The Aviator and The Phantom | ★★★★★★★★★

I saw the 'The Aviator', the Howard Hughes bio-pic, this weekend and was impressed with Leonardo DiCaprio's excellent portrayal of the lead character. Hughes was portrayed with a wonderful sensitivity. In him we saw a brilliance of mind while at the same time a darkness of soul - as high as he soared with ambition, intelligence and entrepreneurship ... he sunk low in sexual debauchery and weirdness. There is a wonderful interchange with an older wealthy woman where Hughes tells her that money doesn't mean anything to her because she has always had it ... and I add - never worked for it. Another great line is where he tells a movie star that she is 'only an actress'. Both of these interchanges reveal Hughes' understanding of societal priorities ... those who contribute to society help society rather than feed off it.

The Hughes role is somewhat similar to the lead character in 'The Phantom of the Opera', another recent movie. Each character is somewhat of a dark genius ... each draws us into the darkness only to surprise us with their vulnerability ... each very strong but very weak ... both simple yet complex. I recommend both The Aviator and The Phantom of the Opera to those of you who, like me, enjoy movies with complex characters and great scripts.

See my other blog for more on the phantom. On a scale of ten I give both movies ★★★★★★★★★.