I have always been fascinated with Howard Hughes. The impression I get of him is a Texas oilman, inheriting his family's oil tools company and making his money in that industry, like so many people I know from this part of the country. I've always liked the people in that industry, and they are actually very much like what I see in the documentaries and movies of Hughes in his early years. Rowdy but smart, down to earth but willing to take what are actually pretty big gambles.

Of course, this is a Hollywood characterization, so it's hard to know what Hughes was really like, but the Texas oilman mentality really comes though. And yes, I know he was an eccentric and suffered from some compulsive behaviors. But I also know he did a lot of pretty amazing things, and that he was harrassed by corrupt people that were much more disturbing to me than Hughes' personal quirks would have been. I just find him fascinating, and I really liked the movie.

After leaving the movie, I started thinking about the movie A Beautiful Mind. The thought occured to me that another really cool person to make a movie about would be Nicola Tesla. That would be the best movie, because he was such an interesting man. So I hope one day somone in Hollywood will pick up on the story and make a good movie about Nicola Tesla, clearly the one of the most talented and enigmatic inventors the world has ever seen.

In the meantime, check out The Aviator. It was a good movie, and I liked it a lot. Grab a copy of the earlier Tommy Jones movie too.