The Aviator

Watching the Aviator on AMC I was struck by one clear thing. AMC shows too many commericals. Showing this as an AMC premiere, the movie stretched four hours with for the last three hours commercials every seven minutes. What a disqueting way to attempt to watch a movie, especially in contrast to viewing a movie on TMC with no commercials at all.

The movie itself was tremendous. A Martin Scorsece movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes the movie centers on the the glory years of the eccentric aviator and moviemaker - primarily the twenties through 1947. When his parents are both deceased he, at the age of 22, begins filming his debut movie Hell's Angels. Taking three years and millions to make, the movie is a success. John C Reily plays his harried business director who seems to have spent the time span of the movie saying " Howard we cannot do that."

Hughes sets speed records for flying, builds planes, and during World War II earns contracts to build spy planes and of course a very large transport plane, later dubbed The Spruce Goose.

Hughes has a long relationship with Katherine Hepburn. Cate Blanchett plays Hepburn, she won the Oscar for Best Actress and deservedly so. It is impossible to watch this movie and not be captivated by her performance. Anyone familiar with Hepburn, her mannerisms and ways, realizes right away that Blanchett nailed it. She was amazing.

Hughes deals with OCD his whole life and throughout the movie it gets progressivly worse. In today's world OCD is acknowledged and understood. It can be treated and helped. In Hughes day this was not the case. DiCaprio plays this part of the personality well and for the most part Scorsece does not overplay this hand.

The emotional highlight of the movie centers around the Pan Am, TWA flight. Hughes had purchased TWA and made plans to make TWA a competitor to Pan AM run by Juan Trippe. Alec Baldwin plays trip very well. Trippe using his crony Senator Owen Brewster played brilliantly by Alan Alda has a bill written which in the interest of the " people" Pan Am will be given a mononpoly on overseas commercial travel. Brewster bring Hughes before Congress to defend himself against charges of war profiteering.

Coming out of seclusion, having been lured out by Ava Gardner, another former lover Hughes fights back and fights back hard. He calls Brewster out on his being bought and sold by Trippe. The bill fails and eventually TWA becomes a worldwide power. This after having been on the edge of failure.

Hughes was clearly a flawed individual. The latter part of his life he was a recluse, all but crippled by the increasing effects of his OCD. Still for a twenty year period he was a figure of great import. It should not be understated.

A very good movie, filled notably with some incredibly strong acting performances. Alda and Blanchett both notably are Oscar worthy. Dicaprio is strong in his role but sonehow as good as he is these other two outshine him. A good movie. Great acting.

J Edgar

This weekend my wife and I faced a strange occurence. We found ourselves childless as our kids were all off at various places. Faced with this we chose to go to a late movie. Being a history buff and faced with my wife's refusal to go see any Harold and Kumar movie we chose to go see this movie.

Having read biographies of the Presidents from FDR to Nixon I have a good deal of knowledge about Hoover. His classic battles with the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King are well documented.

Still Clint Eastwood has produced a strong and overall balanced movie here. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover, with makeup playing the whole lifespan with Naomi Watt playing his loyal secretary Helen Gandy. Playing Hoover's longtime assistant and friend Clyde Tolson is Armie Hammer in a very strong performance.

The movie centers much of it's time on Hoover's struggles to use modern methods of police work to help root out Communists and later the Gangsters such as John Dillinger. The event which allowed for the changes Hoover wanted was the kidnapping of the Lindburgh baby. The movie shows how Hoover used fingerprints, wood research and many other new methods. Despite recent curiousness about the true guilt Hoover's methods proved resourceful.

The dark side of Hoover was he grew to love his creation too much. As new administrations came into office to protect himself he had created files on many people. With FDR he had information on Eleanoar, with JFK he had his womanizing and on and on. Eventually keeping his own power and his creation safe became as important as the safety of the nation the FBI originally was sworn to protect.

The movie does a good job telling the story. Over the last decade or so a few of the sensationalized stories of Hoover, his wearing dresses, his relationship with Clyde Tolson, his overbearing mother, his obsessivness about hand washing and such much has been lost of the true history. Some of these subjects are touched on briefly here but no so much as to dominate the movie.

A good film. Dicaprio is stellar in his performance.