Hey folks, Harry here - for those wondering why Moriarty and I haven't been writing much about these end of the year films, its because due to the holidays - family duties - and watching 4 films a day - all of which being pretty darn high quality - we've decided to break down our thoughts a bit more concisely in our FAVE of the year's list which looks to be coming next week as we finish the rest of the films that are left to be seen. However, I'll give you a bit about my feelings on GANGS OF NEW YORK here. I love the history of the film, the mastery of the details they show, the capturing of the period, the gang distinctions - However, I could give to shakes of a rat's ass about Leo's character and everyone in his age group in the film... Meanwhile I loved everything with the Bill the Butcher and his older crowd in GANGS... To me, Bill, the politics and older social strata - that's what I was most captivated by, and was never really involved in Leo's revenge story. And this isn't me hating on Leo, who I loved greatly in Gilbert Grape and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Having said that... I believe Leo is note perfect to play Howard Hughes - and now that I know what period they are aiming for - I can't wait to see if Scorsese comes to central Texas to shoot those HELL'S ANGELS scenes above San Antonio where Hughes shot em... Anyway here ya go...
Scorsese's "The Aviator"
Since you mentioned in the annual look ahead that you were eager to see "...what period in Hughesà amazing life that Marty is going to be telling us", I'll jump upon the chance to deliver some info for the first time. I only first read about this film earlier today, but I instantly researched its intricacies, and in answer to your query, Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies reports:
"Focusing on his early years (from the 1930 production of 'Hell's Angels' to 1946, when he was 41), this is the story of how young Howard Hughes transformed a small fortune into a massive one. The son of the Texan inventor of an amazing drill bit who died when he was 18, leaving him with 75% of the "Hughes Tool Co.", Howard Hughes (DiCaprio) quickly moved to Los Angeles to become a Hollywood film producer, where he helped launch the career of Jean Harlow and other starlets, and producing such classics as Hell's Angels, The Front Page, Flying Leathernecks, and Scarface (the 1932 original), eventually owning RKO Pictures. Hughes' legend came not from focusing on just Hollywood, however, as he simultaneously branched into industry after industry, including aviation in 1932, and during WWII, defense, leading to the creation of the (infamous) Spruce Goose, a flying boat of immense size."
martin-scorsese.net confirms this saying:
"The script begins as a young Hughes directs one of Scorsese's favorite films, Hell's Angels. Hughes was so obsessed with perfection in the aerial sequences that he waits forever for perfect conditions, right down to cloud formations. The Aviator ends in 1946, when Hughes was still a dashing young man and romancing actresses like Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn."
So this explores the life of a young Hughes, as one might have imagined from the casting of DiCaprio. Yahoo! then notes:
"This is just one of several Howard Hughes biopics that have lingered in development over the years. The other one that seems to have the most life would be directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia), with Jim Carrey playing the tycoon, based on Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters...WB is the same distributor backing the Nolan/Carrey project. Does that mean death for that project, or will it just be produced some day as a sort of sequel, since it basically takes place in the years after 1946 (when this film ends)?"
Glad to fill you in if nobody scooped me. The name's...
Chiak.
