No Favor to Hughes

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 2014)

Say what you want about the old studio biopics that often turn up on cable channels. They were too often schmaltzy, shameless, and as historically accurate as a politician's memory. But at least they knew how to tell a story and make it interesting. On the other hand, The Aviator replaces story line with jumbled imagery, dialogue with rapid-fire editing, and a heavy-weight subject with a light-weight actor who gets serious by scowling and stamping his foot as any 12-year old might. Surely Hughes deserves better, I know the audience does. The moral is that no amount of fiddling with period detail or special effects can make up for a chaotic core. Shame on you, Martin Scorsese for lending your good name to this cinematic mess.