Netflix Movie Monday

A few weeks ago, I was certain I had a future solid pick.  I've always been a fan of the rididiculous Syfy type movies, and when I saw that Sand Sharks was coming to Netflix, I was pumped. What can be more terribly awesome than a movie that stars Hulk Hogan's daughter and involves sharks that can attack you in water AND sand.  But alas, it was not to be, as it was terrible, even by my standards.

   

 

Well as you can imagine, I was in a bind.  I was browsing around the Netflix selection until I stopped on Hugo.  I had Hugo in my Blockbuster queue a few years ago when I did a thirty day trial but I didn't get a chance to watch it before I cancelled it.  And it seemed like a movie that Mary would tolerate, so I decided to give it a go this past Friday night and I thought it was a decent, family flick. 

Hugo was released in 3d and after viewing the movie, I undersand why.  It was very strong visually, and I wish I would have had a 3d tv and ridiculous pair of glasses.  

 

 It's a Martin Scorsese film, who has made several movies that I've really enjoyed in the past (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Aviator, Departed).  The film takes place in Paris during the 1930s.  Hugo lives with his father, whose dream is to finish a automaton (fancy robot thing) that he found in a museum.  Unfortunately, he doesnt get to complete the task as he dies in a fire.  Hugo then has to live with his alcoholic uncle, who is in charge of clock maintenance at a train station.  His uncle dissappears, so instead of getting swiped up by the station inspector (aka: Borat) and thrown into an orphanage, he decides to hide out and live in the catwalks, gears, etc. of the clocks his uncle worked on and unknown to others, continues his uncle's line of work.

 

Hugo believes this his father left him a message with the automaton, so he focuses on getting the necessary parts to repair it.  This requires Hugo to steal parts from a store, run by a grumpy old man.  He gets busted by the man, so he is forced to work at his store to pay off his dues.  He ends up becoming good friends with the old man's goddaughter, Isabella.  Hugo introduces her to the world of cinema, which later results in a big discovery about the grumpy old man.

Yeah, that's not a very good plot description, but I feel it's a movie that is very strong visually and is something you just have to see.  And the story continues to build throughout the movie, so it's something you have to watch and experience for yourself.  So for the first time since I started this, you can watch a movie I recommended with your family, kids and old people alike.