Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-18 03:31:14

The opulance and scope. Brought to you by Scorsese.

This film is entertaining, and much more effective than any one biography of Howard Hughes. The pace of the movie, coupled with the fantastic acting by Leonardo DiCaprio as the livid Howard Hughes, gives an aura of 3hrs much in the way of inspiration. For underachievers this is a shockingly, unbelievable film. You can feel the energy pulse out of the life of Howard. Sharing his passions for aviation. Revealing the breadth of his contributions to air america. The esprit de corp is flavorful, in symbolisms of the fastest jet planes and the hardest hitting reality at zero hour. A much more breaking of the usual norm of film. It is so wonderful to think that movies such as these aren't being overlooked by the latest craze. When will Scorsese win a *(**( academy award for best director!

ridethebustoschool 2013-05-17 12:12:17

Scorsese brought the emotion to this

Long Epic and pointless in some points, Scorsese some how was able toshow Howard Hughes as a emotional, complex, and troubled man. Notbecause of the screenplay but because his eye for close ups. Usuallywhen you see close ups in amateur directors films there purely forshow, but with those simple close up Scorsese some hows explains thewhole CHARACTER TO US.The film is basically about Howards life, how he was a compulsive andpicky man, how he was brave and took chances which lead to destructionand deaths. Thank Scorsese for bringing out this characters emotionsfor us, if it wasn't for him this would be a typical Hollywood snoozefest, but because of the man who brought you Raging Bull there'snothing Scorsese does better than bring out a characters emotions andtroubles and show them to us.In all the great Scorsese flicks the main characters are fightingagainst themselves, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn't Live hereanymore, and now in The Aviator Howard fights against hiscompulsiveness, his fear of germs, and his cockiness.Thank Scorsese once again

aeo 2013-05-15 14:15:05

Good but not great.

I give this 6 star out of 10.I would have given this 7 stars but the ending was not well done. Ihave to admit, I liked this movie although I did not want to since Icannot stand Di Caprio. That being said, he performed the part ofHoward Hughes very well.The movie focused on parts of Howard Hughes life I did not know about.Howard Hughes was a rich man who inherited a fortune from his parents'business of making machinery tools. He, however, was not interested inthe tool business and came to Hollywood to make movies. While makingmovies, he became interested in aviation as a result of making themovie Hell Cats. He created the now-defunct airline TWA. He becameembroiled in personal battle with Juan Trippe, who was the head of PanAm Airways. The film also showed how Trippe used his influence withpublic officials to stop TWA from expanding its business into Pan Amterritories. In between all these projects and battles, he had time todate many women including starlets.I knew these facts, that I mentioned above, from seeing a documentaryabout him a while back but I did not know the intimate details of therelationship of some of these women he had relationship with and howhis battle with Juan Trippe nearly drove him over the edge. Speaking ofover the edge, I had no idea Howard Hughes had a huge OCD problem orobsessive compulsive behavior problem. This movie showed how thisbehavior became a constant thorn in his side.I could go on and on but I really liked this movie and this is in spiteof Di Caprio and also Alec Baldwin. Now the reason why I gave this a 6rather than 7 or above is that the movie does not go further than early1950's of his life. I want to know more. I think a good biography of aperson should show his beginning and also the end. Maybe the creatorsof this movie did not want to make a long movie but it leaves moviegoers with only a half view of his life.Another thing I had problem with is the choice of actress to portrayAva Gardner. Ava Gardner was truly a stunning woman and the actress whoportrayed her was pretty but does not come close to being on par withGardner. With all the beautiful girls out there who are trying to makeit into show business, couldn't the movie makers pick more beautifulactress to portray Gardner?

2013-05-15 03:50:22

The most overrated film of the year. I can't recommend it.

I was disappointed with this film. I expected more. After all, it won a lot of academy awards. It was directed by Martin Scorcese and had lots of star power. It also was the life story of Howard Hughes, the eccentric millionaire who built airplanes and made movies. The trappings for a great film were all there. I just wish I could have felt some sympathy for the emotionally tortured Hughes. As played by Leonardo Di Caprio, the character seemed a caricature. Whenever he tried to show emotion, he just crinkled his forehead. As the film went on character aged the makeup people made that forehead crease deeper and deeper. This just is not substitute for good acting. Cate Blanchard did her best to act like Katherine Hepburn. But, alas, there are too many real Katherine Hepburn movies around and we've all seen the genuine article. Blanchard tried hard. But there was no doubt she was only playing a role. I have the same comment about Kate Beckensale, who tried to play the role of Ava Gardner. Her performance just didn't work. I found the story interesting but very predictable because of course I've heard of Howard Hughes. No money was spared for the cinematography or the sets. And even though the film was almost three hours long, I was never bored. I might have even liked it if it wasn't for all the hype about it. And I think it would have been a better film if it were totally fictionalized and not try so hard to be about a real person. This is the most overrated film of the year. And, in spite of it's reputation, I can't really recommend it.

edwagreen 2013-05-09 22:33:49

Great Ride in 'Aviator' ***12

Leonardo Di Caprio might very well suffer from the Dorian Gray complex.He just looks too young for his parts whether it be this engrossingfilm or 1997's "Titanic." Nevertheless, he was quite good as HowardHughes.The film shows Hughes' life, complex as it was, totally absorbed inaviation and film making.Kate Blanchett, as Katharine Hepburn, was perfect. She reallyestablished a well authentic New England accent in playing Kate theGreat. Her Oscar win was like a 5th trophy for the late Miss Hepburnherself.The film is very fast paced just like the life of Hughes himself.Tragically, the man was victimized by OCD, which invariably ruined hislife.As the senator, Alan Alda received a well-deserved best supportingactor nomination. Tied to Hughes' competitor in aviation, he tried toruin him only to have the tables turned on him. While the part wasbrief, Alda showed a crustiness that I never thought he was capable of.I thought I was viewing Melvyn Douglas when I saw him in hisscenes-especially the luncheon scene with Hughes.An interesting biography, well-crafted by Martin Scorsese, who justcan't seem to find Oscar gold.

thecritic-5 2013-05-09 08:26:57

The Best of the Year

The most exciting and intense picture of resent years. Scorsese directsthis beautifully lit and moving biopic with the help of the best actingtalent around today. Dicaprio shines as the eccentric Hughes. And theseasoned supporting cast keeps up with his dynamic performance in theirown unique ways. Alan Alda is brilliant as the seedy Senator fromMaine. And Alec Baldwin again perfectly fits the bill as the "evil"supporting character. Blanchet turns an impression of Heburn into anentire original character of her own, which leaves the audience beggingfor a spin-off movie. Perhaps "Kate" or "Kate, the Cursed." Or maybeshe can fight Japanese villains with animals jumping from their chests.Hell, she's Kate Hepburn, why not? The color scheme and set design arebeautifully meshed together to form a real feel of that time period.The Aviator deserves every award that it is nominated for. And it ishigh time for Mr. Scorsese to meet Oscar.Final Verdict: A+

2013-05-09 10:35:41

"Who Doesn't Like %!%$?"

THE AVIATOR is Martin Scorsese's and Leonardo DiCaprio's absolutely gorgeous period piece highlighting the peak of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' life through the late 1920s into the late 1940s.Scorsese truly needs to reevaluate his filmmaking. While uniformly well-made, his recent films seem to lack direct relevance to the audience. Still, having purged themselves of the excesses of THE GANGS OF NEW YORK, Scorsese and DiCaprio do a masterful job of capturing the ambience and decadence of Hollywood's golden era. Given the egomaniacal narcissists with whom Hughes was surrounded, it's little wonder he later became a recluse. DiCaprio doesn't resemble the rough-hewn Hughes at all (despite the addition of shoe-polish black hair and a pencil-thin moustache), nor is he powerful enough as an actor to carry the role well, but he does touch the essence of the man. Hughes was a man who never did anything in a small way: In keeping with his obsessive-compulsive nature, he spent millions on what others considered mere details. His World War One flying epic HELL'S ANGELS was the longest, most complex, most expensive film shot circa 1930 (and was totally redone in the middle when Hughes decided to make it a talkie). He quested for aviation speed records (and acquired them by dint of his insistence upon having flush rivets in the fuselage of his plane, a first). He loved some of Hollywood's most amazing women (among them Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner). He designed a cleavage-enhancing wonder bra for Jane Russell to wear in his western THE OUTLAW (when he was told that the film would never make it past the censors, he responded rather incredulously, "Who doesn't like %!%$?"). He designed the world's largest flying boat, the behemoth-like Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose) totally out of wood (it flew once, and is now a museum display). Hughes also owned Trans-World Airlines and invented the pressurized cabin and hydraulic controls. In short, anyone who's ever been an airline passenger owes it to Howard Hughes.While DiCaprio doesn't bring all this to the fore (some of it is in the extras in the two CD set, along with much information on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), he does show us that, as the price for his brilliance, Hughes was a man who suffered the usual clamor of daily life in intense pain. The pop of flashbulbs, the crunch of broken glass, and the asymmetrical disorder of green peas on a dinner plate were enough to drive Hughes into a frenzy. In colloquial terms he was as crazy as a bedbug. Clinically, he suffered from OCD. Hughes had an irrational fear particularly of contamination. Because of this mental illness, Hughes descended into an isolated darkness where he handwashed till he bled, and lived in a masking-tape bordered world which represented his own fantasy-driven germ-free zone. In the end he lived in a Las Vegas suite with tinted windows and saw no one.Impressive supporting performances are given by Cate Blanchett (as a surprisingly pompous Katharine Hepburn), Kate Beckinsale (who gained twenty pounds to play the voluptuous Ava Gardner), Alec Baldwin (as Pan Am founder Juan Trippe, Hughes' chief business rival, with whom he maintained a cordial hatred), and Alan Alda (as Senator Owen Brewster). Brewster was all but owned by Trippe, and was later the ax-man for Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy. As a trenchant comment on latter-day political trends, Alda's Brewster is a pure special-interests hack, trying to drive Hughes out of business against Trippe with some specious charges of war profiteering. Hughes battles back manfully: "Free junkets down to Peru, Mr. Senator from Maine? They must be buying a lot of lobsters in Lima this year, I guess."A fine film but not a great film. THE AVIATOR definitely keeps you involved. Well worth the time.

Christiaan Faberij de Jonge 2013-05-09 00:25:58

Stop whining and enjoy..

Having seen 'The Aviator' now twice, it is my opinion that negativecritics of the film are fat boring loafers with no love of film. It isbrilliantly crafted in all ways; perhaps most in depicting the journeyof an afflicted but committed individual's mind.The review posted under the credits on the IMDb page is noteworthy, butshows his/her naivety of life when requesting more progress of thecharacter.. What more do you want? We meet Howard as a rich but doubtedcharacter and leave him a record breaking success close to losing hismind completely. Perhaps the reviewer would have preferred Howard catcha dog in his arms, as the dock roared with laughter? Read between thelines pessimists!

Zamolxe 2013-05-04 04:43:19

Shallow but spectacular

The Aviator tells the extraordinary story of Howard Hughes, an orphanand a millionaire by the age of 20, and his obsessions, both healthy(aviation, women, Hollywood movies), and less so (hygiene). The moviestarts in the late 20s with Hughes directing WW1 epic Hell's Angels andfollows, during the course of 2 and a half hours, his amazingadventures until the end of the 40s and the deterioration of hisphysical and mental health.Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job of impersonating Hughes, though itwould have been interesting to see other great actors attempting thisrole. Cate Blanchett and Alan Alda (both nominated for the Oscars),lead an excellent all-star supporting cast, though Gwen Stefani andJude Law only get about 2 minutes of exposure.Master director Martin Scorsese is not interested in creating acomplete psychological profile of Hughes, and instead decides to createan all-Hollywood spectacle, but in this instance the shallowness of theplot does not ruin the movie, because Scorsese has so much fun with thescript that I was simply glued to the screen till the end. TheOscar-winning cinematography and editing make this movie a fabuloustechnical and artistic achievement, easily rivaling the Lord of theRings trilogy.While I was somewhat let down by Scorsese's decision to distancehimself from his darker and deeper early work, I found this moviegloriously entertaining and I think Scorsese's Oscar must come in oneof his future projects. Don't give up, Marty!

vickie 2013-05-03 10:51:50

overblown rubbish!

After choosing to go and see this film for my 18th birthday on it's UKrelease on January 7th, i thought that this would be a great film.Following the Hollywood hype for months I was relieved when it finallycame out even viewing it on the deluxe screen for £8.60!!!(around 14dollars) per person!!, to enrich the viewing experience and to copewith three hours worth of Hollywood overspending. I can't say that Iregret it because it has made me realise what a completely monotonousfilm this is, just flying and crashing planes ,which seems to go on foran ridiculously unnecessary time span. The ending is probably the worsti have seen for ages, not in anyway rounding of the film to anacceptable standard, just leaving it where most of the film has beenfor three hours prior. How it has been nominated for so many undeservedOscars is completely beyond me, with the nomination for best film ajoke!! I am relieved that million dollar baby won, being far morepoignant and proof itself that it isn't about special effects and howmany stars you shove into one film that wins, it is the content and thestory. Even though some may be enticed by the big explosions andcomputer graphics with the plot of the aviator in general, there is apopular British saying that springs to mind: you can't polish aturd!and this was a real piece of s**t

2013-04-25 17:17:51

DiCaprio's worst performance

And I thought Titanic was bad! This movie takes the cake. Leo doesn't even resemble Howard Hughes whatsoever. It's as if he didn't do any research for this film. You gotta do research!!! The woman that played Miss Hepburn was also pretty lame.If you looking for a quality film with DiCaprio, get "The Beach".

Vincent 2013-04-25 12:03:22

Best of 2004

This is an excellent biopic about Howard Hughes. I wasn't a big fan ofLeo DiCaprio before I saw this film but his performance is justamazing, Oscar-worthy. He owns the whole film but he is also surroundedwith a great supporting cast. Cate Blanchett is excellent as KateHepburn. Kate Beckinsale is also perfect as the beautiful Ava Gardner.Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin are both great.Martin Scorsese again proves that he's a great director with thismovie. The camera and the visuals are stunning. The movies is 170minutes long but it's always entertaining.I think this is the best movie of 2004 because it has great acting,stunning cinematography and perfect direction.

Irina_492 2013-04-25 02:34:09

Excellent!

I have seen this film but once and can not speak anymore highly of itthen I do now. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a brilliant film director andaviator who also has a strong and bizarre case of Obsessive CompulsiveDisorder, which was not discovered yet. A wonderfully stubborn andincredibly intelligent character knows what he wants and how to get itand wont sleep until the job is done right. Though he does have amoment of insanity he bounces back and shows his enemies what he's madeof.Cate Blanchette also did an excellent portrayal of a '30's actress:Katherine Hepburn.One might never have guessed that Cate Blanchette isan English actress who is not at all similar to that of KatherineHepburn, but she did an excellent job. I would recommend this movie amillion times over and fail to point out the few flaws the movie didhave because one might not even see them behind the brilliance of thestory and the beauty of the picture.In the first few minutes of the movie I was hooked and was delightedthat I have purchased the DVD so that I could watch it when I please. II highly recommend it.

Mattias Petersson 2013-04-24 19:21:54

Enough for an Oscar?

There is always a little extra excitement involved when seeing a moviethat has had a lot of buzz about it before reaching Sweden. And "TheAviator" is such a movie. Not least because most people are wonderingif this is the movie that will finally give Martin Scorsese his Oscarfor best director.This is the story of millionaire Howard Hughes. The man who started outwith a tool company, began his film-making career with the worlds mostexpensive film and then went on to become a pioneer in aviation. Astory about a manic and intense individual, a man of great success butalso one who lived constantly on the edge. And not only is this movieabout his life's work but also about his turbulent personal life andthe many women he loved.Martin Scorsese has long been a man with a distinct feel when it comesto style. And that is very noticeable here. "The Aviator" is abeautiful film with a lovingly created world, intense pictures andastonishing sound and music. A delight for the senses. But the movie isalso well played with a huge cast of well known and talented actors inboth big and small parts. Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as HowardHughes, but the strongest star of the movie is still Cate Blanchett.She steals every scene she graces with her appearance.The story of Howard Hughes is fascinating. Not the least because hehimself was a fascinating man, but also because of all the famouspeople that he crossed paths with. Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner,Erroll Flynn… Scorsese treats Howard Hughes with a certain respect, buthe doesn't shy away from his less flattering sides. This also meansthat Scorsese steers away from making an idolized portrait and themovie feels more real, Hughes never feels like a saint.So, about the Oscar. Will this be enough for the "Best director"-Oscar?My guess is no, unfortunately I believe that Scorsese will once againfall short. That however doesn't mean that this is a bad movie. Farfrom it. "The Aviator" is well directed, well played, interesting andentertaining. A recommended viewing, I rate it 7/10.

Jonny 99 2013-04-14 18:52:30

Epic craziness.

Crafting a biopic about Howard Hughes is like running downhill - nomore interesting and complex personage graced the 20th century andperhaps with the exception of Ben Franklin and maybe Abraham Lincolnmaybe all of United States history. The challenge Martin Scorsese facedinvolved mostly keeping the fascinating stories about Hughes to justthe film's 170 minute running time. Scorsese holds the movie to under 3hours by focusing only on Hughes' establishment of TWA and HughesAircraft and his film production career. Although this period probablycovers the most cinematic of Hughes' adventures it does miss his riseto become the biggest employer in Nevada, stints living in London,South America and finally the Caribbean. It also only covers just theearly days of his madness which progresses to a far more debilitatingstage later in his life. Leonard DiCaprio delves into this madness andthe Hughes' genius delivering a convincing and compelling role. Henever quite loses himself in the role in the way Charlize Theron couldno longer be discerned in her performance as serial killer AileenWuornos - we always see DiCaprio behind the character. DiCaprio appearsin nearly every shot but he receives the support of some excellentcasting choices including Cate Blanchett , who took home an Oscar forthe performance and the highly underutilized Alec Baldwin, Alan Aldaand John C. Reilly. The editing of their work under can be choppy attimes particularly in the beginning where titles describing the actionand timeframe become necessary to keep things straight. However, oncethe film settles into more linear storytelling and its focus on Hughes'romance of Katharine Hepburn the nearly three hour run time moves assmoothly and quickly as one of Hughes' more successful aircraftdesigns. In short, the excellence of "The Aviator" and the genius andpsychosis of its subject invite a sequel from Scorsese.

lbb2 2013-04-14 10:13:20

Hughes released from his padded room

For most of my adult life Howard Hughes was a cartoon figure: theendlessly lampooned, reclusive, phobic multi-millionaire. What little Iknew of the back story only deepened the caricature -- the SpruceGoose, the Russell bra, the Hollywood romances. So it was a delightfulsurprise to find this blockbuster giving me a glimmer of a real humanbeing, talented wunderkind, supremely creative, paranoid, loyal,mentally ill. DiCaprio as Hughes and Blanchett as Katherine Hepburnwere both stunning -- sure Oscar nominees I think. The special effectswere beyond what I needed, but I loved the sense of high-speed parallellives of the pioneer aviator, the empire builder tackling movieproduction, aircraft design, and an international air linesimultaneously, the relentless womanizer lost without a woman, theobsessive-compulsive matching egos with the mighty of Hollywood,Washington, and Wall Street, as he is drawn deeper into the vortex ofhis illness.

Aragorn-Elfstone76 2013-04-12 13:53:04

Doesn't feel the "Scorsese" factor but loving it!

Before I went to catch this movie, I had my reservations about it.Knowing that it was directed by Scorsese and most of his films arerather artistic. I mean the camera angles, the scenes transitions andthings like that.I was totally bored to sleep when I saw GANGS OF NEW YORK...I actuallydozed off a few times in the theater and was thinking to myself when itis dragshow ever gonna finish.But I was pretty satisfied (thought not completely cos it's still isScorsese...gawd, I feel as if I'm biased against him). Anyway, thisfilm is a pretty good biopic. Have heard but not know anything aboutHoward Hughes and certainly it does have the Oscars and Golden Globerings to it.Well, all in all, THE AVIATOR is a good film though.

antoniotierno 2013-04-12 00:54:35

not enough entertaining

Set in the Hollywood Golden Era, this is an excellent and lavish biopicon Howard Hughes, one of 20th century most charismatic and influentialfigures. Nevertheless, despite its being an energetic and evocative jobof recreating atmospheres of the 30's and 40's, I find it's quitedisappointing on the whole. The 2 hours and 46 minutes runtime is very,very long, too long. So, though interesting for being a tale about asuccessful businessman who climb higher, higher and higher (HowardHughes is somehow a forerunner of many nowadays tycoons), I figure "TheAviator" is neither that interesting nor able to catch the audienceattention for all the entire time. Besides, Scorsese doesn't manage toget into the lead's head, unveiling men's dark side, like he did intaxi Driver for instance.

lgothard 2013-04-11 05:51:46

Too long but the acting was great!!!!

After seeing this movie I have a new respect for Leonardo. I neverliked anything that he did beforehand but he was great in this. Afterseeing million dollar baby last week I didn't think I would likeanother movie better. I don't like Aviator as much but the acting waswell worth it. I can honestly say that Leonardo and Cate Blanchettdeserve the Oscar. I came away from this movie feeling an understandingof Howard Hughes that I had never knew before and sadness for thedisease that overtook him. Leonardo moved me with his stunning and verymoving performance. If you want to see great acting you must see thismovie.

panda15 2013-04-10 20:29:11

I witnessed the Hughes crash, and the movie solved a family mystery

On July 7, 1946, I was at home with my parents at 618 N. Linden Drive,Beverly Hills. I can't recall the exact time of day but it seems tohave been late morning in my memory. I was eleven years old. My fatherand I were having a game of badminton in the back yard. Suddenly, fromthe East, what we thought was a Lockheed P 38 at a very low altitudepassed nearly directly over our house. Moments later, there was thesound of a crash and explosion, followed by a visible pall of smokerising into the air from Whittier Drive. The editorial comment aboutthis event said that Hughes had crashed into 805 Linden whileattempting to reach the Wilshire Country Club. There is no WilshireCountry Club....the golf course he was attempting to reach was the LosAngeles Country Club, at the time the most exclusive and expensiveprivate golf course in Southern California. In Beverly Hills, homes onthe East side of the Streets have even numbers. Those on the West Sidehave odd numbers. Linden Drive splits off from Whittier at the 800block. Hughes crashed at 820 Whittier, not 805 Linden. Because thereare no homes on the West side of Whittier he could not have crashedinto an odd number address. My father ran to the scene and witnessedthe Marine just after he had pulled Hughes from the flaming wreckage. My father mentioned to me sometime in the 1940's that his receptionistat his office one day buzzed him and said, "there is a Mr. HowardHughes here who wants to see you". My dad was amazed that Hughes, whohe had absolutely no previous contact with, would suddenly appear,alone, informally to see him. He said he was having problems in hiscampaign for The Outlaw, and wondered if my dad could help him. My dadhad a long history in promoting Gilmore gas for Earl Gilmore, and haddone a lot of successful promotions featuring lion mascots. In TheAviator, at the very end of the premiere for Hell's Angels, thenarrator refers to a leather jacketed man, named Roscoe Turner holdinga lion cub named Gilmore. When I saw that I realized the answer to whyHoward Hughes had sought out my father for promotional assistance.Roscoe Turner was a top of the line competitive air racer in the1930's, and his sponsor was Gilmore. That was the link that led Hughesto my dad, and I didn't know it until I saw The Aviator. I found the movie interesting and somewhat difficult to become totallyengrossed in. The way it was shot and edited made me constantly aware Iwas watching a movie production, as opposed to real cinema where youget totally captured and focused on the experience. They had to beselective with a very complex and varied individual and the outcome wasa compromise, albeit to me a very entertaining one. Hepburn andBrewster were fantastic. Hughes became more believable as he aged, withthe final 10 minutes a masterpiece.All in all, a 9 for sure.