Hugo

Chloe Grace Moretz and Asa Butterfield in "Hugo"

I never thought I would be taking a 10-year-old to a Martin Scorsese movie.  Do not get me wrong.  I am a devoted Scorsese fan who usually attends his movies on opening days.  However his films usually deal with adult themes not appropriate for a child: “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “The Departed,” “Casino,” “Goodfellas.”  Plus, Scorsese’s films can be really violent.  So what was I doing taking my 10 year old nephew, Jack, to the Ziegfeld Theatre last Friday to see Scorsese’s latest movie “Hugo?”  Well, for one thing, Jack was already a step ahead of me having actually read the book on which the movie is based, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” by Brian Selznick.

In this day and age of dumb movies for kids, such as “Happy Feet 2” (in IMAX 3-D no less) and “Jack and Jill,” featuring Adam Sandler in a dress, how great that Scorsese has made a film for children (and adults) that is exciting, smart, does not talk down to them and respects their intelligence.  As if this is not enough, “Hugo” is a visually stunning and magical film that deals with complex themes about the role of the artist.   The story involves a mystery, the investigation of which provides the audience with a brief education on the early days of cinema.  All this and it is in 3-D too.