Film Review: Hugo

Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese (Paramount Pictures, GK Films, Infinitum Nihil, PG, 126 minutes)

Starring Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloё Grace Moretz, and Emily Mortimer.

We Always Need More Drinking Games 

When the cast of Bridesmaids introduced a category at this year’s Golden Globes, they ushered in a new era of award ceremony watching. Humorously, the cast suggested a “Martin Scorsese Drinking Game”, in which one takes a shot every time someone mentions Scorsese during an award ceremony telecast. The inherent joke in this game revolves around the notion that Martin Scorsese seemingly has his hand in every part of the movie business; by default, anything Scorsese touches garners critical acclaim.

A Boy Named Hugo 

Case in point: I’m not sure if this year’s award darling, Hugo, is that good, yet it still received a nomination for best picture. Based on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and set in Paris during the 1930s, Hugo follows its eponymous protagonist, orphaned Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) as he lives in the walls and winds the clocks of the rail station, Gare Montparnasse. Surviving on stolen goods, Hugo spends his downtime repairing a broken automaton in order to remain connected to his deceased father (Jude Law) who considered the broken machine an important project.

Hugo’s work, clock winding, must remain secret since the job is filled by his drunk and absent uncle. Always dodging the somewhat puerile security guard (Sacha Baron Cohen), Hugo develops an affinity for an elderly toy maker, Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley).

Spending time with Georges, Hugo befriends Georges’ goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloё Grace Moretz). Together, the children find a mutual affection for cinema. For Hugo, film reminds him of the influential father-son outings of better days. Isabelle, on the other hand, feels the pull of the movies because her godparents refuse to allow her access.

As the children discover more about early cinema and seek to rebuild the automaton, they learn more about themselves and the meaning behind family.

Martin Scorsese = Critical Acclaim? 

Despite a reasonably high entertainment level, I question the critical merit of Hugo. Having seen many of the Academy Award nominated films from this year, nothing from Hugo suggests that it operates at a higher level than the rest of the field. Of course, I must note that I am not Hugo’s target market. But, compared to the rest of the films I have seen, I am not particularly impressed by Hugo. In all honesty, it seems like the attachment of Martin Scorsese to this film gave it the critical street cred necessary to reach the pinnacle of the movie business. Hugo is pretty good for a children’s movie, but not above and beyond others in the movie business.

Don’t get me wrong, Hugo displays wonderful visuals and grand élan. Nevertheless, I can’t help but think of the witty cast from Bridesmaids making fun of the critical elite and their attraction to Scorsese. I am positive that without the visionary filmmaker, Hugo would have received less acclaim and no Oscar nods whatsoever. An entertaining work, Hugo is worth watching, especially for those interested in touching family fare. But don’t assume that its Oscar nominations make it one of the best movies of the year.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Film Review: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy directed by Tomas Alfredson (Focus Features, R, 128 minutes)

Starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

Based on the Same Name 

Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by John le Carre, a former operations agent for the British agency of MI6, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy joins the long list of Oscar-nominated movies for 2011 based on bestselling novels that are perhaps better than the films of which they are based. The first in what is a trilogy of spy novels; the film depicts English spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) as he is pitted against a Soviet mole inside the MI6.

Silence as Suspense 

MI6 Headquarters, London

After a forced, disgraced retirement from MI6, George Smiley is thrust back into service to oust a mole from within the ranks of his former employer. Unsure of his new re-appointment, and obviously still bitter about his forced retirement, Gary Oldman is silent for almost thirty minutes at the beginning of the film. Much like in the novel, silence on the part George Smiley is persistent, and director Tomas Alfredson uses the silence as a means to both intrigue and frustrate the viewer. Silence adds to the suspense of the movie, as those like myself unfamiliar with what actual espionage would be like, expect exotic locations and huge explosions. The silence shows that no exotic location is needed, no huge action sequence, but rather intriguing puzzles that confound the viewer.

Cast with superstar British actors, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy introduces them one at a time. “Tinker” is the codename for Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), “Tailor” is Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), “Soldier” is Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds), and “Spy” would be the unknown mole in MI6 that “Beggarman”, or George Smiley, is trying to find throughout the film.

Paranoia 

Not only does the silence add to the suspense of the movie, but the constant feeling of dread and paranoia certainly adds a feeling of weariness to the overall tension of the film. Sequestered meetings with ubiquitous brown tweed suits in closed rooms and quiet, dark conversations in shadowy corners of London add to an atmosphere of suspense and great pondering on the part of the audience.

While the movie doesn’t pander to the stereotypes of current thrillers, I posit that such a position makes Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy absolutely superb. Without the excessive explosions or exotic locations, this movie offers a cigarette-filled rendering of things past. With clues to ponder against the background of the poker-faced and quiet George Smiley, words pierce just as hard as bullets would in a lesser film. If you love suspense and intrigue, this movie is for you. However, if you don’t like thinking through things and have a hard time piecing clues together on your own, I would wait until DVD.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Film Review: The Help

The Help directed by Tate Taylor (Dreamworks SKG, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, PG-13, 146 minutes)

Starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain

Jackson, Mississippi 

I visited Jackson, Mississippi last year during my spring break. I took a group of students to a small, entirely African-American suburb nearby to sing in churches, schools, and community events.

We stayed in a town that was literally divided by train tracks, and if you were on one side of the tracks, you were living on the African-American side of town. I was blown away by the rampant racial inequality still not only surviving but surging, in this community outside of Jackson. I even had breakfast a few mornings at a place where biscuits, grits, and gravy were standard, and mistakenly made the social faux pas of sitting on the “black side” of the establishment, which both shocked and saddened me.

This experience rather reminded me of The Help.

A Book about Racism

Adapted from the book of the same title by Kathryn Stockett, the story is about African American maids working in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. Skeeter (Emma Stone), one of the main characters, decides to write a controversial book about racism in the perspective of the maids who work for white families.

Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) are the two black maids who decide to help Skeeter out with her project. They, understandingly, are reluctant to help at first, as they fear they will lose their jobs should they share the uncomfortable situations they’ve encountered. Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), meanwhile, is petitioning for her “Home Help Sanitation Initiative” which proposes separate bathrooms for the help, as black folks carry “diseases” because of their skin pigment.

The Capitol in Jackson, MS

Continuing to write the story, Skeeter tries to publish the book quickly, as her publicist believes that the Civil Rights Movement will be a passing fad. So, she publishes it quickly, but only after Minny tells her the story of the “terrible awful” in which she bakes her former employer, Hilly Holbrook, a special pie, with some special ingredients.

Minny, meanwhile sought employment elsewhere, where Celia Foot (Jessica Chastain) desperately needs a housekeeper. Celia treats her well, and in a tear-inducing scene, actually treats “the help” to a dinner saying “you will always have a job with me”.

The film, and undoubtedly the novel (I haven’t read it, so I’m not sure), portrays something of southern Mississippian society that is still sadly partially present today. There is a racial inequality present, but one individual who chooses to speak up can actually change it all. Though things in Mississippi may not be anywhere close to perfect, there have been huge changes in the culture overall since the Civil Rights movement, and someone like Emma Stone could change it even more if they were to arise and be bold.

The movie portrays a great deal of hope, and deserves the Oscar nods it received: two for best supporting actress—for Olivia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain; one for best actress—for Viola Davis; and one for best picture. I think if you’re in the mood for a good convicting drama, you should check out The Help.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Film Review: The Descendants

The Descendants directed by Alexander Payne (Ad Hominem Enterprises, R, 115 minutes)

Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, and Amara Miller.

In Remembrance of Those Lost

Tragedy does silly things to a human being. It can either bring family together, or ruin what little semblance of family remaining. It causes people to find religion, or causes others to dive headfirst into addiction. When a loved one passes, we speak of them glowingly as if our words create a halo around the deceased. Through tragedy we resolve to live better as if life changes could honor the memory of a loved one passed.

Yet in death, just as in life, people carry their demons alongside their virtues. In Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, Matt King (George Clooney) struggles with the impending death of his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) and what it means to move forward with his two daughters, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller).

A Lawyer and His Daughters

Matt, a lawyer and sole trustee of 25,000 acres of land in Kauai which has belonged to his family for generations, lives in Honolulu. Despite the vast material wealth accumulated in past generations, Matt believes in the virtue of hard work and the notion that a parent ought to give his children just enough money to do something, rather than too much money so that descendants do nothing whatsoever. As such, the Kings live modestly despite the impending sale of the family’s 25,000 acres of land.

Matt’s wife sits in a coma, a victim of a tragic high-speed boating accident. With news of her deteriorating condition, Matt faces the unenviable position of relaying the news to his family and friends.

Upon learning of her mother’s fate, Alexandra, Matt’s daughter, interjects news of her mother’s supposed affair. Shocked, Matt begins investigating the claims. As a result, the rest of the movie teeters between the memorialization of a dying loved one and the intense pain of betrayal by that very same person.

Where Beauty Meets Pain

As a backdrop, the pristine beauty of Hawai’i balances the dark, depressing themes of the film and the book upon which the movie is based. In passing, we all think that living on the Hawaiian Islands represents some sort of paradise. To reside there, one hopes, is to live on a perpetual vacation filled with mai-tais and a perfectly balanced tan. But, this film reminds us that nobody can escape the perils of life. A cheating spouse and the death of a family member still happen in the midst of beautiful backdrop.

I wonder whether this movie could succeed outside of the tropical location. In truth, it is a depressing film; yet the beauty of nature counteracts the grim topics. Had this movie been set in Chicago, it might not have succeeded.

An Oscar Worthy Performance

Finally, I must mention George Clooney and his acting that stabilizes the film. With inner strength and a quiet pain, Clooney musters an impeccable performance worthy of the nominations he is receiving. Is it Clooney’s best? It’s hard to say since I haven’t watched all of his movies. Of the performances I have encountered, Clooney’s acting in The Descendants is one of his best; yet at the same time, the performance does not offer a stark departure from Clooney’s previous work.

The Descendants reminds us of the frailty of human life and relationships. We ought not consider the loved ones we have lost in a softened light; we ought to remember them in their frailty and humanity. To forget the dirty spots is to forget the person. While carrying a sad tone, The Descendants reveals a beauty well worth watching.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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