“My Friends, I Address You All Tonight As You Truly Are; Wizards, Mermaids, Travelers, Adventurers, Magicians. Come And Dream With Me....”

I wasn't a huge fan of Hugo. As visually stunning as it was, i wasn't drawn in by the story.
It felt too disjointed, one story of a little boy's journey to reconnect one last time with his father, and the other to do with the origins of film - the part which i most enjoyed. The link between the two was tenuous.
I usually adore Chloë Moretz but i found her and Asa Butterfield rather annoying, and felt i was only supposed to feel sorry for him because he had big blue eyes.

I was however enchanted by the art direction, the visual effects, costume and set design. All of which had a strange effect on my dreams afterwards!
I love Martin Scorsese and would usually be throwing Oscars at him, and as many technical Oscars as Hugo deserves, i hope they give the best director to Michel Hazanavicius for his wonderful work on The Artist, and save Scorsese's next one for something i can sink my teeth into.
I leave you with some of my favourite imagery from the film

 

"Our Good Fortune Allowed Us To Feel A Sadness Our Parents Never Had Time For"

I loved Beginners, i felt for a film that had such a tidy plot line it was incredibly deep and complex. Christopher Plummer was excellent as a character rediscovering himself and the world around him whilst being devastatingly charming. I found him totally believable, and if he goes on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar on Sunday (which I'm sure he will) it will be most deserved.

Melanie Laurent's beauty was captured so expertly, and she bought enormous depth to a character who really could have just been a cliched "girlfriend" role, i  found her journey often more moving than that of Ewan McGregor's character. 

Mike Mills wrote a heartbreaking, witty script and shot it in a refreshing and distinct style. 

It's a beautiful film, I found it both charming and very moving.