Just saw "The Aviator" what did you guys think?

[NNguyenMD]

I thought it was alright, though I expected much better from Scorcese. Leo did a commendable job as Hughes, though he still looked too young during the depiction of Howard Hughes as an older man, not his fault Leo's a goodlooking kid.

I'm not familiar with Hughes's actual biography, but one issue the movie took on was whether or not he was a war profiteer who squelched money from the US government during WWII to design the Hercules and the XF-11 (I think thats what it was) spy plane. I thought the point brought up in the movie that Billions in defense contracts for weapons that end up not working are doled out by the military all the time, and if Hughes dumped plenty of his own money into these planes that ended up grounded it probably meant that he wasn't just profiteering and was really trying to make serious advances into aviation. But then again it was all just a movie, Thoughts anyone?

[KT2000]

1. Haven't seen the movie but

I recently learned that the Boeing Co. facilities were essentially built by the government during WWII so they could get the planes they wanted. Military provided protection at the plants too. My father worked there as an engineer and was assigned a military rank.
After the war, the facilities the government built were turned over to Boeing.
I don't know what the financial transaction of that was but it would be interesting to find out and compare with other aircraft manufacturers such as McDonell-Douglas.
It could be that Hughes was just trying to put himself on equal footing with the others. I can see parallels with what is happening now with defense contractors.

[Lost4words]

2. I cant watch a child baby-face play Howard Hughes!

DiCaprio was/is the wrong choice for this role, but then Scorcese is trying to make money. He is not trying for factually accuracy IMHO.

I remember HH, he was as dirty as he was clean and as smart as he was paranoid. Not someone you would want to marry your sister unless she is in it for the cash only.

The computer phony flight images, pure f-ing trash. Scorcese couldnt find a real P-38? They are still around and they still fly. Modern movies suck. I am sorry for the young people today, they just dont know any better.

I am sick of computer generated movie images. I'd rather watch animation than CGI.

Human grace cannot be generated by any damn machine!

[OneTwentyoNine]

3. My thoughts when seeing the previews...what a crap choice for HH

Baby faced,pudgy faced Dicaprio is a joke but only chosen because he's "bankable". Hughes was always thin framed,never looked like a DiCaprio puff ball.

I might rent it on DVD but I'll skip the full price at the theater.

[mitchum]

8. Yep, it's a long ways down from Keitel and DeNiro to Dicaprio...

but, then again, Scorsese hasn't made a brilliant movie since "King of Comedy" Cocaine is a hell of a drug...

[hollywood926]

10. DiCaprio was VERY good...

although the film is boring as shit. Leo and the performances of Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale (wonderful!) and Alan Alda all make the movie worth seeing. But I was bored to tears with the story. I know I could written it better. They focused too much on the wrong things.

[Sara Beverley]

4. A whitewash of an eccentic, selfish, anti-Semitic, anti-black, brilliant

person.

[Paul Hood]

5. I liked it

I thought DiCaprio was amazing in it. I don't know about the historical accuracy but I think a lot of people here would enjoy some of the digs against republicans by Hepburn(Blanchett).
Show me the blueprints.
Show me the blueprints.
Show me the blueprints.

[hollywood926]

11. I forgot about that!!!

I loved when she asked him if he was a repuke. Funny.

(she didn't say "repuke") :-)

[Paul Hood]

12. I'll take you to see Ibsen if the Republicans haven't banned it.

You're not a Republican are you? I couldn't abide that. Wonderful, although her family was a bit strange.

[barb162]

6. I can't stand a guy in lead roles who looks like he doesn't shave yet

[mitchum]

7. Hughes was always a war profiteer during Vietnam...

that's why he contributed $$$ to Nixon's slush fund

[mitchum]

9. Well, you and I are different...

I have long given up on expecting much better from Scorsese :) It's been a pathetic 20 year slide downhill