The Aviator

Started by MacGuffin, January 20, 2003, 01:29:35 PM

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SiliasRuby

I don't know why it has taken me so long to post about this film. I saw it on Christmas day, my dad (who loves planes and flying) saw it together right after we opened presents and got back just in time for the christmas feast. Anyway, to reiterate what basically everyone has said "what a wonderful film", it was just as I like to say "an orgasm for the eyes". It seriously took my breath away and I wouldn't mind seeing it again right away. Anyway, if anyone one this site hasn't seen it yet, what are you waiting for, slap down your ten bucks and see this flick, it's well worth your time.
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Redlum

*Spoilerish*

This film is damn amazing. I just loved it. The start was just so much fun. From a filmmaking perspective - watching Hughes direct Hells Angels from the sky and having to go hand-held after a plane smashes off the mounted camera, was a great buzz.
I think that was probably the scariest plane crash I've seen on film, too.

And just generally, I could see and feel the Scorcese class up there all the time.
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

cron

Quote from: Gamblor not so gone.For some reason, the grass and beet field were blue in the theater I saw this at. Anyone know why it would be missing the color yellow?

could be this,   from imdb trivia:

Scorsese designed each year in the film to look just the way a color film from that time period would look. Achieved mainly through digitally enhanced postproduction, Scorsese recreated the look of Cinecolor and two-strip Technicolor. Watch in particular for the scene where Hughes meets Errol Flynn in the club. Hughes is served precisely placed peas on a plate, and they appear blue or turquoise
just as they'd have looked in the primitive two-strip Technicolor process. As Hughes ages throughout the film, the color gets more sophisticated and full-bodied.
context, context, context.

Gold Trumpet

notes from a third viewing:

When I saw this movie the first time, it was the very first "important" film I had seen all season and I immensely enjoyed it. I didn't write a review after the first viewing. My review came after the second viewing which happened a week later. After having now gone mostly through the array of films to be seen, I was shocked how well this film held up for a third viewing tonight.

I've read every good criticism against the film. The most striking of them says how uneven the story is factually and also how wrong too. Though I believe fiction films are allowed the same artistic license given to Shakespeare, I didn't believe this Scorsese film had to own up to the same internal truths a work as serious as his would. The feeling at the end of the film was really how manufactured the film was. It tried as every drama to move the audience, but this film also tries just as hard to entertain. What is offered is that all-great-entertainment vehicle that can lay jokes right next to tramautic situations and string along the audience to every cue it wants to hit. This is not even an attempt to demote the film because this really may be Scorsese's best film of the type. After Hours and King of Comedy strike me as true comparison films. Certain other films, maybe. With After Hours, I can at least enjoy it while King of Comedy will always remain the 15 minute film on paper with nowhere to go that was interesting afterwards. The Aviator is the complete film. Scorsese was director for hire and pulled out a lot of tricks, but he made the best film he could for the genre and now should really move on. I still don't think he's done his best work for the dramatic yet. Raging Bull and Last Temptation come really close though.....

The other criticism out there is against the acting. For me, Leonardo DiCaprio, though energetic for the first half of the film, now never really seems to occupy Hughes until after the major crash. When I first watched it, I could always see and hear Leonardo DiCaprio with his performance but yet I was so entertained by his energy that my criticisms never became razor sharp til later on as his character decesended into the abyss. He really had to change himself for Hughes' descent physically, but I also feel he got all the smaller details of Hughes right finally. DiCaprio finally brought a dark mysteriousness to his portrayal of Hughes that was nowhere to be found for the first half of the film. As DiCaprio strolled down red carpet with Stefani there never was a sense of the look that Hughes gave off in pictures when he was younger. Hughes was distinctly attractive for his times. DiCaprio was distinctly attractive along with the times. Also, for Cate Blanchett, the criticism is that she "imitates" Katherine Hepburn instead of play her. I think I may have to agree. During her and Hughes golf game, her over zealousness of every physical attribute we know Katherine Hepburn to have well really seems to border on the comedic the more I think about it. As the film goes on, she starts to control it better, but yet, it has the stench of trying too hard to memorize someone's body movements and accent than to really penetrate her personality. Her final scene, outside the home theater, is a good scene because she plays Katherine in a way no television interview could have outlined.

Finally, most interesting for me, is that during the wrap party for Hell's Angels as the camera pans across the room with the radio announcer being heard alongside the people's voices, someone distinctly says "Louise Brooks". It caught me off guard. I had no chance to see if an actress was playing her in the background. It really just gives me a reason to see this film a fourth time.

Alexandro

Beautiful film. Funny, fantasy-like recreation, just like Howard Hughes himself would have made it: big, sumptuos and dark.

The more I think about it the more I like it. It's supposedly "all glitz" approach it's just a cover for the disturbing Scorsese way of viewing life. Hughes is unbeatable, has an unstopable will, and will do anything to get things done, but at the same time, his own fixation with everything being perfect will be his downhill.

Terrific ending. It's very powerful emotionally. I don't get all these absurd "the movie has no heart" comments. Just because Scorsese would never dream of making a tear jerker movie (he's not an easy way out  filmmaker) doesn't mean this movie is not emotional.

And who gives a shit if Di Caprio doesn't look like the real Hughes when he gives such a great performance, I mean really, that's an actor doing his homework.

Scorsese may or may not win the oscar for this movie, but the sure thing is that The Aviator, as pretty much all the other Scorsese films, will be a classic at some point. Who really loves Rocky at this point? Who really loves Ordinary People? Who can tell me that Dances with Wolves is a film you wanna go back to all the time like Good Fellas?

Shit, is Babe, or Apollo 13, or Il Postino, or even Leaving Las Vegas, as present in anyone's film memory as Casino??

Only two years have passed...don't you think that Gangs of New York is much more alive than The Pianist at this point???

Marty always wins...

Alexandro

Quote from: The Gold Trumpetnotes from a third viewing:


Also, for Cate Blanchett, the criticism is that she "imitates" Katherine Hepburn instead of play her. I think I may have to agree. During her and Hughes golf game, her over zealousness of every physical attribute we know Katherine Hepburn to have well really seems to border on the comedic the more I think about it. As the film goes on, she starts to control it better, but yet, it has the stench of trying too hard to memorize someone's body movements and accent than to really penetrate her personality. Her final scene, outside the home theater, is a good scene because she plays Katherine in a way no television interview could have outlined.
.

I thought the point of the golf scenes were to feel and look like 30's screwball comedies...hence the kind of over acting, they even move weirdly, but I don't know if this has to do with the speed that they shot in or what...

Anyway, the whole film is this big Hollywood fantasy. I'm amazed at how people complain about the lack of realism when that's obviolusly not the aim here. All the dark notes, however, is Scorsese's way to make a conterpoint with the nice stuff happening in the character's life. Shit, this movie rules.

Gold Trumpet

Quote from: Alexandro
Quote from: The Gold Trumpetnotes from a third viewing:


Also, for Cate Blanchett, the criticism is that she "imitates" Katherine Hepburn instead of play her. I think I may have to agree. During her and Hughes golf game, her over zealousness of every physical attribute we know Katherine Hepburn to have well really seems to border on the comedic the more I think about it. As the film goes on, she starts to control it better, but yet, it has the stench of trying too hard to memorize someone's body movements and accent than to really penetrate her personality. Her final scene, outside the home theater, is a good scene because she plays Katherine in a way no television interview could have outlined.
.

I thought the point of the golf scenes were to feel and look like 30's screwball comedies...hence the kind of over acting, they even move weirdly, but I don't know if this has to do with the speed that they shot in or what....

Interesting point, but if true, then why was Hughes' character kept the same for that scene? And is there much difference between the energy of Hepburn at the golf course and at her family's estate? I don't think so. I agree with you the scene had that feel but yet I think it wasn't trying to achieve that with just the performances and more the situation and jokes.

Alexandro

Yes, you're right, I noticed that about Di Caprio being the same in those scenes, but I don't know, I would have to see it again, which I will.

However about Blanchet I disagree. Maybe it's because I'm not that familiar with Hepburn mannerisms, but to me, within the context of the film she was a believeable character, who tended to overact all the time, but she felt real for me.

This film is constantly reminding people they're watching 'a movie', so i think is kind of pointless to compare the events in the film to reality. It's obviously a Hollywood movie, and as they say, if people want the facts they can go to a library.

ono

Someone on IMDb is reporting either an April 26th or May 24th release date for the DVD, depending of it is delayed for a prolonged theatrical release due to the Oscars.

Kal

I just saw this again yesterday and I loved it even more... the acting of Di Caprio, but also John C Reilly and everyone around the guy and their reactions to his crazy comments and ideas... Scorsese is a genius and I really hope he wins it this year

rustinglass

okay. it really sucks when a film is distributed in portugal so much later than in america. I really can't read all of what was written here, so I don't want to repeat too many things so I'll keep this brief:
- I loved it.
- Only now do i realize that that simpsons episode in which Mr Burns goes a little crazy and walks around with model planes and kleenex boxes for shoes is actually a reference to hughes.
- It's great nowadays, the Hercules C130 plays a major role in humanitary aid.
- Scorsese gets only one chance to really throw blood at the audience, and boy, does he take it...
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Jeremy Blackman

1. I almost want Million Dollar Baby to come out ahead of The Aviator, if only because this movie so desperately wants to be a great Oscar-winning bio-epic.

2. This is an impatient movie. There's too much editing (I don't need to see four angles of every conversation). If that's supposed to be a figurative reflection of Hughes' own personality, it doesn't work, because the very moments when it slows down to self-consciously examine Hughes' personality are boring in comparison, not to mention heavy-handed. There's no mystery.

3. Because of the above mentioned heavy-handedness and self-consciousness, I felt almost entirely emotionally detached from the whole movie.

4. Cate Blanchett was horrifyingly bad. That was the most obnoxious thing I've seen in a long time.

5. The acting was good (except the above mentioned), especially DiCaprio. I think the problem is with the writing.

6. The plane crash scene was wonderful. As was the first red carpet scene.

cowboykurtis

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman1. I almost want Million Dollar Baby to come out ahead of The Aviator, if only because this movie so desperately wants to be a great Oscar-winning bio-epic.

2. This is an impatient movie. There's too much editing (I don't need to see four angles of every conversation). If that's supposed to be a figurative reflection of Hughes' own personality, it doesn't work, because the very moments when it slows down to self-consciously examine Hughes' personality are boring in comparison, not to mention heavy-handed. There's no mystery.

3. Because of the above mentioned heavy-handedness and self-consciousness, I felt almost entirely emotionally detached from the whole movie.

4. Cate Blanchett was horrifyingly bad. That was the most obnoxious thing I've seen in a long time.

5. The acting was good (except the above mentioned), especially DiCaprio. I think the problem is with the writing.

6. The plane crash scene was wonderful. As was the first red carpet scene.

you're correct on number 6
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modage

Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanI felt almost entirely emotionally detached from the whole movie. The acting was good (except the above mentioned), especially DiCaprio. I think the problem is with the writing.
i felt sort of emotionally detached as well, but thought the acting was great all around, so i have to blame the writing for not showing you enough of what made hughes tick and thats my only real problem with the film which i otherwise really liked.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Alexandro

I fetl emotionally dettached in The Aviator, like looking in from the outside or something. I felt the same with Taxu Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, Good Fellas, Last Temptation and every other Scorsese film, which hasn't kept me from enjoying them...but I don't mind the "impatience", or the constant camera movements...I find that to be extremely cool.