You have all seen what I thought about 4 of the 5 Best Picture nominees. That leaves just one, THE AVIATOR. And after GANGS OF NEW YORK, I never thought I would say anything by Martin Scorcese deserved it, but THE AVIATOR gets my vote for Best Picture of 2004.
We all remember the billionaire Howard Hughes from his crazy days, living in Las Vegas hotels with unkempt hair and mile-long fingernails. But back in the 1920s the man was a visionary. THE AVIATOR focuses on this fascinating period in Hughes' life, illuminating the early days of airlines and Hollywood blockbusters. We learn that Texan Hughes (Best Actor nominee Leo DiCaprio) arrived in Los Angeles as a young man hankering to make a movie about WWI pilots. He was already a very wealthy man, the heir to a booming oil-related business in Houston. He was determined and a bit obsessive, and though he's a bit of a joke around town, his movie becomes a hit. Hollywood grudgingly accepts the eccentric young man, he begins to woo a spunky young Katherine Hepburn (Supporting Actress nominee Cate Blanchett), but Hughes also understands how civil aviation will change the world. In the years that the movie follows, Hughes' smarts and passion challenge the received wisdom of both industries. He runs TWA, he produces The Outlaws, he invents the world's fastest airplane, he dates Rita Hayworth (Kate Beckinsale), he outsmarts Congress. In a word, he's awesome. Sadly, he is also fighting the one battle he can't win. And that's the battle for his own wits. Luckily the movie ends when Hughes is still optimistic and on top of his world. It lingers because of the ending we know is ahead.
Meanwhile, this is a movie that revives a bit of the tradition of grand old Hollywood -- it's a sprawling epic, full of drama and action and some weird mothering techniques. It's got superb performances (not just from Leo and Cate; even Kate Beckinsale redeems herself nicely) and gorgeous costumes and sets and a sense of wonder and history. Of the 5 nominated films, the Aviator strikes me as the one that pulls together story and filmmaking in a prize-winning combination. We'll see what happens!
My other Academy Award wishes: Best Actor/ Leonardo DiCaprio or Jamie Foxx; Best Actress: Kate Winslet or Annette Bening (come on, she deserves it, even though she already has Warren Beatty for a husband); Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman; Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett. Wish them luck.