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The
story, the director, the extensive cast,
the hype, and now eleven Oscar nominations:"The
Aviator" has a lot to live up to.
Does the film deliver? Definitely.
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But
what everyone is really asking is this:
Does Leonardo DiCaprio, who just received
a Golden Globe for his performance,
deliver? Surprisingly, he gave his best
performance to date. Although I would
have guessed a few other actors would
have better played the complicated role
of Howard Hughes (Jude Law, maybe),
Leo held his own for most of the film
and kept my attention (and reminded
me over and over the difference between
a quality Scorsese film and an over-promoted
James Cameron eye-feast).
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Running
ten minutes shy of three hours, "The
Aviator" chronicles about two decades
of the life of Howard Hughes (DiCaprio),
billionaire playboy, filmmaker, aviation
pioneer, and apparent OCD sufferer.
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written
by John Logan, the biopic also features
a string of Hollywood household names,
including Cate Blanchett (as a strong-minded
Katherine Hepburn), Alec Baldwin, Kate
Beckinsale, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, and
Jude Law, among many others.
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"The
Aviator" takes the audience through
a myriad of scenarios: plane-saturated
skies, crowded dance clubs, Senate hearings
and golf courses, all successfully linked
together by clever film techniques and
an underscore of countless classic American
standards (both somewhat cleverly reflecting
the passing timeframe). We witness Hughes
as he overcame the personal and financial
obstacles set before him during his
obsessive campaign to be the best at
whatever he pursued, be it to build
the biggest airplane, to shoot the biggest
movie, or to lead the biggest love life.
(With all of these elements tied so
closely together, one has to wonder
if his struggle to build and fly the
best aircraft was a metaphor for his
personal pursuits, or vice versa.)
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People
will be talking about Cate Blanchett
as Katharine Hepburn, but what they
will say, I predict, will vary. I thought
the believability of her character changed
scene by scene, and I think the attraction
between Hepburn and Hughes would itself
have been more believable had stronger
attention been paid to them as a couple.
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I
have to wonder if Alan Alda, now in
his sixth decade of acting, is just
becoming better and more at home as
an actor playing an antagonist. Alec
Baldwin plays well the powerful and
assertive role for which he has always
been type-cast, but Alda gets a chance
to really shine as a dirty Senator.
It was also a joy to see the talented
Ian Holm ("Lord of the Rings",
"Alien", "Brazil")
in another film, even if briefly.
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"The
Aviator" is simply a success, visually,
audibly, and as a story.
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Having
been released last Christmas, "The
Aviator" will unfortunately be
set against some of the very notable
"big films" of 2004, and thus
puts DiCaprio against other strong performances
for the Academy Awards. One thing is
for sure: it will set high standards
for what's to come this year. Barring
the use of the dreaded "star"
system, I will just say: Go out and
see this one.
Photo
by Warner Bros. Pictures
-K. Tanaka
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