New Yawk,
Yes mate, the Aviator was a lovely flick. Pity they glossed over the whole Howard Hughes drinking his own piss thing. True leadership.....never give up.....drink your own piss..... You're spot on though. He did explore every option, including one that I myself would have foolishly ignored. Have a guess which one!
I'll give you a clue... it involves drinking something. Something you probably shouldn't drink.