“Scorsese’s HUGO Brings Cinema Back to Its Future”_

Hugo opens with a visual bang, as we soar across 1920’s Paris and through a busy train station. We soon meet Hugo Cabret, a young boy who’s been recently orphaned and lives within the walls of the train station, maintaining its clocks and observing life through holes and ventilation screens. In between stealing food for meals, Hugo also works on repairing his father’s final unfinished project: an automaton with clock parts and a mysterious heart-shaped keyhole. He falls for Isabelle, the daughter of Georges, the owner of the station’s toy shop and discovers the heart-shaped key she wears holds a connection to the automaton deeper than he had anticipated.

Director Martin Scorsese has created one of his most visually stunning works so much that I found myself wishing I could manually pause the film to fully appreciate the texture and color within the its frames. Hugo’s immersive 3D brings an extra layer of life to night scenes with falling snow as well as the dust and smoke that complements the train station’s wood and gold furnishings. The camera flies through shafts of pipes within the station’s walls and also through gigantic clocks with moving gears. Hugo’s 3D is the not only the most technically perfect I’ve seen, but it also furthers the story instead of serving as a distractive gimmick.

Thanks to a top-notch cast, Hugo’s sentimentality comes across as genuine and never overdone. We see the story through the blue eyes of Asa Butterfield as a child forced to grow up too fast. Butterfield’s scenes with Jude Law as his clockmaker father ring true with subtle emotion while contrasted with Hugo’s cold, alcoholic uncle played by Ray Winstone. Let Me In’s vampire Chloë Grace Moretz plays Hugo’s love interest Isabelle with pure, sweet, innocence. Also notable is Sacha Baron Cohen as the comedic Inspector Gustav, the station’s security guard who’s bent on ridding the station of its thieving orphans (including Hugo) while in romantic pursuit of  beautiful florist Lisette (Emily Mortimer).

Hugo’s standout is its Oscar-caliber performance by Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès. Kingsley shows us a worn old man who was once one of cinema’s pioneers at the turn of the century, but now the bankrupt owner of the station’s toy stand. He feels he’s lost it all until a glimmer of hope appears in the form of Hugo Cabret.

Hugo is a story for all ages, especially for those with a passion for film history.   Most impressive are the scenes of Méliès’s open glass studio and the making of his most famous film, A Trip to the Moon. Martin Scorsese along with producer Johnny Depp has weaved a timeless, magical tale using the latest in filmmaking technology to delight and educate us about the beginnings of cinema.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Banks is a career-driven single about to get her big break in journalism after spending years writing about accessories at a fashion magazine; Deschanel is a bisexual whose flakiness and lies are getting in the way of moving forward with her caring, responsible girlfriend (Jones); and Mortimer plays a Park Slope mom too worried about having the perfect life and children to notice that her marriage is falling apart (THR).

Jesse Peretz is directing My Idiot Brother off of the script written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall. Principal photography is set to start this July in New York with a 2011 release date to be reached. Deschanel will pop onto the big screen next year in David Gordon Green’s Your Highness. Rashida Jones recently appeared in Cop Out and will grace the big screen once more in David Fincher’s The Social Network on October 15th.

It’s 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He’s been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn’t been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy’s shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals “escape” in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything – his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

Shutter Island comes out in theaters on February 19th, so do yourself a favor and wash out the awful stench of the Hallmark holiday Valentine’s Day that previous weekend with a real film. Here’s the pictures from Arrow in the Head right below.:

The Film:

After seeing this movie, I recalled my favorite part of the film: the opening title sequence where the Pink Panther outwits that short pudgy white guy. Yeah, so my favorite part, one where I smiled, was the title sequence. Pink Panther 2 is a limp, unfunny farce.  Poor Peter Sellers, he should be rolling in his grave now.The cast here is excellent on paper: Andy Garcia, Steve Martin of course, Alfred Molina, and Jean Reno, all of which are highly capable of given us the attention needed, and all are great actors. But on this paper, the script gave none of them anything worthwhile to do, unless you count the zillion times they roll their eyes at Inspector Clouseau (Martin) for all of his seemingly dimwitted antics. The world’s most precious artifacts, paintings, and jewels are being robbed by le Tornado, an excellent, and impossible-to-catch criminal. So a Dream Team is created from various nations to stop him, but the only problem is nobody even knows what he looks like.

The plot is rudimentary, compared to the endless series of falls, and lame attempts at making us laugh. Any screenwriter in Screenwriting 101 could come up with these types of “jokes”, so it’s incredibly sad that the man who brought us The Jerk, Roxanne, and “Two Wild and Crazy Guys”, is credited here. Steven Martin is better than this. I think he knows it. Look at Shop Girl. I guess we live in times where it’s what have you done for us lately and not what have you done, because all these aging comedians seem to be doing filler, and not testing their talents anymore. Pink Panther 2 is lazy and uninspiring.

One of the absolutely few, redeeming elements is Emily Mortimer who plays Nichole the love interest, reprising her role from the first film. She is so delightful in the little amount she has to do, channeling a Superman-era Margot Kidder, with all those mannerisms of cuteness, naiveté, and that bubbly attitude. She’s a rare delight in this painfully long film (it’s only like 89 minutes, but felt like hours!). Emily Mortimer was great in Transsiberian last year, obviously a far better film, but she shines here in her scenes with Martin. A special mention to Jeremy Irons too, because he always hams it up properly, as the red herring in the film. Outside of Mortimer and the Iron’s cameo, the cast is wasted, Martin’s talent is wasted, and so is your time.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: While this was screener copy sent by 20^th Century Fox, a common practice amongst them, I can’t really judge the disc properly. It looked good, but I feel the store copy you’ll rent or buy will be better. There was some edge enhancement and noise occasionally. The audio is good too, for a comedy. Expect better though on the store release copy.

Drama is Easy… and A Dream Team like No Other, plus a Gag Reel were the extras here on the screener disc. They’re better than expected, but far from highly informative. Decent watches if you so choose. Now, the Blu Ray will have more extras.

Conclusion: A limp sequel, up there as 2009′s worst so far, despite my love of Emily Mortimer.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

The Saturn awards are now my favorite awards this year. Emily Mortimer has been nominated for Best Actress for the amazing Transsiberian, and Shia LaBeouf was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his ‘work’ in Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Heath Ledger is obviously the stand out in this category, but wouldn’t it be fun to see Shia take an award for swinging in the trees with monkeys?

Check out this years nominees below:

Science Fiction Film
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (20th Century Fox)
“Eagle Eye” (Paramount / DreamWorks)
“The Incredible Hulk” (Universal / Marvel)
“Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (Paramount / Lucasfilm)
“Iron Man” (Paramount / Marvel)
“Jumper” (20th Century Fox)

Fantasy Film
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (Walt Disney Studios)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount)
“Hancock” (Sony)
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” (Paramount)
“Twilight” (Summit Entertainment)
“Wanted” (Universal)

Horror Film
“The Happening” (20th Century Fox)
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal)
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Universal)
“Quarantine” (Sony)
“Splinter” (Magnolia / Magnet)
“The Strangers” (Rogue / Universal)

Action / Adventure / Thriller Film
“Changeling” (Universal)
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
“Gran Torino” (Warner Bros.)
“Quantum of Solace” (Sony)
“Traitor” (Overture)
“Valkyrie” (MGM / UA)

Actor
Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Tom Cruise (“Valkyrie”) (MGM / UA)
Robert Downey, Jr. (“Iron Man”) (Paramount / Marvel)
Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) (Paramount / Lucasfilm)
Brad Pitt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) (Paramount)
Will Smith (“Hancock”) (Sony)

Actress
Cate Blanchett (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) (Paramount)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Angelina Jolie (“Changeling”) (Universal)
Julianne Moore (“Blindness”) (Miramax)
Emily Mortimer (“Transsiberian”) (First Look Studios)
Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man”) (Paramount / Marvel)

Supporting Actor
Jeff Bridges (“Iron Man”) (Paramount / Marvel)
Aaron Eckhart (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson (“Transsiberian”) (First Look Studios)
Shia LaBeouf (“Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) (Paramount / Lucasfilm)
Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Bill Nighy (“Valkyrie”) (MGM / UA)

Supporting Actress
Joan Allen (“Death Race”) (Universal)
Judi Dench (“Quantum of Solace”) (Sony)
Olga Kurylenko (“Quantum of Solace”) (Sony)
Tilda Swinton (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) (Paramount)
Charlize Theron (“Hancock”) (Sony)
Carice Van Houten (“Valkyrie”) (MGM / UA)

Performance by a Younger Actor
Freddie Highmore (“The Spiderwick Chronicles”) (Paramount)
Lina Leandersson (“Let the Right One In”) (Magnolia / Magnet)
Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) (Fox Searchlight)
JadenChristopher Smith (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”) (20th Century Fox)
Catinca Untaru (“The Fall”) (Roadside Attractions)
Brandon Walters (“Australia”) (20th Century Fox)

Director
Clint Eastwood (“Changeling”) (Universal)
Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) (Paramount / Marvel)
David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) (Paramount)
Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Bryan Singer (“Valkyrie”) (MGM / UA)
Steven Spielberg (“Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) (Paramount / Lucasfilm)
Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) (Walt Disney Studios)

Writing
Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway (“Iron Man”) (Paramount / Marvel)
David Koepp, John Kamps (“Ghost Town”) (Paramount / DreamWorks)
John Ajvide Lindqvist (“Let the Right One In”) (Magnolia / Magnet)
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) (Warner Bros.)
Eric Roth (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) (Paramount)
J. Michael Straczynski (“Changeling”) (Universal)

Source: Awards Central

The Film:

I think Transsiberian succeeds by not falling into the types of traps most thrillers make. It takes it’s time, first. The film is a slow burn; you’ll appreciate it a lot more after a few hours pass from seeing it. It’s a tough, cold, and very gripping thriller from start to finish.

Woody Harrelson plays a typical squeaky clean American who lovers his wife as much as he does trains. Emily Mortimer in a really great performance plays his wife, who had a troubled past until she married him. Their vacation gets interrupted by a young couple who shares their compartment on the Trans-Siberian Express. Soon there on they are not what they seem and our American protagonists are caught up in a web of lies.

The film never over-plots and never wimps out. I think most thrillers try to make themselves edgy with quick cutting in the editing room and highly implausible twists in the plot. Brad Anderson doesn’t do that; his film is too smart for simple mechanics like that. Each scene is followed by another scene of common dialogue and events. By the last thirty minutes you’ll be recalling those seemingly average events and interactions and that’s where the film wins. Those scenes could’ve easily called themselves out, perhaps with an over-bearing score or weak writing. Anderson has crafted a truly interesting suspense film.

The film acts as a warning to American travelers. In one scene Harrelson proclaims ‘But we’re Americans’ to the Russian authorities and they don’t answer. The film rides along with the train and while it never feels claustrophobic you get a sense that no matter what they, there’s probably no escape. I think that really adds to the film. Something happens to Emily Mortimer’s character (I won’t spoil it) and as she tries to hide it, lies eventual surface. Ben Kingsley is in the film too and he’s really good here. He sees her lies but allows them to go on until he can read her correctly. We know the truth and we cringe into our seats as she continues to bluff her way out.

I enjoyed Session 9 and The Machinist a great deal. Both were good thrillers in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock. Transsiberian is even better. I think here he has perfectly captured what makes a good thriller, something we can get invested in and doesn’t cop out to silly twists or turns. This is as good as I’ve seen in the genre and if critics must continue to use Hitchcock in every good thriller review to draw comparisons, well, Anderson has no better teacher. I’m sure he would’ve gotten a good grade.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: If it matters, First Look didn’t release a lossless audio track for Transsiberian, but I can say it’s a solid track regardless. Surrounds are well active, as it gives us a perfect soundscape for the atmosphere of the film. Video wise, boy oh boy, is this ever a beautiful transfer. For a modest film, this transfer is jaw-dropping, as good as anything from films with bigger budgets and studios willing to drop a mint on the BD. I’d go as far to say this is reference quality.

Making-Of: While this is the only extra, it is a good one. Running a little over thirty minutes, we get to hear Anderson’s story about railroads that inspired this story. Luckily, this feature avoids those annoying EPK-styled making-of that are cheesy and uninformative. We get in here interviews and thoughts on the film and its challenges in creating the film on its low budget. This is a good little piece, with one draw back-it’s not high definition.

Transsiberian is a superb thriller that hit a few art houses in the summer, but is really worth seeking out even if it’s a blind buy. If smart thrillers without campy twists and like-minded wanna be Hitchcock films are your thing, dig this out!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars