Today marks the unofficial begin to the holiday movie season. And the release of several high profile films that are looking to make a splash both at the box office and with the academy voters.  I’ve seen quite a few of these films and I have to recommend two of them in particular. They have a common theme. They are both in love with the movies and are dying to make their audiences fall in love as well.  They both for my money succeed at doing just that.

Now at first glance you may not think that these are movies for you but let me assure you they are.

Hugo

The first is Hugo. Based on Brian Selznick’s enchanting novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this film follows the adventures of a young boy who fixes clocks in a Paris train station.  When he is caught stealing from a toy shop he goes on an adventure that takes him all the way to the moon and back home again.

The film was made in 3-D, something I had be categorically against, but Scorsese has made me change my mind. For the first time I saw 3D not as a way to make things jump out at the audience but rather to make it seem as if I was looking through a window into another world. He focuses more on depth than cheap 3D thrill just for the sake of it. As always Scorsese has assembled a crack team of filmmakers, and actors to create a wonderful experience.

The Artist

I kid you not, for the first time since the academy awards started in 1927 a silent film may win the Oscar for best picture, and a french one no less. The Artist captures the essence of silent film and the joy of cinema. Crossing a number of familiar story lines and making homages to more than a few classic films both silent and otherwise here you have a film that his funny, heartbreaking, and inspirational. Trust me I was skeptical as you are right now but it surprised me by becoming my favorite film so far this year.