Best Film of 2011.

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2011)

I went and saw Hugo today with a couple of friends without too high expectations - while I've always appreciated Scorcese as a director, the only one of his films I'd ever felt I properly connected with was Taxi Driver. However, sitting in my chair in the cinema, I found myself completely enchanted by this beautiful, passionate and utterly lovely piece of cinema. I didn't care that I was watching a "childrens'" film; I didn't care that the people behind me seemed to be taking part in some kind of drunken ritual; I didn't even care that my chair was about as comfortable as a sack full of bricks. I just sat there for two hours with a grin on my face that I'm still wearing now. Brilliant acting, wonderful writing, beautiful cinematography and some of Scorcese's most inventive direction are all tied together by a general feeling of enchanting lovelyness and a passion for cinema that should evoke the inner child in anyone (and tickle the fancy of film fanatics especially). The film is funny but not in a spiteful or cruel manner. There are no villains - simply damaged, melancholy people, most of whom are happy by the end. Anyone who doesn't see this film is doing themselves a disservice.