The Aviator (2004)

The most interesting thing about Howard Hughes is that in his final years he went completely mad and locked himself away in self imposed solitude to completely lose his mind. I don’t think this movie is going to focus much on that part of his story. Instead, The Aviator’s got vaguely Muppet-esc actor Leonardo DiCaprio playing the famous philanthropist in a movie whose trailer is full of the glitz, glam, and innovation of his period.

The rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either, with the underrated Alec Baldwin, the where the heck did he go to Alan Alda, I am a great actress who makes terrible movies Cate Blanchett, vampires are fun Kate Beckinsale, and… I’m running out of funny things to say. But rounding things out is Willem DaFoe and most interesting to me, Jude Law as Errol Flynn… a man who he ought to do a nice job resembling. This is a movie that doesn’t just have star power, it has young stars with serious acting chops.

I wasn’t very impressed with Scorcese’s Gangs of New York, but this looks like it may be the movie we’ve all been hoping for from him.

Distributor: Miramax Films, Warner Bros.

Release Date:  December 17, 2004

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Gwen Stefani, Adam Scott, Kelli Garner, Ian Holm, Alan Alda

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Produced by: Sandy Climan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charles Evans Jr., Graham King, Michael Mann

Written by: John Logan