Seattle, WA 2009: With the blur of a turning prop in perpetual view, this modern but diminutive aircraft heads for its water landing in the Emerald City. Imagine Howard Hughes figuring this out by trial and error!
Trent Ling’s all-time “Top 40 Movie Chart” ranks his critically chosen winners from his personal, unique, inexplicable, logarithmic, and long-deliberated mosh process. Out of order, charted films up through 2012 will be revealed on this website. Enjoy! Visit “Movies” for more.
TWL Score: 6.9 (2004; Rated PG-13; 170 Minutes)
Story:
Famed pioneer and eventual recluse, Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), can hardly be contained within the confines of any movie of any length. But The Aviator takes viewers upon an exhilarating ride through a few of the innovators eccentricities and escapades. Hughes, reputed to be America’s first billionaire (and a self-made one at that), exhibits the raw passion and uncanny vision of a true shooting star. This bite-sized look at this true Renaissance Man contains much more than any number of competing smorgasbords could ever hope to offer or avail. Eat fully and drink deeply.
Top 40 Catapults:
1. Despite larger-than-life attributes, Hughes frailties, turmoils, and spiritual demons show him to be intensely human. As a real-life subject of tabloid and popular speculations, Hughes demonstrates that everyone has a story, that everyone has been constructed vulnerably, and that everyone easily surpasses their headlines. With money, fame, women, toys, and anything else he so desires, Hughes miraculously becomes more than anything else, an understandable and sympathetic character. Ambitious and right, Hughes properly receives the applause of those pained by his plights and supportive of his extraordinary efforts.
2. The Aviator contains the best of talent. Though director Martin Scorsese was robbed yet again of an Academy Award, his deft painting of Hughes was inconceivably great. DiCaprio, also robbed yet again of an Academy Award, proved himself to be the best actor of his generation in his turn as Hughes. And as a welcome shot in the arm, Cate Blanchett’s performance as Katherine Hepburn, for which she rightly won Oscar, was surely more than the script contemplated. Across the board, DiCaprio, Scorsese, Blanchett, and others were nothing short of riveting. This film represented an all-star team doing its best work with overly compelling material.
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I enjoy learning from how you assess movies as without it, I’d just go watch a movie with a shallow conviction–oh, just whatever easy to digest, funny, romantic, all those chick flick things. Not saying I cannot go watch those movies, but with what you share, I can grow into living Philippians 4:8 even more. Thanks!
Phil. 4:8
“8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”