The Aviator

"The Aviator" is as good as everyone is saying. Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding as eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, Cate Blanchett is simply amazing as Katharine Hepburn, and Martin Scorsese's direction and vision is fully achieved in one of the best movies of the year.

Following the life of Howard Hughes from the 1920s to the 1940s, "Aviator" covers Hughes' film-making career, his passion for flying, and his many neuroses. DiCaprio not only brings levity and fun to the character as he spends three years in producing "Hell's Angels", but he also has the ability to portray Hughes' declining mental state to such perfection that an Oscar nomination is a sure bet. While Hughes had many, many lovers in his life, the main love interest here is Hepburn. I want to see Blanchett do a movie about Katharine Hepburn as Cate seems to be channeling the spirit and mannerisms of Kate. Plus, I was truly educated as to the impact Howard Hughes had on the development of airplanes and the airline industry overall.

Clocking in at nearly 3 hours, the movie soars just as swiftly as one of Hughes' planes. While the movie is great in its entirety, people with an interest in Old Hollywood, aviation, and/or the battle between Pan Am and TWA to own the skies will be most entertained. "The Aviator" needs to be on your short list of movies to see sooner than later. I give it an A.

"The Aviator" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours, 50 minutes.