Carmen and I haven’t been to nearly enough movies lately, but today we got up early enough to go out and catch the nearly three hour long film The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. This film has been out for a while, but is still in theaters because of its eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actor (Alan Alda), Best Picture and Best Director.

When you do a film about as legendary a character as Howard Hughes, you have to go big, and this movie is a big film, full of good performances. DiCaprio really does turn in a terrific performance as Hughes, and I found Blanchett’s portrayal of legendary film actress Kathryn Hepburn to be very well done and worthy of Oscar contention. The film tries to demonstrate the increasing madness of Hughes beginning in early childhood, and progressing through the war years and his turbulent experience as the head of TWA, culminating in the very short flight of the Hercules, commonly known as the Spruce Goose,

I give the film high marks for trying to capture the persona of a very complicated (and very crazy) man. It’s very difficult subject matter, and to be as engaging and as interesting as it is must be recognized as a considerable achievement in direction and screenwriting. Still, the story itself seems to be a bit disjointed, a series of vignettes that seem to be chosen by some other criterion than trying to make a proper story arc. Still, I’d rank this movie about eight out of ten. DiCaprio and Blanchett are worthy of Oscar nods, and Scorsese for direction, but I don’t think its your best film winner at the Oscars.