Year:
2004
Studio:
Warner Bros, Miramax Films
Feature:
4/5
Extras: 4/5
The Aviator is a
movie about Howard Hughes (played by Leonardo DeCaprio), specifically
about his life from about 1927 to 1947. It starts with Hughes working
on his first film, the epic WWI aerial-combat Hell's Angels which took
three years to film and an unheard of at the time $4M.
It's a movie about a brilliant and eccentric man and his love for
aviation. Hughes loved flying, loved designing and building faster and
faster airplanes, and he wanted to be famous and successful.
Unfortunately he had an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which got worse
over time and really hampered his life.
I thought the movie was well done, looked great, and the acting was
good. DiCaprio is brilliant. Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn and
also does a good job. The movie is filled with good actors: John C
Reilly as Hughe's right-hand-man Noah Dietrich, Kate Beckinsale as Ava
Gardner, Alec Baldwin as Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe (back when TWA and Pan
Am were vying for the international flights market), and Alan Alda as
Senator Ralph Owen Brewster.
It's the story of a flawed man fighting the establishment -- whether it
is Hollywood or the airline industry -- to do things his way. Hughes
does a lot of rather despicable things but you can't help but root for
him as he fights Senator Brewster in the climax of the movie.
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Overall I
think The Aviator is an
excellent movie.
Extras
The commentary track is provided by director Martin Scorsese, editor
Thelma Schoonmaker, and producer Michael Mann, though they were all
recorded separately. They talk about the usual stuff including how some
parts differ from real life.
Disk 2 Extras
Deleted Scene: Howard Tells Ava About His Car Accident [1:39]
A Life Without Limits: The Making of The
Aviator [11:30]
The Role of Howard Hughes in Aviation History [14:40]
Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes (History Channel) [43:34]
Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [14:09]
OCD Panel Discussion with DiCaprio, Scorsese, Terry Moore [14:52]
An Evening with Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda [28:06]
The Visual Effects of The Aviator
[12:01]
Constructing The Aviator: The
Work of Dante Ferretti [6:00]
Costuming The Aviator: The
Work of Sandy Powell [3:35]
The Age of Glamour: The Hair and Makeup of The Aviator [8:08]
Scoring The Aviator: The Work
of Howard Shore [7:14]
The Wainwright Family - Loudon, Rufus and Martha [5:07]
The Aviator
Soundtrack Spot
Still Gallery
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