The Aviator

(miramax) Release Date: December 17, 2004 Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, John C. Reilly, Kate Beckinsale, Jude Law Plot: Focusing on his early years, 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 quickly moved to Los Angeles to become a Hollywood film producer, where he helped launch careers and produce such classics as Hell's Angels, The Front Page, Flying Leathernecks, and Scarface (the 1932 original), eventually owning RKO Pictures. Hughes 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. After WWII, Hughes' expansions continued, with an electronics company that was integral to the evolution of the satellite, and Hughes' several Las Vegas casinos. This film will also focus on Hughes' romances with Hollywood stars like Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. Website: www.aviatormovie.com/