After years of being relegated to small-screen renderings ("The Amazing Howard Hughes") or quirky supporting roles ("Melvin and Howard"), the inimitable billionaire industrialist finally has been provided with a canvas expansive enough to contain his numerous larger-than-life personae courtesy of Martin Scorsese and "The Aviator." Working with many of his previous collaborators, Scorsese has crafted a rip-roaringly gorgeous-looking, beautifully acted biographical epic that is certain to garner Oscar nominations across the board. [...] while firing on all cylinders, there's something oddly distancing about the picture that ultimately prevents the viewer from being taken along on its emotionally turbulent journey.

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