In Review: The Aviator

This could very well be my favorite movie of the year, though if I had to give out an Oscar, it might be to Ray instead.

Though its runtime is nearly 3 hours, it didn't feel overly long. Though Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of cast scarcely seemed to age through some 30 years of his life (a feat that Jamie Foxx pulled off better in Ray), I could really feel the intensity and drive that belongs to Howard Hughes in my mind coming through Leonardo. The details and touches of love in the movie really added a lot of polish - Like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, attention to minute aspects of the set or speech that you don't really notice but in the back of your mind establish the reality, or the hyper-reality of the world. It wasn't just a faithful recreation of the period; the movie made Hughes' world vivid and exciting and inviting.

Cate Blanchett's performance made me fall in love with Katherine Hepburn a little bit. I'm not a Katherine Hepburn scholar, but every minute of Cate's screentime was enthralling.

I'm really interested in seeing Hell's Angels and The Outlaw now - I'll have to see if they're available on Amazon.