer, it was a staple of after school television viewing – it closely replicated Hergé's signature style and had some pretty spot-on voice acting and music.
When it was announced in May 2007 that master filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson would be collaborating on a 3D animated film based on the beloved comic strip, it quickly became one of the most anticipated films in recent Hollywood history. But when the November 2010 issue of Empire Magazine released the first production stills from Spielberg/Jackson's TINTIN, I was shocked. The characters – Tintin, Snowy and their rarely sober companion Captain Haddock – looked like they had just disembarked from THE POLAR EXPRESS. They were dead-eyed, creepy and uncannily lifelike. Hergé's distinctive texture and style seemed absent altogether. I adore Spielberg and Jackson but this left me wishing that a traditional animator like Sylvian Chomet (THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE, THE ILLUSIONIST) were at the helm of this film. And all those trailers and web documentaries that followed didn't do much to change my opinion that THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN would rank among other fan-boy disappointments such as SPEED RACER and ASTRO BOY.
Thankfully, this reviewer was only partially correct.
From its fun, Saul Bass-inspired opening credits sequence (think Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) to the very last scene, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN is a reasonably satisfying, fast- paced romp. It may not be as charming or absorbing as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, but it certainly succeeds in the 'family adventure' sub-genre.
The screenplay by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish combines elements of 'The Crab and the Golden Claws' (1943), 'The Secret of the Unicorn' and 'Red Rackham's Treasure' (both published in 1945), and reunites KING KONG costars Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis – as Tintin and Captain Haddock, respectively – for an around-the-world adventure for a lost family treasure. Both actors, especially Serkis, the undisputed 'go-to' guy for motion-capture acting, give pretty okay performances and are accompanied by a colorful supporting cast; including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who provide welcome comic relief as bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson, and Daniel Craig, who plays against type as our nefarious villain Ivanovitch Sakharine - who I swear is a self-portrait of Spielberg himself! Sadly Toby Jones, Tony Curran and Gad Elmaleh as Tintin favorites Silk, Lieutenant Delacourt and Omar Ben Salaad are given very little to do.
While the quasi-human designs of the characters will outrage some Hergé purists, this film is undoubtedly another technical achievement for special effects house Weta Digital, who earlier this year gave us the very compelling chimps in that other Serkis vehicle RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. The animation is detailed and meticulous and certainly improves on what Robert Zemeckis (BEOWULF, A Christmas CAROL) and other pioneers of the format have achieved in the past. Proof of this is the spectacular battle at sea between Haddock and Sakharine's ancestors, Sir Francis Haddock and Red Rackham (also played by Serkis and Craig). This is one of Spielberg's finest action sequences, combining impressive tracking shots and madcap action, with some of the most creative scene transitions ever committed to cinema. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the climactic chase through Morocco. All done in one shot, it is innovative at first, but questionable and tiresome by the end.
There are few nice 'for-the-fans' moments, such as a very clever cameo appearance by Hergé at the beginning of the film. Yet some things may prove a little hurting, such as the absence of the eccentric Professor Calculus (who featured prominently in 'Red Rackham's Treasure') or the memorable scene in 'The Crab and the Golden Claws' when a hallucinating Haddock mistakes our hero for a bottle of grog. Hopefully these will find their way into the sequel, which is set to be directed by Jackson.
So, was it Hergé's Tintin? No. Was it Spielberg's best film? Definitely not. But it is still worth a look!