Hugo, and how a rocket scientist/fashion stylist was born

As someone who deeply loves movie, it is only fitting that my first post of the year 2012 is on the night of the Oscars. The night that is all about dressing up, smiling, and hoping that your wardrobe does not malfunction. The night that is all about stressing out whether you are going to be on the stage making that "I would like to thank the Academy..." speech, and god forbid you leave someone out in the state of Oscar-winning daze. But above all, the night is all about celebrating the love for the movie.

Hugo, by far one of my all-time favorite movies, won 5 Oscars tonight.

The movie goes far beyond the face-value of a fantasy movie about a boy in search of a key that unlocks his robot. The movie is filled with love and gratitude towards the art of film making. I think anyone who grew up loving the movie will understand this underlying message. I also love how the movie that is all about the beginning of the motion picture is filmed by using the most cutting edge 3D & CG technology. Hugo, in a way, pays homage to the movies when it was still shot in 8mm films by filming it in digital 3D.

The technology has advanced far enough that we can create just about anything on film. When filming Gone with the Wind, which was released in 1939, "the fall of Atlanta" scene was a huge deal. Lots of real sets had to be burned, thus there was just one take, no mistakes were allowed, everyone's stress level is maxed out, you get the picture. Fast forward 70-something years and there is Pandora (not the radio station, the one with blue aliens), cars-turned-robots (or robots-turned-cars?), and of course, Paris in the 1920's, recreated in the most amazing way ever done.

I read the interview piece on the director, Martin Scorsese, and it really hit home. The article talked about how he was a sick kid with asthma and spent a lot of time watching movies. The world of film (and books, for that matter) is the one place where you can go on an adventure, and you only need just one thing: imagination.

Growing up, the majority of my friends existed in the world of books and movies. As someone who lacked playground skills of any kind (read: nerd), and had a unique fashion style (I didn't dress like a mainstream middle schooler), I was the real-life Luna Lovegood. Seriously, no one told me that going on and on about Apollo projects at the playground would result in balls getting thrown my way! When the "cool chicks" in middle school were just discovering the existence of Chanel bags, I was all about Roberta di Camerino trompe l'oeil bags. There might have been some incident about a 13-yr-old me claiming that sandals with 3in heels are considered flat shoes. I actually still believe that statement to be very true.

I didn't care much about not fitting in at the playground, because I knew I had my books and knowledge, and that's something no one can take away from me.

Like Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." You need knowledge, but if you are severely lacking the imagination required to make good use of that said knowledge, then that's just...very unfortunate. The world of books and movies are the best place to work on those imagination skills.

Since I'm lacking the luxury of time to indulge myself in the world of 221B Baker Street, I'll have to make do with the latest issue of Vogue. :)

xoxo,
N