Martin Scosese's Hugo provides some great insight on the wonders of early cinema

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2011)

Before watching this with my movie theatre-working friend, I had previously watched many Martin Scorsese pictures that were violent or at least adult concerning subject matter. This one is meant for families but also offers something of a historical matter concerning the beginnings of the magic of the movies. As the young protagonists, Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz provide a nice way to identify with their plight and Ben Kingsley is fine as the now-financially strapped magician/filmmaker Georges Melies who gets a reevaluation with their help and that of a chronologist, Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg), who happens to be his biggest fan. Anyone who appreciates film history and preservation should marvel at the way Scorsese shows various clips of many classic silent movies that get showcased here other than those of Melies like my wondrous reaction when a clip of Harold Lloyd's Safety Last (which I recently watched on YouTube) was shown when Hugo and Isabelle were sneaking into a cinema. All I'll say now is I highly recommend Hugo. Oh, and the 3-D imagery was great, too.