Hugo

" If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... this is where they're made."


I was not prepared for Hugo as I planned to be. I was expecting to see a movie about a boy who works on clocks, but what I got was so much more.

I had planned to take my oldest boy, Tade, to go see Hugo, but time never allowed. With all the other movies that came out over the Holidays we did not make it to Hugo. For my birthday my wife got me a pass to the Oscar Showcase. A Saturday full of some of the Best Picture Oscar nominees. So I spent 10 hours with some of the years best films. First up on the List was Hugo...in 3D. My love affair with 3D has ended a while ago. I was very happy with this film though. Since it was made for 3D it was good. No cheap tricks with annoying things flying off the screen at you. I did like the snow and/or dust that you did see in almost every scene. Some people said it was too much, but it worked for me. The colors were bright, not as bright with the glasses on,but not too much.

Hugo is a story based on a children's book called The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Hugo is played by Asa Butterfield (Boy in the striped Pajamas, Nanny Mcphee Returns). He is a boy who after some rough life events ends up living in a train station where his job is to maintain the clocks. He works on a project that he began with his father a while before. The events following stem from his desire to finish the project hoping it will bring him a message from his father. There are many stars in the film: Ben Kingsley, Grace Chloe-Moritz Sacha Baron Cohen and Christopher lee to name a few. The best part is I never felt that the kids were trying to keep up with the veterans. The comic relief by Baron Cohen was just enough.

What I did not expect was the film lesson at the end. I had just read about the events at the end of the film, so I was very excited to see it unfold before me. If you are a film buff and like the history of film you will love this. It is no wonder that it was given such good marks by critics. I must say that this is the second best film I've seen from this past year right behind The Artist. I can't wait to see this film again.

8 out of 10

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Why do these kids need Elmo? Because Elmo needs them. Elmo is Love.



Being Elmo was a big hit this year at Sundance. It has won many awards for various documentary categories. Having heard the buzz about it I was excited to see it. It did not have a wide release. It was mostly in in dependant theaters. I did not get a chance to head into DC to go see it, so I was very happy to see it pop up so soon on Netflix.

Being Elmo is a documentary about Kevin Clash. A young man who lives just outside of Baltimore. As a kid he became fascinated with puppets and any TV show that had them. He became hooked on Muppets later and began to make his own. He put on show for the local kids, played at schools and spent time at hospitals bringing a little joy into children's lives.

Following his dream he gets a chance to meet Kermit. Jim Hensen's close friend. Kevin spends the day with him and learns how to build a proper puppet. Later Kevin has the chance to audition to be on one of his hero's TV show. Captain Kangaroo.
From there things get better.

This film is a great look into Jim Hensen's world. It is fun and emotional. It is great to see how Elmo was developed and where he started. You find yourself cheering for Kevin and smiling at many scenes. I would put this on my list as one of the best documentaries that I have seen. Definitely in the top ten. It is a fun hour and a half to spend time with these characters. This a good way to introduce documentaries to younger kids. I would like to show this to my 7yr old. I would imagine he would find this as magical as I did.

8.75 out of 10

The Secret World of Arriety

"Why is it that whenever your father is late I always think he was eaten by the cat."


I must say that I am a pretty bug fan of Studio Ghibli films. I was never a fan of Anime and still am not, but I love these movies. I usually follow the Miyazaki films, but all of them are good. We saw the preview for this film last summer and began counting down the days. So tonight I grabbed my two boys some popcorn and settled in.

The Secret of Arriety is based off the children's book The Borrowers. It is about a family of tiny, tiny people who live below a house. They live off the little things that full size people (beings)wouldn't notice: a cube of sugar, a pin a button here or there. They do all they can to be invisible. One day a boy, Shawn, come to stay at the house and sees Arriety on her first "borrowing."

The rest of the movie is them trying to keep away from the nosey maid and the big cat. The friendship between Shawn and Arriety grow. He does all he can to help the family and keep them safe from all the harms that would befall little people.

The colors in the film are on par with other Ghibli films. They are bright and full. The story is simple compared to the other Ghibli films I've seen like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and such. I guess that is since it is based on a book not an original story. This is a great movie to show your daughters. Like most of the Ghibli films it has a strong female lead. I admire that about these films. Disney, who is the US distributor, is catching on to that spirit thanks to the friendship of John Lassater and Mr. Miyazaki. You will see it in this summers "Brave" by Pixar. I can't wait for my daughter to be old enough so I can share treasures like this with her.

8.65 out of 10