The One where Marty Hits the Jackpot

The Aviator
Rating: 8/10
Oscar Chances: Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor; Cate Blanchett, Supporting Actress; Original Screenplay; Martin Scorsese, Director; Best Picture

I don’t like watching overly long movies. My belief is that if you can’t compress a story within two hours (at most), it’s flawed. Or if it does, there must be something in it that will justify the excess length. I wasn’t expecting too much from The Aviator, especially after finding out it was three hours long. As I did with "Gangs of New York", I gave Scorsese the benefit of the doubt, and drank a cup of coffee before the film began.

Scorsese’s latest drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the multi-faceted Howard Hughes: one of the world’s first billionaires, daring movie producer, and aviation pioneer. The movie covers much of Hughes’ time at the spotlight, from producing what was the most expensive film during his time ("Hell’s Angels" cost roughly $4M to make), his shift to a successful career in the aviation industry (both as a pilot and an engineer), as well as his romances with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars – Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani), Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Eva Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) to name a few. He’s daring, he’s bold, he’s a lady’s man. You’d think that three hours is more than enough to cover all these. But sadly, I felt that something was still missing after the credits started to roll.

To me, biopics should at least show the “how” and the “why” behind the person. There were just too many questions left unanswered by writer John Logan ("Gladiator"): why Hughes just had to produce the biggest movie, why he had to be the fastest pilot, why he had to build the biggest planes. This was a guy who had a compulsive need to be the best in everything, that he risked all his money and his life to be as successful as he was. The biggest question not answered though is how he became afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder. It was unclear why he went into reclusion, and why he went into the decline in his latter years. Sure, the opening scenes where his mother bathes him can offer some light into the matter, but there has to be more to it than that. How can a man of such vision be as weak as to crumble at the mere thought of germs? Forgive me if it was explained during the parts where Leo shows his butt, perhaps I just wasn’t paying attention. :p

That’s basically my only biff with Scorsese’s film. From a movie-making perspective, it’s a masterpiece. One thing that you can’t take away from this guy is that he makes his movies unbelievably polished. Art and costume design, cinematography, musical score…the film’s a technical beauty. Perhaps this is because Scorsese is not only a director, but also a film historian himself. He makes sure that even his “average” movies still stand out as excellent works of art. Together with Steven Spielberg, they’re on a league of their own.

Leonardo DiCaprio gives the most mature performance of his career, but he still somehow falls a bit short. Two reasons come to mind: he’s too baby-faced to portray the eccentric billionaire, and his acting’s still over-the-top in some scenes. He does a satisfying job, but the competition that he is up against this year may be too stiff for DiCaprio’s chances at the awards. Many believed that Cate Blanchett was robbed of an Oscar in 1998 for her turn as the monarch in "Elizabeth", but this year may well be her time to collect her gold. I haven’t seen much of Ms. Hepburn to say that Blanchett portrayed the legendary actress to a tee, but she still does a superb job nevertheless.

Despite the script’s flaws, Scorsese still finds ways to keep the film afloat with his superb directing. He may finally win an Oscar, but something tells me it's just for the sake of giving him the award instead of Scorsese turning up with the year's best film. The Aviator is not a classic in my book, but it provides enough entertainment to keep viewers glued for three hours. For that, give the man his Oscar already!

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This was originally posted in PinoyExchange, at the The Aviator thread. I'd put my money on Scorsese winning for Outstanding Direction, but another film will take Best Pic. I'd be really surprised if they snub Marty yet again. :p

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Darned it! 9ino already traded away Kobe Bryant (and practically half his team) to acquire Kevin Garnett from faaip_de_oaid in the fantasy league game that we're playing. He offered Kobe, Dwayne Wade, and Raef LaFrentz to me in exchange for Stephon Marbury and Tim Duncan, but I was wary of parting with Duncan and adding two guards to my lineup. It would've decimated my forward position (since I would've had to move Elton Brand to the center spot) and overload me at the guard position. I was hoping to trade my other guards (Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, and Jamal Crawford) in return for another quality forward. Oh well, I guess I have to make do with what I have. :p

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National Team coach Chot Reyes released his list of 40 RP team aspirants. Four Beermen made the list: Nic Belasco, Danny Seigle, Dondon Hontiveros, and Danny Ildefonso. I feel the first three should make it to the final pool of 24. I hold Ildefonso's work ethic in high regard, but he's really playing below par since 2001. I'm saddened that Olsen Racela didn't make the list, because I think he's still among the top three PGs in the league. Matanda na kasi siguro kaya hindi na pinili. Dorian Peña should've been the number one choice for center now that Taulava's gone. The problem with him is that he doesn't play the type of defense that he should be playing. Sa laki ng katawan niya, he should be an intimidating presence at the middle. Sadly, he’s content on flopping, hoping that the referees will call it against the opposing player. He rarely blocks shots for a guy his size. Sayang si Dorian.