Hugo (2011)

As I watched Hugo, I was transported back to when I was a younger film student. In particular, the first time I saw George Melies's groundbreaking silent picture, "A Trip to the Moon". Every film student, one way or another, is exposed to Melies and consequently inspired by his works. Such is the case of the ultimate film scholar, Martin Scorsese. Though the tone of this film is a drastic departure from the dark, violent themes and characters of the Scorsese filmography, perhaps there was no better filmmaker to have made this film than him. A master filmmaker, with an encyclopedia's knowledge of film history is the only person suitable to make such a love letter to the humble beginnings of cinema.

Hugo is a heartwarming picture. The cast is marvelous, and so is the production design. Not without it's flaws, in terms of run time, it could've been much tighter.