Inside Pulse Movies 2004 Holiday Preview

Archive

The Aviator (opens December 17th)

The year 2004 is turning into the “Year of the Biopic.” Both Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Liam Neeson (Kinsey) are getting critical buzz for their performances as legendary figures. Leonardo DiCaprio will likely follow. In Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes, Jr., a tycoon whose career encompassed oil, film, casinos, and aviation. Focusing on the industrialist’s early years, The Aviator is a story of how an adolescent Hughes went from the arid oil drilling business in Texas to sunny Los Angeles. While working as a movie producer – producing such films as the original Scarface and Hell’s Angels – he helped launch the careers of Jean Harlow (played by No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani in her feature film debut) and other starlets.

Finding success in Los Angeles, Howard Hughes would eventually own RKO Pictures, the studio that financed arguably the greatest film of all time Citizen Kane. But Hughes’s legend wasn’t only cemented in Hollywood. He would branch into industry after industry. And in 1932 he broadened his prospects with aviation. Does TWA Airlines ring a bell? The theatrical trailer suggests that Howard Hughes was challenging PAN-AM’s Juan Tripp (played by Alec Baldwin in the film) and Congress that he could build a plane that could fly in the substratosphere.

Joining DiCaprio in this endeavor is a company of talented actors and actresses. The lovely Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) and Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) portray silver screen legends Ava Gardner and Katherine Hepburn, respectively. Jude Law has a short stint as the roguish Errol Flynn. Supporting actor extraordinaire John C. Reilly, Alan Alda, and Ian Holm also appear in this biopic/historical drama.

The Aviator marks the second time Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese have teamed up on a project. Their previous effort was Gangs of New York. It got critical acclaim but it didn’t sell a lot of tickets. With a production budget of $100-plus million you can bet the Weinsteins (Harvey and Bob) are crossing their fingers for a hit. Plus, the dynamic duo of Miramax is eager to bounce back after being trounced by a couple of hobbits during the last Academy Awards.

If Martin Scorsese’s last theatrical offering was a hard film to watch, well, his latest should be the exact opposite. The trailer alone has Oscar written all over it. Besides, as Scorsese gets older you have to wonder if he’ll ever win a Best Director Academy Award. Don’t worry. Alfred Hitchcock never won a directing Oscar and he did pretty well for himself.

Flight of the Phoenix (opens December 22nd)

Pop quiz hotshot. You crash land a C-119 cargo plane full of oil workers in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert during a sandstorm. What do you do? The answer. You see this film. Flight of the Phoenix is a remake of the 1965 film, of the same name, starring James Stewart and an ensemble cast that included Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, Peter Finch, and Richard Attenborough.

This remake stars Dennis Quaid as the plane’s captain, Frank Towns, and Giovanni Ribisi (Lost in Translation) plays the smarmy Elliot, a gizmo geek with blond-tinted hair. Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious), Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings) and Hugh Laurie (TV’s “House”) make up some of the supporting cast.

Both films follow the myth of the Phoenix, a bird that dies, and is then reborn from the flames of its death. The C-119 cargo plane is a metaphor for the Phoenix. It’s funny that a guy previewing this film would be waxing metaphorically, especially since this is an action-packed movie filled with a busted up plane, some guys on horses, and a lot of sand.

In this new and improved 2004 incarnation, the plane crash survivors attempt to build a new plane from the parts they find in the wreckage. (Where’s MacGyver when you need him?) As the movie progresses you can expect to see some despair, a little infighting, and power tools. Who knows, maybe Miranda Otto will be in dungarees.

That may sound like a good popcorn flick, but here’s the bad news. Director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) makes his screenwriting debut; but he does have a partner in crime. Ron Hutchinson, writer of the much-maligned Island of Dr. Moreau, gets credit as co-writer. Oh, it gets worse. The producers had to resort to enlisting the services of writer/director/actor Edward Burns to polish up the script.

That may bring your desire to see this movie down a notch; but the action-adventure could benefit from the December 22 release date. It has to contend with two other big releases that day, Meet the Fockers and The Phantom of the Opera. Perhaps the filmmaker should have changed the title of the film. Cast Away II: Desert Paradise has a nice ring to it.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!