3. The Aviator
For anyone that's seen Martin Scorseses superb A Personal Journey Through American Movies, it's clear that The Aviator was the type of picture he was destined to make: a roaring ode to Tinseltown with all the winks and nods to his heroes of the Golden Age. But, cinephiles, The Aviator does more than shoe gaze. Offering a glitzy snapshot of Howard Hughes life (no sprawling biopic treatment here) the film follows Hughes through the 1920s, where he ploughed his inheritance into directing the mega-budgeted Hell's Angels, all the way through to the 1940s, which sees him glowing as Hollywood's most intriguing bachelor and aviator extraordinaire. From canny lens filters, acute period cinematography (courtesy of Oliver Stone regular Robert Richardson) and sublime casting - Cate Blanchett took the plaudits for her portrayal of Kat Hepburn, but the spotlight should also shine on DiCaprio in the titular role and Jude Law as a brawling Errol Flynn - The Aviator is as much about the movies as it is about the man that soared high above its bright lights before madness and mania saw him retreat into the shadows.