Hugo

Well, I hope you all watched the Academy Awards show last evening. For me it was a toss-up between the Oscars and Masterpiece Classic's new series, The Old Curiosity Shop. The former won.

Before I go any farther, I need to comment on Billy Crystal's appearance. His make-up was over the top. In fact, I thought he looked as though he was embalmed. And Ms. Jolie appeared bony and out of sorts. I like my women a bit more zaftig. And her overdone lips; well, I'm just not going to go there.

I was not terribly surprised by the results. About the only movie I had not seen earlier (in the Best Motion Picture category) was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close . It only played a week in Potsdam...

Today it was rainy on Hilton Head. Not much to do beyond indoor swimming, reading or going to the movies. We chose to go down to Coligny and enjoyed Hugo, which. likewise, only appeared in the North Country for a brief period. 

In short, I LOVED the Scorsese-Depp production. And for me last evening the Academy Awards ceremony was all about "the magic of movies." Most notably, it was a nostalgic trip back into time. As a kid Dipson's Palace and the Winter Garden in Jamestown, NY were all that was necessary to set the tone for me. Both theatres were Art Deco at their finest. And the balcony was the supreme place to sit. The Kodak venue in L.A. was Dipson's Palace ten-fold.

But let me not digress too far. I need to run through the list of nominees.

War Horse -- A movie of epic proportions, but no producer or director wins Best Picture with a non-human entity. Still a fine movie, but not worth #1.

The Artist -- Okay, the dog was great! And Peppy Miller was as peppy as peppy can be. I loved her. And this movie was about movie history, and movie history (The Artist) was the theme that engendered nostalgia last evening better than any other. I saw the film here in Hilton Head, and was glad I did. This is the way it used to be, and it was a fine thing. The acting was superb. Quite deserving of the top award, but it had an even stronger contender.

Midnight in Paris -- Woody Allen at his best, and I loved Owen Wilson's and Marion Cotillard's performances. Yet when all is said and done, Midnight is a bit fluffy in the nostalgia department. Doesn't mean that I didn't adore the film. It just didn't meet nostalgia's level of honesty.

Moneyball -- Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill were superb. Baseball movies, especially concerning front office politics, however, don't win Oscars. It's a shame. This was a topical theme in today's untidy world of sports as entertainment and big money. Politically, it spoke to me in spades. Brad Pitt is all grown up, even if he's a bit too self-assured.

The Descendants -- I wanted George Clooney to win everything. In the end he had to be gracious. His time will come. The Descendants was too much about acting. It was also kind of creepy. Pretty dysfunctional family in the end...

The Tree of Life -- I did not like this film. It was pretentious.

The Help -- Eat shit and die! Great performances and a sympathetic plot. Neither was enough to carry the day.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- I did not watch this film and have no immediate plans to do so. I've had enough of 9/11. And frankly, I am tired of my wife asking me if we need to take tissues to the movies.

Hugo -- Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp scored 125 out of 100. Hugo won five academy awards and should have won six. In the nostalgia department, IMHO, it was superior to The Artist. It tugged at my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every character -- from Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour, to Sacha Baron Cohen, to Chloe Grace Moretz and Asa Butterfield, the performances were absolutely wonderful. Hugo had the MAGIC. I don't understand why the academy didn't award the film's brilliance with a first place. Say what you will, Hugo was the real winner! No, let me take that back. It was silent film and Paris that finally captured my heart. And was it Gare St. Lazare or Gare Nord or an earlier version the Musee d'Orsay...? In the end it didn't really matter. The wrong film won the Oscar for BEST motion picture.

Take a serious look and then decide for yourself...

Stay calm and carry on,

Paul, temporarily on Hilton Head Island
http://www2.potsdam.edu/loucksap
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http://madstop68.blogspot.com