The Popkorn Junkie :: The Aviator

      Making a statement like 'this is Martin Scorsese's best picture to date' is very difficult to do when you consider his list of previous accomplishments -- "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", "Taxi Driver", "Mean Streets", "Raging Bull", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "Goodfellas", "The Age of Innocence", "Casino", "Gangs of New York". Phew -- that's a lot of quality cinema. But, with "The Aviator", Scorsese has proven, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he is one of the greatest directors in American cinematic history. With "The Aviator", he has eclipsed all of his previous accomplishments by leaps and bounds, and has created the best film of 2004, and one of the best films ever made. This will, and should, go down in history as a milestone for film, and Scorsese should finally walk away with a much deserved and way overdue Best Director Academy Award.

      Leonardo DiCaprio is in virtually every frame of this film as millionaire Howard Hughes. We first find Howard shooting his motion picture "Hell's Angels", which ends up becoming the most expensive movie ever made, thanks largely to Howard's continuous need for perfection, and his inability to settle for what he has. John C. Reilly stars as Noah Dietrich, Howard's financial advisor and the one guy who puts the numbers before the dreams. During this time, Howard meets and falls for Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett), who also enjoys Howard because they both share so much in common. After the film is a smash, we follow Howard into his true calling...working on various prototypes of planes for the United States government and the TWA enterprise, which he eventually purchased. We also start to see obvious signs of Howard's mental problems, ranging from obsessive compulsive tendencies to hearing and seeing things that are just not there. Enter Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) and his government henchman Senator Ralph Owen Brewster (Alan Alda) who together conspire to get Howard out of the picture so Trippe's Pan-Am can buy out TWA and, essentially, own the skies. Throughout this journey, we see Howard brush shoulders with everyone from Eva Gardner to Errol Flynn, demise into the eccentric and raving madman we all know him as becoming, and display and incredible show of tenacity at the Washington hearings designed to bring he and his empire to a crashing halt. That does not happen here.

      What Scorsese has done is take the elementary requirements of a basic Hollywood biopic and added his own creative flairs and directorial eccentricities to create an entertaining and highly captivating thrill ride. We are enthralled from beginning to end, and that is hard to do with a picture that borders three hours in length. During the first hour of the film, we see Howard as wild an energetic -- youthful and reckless...something that pays off in the long run. In the second hour, we see Howard as a little arrogant and a little eccentric, meeting all sorts of celebrities and high powered individuals. And, in the final hour, we see Howard as the mentally declining millionaire who is still as stubborn as ever, even if it means losing his company and wealth. So, this is really a biopic in three parts, allowing us to see virtually every aspect of Hughes' mental state, from start to finish. We get a little background into what has contributed to this mental state, and we even get a few glimpses of what the latter part of his life will be like. Scorsese handles this as only a director with his genius and vision can, and he pulls it off amazingly.

      As Howard Hughes, Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of his career, never breaking character and never making us believe he is anyone other than the great aviator. He is energetic, enthusiastic, and very driven in this role, completely inhabiting the character. I would compare his performance in this film to Jim Carrey's in "Man On the Moon" -- complete and total immersion in the role. Should Oscar come knocking? Without a doubt. Cate Blanchett also delivers one of her best performances as Katherine Hepburn, and manages to keep it from becoming just some cheap impression. Here, she has emotion and depth as the actress who loves her celebrity, but wants to stay as private as possible. And, when you need a great villain, who better than Alec Baldwin to fill those shoes? Together, he and Alan Alda make a nice antagonist couplet, and Alda has some phenomenal scenes with Hughes that might also warrant him some Academy Award consideration. I feel, however, that the one name that will be most forgotten in this film is John C. Reilly, who gives us yet another memorable performance in a role that is really larger than you might originally expect -- he has a lot of screen time and is given a lot with which to handle. And, he does a fantastic job with it all.

      Back to the direction...Scorsese has this ability to surround himself with the best and the brightest on each picture. "The Aviator" is no different. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is some of the best ever -- from any film in any decade. He really manages to capture the adventure and the uncertainty of the skies. The aerial shots with DiCaprio in the planes are magnificent and should certainly garner some technical awards. He makes all of it seem so real, and absolutely nothing looks computer generated in the slightest. Scorsese delivers this film much like James Cameron delivered "Titanic" -- going for total authenticity to the period and to the events. Scorsese achieves this. From the costuming to the make-up, to the special effects and archive footage, everything adds up and makes us want more and more. When Scorsese finally does retire from filmmaking (and I hope that is a long time off), "The Aviator" will be the primary film for which he is remembered. It is sweeping in scope, epic in scale, authentic in production, and entertaining throughout. Consider the Academy Awards closed for this year.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Mike ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

I'll never pass up any film made by Martin Scorcese because he almost always delivers a story that is unique and entertaining. And while The Aviator doesn't come near some of Scorcese's masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, the movie is still better than most you will see during a given year. The movie is a bit too long at three hours and a few parts drag along, but overall it is still a fascinating film to watch unfold. Leo Decaprio puts in a fine performance playing a younger Howard Hughes. I just don't get why so many critics and people who say he has no talent.