Best Picture nominees, "Hugo"

Martin Scorsese is known for a great many things in relation to the movie industry. He is known for being a heavy proponent of the classics and of movie preservation. He is known for having an encyclopedic knowledge about movies. He is known for being a hardcore fan of seeing a film widescreen, even at home, as the film was meant to be seen. He is known for his own films, often filled with a lot of graphic language and violence to get across stories of the "mean streets". The last thing even he expected to wind up known for is a family film, with no language or violence, and in 3-D to boot. Yet here we are. "Hugo" is nominated for Best Picture and, in fact, scored a total of 11 Oscar nominations, more than any other film this year.

The film is based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Scorsese half-jokingly says he wound up taking the helms as director because his wife told him he should finally make a film that his own kids could see. This meant not only eliminating the violence and language that most of his films contain, but it also meant giving us what winds up to be his first PG-rated film in nearly two decades. (It also, in relation to nothing, is the first film he's made without Leonardo DiCaprio in 12 years.) The first 7-8 minutes of the film are with almost no dialogue as we get the foundation for the story.

Hugo (Asa Butterfield) works within a busy and boisterous Paris train station of the 1930's. His work appears to consist of two things: keeping the clocks in working order, and stealing from the vendors within the station. There is an elaborate labyrinth he knows his way through to stay mostly out of sight. It's determined that Hugo actually also lives within the walls and whatnot of the station, and that Hugo lives with his alcoholic uncle (Ray Winstone) who is actually in charge of the clocks. Hugo takes over this work because of his uncle often being too drunk to do so. As for the stealing, he steals the food mainly just so he can eat, but he often steals parts from a toymaker (Ben Kingsley) because he is trying to fix an automated robot that his late father (Jude Law, seen in flashbacks) had been working on, but didn't finish before his untimely demise in a fire.

One attempt at stealing parts from the toymaker sees him caught, and Hugo's notebook stays in the toymaker's possession as a result. He tells Hugo the notebook will be burned, and Hugo pleads for it back without wanting to say why. The toymaker sees elaborate drawings and mechanical plans in the notebook, and this elicits a reaction of shock as if he recognizes the plans. Hugo actually follows the toymaker home and stands outside his house later. The toymaker's goddaughter (although we obviously don't know this yet) sees Hugo outside and comes out to him, telling him to go home and she will make sure the notebook stays intact.

In time, Hugo and the toymaker strike a deal. Hugo will work for him and earn back the notebook. In doing so, Hugo also continues to fix the robot at home in his spare time, but discovers he is missing one integral part: a heart-shaped key. Hugo and the goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), become friends as well. They learn of one another and we also learn in the process that Hugo loved movies, and would be taken to them by his father often. Hugo especially was a fan of the films of Georges Melies, although he in actuality doesn't say this because he doesn't know the director's name, he just remembers the films. The duo sneak into a silent film but are eventually chased out. In the process, Hugo discovers that Isabelle is wearing a necklace with a heart-shaped key as its pendant.

They rush back to Hugo's room and insert the key into the robot. What results is an intricate drawing of a scene from Hugo's favorite silent movie, Voyage to the Moon by Melies. The robot even signs Melies's name to the drawing. Isabelle then informs Hugo, and all of us, that Georges Melies is none other than the toymaker, and her godfather. This all leads to a rather complicated additional series of storylines within the plot, as what started as a story of a boy trying to fix a robot while sneaking around the Paris train station now morphs into a story of classic movies, self-discoveries and rebirths. Plus, I didn't even mention a number of supporting players, such as Sacha Baron Cohen, who also add to the many different layers and B-stories within the film that we need to keep track of.

"Hugo" debuted in November around the Thanksgiving holiday and was received with universal critical acclaim, with many trumpeting this as Scorsese's finest film. The film has since made just about every Top 10 list for 2011 and a ton of nominations and awards leading into the Oscars. Unfortunately, this did not translate into big box office, as even to this day, the moviegoing public have not been nearly as universal in its acclaim. Many found the story too complicated, and the film itself too long. The film has grossed $65M in North America and about $105M worldwide as of right now, but the budget for the film was well in excess of $150M.

"Hugo", as mentioned earlier, has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Scorsese won this prize at the Golden Globes in what was deemed a mild upset), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art/Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects. It seems highly unlikely that the film will not win at least one Oscar, and it probably will win several, but I'm not sure any of them will be anything beyond technical awards. I personally was one of those who found the story complicated and the running time too long, and I certainly was surprised to see the film garner the most nominations of any film going into the Academy Awards. This has been a difficult film to market too. It's for kids and families, but with such a complex story and the plot having so many layers, some of which are geared towards an older crowd. The media has often pegged this a "tribute to the movies", and it's obviously something the Academy likes, so Best Picture isn't necessarily a long shot.

"Hugo" is still playing in select theaters nationwide, and will be released February 28 on DVD and Blu-Ray.