Hugo

Martin Scorsese must have seen the children's book "Hugo" as the perfect way to pay homage to some of his early film heroes and bring attention to the cause of film preservation. It's a film that is spectacular to look at. I mean it. Spectacular. And I only saw it in 2D on my little flat screen. You are probably well advised to see it in 3D on a big screen. The sets and props have a magical feel. It's when we get to the people who inhabit the world that we run in to a little trouble.
The protagonist of this story is 12 year old Hugo Cabret, who lives a solitary life in the Paris train station winding all the clocks and fixing mechanical devices while his Uncle drinks the day away. He lives by his wits, avoiding the station security guard (the always oddball Sasha Baron Cohen). He meets a solemn toy vendor (Ben Kingsley) and his pretty niece Isabella (Chloe Grace Moretz) and soon an adolescent love story blossoms. That's the first half of the film. The second (and better) half is concerned with early filmmakers and film making and is if nothing else a master class on the early days of motion pictures. This is, of course Martin Scorsese's passion and he is much more sure-handed with this portion of the story.
Directing children is another matter. The two young leads are really not very engaging. Their not terrible, but their stiff Frenchness and odd character look makes them just slightly more creepy than heroic, almost like a Tim Burton film. Part of the problem may be that these characters are of French ancestry and live in Paris, but are played by English actors with decidedly English accents, and all of it directed by an American director. It's a mish-mosh. The world straddles the simplistic tone of a children's book and Scorsese's prodigious intellect and it just doesn't mesh.
The second half of the film is fascinating for any one who loves cinema or history or (especially) cinema history. It almost makes "Hugo" a great movie, but not quite. Beautiful yes, interesting indeed, but not quite a satisfying movie-watching experience.

A Better Life

"A Better Life" has a point to make, specifically a political point to make- and that could be the death of any independent film. It is a credit to the film that it isn't heavy-handed or didactic. It sticks to the basic tenants of good story-telling and in doing so the film accomplishes what it sets out to do, namely telling an illegal immigrant story from the POV of the immigrant.
Demian Bishir plays Carlos Galindo, a hardworking Dad and resident of L.A. who is here illegaly. Hardworking-Dad-illegal, in that order. They are the three things that define his life. His 14 year old son is dodging the pitfalls of gangs and teen stupidity. It's a hard life but an honest one, apart from their immigration status. Carlos is a good person who has to hide like he was a bad person. His dream is for a better life for his son but that dream is a house of cards.
"A Better Life" does an excellent job showing the hidden and stress-filled world that illegals must navigate and the assumptions that the authorities go to automatically when they deal with them. There is a great scene where Carlos' son is made to strip to the waist in order to photograph his gang tats. They're shocked to find that he doesn't have any.
This is a film with a narrow focus. It doesn't concern itself with grand political statements, only with a Dad and his son. It may be a bit simplistic in that respect but the character of its characters make it a good watch and a cautionary tale.
As a side note Demian Bichir's Oscar nomination (well-deserved) is why the Oscars (and in this case the SAG Awards) continue to rate high on the integrity scale. This film and performance might have been easy to overlook and that would have been a shame.