Kingdom of War Part I / Naresuan Part I (2007)
Drama | History | War
An epic historical action film about King Naresuan the Great, who liberate the Siamese from the control of Burma, changing the destiny of a nation.
Starring: Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Sorapong Chatree
Director: Chatrichalerm Yukol
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
Pocahontas (1995)
Adventure | Animation | Drama | Family | History | Musical | Romance
Capt. John Smith leads a rag-tag band of English sailors & soldiers to the New World to plunder its riches for England (or, more precisely, for Governor Ratcliffe, who comes along for the ride). Meanwhile, in this "New World," Chief Powhatan has pledged his daughter, Pocahontas, to be married to the village's greatest warrior. Pocahontas, however, has other ideas. She has seen a vision of a spinning arrow, a vision she believes tells her change is coming. Her life does indeed change when the English ship lands near her village. Between Ratcliffe, who believes the "savages" are hiding the gold he expected to be plentiful, and Powhatan, who believes these pale newcomers will destroy their land, Smith and Pocahontas have a difficult time preventing all-out war, and saving their love for each other.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Irene Bedard, David Ogden Stiers
Director: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg
IMDb Info
Nova Zembla (2011)
Drama | History
The last journey of Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerk through 1596-1597 when they and their crew tried to discover the North East passage to the Indies. However due to the sea ice, they are stranded on the island of Nova Zembla and have to spend the winter there in Het Behouden Huys (The Safe Home). The story is told through the eyes of Gerrit de Veer, and is loosely based on the famous diary he published in 1598 after his safe return.
Starring: Robert de Hoog, Derek de Lint, Victor Reinier, Teun Kuilboer, Jan Decleir, Doutzen Kroes, Semmy Schilt
Director: Reinout Oerlemans
War Horse / Warhorse (2011)
Drama | History | War
The friendship between a boy and a horse who are separated but whose fates continue to be intertwined over the course of World War I.
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Steven Spielberg
The War Room (1993)
Documentary | History
The War Room takes us inside Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Director D.A. Pennebaker provides an up-close view of the two principals: campaign managers James Carville and George Stephanopoulos as they try to stay on top of the exploding maelstrom of events–from scandalous, personal smear tactics to the rise of quixotic spoiler Ross Perot.
Starring: James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, Heather Beckel, Paul Begala, Bob Boorstin
Director: Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker
IMDb Info
Cloverfield (2008)
Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi
On the eve of his departure for Japan, Rob (Michael Stahl-David) sees his going-away party as an opportunity to confess unresolved feelings and tie up loose ends. His agenda takes an unexpected turn when a jolt shakes the revelers. The crowd quiets down to watch news reports of an earthquake, then rushes to the roof to assess the damage. A fireball explodes on the distant horizon. A power failure follows. Confusion gives way to panic as the partygoers stumble through the blackout and into the streets. Amid the human screams and one inhuman roar, Rob and his friends must traverse a landscape that has changed, overtaken by something otherworldly, terrifying, monstrous…
Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel
Director: Matt Reeves
54 (1998)
Drama | History
Shane O'Shea was a 19-year-old guy living with his dad and two siblings in a small, boring town in New Jersey…until he crossed the river into New York City and entered a nightclub that was nothing less than the center of the universe – Studio 54. Shane's fast rise from busboy to the "glamorous" job of a shirtless waiter–puts Shane directly in competition with his ambitious buddy, Greg, a handsome busboy who's unwilling to "do what it takes" to advance his career. Shane also befriends Greg's Latin wife, Anita, a coat check girl, also aspiring to be a singing disco diva. The trio work under the erratic tutelage of their excessive yet nerdy club impressario–Steve Rubell. All four of their lives collide during this summer of 1979 when the club went from its height to its decline following IRS investigations.
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Sela Ward, Mike Myers, Neve Campbell
Director: Mark Christopher
Hell and Back Again (2011)
Action | Documentary | History | War
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home? Hell and Back Again is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy no previous film about the conflict in Afghanistan has been able to achieve. It is a masterpiece in the cinema of war.
Director: Danfung Dennis
Henri 4 (2010)
Drama | History
A wide-ranging, energetic period piece tracing the rise of the Protestant Henry of Navarre as he goes from battlefield warrior to France's beloved King Henri IV. Director Jo Baier's epic is a classically entertaining adventure, albeit one with more than a little bloodshed and frequent bawdy sexual interludes. In late 16th-century France, Catholics and Protestant Huguenots were at war. Seemingly seeking peace, the French dowager queen, Catherine de Medici summons Henry to her court to have him marry her daughter, uniting the two warring factions. However, the Catholics slaughter the Protestant wedding guests in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre and Henry-now married-must use all his guile to both stay alive and maneuver for the throne.
Starring: Julien Boisselier, Joachim Król, Andreas Schmidt, Armelle Deutsch, Chloé Stefani, Ulrich Noethen, Hannelore Hoger
Director: Jo Baier
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
War of the Arrows / Choi-jong-byeong-gi Hwal (2011)
Action | History
During Second Manchu invasion of Korea, one village is attacked by Manchurian soldiers. Manchurian kidnap Ja-in on her wedding day with her childhood sweetheart Seo-Goon. Her brother Nam-Yi defeats the enemy and save his sister and the other Korean victims with only one bow.
Starring: Hae-il Park, Seung-yong Ryoo, Moon Chae-Won
Director: Han-min Kim
Battle of Warsaw 1920 / 1920 Bitwa Warszawska (2011)
Drama | History | Musical
Battle Of Warsaw 1920 is an epic war melodrama set in WWI. Jan, a left-wing poet and cavalryman get called into front and decides to marry a theater actress before he leaves. While he is gone, the girl is harassed by an unwanted admirer and decides to join the Voluntary Legion Of Women preparing to defend Warsaw in the upcoming battle.
Starring: Borys Szyc, Natasza Urbanska, Daniel Olbrychski, Adam Ferency, Jerzy Bonczak, Boguslaw Linda, Adam Strzelecki
Director: Jerzy Hoffman
Monkey Magic / The Adventures of Super Monkey / Saiyûki (2007)
Adventure | History
Journey to the West comes to the big screen like never before in the 2007 film Saiyuuki! Also known as Monkey Magic and Adventures of the Super Monkey…
Starring: Shingo Katori, Teruyoshi Uchimura, Atsushi Itô, Eri Fukatsu, Asami Mizukawa
Director: Kensaku Sawada
The Mill and the Cross (2011)
Drama | History
Behind every great painting lies an even greater story.
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling, Michael York, Joanna Litwin
Director: Lech Majewski
IMDb Info
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Drama | History | War
After poisoning the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his mad son Commodus succumbs to dissipation and allows Rome to be ravaged by pestilence and the Barbarians.
Starring: Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer
Director: Anthony Mann
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
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Action | Drama | History
The year is 1965 and the U.S. is at War with North Vietnam. Commanding the air cavalry is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson), a born leader committed to his troops. His target: the La Drang Valley, called "The Valley of Death." As Moore prepares for one of the most violent battles in U.S. history, he delivers a stirring promise to his soldiers and their families: "I will leave no man behind dead or alive. We will all come home together."
Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper
Director: Randall Wallace
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
