Hugo

Rating: 5/5

Let's talk about the cinema. Not innovations or the art of film, I mean the cinema. I mean the experience of buying a ticket and popcorn, taking your seat, and losing yourself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's anything else like that experience. Sadly, recent innovations in home theaters and videogames have made a lot of people question the relevance of going to the movies. But I don't think the moviegoing experience will be replaced any time soon, especially when there are films like Hugo.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a young orphan living in the walls of a 1930's Parisian train station, who keeps the clocks running while avoiding the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and thereby the orphanage. In his little hideaway, Hugo keeps a small automaton that Hugo tries to fix in memory of his late father (Jude Law), who found it at work. To do so, Hugo steals parts form Georges (Ben Kingsley), a pessimistic old toy shop owner. After Hugo is caught by Georges and loses his father's notebook, he finds a friend in Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), Georges' granddaughter, who introduces him to the outside. Slowly, Hugo and Isabelle find out about Georges' mysterious past with cinema and Hugo's automaton.

In 2010, my favorite film of the year was Toy Story 3. I saw a bunch of other brilliant movie like Inception and True Grit, but nothing topped Toy Story 3. Until now, 2011' TS3 was 13 Assassins, a masterpiece in its own right. Now, it's Hugo. Martin Scorsese's love letter to old film is so brilliant, so magical, it deserves nothing less than Best Picture. Everything about it is perfect: the cinematography is beautiful, with long swooping shots that perfectly sync with the ingenious sets and production design and gorgeous music. Jugo's story and script are unique, enthralling, and remind you how to love the movies. And, anyone can enjoy it.

Unlike most of the films ever made, Hugo leaves none behind, giving every single character a unique arc, backstory, and conflict. Seriously, every single one. Of course, this would not apply if Martin Scorsese did not use all of his brilliance to direct Hugo with the detail and emotion of a Diego Rivera painting. It also helps to have all the of the actors deliver amazing performances, which they do. Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz are remarkable, Ben Kingsley is in top form, and Sacha Baron Cohen gives his best dramatic performance ever.

The first movie I ever saw was Toy Story, and I was hooked. I have seen all kinds of films since then, but Toy Story introduced me to movie magic. With Hugo, Scorsese has brought movie magic back to modern cinema. In today's world of gritty reboots and nitpicking everything to death, the fact that Hugo works so well is extraordinary. Never throughout this entire year have I seen such a brilliant film. Other incredible ones have come out, but Hugo is on another level. It is the only movie all year that has come so close to explaining why I love movies. Yes, it's that good. No, let me rephrase: Hugo is magnificent.