Pure Gold

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 2012)

Now living in a Paris clock tower after his father (Jude Law) is killed in an explosion, 14-yr old Hugo (Asa Butterfield) takes care of the railroad station clock having been trained by his uncle (Ray Winstone).
Occasionally, a movie comes along that is pure gold. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Hugo are prime examples.
There appears to be two stories in here and each one compliments the other. First we are concerned with Hugo who is trying to find a message he feels his late father has left for him . Hugo believes that message is to be found within the Automaton (immobile robot) that he is attempting to rebuild and that was neglected and left to rust in some museum. But, later Hugo discovers that the message within the Automaton leads to a bigger message for the whole world when George Melies (Ben Kingsley) a pioneer film maker is rediscovered to complete an important part of art film history.
It is well known that Director Martin Scorsese (Bob takes a drink) is passionate about preserving film for ages to come and this story brings that home. The credits say that Scorcese (another drink is taken) also had a small part in the movie as a photographer. But, I couldn't see Scorcese (another drink is downed) unless Scorcese (a drink is gulped) was in some disguise. Well, the flashbacks did go back before the 1920s and we are in the 1930s. I was looking for an older Scorcese (drink taken again) not a young Scorsese (another drink downed). And, now you know how to play the Scorcese (finishes off glass) drinking game. The game was first introduced by two actors hosting some awards show (Golden Globes?) earlier this year.
The setting is Paris, France, and although all characters had French names, no one spoke with a French accent and, to be truthful, that was a good thing as everything was easier to understand. Reminded me of the movie Valkyrie when no one spoke with a German accent. The background music had French overtones that fit perfectly. There is also a very nice French song at the end when the credits run. You should listen.
Standouts: Kingsley, of course; Butterfield as Hugo with those haunting eyes; Chloe Grace Moretz as the almost girlfriend to Hugo; Christopher Lee with that imposing authoritative voice as the kind giver of books; and Sacha Baron Cohen as the comic relief who surprisingly played his role perfectly as the Stationmaster. Cohen mildly approached an imitation of Dr. Stangelove and there were times I expected his Borat character to emerge as well, but that never happened. Yes, we are wary of Sacha Baron Cohen as we never know what he will do next. All in all, the actors above and the rest of the cast were exceptional. Kudos.
The cinematography was simply outstanding. I liken it to Avatar when the eyes were given a visual treat. And, here the CGI was simple, complicated and more than just right.
Hugo was nominated for: Best Picture, Costume Design, and Directing. Didn't win. But, it won the Oscar for Art Direction, Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. As far as I am concerned it should have won for all the Oscars it was nominated for. Hey, we are talking pure gold here.
An excellent family film touted as pure gold. BTW: That drink was iced tea although I am told others use something stronger. (10/10)
Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.