Martin Scorcese gives us a wonderful lesson on film history in his latest film – "Hugo". In his first children’s flick, he captures the awe surrounding early filmmaking with great panache. While the story is charming, it didn’t completely reel me in until the splendid final 30 minutes. The film is a technical marvel though, as Scorcese’s team puts all their skills on display. The cinematographer shows expert camera placement, the music sets the tone, the costumes were eye-catching and the sound design is excellent. Best of all is the art direction, as the film is filled with dazzling sets and intriguing gadgets. Come Oscar night, I expect the film to do well in the tech categories. Of its 11 nominations I expect it to easily win Best Art Direction and be a strong contender for the Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing prizes. If it’s not a complete love fest for "The Artist", there is also a strong case for triumphs in Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. The film is certainly in the top 3 for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing, but will probably come up short. Finally, Best Visual Effects seems like a long shot.
Great review. While I do agree with you that the last 30 minutes were the best part about the film, I thought the transition from a children's film to a film about cinematic history was a little to jarring. I actually also think the film has a shot at Visual Effects at the Oscars. It's the one Best Picture nominee in the category. Everything else is spot on though. Great analysis.
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