Th) Biopics/true stories

I don?t think this is quite the film people will be expecting to see when it comes to the infamous British prisoner; Charlie Bronson. Having heard a little about him over the years and being a keen reader on real crime, some of the bits that I did know didn?t seem to arise in the film at all. It certainly has it?s fair share of violence, but that was quite often sheltered by the comedic theme throughout, in fact there were many laugh out loud points in the cinema. Despite the violence shown, I don?t believe it showed Charlie Bronson with enough menace somehow and his it didn't seem to show him suffering particularly well.

Tom Hardy however, gave a great performance as the main character here and was actually unrecognisable when compared to some of his other recent work. The theatrical theme, I wasn?t sure of at the beginning, but soon realised it?s purpose and became quite entertaining and built us a view of his mental state.

For those of you who like to read up on true crime etc and have an interest in this genre, it is worth watching and again Tom Hardy does a great job, but may not be the insightful viewing you might expect. (I know others will disagree).

Another impressive film from Clint Eastwood. A fascinating storyline based remarkably upon a true story. It?s good to see Angelina in a non-Action/non-love interest role and the era of the 20?s seemed to be accurately portrayed. A strong woman for her time, this film reveals much more than first imagined.

Quite a lengthly film, but with the interesting storyline you?ll find it easy to follow.

An extremely worthy tale to tell of the true story of Harvey Milk, Gay and Human rights activist turned politician during the 70?s in San Fransisco.

Yet another great performance from Penn and very Gus Van Sant to bring a controversial story to light.

This is a great awareness story and a legacy that will live on. It also acts as a metaphor for any type of minority, whatever that minority might be.

Surprisingly a very good film. If you're expecting a Hollywood Action film as I was (yes I didn't read up on it before I watched it) you'll be pleasantly surprised by this story. based on true events, told in a true London gangster tradition kind of way, with high ranking envolvement.

A very enjoyable Brit film, with a great cast. Statham is back playing the roles he is good at.

The Boston Strangler aka Albert De Salvo ?? This version of the film challenges the grounds that evidence on this case was based on and to this day has a non-closed status.

The actual film wasn?t particularly well done, it told the story and all that needed to be told, but with no thrills at all. The story is an interesting one and had a more high profile Director been involved with this project, we may have seen something a little more interesting here.

A film that has completely blown me away on many levels.

A true story of a journey of self-discovery and search for identity, living a simplistic lifestyle, travelling a Nomadic adventure. A film of rebellion and anti-conformity.

This film is beautifully made in every sense of the word. The views of nature were captured in great detail, the acting was of high standard and very natural, the relationships between people and their relationships with the material world were completely in depth.

Excellent work here by Emile Hirsch who jusifyably portrayed this true life character's journey and of course Kudos to Sean Penn for the Screen play and Direction in this film and for choosing a project with such human insight.

Although a short role, it has to be said that the older guy in this film (whose name I can't seem to get at the moment) played a blinding role and a totally believable performance.

Inspirational, breathtaking, liberating and one hell of a life experience. The best film I have watched for a long time and this has instantly become one of my favourite films of all time. I shall now be buying the book..

UPDATE:

Second viewing already plus reading the book. I have fallen in love with the philosophy behind the story and have found a deep fascination and admiration into the character Alexander Supertramp.

I have to say, I?ve watched many a Horror and Slasher type film, seen torturous plots and of course I?m a huge fan of Serial Killer films, but I think I finally found my boundary here, as it was a little too sick for my taste. Perhaps it?s the fact that it is based on a true story, that certainly added to the chill of the film, but there was also something very realistic about the last few scenes, that felt a little too voyeuristic.

A little slow moving, but this biopic of Joy Division?s front man Ian Curtis' life is realistic with some enjoyable performances.

I don?t claim to be a Joy Division fan and therefore can?t comment on the accuracy shown by the Actors in this film. For me though Samantha Morton really stood out in this.

Worth the watch, but fairly drawn out.

Slightly disappointed by the build up of this film, was hoping it would make the 5 stars. I still enjoyed it though and is a very detailed version of events in comparrison to the last film made about The Zodiac. A great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal and not a bad performance from Robert Downey Jr.

The special features are definitely worth a watch if you want to look at some of the real life characters and facts.

VERDICT: A very interesting account of the story, definitely worth a watch.

'The man who once persued happiness is now creating for others'. That's the line I'll remember from the special features showing the real Chris Gardener.

I'm not usually a fan of Will Smith in serious films, but I think he did this one justice. The remarkable story of a man's fight to make ends meet to secure a job, a home and a future for his son. An emotional journey with inspirage courage.

Stunning performances all round, eye-opening contents inspired by true events and real people.

The title of this film gives nothing away as to what type of film this is. It's a film that requires your full attention and to some will be well worth it.

A semi biographical film about 50 Cent, where some of the events are based on some of his life experiences.

Can a rapper act? I think he did a fairly good job, nothing outstanding, but it really wasn't the type of film for best performer, more of a realistic storyline, which was pretty interesting.

I doubt very much people will watch this film, if you're not interested in Hip-hop or 50 Cent, so it may only entertain a small audience.

VERDICT: A very watchable film

A powerful film with powerful performances to match. An amazing tale based on a true story, a truly enlightening story of one man's love of his family and bravery to save people whilst others were being brutally murdered.

This film requires your full attention and you'd be a harder person than me if this doesn't effect your emotions.

VERDICT: A definite recommendation.

An interesting story based on true events and for that reason of course a worthy watch. As far as it's appeal as a film from this genre, it was just a story with no particular brilliance.

Probably the most tense film I've ever watched. The acting was so believable which made the situation frightening enough, but then wehn you take into account that it is based on true events, you realise what an amazing story it is.

John Jarret plays one of most frightening madman I've seen on screen.

Texas Chainsaw v's A Paradise Lost (Turistos)

VERDICT: An absolute must see

Not entirely sure what to make of this film, I've been wanting to see it for a long time now. Firstly I think the acting was pretty amateur, the way they chose to tell this story was also quite boring, however there were a few very realist gory parts.

Of course it should be remembered that this is based on a true story and I'm sure the film delivers most of the facts and that that is more important that it being some big blockbuster movie

VERDICT: Unless you're interested in the actual case, it's probsbly not one I would recommend

I finally watched it, Joaquin Phoenix's interpretation of Johnny Cash was impressive, the further into the film you went the more like Johnny Cash he became. I'm not usually a big fan of Reese Witherspoon, but this is the best film, I've seen her in.

Teh storylineitself was quite revealing in that probably everthing I thought I knew3 about this man happened completely differently.

There wer a fair few boring parts, as I think is the nature of a lot of biopics and it was a lengthly watch, but enjoyed it all the same

Interesting story, however if you're looking for a scary film, this may not quite do it for you, for me I liked the whole courtroom part.

Laura Linney did a very good performance and she is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses.

VERDICT: A good watch, could possibly been a little better if it had been a little more scary

Slightly dissapointed in this, heard good things but found parts boring. Jamie Fox, however took a great part as Ray

It?s hard to believe from watching this film that this is the same actor, who warmed our hearts as Ponyboy Curtis in ?The Outsiders?.

A much more realistic look into the murders committed by serial killer cousins; Ken Bianchi and Antonio Buono , known infamously during the period of investigation as ?The Hillside Strangler?.

Perhaps the most explicit of the true crime serial killer films as sex was very significant to the pair before and during their reign of terror.

Some will find the topic in question a little depressing, even perhaps a little morbid, but it's dealt with very realistically and of course is a much debated issue.

Really good acting throughout, particularly of course by Javier Bardem.

With scenes of extreme violence and sexually explicity, this film based on the true story of Charles Manson and his followers and the murders they comitted is shot partly as a pseudo documentary style film, whilst flashing back to the actual events.

Having not known too many of the details before viewing this film, it's difficult to know how much of the film is accurate, however it does prove that the power of suggestion through brainwashing is a dangerous and powerful thing.

VERDICT: As long as you are not offended by the sexual nature of this film and have the stomach to watch the details, it's defintely an interesting watch.

Depicting the true life events of Alfred Kinsey and his famously publicised sex studies that would cause much debate across America during the 1940?s.

Good parts played by Neeson, Linney and O?Donnell and thought in particular the make up envolving the aging of the characters were done particularly well.

A tale with perhaps an underlying moral, that was quite a controversial story of it?s time.

The true story of Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugit, who went on a killy spree, often compared to 'Badlands' although this is the actual story of the pair, but evidently not as popular. Also I'm sure 'Natural Born Killers' was probably influenced by the original story too.

This story is one to be watched if you have a general interest into the case, however it's comparison to the film 'Monster' in terms of quality is definitely not accurate.

An imaginative, adventurous and enjoyable film. It did, however, take a while to really get started, but with great costumes, this movie is visually mesmerizing.

A sinister and gruesome tale based on a true story, well played by Malcolm McDowell. The film starts off with some pretty realistic, uncomfortable viewing which actually brings the reality into this story. It does seem to go on a while and some of the acting (with the exception of McDowell) wasn?t all that good.

Certainly worth a watch if you find this genre interesting, however it was a little drawn out.

This was great, I didn't know very much about Bobby Darin and Kevin Spacey certainly played a great part.

Another stunning performance by Cate Blanchett and a great supporting cast.

A very powerful story based upon the true life of Veronica Guerrin, a journalist from Ireland who's career and search for the truth comes at a high price, amid the drug pushers and criminals.

Some very realistic violence used in a few of the scenes.

Cate Blanchett surely does seem to be able to turn her hand to anything and any accent.

Charlize Theron really pulled out all the stops when playing the role of Aileen Wuornos in this film. Apart from the huge physical transformation Charlize went through to look like Aileen, she studied everything about her - mannerisms, the way she talked, how she acted toward people, this has to be one of the most researched roles and most accurate impersonations ever to have been put into a performance, something (as you can probably tell) impressed me a lot.

The story isn?t told from the day of the first murder up to trial, but instead gives you a real background on Aileen Wuornos? life, from a young girl, up to and including the time of the killings.

I guess no-one can really know the whole truth to this story, but it certainly indicates that perhaps had some kind of different upbringing and not encountered many of the problems that she had, these may have been avoided circumstances.

Anyone who doesn?t know about the real story and is interested should check out the documentaries by Nick Broomfield ? ?Aileen ? Life and Death of a serial killer? and ?Aileen ? The selling of a serial killer?.

As someone with a psychological interest in killers, I found this documentary most facsinating, anyone who enjoyed the film Monster and would like to see the real Aileen would find this interesting

Quite an acceptable tale based on a true story. The storyline does seem to slump somewhat in the middle and I found it hard to maintain my concentration, however, this is quite some story and one that is worthy of telling.

It's worth taking a look at the special features on this one also.

Not a bad film and you have to remember it's based on a true story and so the storyline isn't going to stray far from the truth.

The makers of the film chose the actress playing the killed girl to narrate the story, which I found a bit bizarre and a bit unnecesary. Perhaps people who know about the case would find the film pretty interesting, however it was just watchable to me

I enjoyed this movie at the time, but time for a re-watch

A remarkable tale based on a true story, I was gripped from start to finish. Derek Luke, I thought played a fantastic part and it was a good performance from Denzel too, who also Directed the film.

An emotional account of how someone's present circumstances are a result of their past, facing your fears and forgiving to enable you to move on.

VERDICT: A great film which I definitely recommend.

The rise and fall life story of George Jung, well played by Jonny Depp. An interesting account of the Cocaine Entrepeneur's life style during that era and the meaning of his life when things go wrong.

A big and serious film for Will Smith, however I only ever saw Will Smith acting as Mohammed Ali, not at anytime did I feel that he had transformed into Ali, which so many actors have managed when acting in biopics. I can?t help feeling that this role may have suited a talented newcomer more aptly. That being said, the film touched upon all the parts of Ali?s life in which you would expect of the film.
At two and a half hours long, it is incredibly drawn out.

An extreme decision made by a group of teenagers for an extreme case of bullying. Based on a true story

Jack the Ripper; one of the most infamous serial killers of all time is still very much an unsolved enigma to this day. ?From Hell? tells the story through partial fact and partial theory, which opens the suggestion to a high level conspiracy surrounding the murders, which at least leaves you pondering the possiblity.

The set build was accurately constructed to represent the dark streets of Whitechapple, with the alleyways providing the murder sites of the women who were killed, which was shown with great effects by the flashes of the steel of the blade along with an almost subliminal images, which were effective.

Possibly an equally frightening thought was the surgery carried out on perfectly healthy people to render them catatonic, where they carried out out the rest of their days in a mental institution.

The sub-plot of Johnny Depp?s character, was to reveal a dark, fearless character who seemed to have given up on his own life, this goes on to show an addiction to ?chasing the dragon? along with drinking ?absinthe?, which we probably think of more as a modern day issue and so was a revealing factor of that time.

The acting was far from perfect, with Robbie Coltrane coming across very much as the humour of his tv character ?Cracker?. Many of the accents weren?t entirely convincing (even Johnny Depp) but they weren?t unbearably bad either. This film still remains to be a favourite of mine though and Ripperologists and Serial Killer film fans will certainly enjoy, if they have not already managed to have watched this.

As an extra the Special Features include a vast amount of information on the original case and a lot of behind the scenes footage and certainly worth the watch.

America's first Serial Killer Ed Gein was no doubt a very disturbed man. This film is by no means for the weak stomached as although some of it's content can be seen on many Horror style films, the fact that this was based on real people however adds to the eerieness to this dark film.

Ed Gein hears instructions from beyond the grave from his God fearing Mother, of whom he was obsessed with. The film seems to tie up with a lot of the facts that I've read up on and shows Gein's fascination of body snatching, ressurection and cannibalism.

This story was the inspiration to many films you see today, including Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Masacre and The Silence of the Lambs.

The story of The Hurricane touches me everytime I watch it or read about it. A superb performance by Washington, in one of the most publicised cases of wrongful imprisionment. Twenty-one years served out of his sentance for 3 murders he never comitted along with his socalled accomplis 'John Artis'. Whilst many campaign for his innocence, known and unknown, Carter manages to keep in the right mind by not accepting the treatment of a guilty man.

A must see.

Good viewpoint of the story, enjoyed it, but was a rather long film

This film left me utterly speechless, such an emotionally charged story based on real events.

This has to be Hillary Swank's role of a lifetime, she obviously put everything into playing this part.

This film is described as 'Powerful and shocking' which describes it perfectly, I felt the power of this film, for quite a while after watching.

Sorry, I know this is a popular favourite, but I found this film boring. The character taken on by Johnny Depp was brillient and there were some funny moments but I thought the storyline was pretty weak

An interesting story based on true events. It was actually Courtney Love, I found was the best character in this. Ed Norton looked pretty young and although didn't take a bad part, it was certainly before he peaked.

VERDICT: If you're easily offended by scenes of sexual nature, it's not for you as this is the main focus to the story

A subject close to my heart which made for emotional viewing. A Mother?s love and determination to do absolutely anything it takes to make her son well.

Meryl Streep as always gives her role everything she has and the rest of the main cast played good roles too.

I can?t see any Mother?s out there not liking or relating their feelings to this film, a great watch.

The impressive production by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice brought to screen by an impressive cast. There may have been doubt over Madonna being a lead in this film during it's release, when in actual fact I can not imagine anyone else portraying Eva Peron in quite the same way. Antonio Banderas gives a charmed performance as Che (perhaps his best role to date) who is cleverly worked in to all the scenes to act as a Narrator.

Eva Peron?s ambitions were, perhaps, ahead of her time for a woman of that era and shows quite an honest account to the life she lead up until her early demise.

Fans of this film or Musical Theatre in general, should definitely watch the stage show which is equally impressive.

Titanic is very typical of the Big Hollywood Blockbusters that I usually avoid until all the hype is over.

It is without doubt a huge scale film in every sense of the word and seems to have his equal share of fans and critics alike.

Of course the effects and the computer generated images are the fascination of this film. The love story of course, made for the interesting sub-story and added sentimentality when flashing back to the older Rose.

Sadly for me, Dicaprio will be remembered by many for this film alone, when his acting capabilities are above and beyond the role he played here, that being said the characters were enjoyable and of course made for a great star crossed lovers kind of story.

A good film which I re-watched recently. Undercover cop who gets close to Gangsters

The Basketball diaries takes you on a journey of a drug user from the very beginning and shows the escalation into drug abuse and the crimes comitted to support the habbit. The film lures you into a false sense of security by showing the boys just as juvenile delinquents , not experiencing too many problems, then bang, they're hooked and everything changes.



The end result (in my opinion) is Dicaprio?s finest performance to date and this is why I feel in later years he took on a few films that really didn?t show his acting skills at his best. One particular scene is extremely powerful and emotional.



Based on a true story, this is a remarkable tale cleveryly put together.

Scorsese?s Casino reunites De Niro and Pesci once again in what is an Epic length Drama based on actual events.

The Las Vegas casino, managed by higher levels of organised crime, shows the harsh realitites behind the scenes of the huge money making business, dealing with the corrupt and the powerful, casino is also a one-sided love story.

I often hear criticism about this film and I?m not entirely sure why, at almost 3 hours long, it?s quite some watch, but I don?t find it boring in anyway, maybe it?s critism is as a Scorsese piece, following Goodfellas. I do think this is Sharon Stone's best performance to date though.

A worthy tale to tell as it is based on a true story and quite a horrific one at that. Sadly though it wasn?t a film that particularly held you and it looked like a very low budge tv film.

A quirky true story about the man who was considered the ?worst Director?, told in a slight tongue and cheek manner, yet creatively put together and made for interesting viewing.

This is the type of film that will probably appeal more to those who have an interest in all aspects of film making. A slightly different type of project for Tim Burton, but you can certainly see in parts, why he was attracted to this project.

A rewatch, enjoyed it much better than my first viewing, interesting to learn about Alcatraz and the story was inspired by true events.

Kevin Bacon plays a very good role in this as a petty criminal imprisioned for a small crime, who suffers bad treatment at the hands of the prison staff..

VERDICT: Those who have interest in the true stories/prison filsm will enjoy this film

Not one of Samuel L Jackson?s finer films, but not a bad storyline. Watchable, but not miss-able.

Possibly one of the sickest films of it's genre, covering the facts of the true life story of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Interms of the actual film it was pretty porrly acted and even felt a bit dated.



You may find a strong stomach will help you on this one, purely because it's related to true events, but it's certainly not for everyone.

The tragic and touching tale of the wrongly imprisioned Guilford Four, plus others, is brought to life by Director Jim Sheridan, with a first class cast, led strongly by Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlewaite.

This true story is a harrowing watch of corruption and cover ups and delivers a strong, powerful storyline.

I got lost and distracted many times during this film, but the last half an hour, seemed to hold my attention.

I wasn't aware of the 'Blacklist era' or the story behind it, but I'm sure both Robert De Niro and Annette Benning's performances will have served the story well

A well played part by Val Kilmer, whom I'm not usually a huge fan of.

As I understand it from others, the story was told from a biased point of view. I am a fan of The Doors, but not so much that I know whether or not this is true.

Entertaining, insightfuly, this is Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' roll without a doubt.

Atruly amazing tale, based on true events. A well played role by Deniro and Williams.

An emotional story and dilemma spurring Neurological research into a group of people with a chronic 'mystery' condition.

A story that's baswed on capital punishment for a miner.

Juliette Lewis, as ever plays a great role, accompanied by Brad Pitt, who in my opinion plays these type of parts very well, where he's not playing a pretty boy.

VERDICT: A though provoking film, enjoyable, definitely worth a watch

One of the greatest films ever made, Ray Liotta makes his role of a lifetime appearance leading a star cast of unfaulted actors in Scorsese's masterpiece.

Capturing the highs and lows of organised crime, this film based on the true life story of Henry Hill from being a somebody to a nobody.

VERDICT: I really can't imagine too many people wouldn't have seen this, it's a timeless classic, but to people who haven't seen it because they are not fans of this genre, if you only ever watch one gangster movie, make it this one.

Also for those of you who enjoy a behind the scenes look at the Director's role, the special features are definitely worth a look.

At the time, I loved this film. Billie Whitelaw was fantastic as the mother of the Kray twins. However, there seems to be a lot of discrepancies to the real life version of events

A phonominal true story brought to life by the fantastic performances of Daniel Day Lewis and Brenda Fricker.

This Jim Sherridan film really grasps the poverty of the era which really gives you a sense of a working class family during this time. Also captured well was the Mother and son relationship and the strength of a family that stands together.

Powerful, emotional and brilliant.

An insight into the life of Dian Fossey, this a great film

A great film, old style gangster film, showing the capture of Al Capone

In my opinon one of the most emotional films ever made both Eric Stoltz and Cher played great parts in this and despite problems their relationship came across as a great partnership.

VERDICT: If you haven't seen it, give it a watch, but expect to have a lump in your throat.

Carnival fair freak, or star attraction for the upper classes to observe, John Merrick known as 'The Elephant Man' knew nothing much about the outside world, as society would not except his disfiguration.

This film was a really good watch, I think Anthony Hopkins was very good and to all the Brits out there who know who Dexter Fletcher is, watch out for him as the little boy.

I've read up on John Merrick recently and there seemed to be a few things left out from this story, however the main parts were shared. A man who just wanted to sleep like 'normal' people

VERDICT: Would definitely recommend

Great story, tragic loss

A nostalgic film and good to see again after many years. Although the actual plot in this film isn't that great, the build up around it is, a great soundtrack too and of course a few faces we know longer see in films

Not quite the masterpiece I was expecting, however a great performance by Al Pacino.

Based on true events, that makes this story all the more interesting, however there were moments in the story where I was bored.

Based on the true story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck (dubbed The Honeymoon Killers). Not every detail is completely accurate to the original story, however it appears to be a much more accurate portrayal than the later film released ?Lonely Hearts? (Salma Hayek and Jared Leto).

Shirley Stoler played her role well as she came across cold, calculating and insanely jealous.

The quality of film appears to look older than it actually is and has a worn look in parts, it seems this is down to the very low budget involved in making the film. Having said that, you get used to the quality pretty fast and the interesting storyline emerges and is an interesting journey of two obsessed lovers on the road on a murdering rampage. .

Not quite as good as I was expecting this to to be, although I think Faye Dunnaway played a great part. Interesting to know the full story, but a lot of boing parts this hasn't made me become any more of a Warren Beatty than I was.

One of the great classics and yet, this is the first time I have watched it. I certainly wasn't disappointed, in fact I was very impressed by the clever way in which the escape was plotted and I had been totally unaware that this film was based on a true story.

The appeal of this one of course is that is based on a true story. Wrongly accused stories always play on the fears of the viewer in a 'what if?' kind of way, but when it's backed up by a true story, then thoughts and fears are realised and make great, yet uncomfortable watching.

Not quite one of the best in my Hitchcock marathon, but certainly very watchable.

An intriguing and intersting story, yet not quite the masterpiece I'd imagined, perhaps my expectations were set a little too high for this.