Today I took the older children in my family, my nephew Max and his cousin Dezzy, to see Hugo, the new Martin Scorsese movie. I'm not a huge fan of 3D, because I HATE having to fit the 3D glasses over my own, very uncomfortable, but I could see why this one was done the way it was - and the director made an excellent use of 3D, which is an integral part of the film. Despite the fact that the DVD, when it's out, will be in 2D, though, I will be buying it, probably the first day it's available!
It's a film centred around cinema history, the story of Georges Melies, who did what is arguably the world's first science fiction film,
except it's seen from the viewpoint of Hugo, a young boy who has a mysterious automaton figure which he was fixing with his clockmaker father before his Dad's death. He's now living by himself in the main train station in Paris, in the 1920s, still trying to fix the automaton, but he's missing a heart-shaped key that is needed to wind it up...
Thing is, quite apart from the cinema history here, it is so very steampunk! I watched all that clockwork and the era in which it was going on and that's the first word that came to me. Steampunk!
The cast is great too, with Ben Kingsley as Melies, Christopher Lee as a kindly bookshop owner and Jude Law as the boy's father. The music is composed by Howard Shore, of Lord Of The Rings fame. Sacha Baron Cohen is in it too, but if you haven't seen it I'll let you see what role he plays. He's funny, yes, but with a twist.
The station itself is a character in the film - and wouldn't we all love to be able to go to a station full of toyshops and bookshops and cafes where you can dance to a live band every day?
It's a very special movie and now I'm going to have to dig out the book.
I've been umming and ahhing about seeing Hugo because I hate hate 3D movies. It's horrible to put other glasses over your own and by the end, I always get a headache. I might just go see the 2D version if they're showing it along side the 3D version.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's best to wait for the DVD, then. I believe there are only a limited number of cinemas showing it in 2D. I'm also not crazy about 3D for the same reason as you, but for this movie I found it worth the trouble. Most 3D movies I've seen it was a case of, "look, aren't we clever?" but this one really needs the 3D to be seen at its best. If you can, put up with it once. It's well worth it.
ReplyDeleteI saw it yesterday too and agree with what you say and I LOVED IT!!!!!!! And I did go a bit craxy over the steampunk aesthetic.
ReplyDeleteNow I'd like to see a movie based on an actual steam punk novel - Blaze Of Glory, perhaps, or Leviathan...? :-)
ReplyDeleteI've seen that movie 3 times in theaters. Twice in 2D, once in 3. Loved it both ways. I read the book after I watched it though, but both are so enchanting! That movie is definitely waaay up in my TOP 10. :D And now I'm learning the French song at the end because I just can't help myself....
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked it!!!!
Oh, and Lan, I saw it both ways and actually liked 2D a little bit better, but the choice is yours, Just go see it! :)
Glad to hear it works both ways, because I am definitely buying the DVD. :-)
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