Hugo

Right in the big, fat middle of the Christmas season came a movie with so much heart, so much beauty, so much to say, that I just had to write a bit about it.

Hugo is one of those rare experiences that make you crave another viewing because one time is just not enough. You want to dig deeper and listen harder and watch longer so the meaning is ingrained in your memory. And, when your heart needs a place to sit awhile, you can pull up scenes and remember them.

I won't go into any details on the movie because, like me, I want you to view it with fresh eyes. I couldn't do it justice on this blog anyway.

But, I hail all things Martin Scorsese and Ben Kingsley, the former who brought this vision to the screen and the later who acted his way into my heart. And the young boy playing Hugo? If only I could have hugged away all his hurts.

Two lines in the movie stuck out to me as classics, the first being "If you lose your purpose, you're broken". How incredibly true that statement is. And how many of us can relate to being broken and searching for what the true meaning of our lives is.

I realized, on the way home, that this is another version of Oz. I can't pull parallels without giving away too much of the plot, but I left the theater with the same sense of wonder and astonishment as I always leave a viewing of Oz.

I also realized that the last line summed up the entire experience for me. And, how apropos during the season of Christmas: "He went searching for his father and found his home."

During this time of year, we are charged to seek the Christ child. He is, after all, our ultimate home.

And, to those charged with giving the Best Film Oscar for 2011? I really, really hope the name Hugo rises to the top like a fine, chantilly cream.

Two pinkies up with a couple of kleenex, just in case.