Martin Scorsese obviously wanted to build his very own Citizen Kane. What he has ended up with his a hodge-podge of several films, several mannerisms and a hopelessly flawed film.
The Aviator tells the tale of Howard Hughes, an oil billionaire, of the 20s who directed some really unwatchable films and flew some incredibly fast airplanes and built some incredibly unflyable ones. The film is the story of a flawed genius, a character who wanted to do so much and ended up doing a lot. Most of it would haunt him for his remaining years.
However, coming out of this film, you would only remember his obsessive-compulsive behavior; you will only remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s cringing face and Kate Blanchette’s poor attempt at playing Catherine Hepburn. (If you can’t make her look like the legendary actress and are OK with it, why have her do her accent?) and, oh yes, you will remember that Scorsese has done this film – which is all he really seems to care for anyway.
The film’s flaws are many but most importantly it completely lacks fluidity. Thrown from one overblown scene to an underrated event, one bloated character to an underplayed one, you wonder if this is a biopic or a vignette filled coffee-table video, if there were such a thing.
The ensemble cast does a pretty job. Leonardo, for all his unbearable facial twists, manages to put realism and emotion into his character’s suffering and burning ambition, Kate Blanchette also generally conveys a Hepburnesque aura and Alan Alda as a compromised senator plays one of his best roles in recent memory. Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner is probably the best performer in the film. She finally gets a role that is sketchy but well written and important enough to get her noticed.
The cast suffers from the director’s extreme conceit of making a film without much regard for plot (Can they make a movie without Jude Law?). This is classic ‘some-of-parts-less-than-whole’ filmmaking. It is sad to note that Mr. Scorsese, once ignored by the academy for making films like Taxi Driver, is the prime contender for the best director’s award for one of his weakest films to date.
Comparing The Aviator to airline food is probably a bit unjust so I would compare it to a lonely trans continental flight where sleep alludes you and yes the food is unacceptable but most importantly, you have forgotten your book.
The Aviator tells the tale of Howard Hughes, an oil billionaire, of the 20s who directed some really unwatchable films and flew some incredibly fast airplanes and built some incredibly unflyable ones. The film is the story of a flawed genius, a character who wanted to do so much and ended up doing a lot. Most of it would haunt him for his remaining years.
However, coming out of this film, you would only remember his obsessive-compulsive behavior; you will only remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s cringing face and Kate Blanchette’s poor attempt at playing Catherine Hepburn. (If you can’t make her look like the legendary actress and are OK with it, why have her do her accent?) and, oh yes, you will remember that Scorsese has done this film – which is all he really seems to care for anyway.
The film’s flaws are many but most importantly it completely lacks fluidity. Thrown from one overblown scene to an underrated event, one bloated character to an underplayed one, you wonder if this is a biopic or a vignette filled coffee-table video, if there were such a thing.
The ensemble cast does a pretty job. Leonardo, for all his unbearable facial twists, manages to put realism and emotion into his character’s suffering and burning ambition, Kate Blanchette also generally conveys a Hepburnesque aura and Alan Alda as a compromised senator plays one of his best roles in recent memory. Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner is probably the best performer in the film. She finally gets a role that is sketchy but well written and important enough to get her noticed.
The cast suffers from the director’s extreme conceit of making a film without much regard for plot (Can they make a movie without Jude Law?). This is classic ‘some-of-parts-less-than-whole’ filmmaking. It is sad to note that Mr. Scorsese, once ignored by the academy for making films like Taxi Driver, is the prime contender for the best director’s award for one of his weakest films to date.
Comparing The Aviator to airline food is probably a bit unjust so I would compare it to a lonely trans continental flight where sleep alludes you and yes the food is unacceptable but most importantly, you have forgotten your book.