Yes, that time of year again. This time when the 9 nominees for Best Picture were announced I hadn’t seen any of them, and now that the award’s are here I’ve still only seen one. A pretty dismal year of movie viewing for me I must say.
Hugo
Of them all, I was most looking forward to this film based on the award winning children’s book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”. The cast anchored by Ben Kingsly was pretty solid, but they are largely overshadowed by the visuals in the movie. The vast scenescapes of Paris, the dense commotion of the train station, and the complex compositions of whirling gears were striking enough, but set in 3D they were really awesome. This was Scorsese’s first 3D movie and it’s easy to see him embracing it and re-imaging himself as the same illusionist “maker of dreams” as Georges Méliès. I also was intrigued to learn of the historical basis behind the movie. As it turns out, not only are the details of Méliès’ career and decline fairly accurate, but Scorsese really portrayed the era well in details and even included shots of notably figures in the station.
The story itself was interesting, but the telling of it was somehow more labored than you’d expect; especially surprisingly so for a “family movie”. In particular, the scenes away from the visual stimulation and off-beat characters of the train station tended to drag along. And this left me feeling that Hugo was simply a good movie, with some really great animations and camera shots. So, while Hugo may not grab Best Picture, it has an excellent shot with Cinematography and Visual Effects.
Rooney Mara
About the only other nomination I can comment on is for Rooney Mara as Best Actress from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fincher’s movie (like the book, and of course the original film) is an intriguing, dark and complex story, and those same attributes are true for Mara’s Lisbeth. She’s remarkably vulnerable, but fearless; cunning, and yet caring. I was surprised to learn this was the same actress who volleyed dialog with Eisenberg in the opening scene of The Social Network. In the Dragon Tattoo Mara has really shown her depth, and I look forward to seeing her in the squeals.
