Hugo

  • Title: Hugo
  • IMDB: link

hugo-posterFor the first half-hour or so of Hugo you’re wondering to yourself why is Martin Scorcese directing a children’s story about an orphan who lives in a train station with a broken robot?

Don’t get me wrong, the characters are engaging and the look of the film (especially in 3D where the effects bring to mind a child’s pop-up book) are terrific, but the question still remains. And then this film about an orphan and his automaton becomes a story about a famous filmmaker and the celebration and preservation of old films, and you know exactly what struck the director’s fancy.

When we first meet Hugo Cabaret (Asa Butterfield) he’s living in the walls of the Paris train station. The son of clockmaker (Jude Law), Hugo was orphaned when his father died in a museum fire. Now all Hugo has to remember him is a notebook and a broken automaton his father was attempting to fix before his death.

Hugo Read More »

The Descendants

  • Title: The Decendants
  • IMDB: link

the-descendants-posterOn the beautiful islands of Hawaii, Matt King’s (George Clooney) world crashes down when the real estate lawyer is hit with two bombshells at once. First, he learns that his wife (Patricia Hastie), who suffered a boating accident and has languished in a coma for weeks, isn’t going to get better. Her living will makes it obvious what will happen next, even if Matt and his two daughters aren’t ready for inevitable.

Things only get more complicated when breaking the news to his oldest daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) Matt learns his wife has been having an affair and it’s this, not the daughter’s recently troubling behavior, which was the cause of the friction between mother and daughter in recent months.

Through his anger and grief Matt tries to keep his dysfunctional family together, deal with the outbursts of his younger daughter (Amara Miller) in school, and put up with Alexandra’s moron of a boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), all while managing a complicated land sale that means millions of dollars for his extended family.

The Descendants Read More »

Morning Glories #14

morning-glories-14-coverIt looks like we’ll have to wait at least a month to find out what exactly has happened with Casey and Miss Hodge. In the latest issue we see the fallout from Hunter‘s blow-up with Zoe from her point of view, intermixed with the beginning of Woodrun, and odd flashbacks to Pilgrims torturing a man to get information out of girl who bears a resemblace to Jade in the year 1653.

In a nice move, writer Nick Spencer chooses to give Zoe a moment to actually feel the hurt of Hunter’s comments, and the overheard gossiping of the other girls before returning to full bitch mode and deciding on a slow revenge.

For an issue centered around arguably the series most unlikable character, this one turns out to be pretty good. I liked how the Pilgrim story eventually worked itself around to the main tale. We see a little of Woodrun from Zoe, Hunter and Jun‘s point of view but (not surprisingly) things turn ominous just as the comic comes to a close.

The mystery remains two-steps out of reach for the characters and audience alike, but I’m so enjoying the ride that (at least for now) I’m not too worried on the destination. Worth a look.

[Image, $2.99]

Morning Glories #14 Read More »

The Tree of Life

  • Title: The Tree of Life
  • IMDB: link

tree-of-life-blu-rayThe Tree of Life is one of those rare films that you can use as a barometer to judge other’s tastes in films. If they dismiss it completely for its odd editing, non-linear structure, and perplexing nature that will tell you one thing. If they simply praise the look of the film and its challenging storytelling without noting its obvious flaws that will tell you something else.

The Tree of Life is a very good, but sometimes maddeningly frustrating, film. The director gives us the story of a family in Waco, Texas, in the 1950’s. We also get a much shorter look at one of the children (Sean Penn) years later. Interspersed with these tales is the origin of the universe and creation of life on Earth.

Those who don’t wish to be challenged by a film should give The Tree of Life a wide berth. You’ll need patience and a willingness to accept the kind of journey on which it wants to take you.

The Tree of Life Read More »