I’ll write about this while it’s still fresh in my mind; this review will consist of a collection of random thoughts on The Aviator. This was a long movie. It was hard to sit through, but ultimately rewarding. It reminded me of Requiem for a Dream in how it portrayed mental sickness, and the uncomfortable feeling which that created in the audience.

Either times haven’t changed much, or the movie, set in the 1940′s, didn’t accurately reflect the character of that era (since so much seemed similar to the world of today). That wasn’t the point of it, though, and perhaps this movie, as a look back in time, can be thought of more as a reflection of the way our memories actually work. After all, it’s the people that matter, and if hairstyles and clothing are the only elements in need of change (relative to the present day) to successfully transport us back in time, then those elements as filmed in this movie did the trick superbly.

A number of shots seemed to be computer animated, such as the takeoff of the Hercules, also referred to disparagingly in the movie as the Spruce Goose. Is this the same plane permanently on display near the Queen Mary in Long Beach? I believe so; fodder for future ‘festigation and maybe even a field trip.

In one shot the lenses of Senator Someone’s (but I know it started with a ‘B’) (played by Alan Alda) glasses reflected light in a particular shade of green consistent with a modern anti-glare coating. I don’t think they had that treatment for eyeglass lenses back in the 1940′s.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes was convincing and consistent throughout the movie, and we do see a lot of him.

Fittingly, and I can proudly say that because of the following I’m in a small minority of all people throughout the world who will watch this movie, I saw it in an outdoor mall near LAX called Howard Hughes Plaza. That, among other things, sparked my interest in finding out more about the great airlines and aircraft companies of the past and present. I know Pan-Am went bankrupt when I was very young. I’ve flown on TWA several times. I know Hughes Aircraft and McDonnell-Douglas are the two big passenjer jet builders nowadays, though lately I’ve been on a number of other manufacturers’ planes. As someone who’s flown a bit, I’m interested in learning more than the very limited amount I know from reading those brief pieces of airline history they have in the onboard magazine. And that interest having been generated is one measure of the quality of a movie. This being the Internet and all, I could get started right away, but it’s late.

Anyway, I’ll let you know eventually what I find out.