Best Film of 2004

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2005)

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and Kate Beckinsale, among others, "The Aviator" is marvelous beyond words. Of every movie I've ever seen, this ranks in my top 3 for best EVER. The acting is spectacular and should earn Leo the Best Actor Oscar. Martin Scorsese did a fantastic job directing one of the greatest films of our time. It should leave the Oscar's with Best Picture, just like it did in the Golden Globes. Although I haven't seen many of the films up for nomination for Best Picture, I can't imagine any of them being better than Aviator. It is the "Citizen Kane" of my generation. At about two hours and 45 minutes long, you enter the theater prepared to sit through some boring parts. Your preparations have been wasted because this movie will grab your attention like a vice. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the role of Howard Hughes, a man who loves planes, among other things. After taking three years and $4 million dollars to make "Hell's Angels", a WWI film, he becomes incredibly famous. He uses his fame to attract Kathryn Hepburn, who is played by Cate Blanchett. He loves Kathryn but lets business and other things get in the way too much. At first, she was fine with it and actually proud of him, like when he broke the speed record. But she begins to realize that he has too much devotion towards work to give her enough love and care. When she leaves him, this marks the beginning and cause to his downward spiral. After Hepburn leaves, Hughes looks for other women. At times he seems happy, but you know the only woman he really wants is Kathryn. Hughes has this weird phobia of germs. When he was a child, his mom quarantined him so he wouldn't get any of the dangerous diseases that were going around. The first scene of the movie shows Hughes's mom is giving him a bath with this black soap that comes in a tin. Throughout the movie, he uses the same soap to vigorously was his hands free of any germs. One time, the bathroom door had a knob and Hughes didn't want to touch it. He waited until another person came in to sneak out. Later in the film, during Hughes total breakdown, germs are just about his only concern. Hughes had purchased the airliner TWA and is being challenged by Pan Am Airlines throughout the film. The owner of Pan Am(Alec Baldwin) knows TWA will be a big threat, and he doesn't want Hughes to start using his innovations for flying. Baldwin is constantly trying to buy out TWA, especially when Hughes is deeply distraught with his germs breakdown. Hughes will never sell because he knows that once he gets his start, there will be no stopping him. Hughes is hired by the Air Force to build two planes: a spy plane and a transport plane. Whiles Hughes is test piloting the spy plane, this is an unknown problem, and the plane crashes. Hughes barely survives, but is badly injured and must walk with a cane for the rest of his life. He is also covered with burns. This, of course, plagues him. Pan Am airlines wrote a bill to be passed by Congress allowing only one airline to fly across the Atlantic. They gave this bill to a congressman that they bribed. Later, that congressman warrants a search of Hughes's house. They dig up dirt on Hughes and make him go to public hearings. Pan Am thinks the hearings will hurt Hughes image and cause TWA out of business. But, Hughes is an excellent speaker and turn the tide to favor him. The Hercules, which is the 200 ton transport plane the Air Force asked Hughes to build, isn't finished before the war ends so the U.S. stops funding him. Hughes still finishes the plane with his own money and claims "If the Hercules doesn't fly, I will leave this country(US)" What happens? You'll just have to see for yourself.
Tom's Titillating Rating: A+