After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo.
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
As the American Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Stars:
Daniel Day-Lewis,
Sally Field,
David Strathairn
In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.
The supervillain Megamind finally defeats his nemesis, the superhero Metro Man. But without a hero, he loses all purpose and must find new meaning to his life.
Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. He learned to fix clocks and other gadgets from his father and uncle which he puts to use keeping the train station clocks running. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his dead father is an automaton (mechanical man) that doesn't work without a special key. Hugo needs to find the key to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets George Melies, a shopkeeper, who works in the train station, and his adventure-seeking god-daughter. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and he discovers it unlocks some memories the old man has buried inside regarding his past.Written by
napierslogs
A lecture hall from the famous Parisian university La Sorbonne was dressed and used for the cinema hall towards the end of this movie. See more »
Goofs
After Hugo uses the tools to fix the wind-up mouse, he puts it on the counter. We see two tools next to the cup of tools on the counter. In the next shot, Georges Méliès is inspecting it and winds it up. Then, when he puts it on the counter to test it out, we see the tools are no longer in the way, though we did not see or hear them being moved. See more »
Quotes
Isabelle:
[watching A Trip to the Moon]
It's in color!
Mama Jeanne:
Of course it is, we tinted them. We painted them by hand, frame by frame.
See more »
Crazy Credits
There is only one opening credit, the film's title, which does not appear until nearly 15 minutes into the film. See more »
This would have been my vote for Best Picture for 2011, especially if you limit the voting to nostalgic visions of silver screen history. This sort of does exactly what "The Artist" does, paying loving homage to early movies, "Hugo" is so much more imaginative, filmed with overflowing ingenuity and fluidity (it is a Scorsese movie I know), and it pays respects more directly and beautifully.
Yes, this really is a love letter to the first decade of mature movies before "Birth of a Nation" and full feature films. Here we rediscover the short cinematic (very cinematic) inventions of French filmmaker Georges Melies. Never heard of him? Well, that's why you should see this movie. At times it almost plays like a fabulous documentary (to its detriment as a movie, but to the benefit of Melies), so you do learn quite a lot about this man. And it's mostly accurate. Things that get stretched for the sake of the movie are reasonable enough.
(By the way, a little known reference to Melies, charming and beautifully done, occurs in the otherwise flawed "Klimt" and is worth watching just for those scenes.)
There is a feeling that this is a children's adventure, but even more than "Where the Wild Things Are," this is a movie for adults, and kind of about adults, too. The two leading kids--a girl and a boy--are terrific but in that child actor way where they fill their roles perfectly (not like, say, the slightly older Judy Garland in "Wizard of Oz"). The adults are not quite caricatures, and make the film have a lot of depth, but they are kept in check by the children's storytelling aspect to the whole enterprise.
Whatever the limitations there, it's the filming, the sets and costumes and moving camera and special effects, always kept in check, that make the movie special. If you are interested in the also-rans of the Oscar season, this is the first to see. If you want to just have an enjoyable bit of escapist and light hearted filmmaking, this is a must. And if you are curious about Melies, there is no better place to start.
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Hugo (2011)
This would have been my vote for Best Picture for 2011, especially if you limit the voting to nostalgic visions of silver screen history. This sort of does exactly what "The Artist" does, paying loving homage to early movies, "Hugo" is so much more imaginative, filmed with overflowing ingenuity and fluidity (it is a Scorsese movie I know), and it pays respects more directly and beautifully.
Yes, this really is a love letter to the first decade of mature movies before "Birth of a Nation" and full feature films. Here we rediscover the short cinematic (very cinematic) inventions of French filmmaker Georges Melies. Never heard of him? Well, that's why you should see this movie. At times it almost plays like a fabulous documentary (to its detriment as a movie, but to the benefit of Melies), so you do learn quite a lot about this man. And it's mostly accurate. Things that get stretched for the sake of the movie are reasonable enough.
(By the way, a little known reference to Melies, charming and beautifully done, occurs in the otherwise flawed "Klimt" and is worth watching just for those scenes.)
There is a feeling that this is a children's adventure, but even more than "Where the Wild Things Are," this is a movie for adults, and kind of about adults, too. The two leading kids--a girl and a boy--are terrific but in that child actor way where they fill their roles perfectly (not like, say, the slightly older Judy Garland in "Wizard of Oz"). The adults are not quite caricatures, and make the film have a lot of depth, but they are kept in check by the children's storytelling aspect to the whole enterprise.
Whatever the limitations there, it's the filming, the sets and costumes and moving camera and special effects, always kept in check, that make the movie special. If you are interested in the also-rans of the Oscar season, this is the first to see. If you want to just have an enjoyable bit of escapist and light hearted filmmaking, this is a must. And if you are curious about Melies, there is no better place to start.