Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
Biography | Drama | Music | Romance
A drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet…
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Bruce Greenwood, Joan Chen, Chi Cao, Amanda Schull
Director: Bruce Beresford
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Biography | Drama | Romance
Based on the true story of a twice-divorced mother working as a low-level secretary at a Los Angeles law firm, a chronicle of a woman, without a law degree, who takes it upon herself to fight powerful corporate forces. Hired out of sympathy after her lawyer lost her personal injury suit, Brockovich stumbled upon the cover-up involving contaminated water in a small desert community, while working at the small law firm. Brockovich tracks a case of water poisoning created by PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) and champions it all the way up the judicial ladder– becoming instrumental in rallying the over 600 plaintiffs and in helping them win the largest class-action suit of its type.
Starring: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin, Dawn Didawick, Valente Rodriguez, Conchata Ferrell
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Walk the Line (2005)
Biography | Drama | Music | Romance
In 1955, a tough, skinny guitar-slinger who called himself J.R. Cash walked into the soon-to- be-famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was a moment that would have an indelible effect on U.S. culture. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as deep and black as night, Cash sang blistering songs of heartache and survival that were gutsy, full of real life and unlike anything heard before. That day kicked off the electrifying early career of Johnny Cash. As he pioneered a fiercely original sound that blazed a trail for rock, country, punk, folk and rap stars to come, Cash began a rough-and-tumble journey of personal transformation. In the most volatile period of his life, he evolved from a self-destructive pop star into the iconic "Man in Black" facing down his demons, fighting for the love that would raise him up, and learning how to walk the razor-thin line between destruction and redemption
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts
Director: James Mangold
IMDb Info
Abba (2011)
Biography | History
"Abba" is a musical documentary about the life and legacy of Hong Yi-feng, one of the most iconic popular musicians in post-World War II Taiwan. The film, produced by Hong's three sons, offers great music, nostalgic discoveries, a glimpse into creative minds, a complex and tender family story and some food for thought on the possible healing power of religion.
Starring: Yi-feng Hong, Rong-hong Hong, Jing-yao Hong, Rong-liang Hong
Director: Rong-liang Hong
The Iron Lady (2011)
Biography | Drama
A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Notorious (2009)
Biography | Drama | Music
In just a few short years, Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.
Starring: Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Antonique Smith
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
Action | Biography | Crime | Drama
Based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who finds faith leading him on a path to East Africa. Shocked by the mayhem in Sudan, Childers becomes a crusader for hundreds of refugee children. Inspired to create a safe haven for the multitudes fleeing enslavement by the brutal Lord's Resistance Army, he restores peace to their lives and eventually his own.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon
Director: Marc Forster
Holy Rollers (2010)
Biography | Crime | Drama
Inspired by actual events in the late nineties when Hasidic Jews were recruited as mules to smuggle ecstasy from Europe into the United States. Sam Gold, a young Hasid from an Orthodox Brooklyn community reluctantly follows the path his family has chosen for him, awaiting a pending arranged marriage and studying to become a Rabbi. A charming neighbor, Yosef Zimmerman, senses Sam's resistance and propositions…
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Danny A. Abeckaser, Ari Graynor, Mark Ivanir
Director: Kevin Asch
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Biography | Drama
Colin Clark met Marilyn Monroe while working as a young assistant on Laurence Olivier's "The Prince and the Showgirl." When Marilyn experienced emotional difficulties during shooting, the 23-year-old third assistant director came to her aid and romance developed. But one week of honesty and fun was not enough to save the doomed star from self-destruction.
Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson, Judi Dench
Director: Simon Curtis
The Dirty Picture (2011)
Biography | Comedy | Drama
Imagine a make-up girl who became an extra and then the most wanted heroine of the early 80s. Chronicling the meteoric rise and steep fall of an erstwhile screen sensation, The Dirty Picture is set against the colourful and entertaining backdrop of hte South film industry of the 80s. The quintessential siren, Silk, knew her audiences, and it didn't seem like anything would stop the fiercely ambitious starlet, till it did, in the shape of unrequited love. To the world, she was the queen of sensuality. But at heart, Silk was just another woman craving true love. An unfortunate encounter with deceit and infidelity led to dire consequences!
Starring: Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajesh Sharma
Director: Milan Luthria
The Long Riders (1979)
Biography | Crime | History
The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.
Starring: David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Dennis Quaid, Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, James Keach, Randy Quaid
Director: Walter Hill
IMDb Info
J. Edgar (2011)
Biography | Crime | Drama
As the face of law enforcement in the US for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts
Director: Clint Eastwood
A Dangerous Method (2011)
Biography | Drama | Thriller
Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender star in director David Cronenberg's adaptation of Christopher Hampton's play detailing the deteriorating relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung as they contend with a particularly troubled patient. The year is 1904. Carl Jung (Fassbender), a disciple of Sigmund Freud (Mortensen), is using Freudian techniques to treat Russian-Jewish psychiatric patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) at Burgh枚lzli Mental Hospital. But the deeper Jung's relationship with Spielrein grows, the further the burgeoning psychiatrist and his highly respected mentor drift apart.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender
Director: David Cronenberg
Cleopatra (1963)
Biography | Drama | History
Historical epic. The triumphs and tragedy of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Darryl F. Zanuck
The Elephant Man (1980)
Biography | Drama | History
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller
Director: David Lynch
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Biography | Drama | History
Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Queen Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II — with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada — determined to restore England to Catholicism. Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Sir Walter Raleigh. But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country. Unable and unwilling to pursue her love, Elizabeth encourages her favorite lady-in-waiting, Bess, to befriend Raleigh to keep him near. But this strategy forces Elizabeth to observe their growing intimacy. As she charts her course abroad, her trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham, continues his masterful puppetry of Elizabeth's court at home — and her campaign to solidify absolute power. Through an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth's own cousin Mary Stuart, he unknowingly sets England up for destruction.
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Mollà, Aimee King
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Elizabeth (1998)
Biography | Drama | History
This is the England of 1554, but the veneer of traditional English composure and dignity has been stripped away. The British populace is in turmoil. Fearing a challenge to her throne, Queen Mary I imprisons her half-sister, Princess Elizabeth Tudor (The daughter of King Henry VII and Anne Boleyn), in the Tower of London. But, in 1558, when "Bloody Mary" dies, Elizabeth is swept onto the throne and, at the age of 25, is crowned Queen of England. In order to survive, let alone to rule, Elizabeth must suss out hidden agendas: the Court is rife with intrigue; military strategists are risking the lives of young Englishmen; religious leaders at home and abroad place no faith in her; and the man she loves might not be worthy of her trust. The male-dominated ruling class would appear to have the advantage, but intelligent Elizabeth will deploy whatever means necessary to keep, or take what's rightfully hers.
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, Richard Attenborough
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Ray (2004)
Biography | Drama | Music
Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix
Director: Taylor Hackford
IMDb Info
Carlos (TV mini-series 2010)
Biography | Crime | Drama
CARLOS tells the story of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, who was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world for two decades. Between 1974, when he attempted to kill a British businessman, and 1994, when he was arrested in Khartoum, he lived several lives under many names and went through all the political complexities of his era. Who was Carlos? How were his identities interrelated and superimposed? What did they revolve around? And who was he before he threw himself heart and soul into his endless combat? These are the questions this fiction is built upon.
Starring: Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstatten, Ahmad Kaabour, Christoph Bach
Creator: Daniel Leconte
The Lover / L'amant (1992)
Biography | Drama | Romance
It is French Colonial Vietnam in 1929. A young French girl from a family that is having some monetary difficulties is returning to boarding school. She is alone on public transportation when she catches the eye of a wealthy Chinese businessman. He offers her a ride into town in the back of his chauffeured sedan, and sparks fly. Can the torrid affair that ensues between them overcome the class restrictions and social mores of that time? Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Maugerite Duras.
Starring: Jane March, Tony Leung, Frédérique Meininger
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
