Valkyrie / Walküre (2008)
Drama | History | Thriller | War
Tom Cruise stars in the true story of Col. Claus von Stauffenberg and the daring plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten
Director: Bryan Singer
The Duchess (2008)
Biography | Drama | History
A vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time is trapped in an unhappy triangle with her husband and his live-in mistress. She falls passionately in love with an ambitious young politician, and the affair causes a bitter conflict with her husband and threatens to erupt into a scandal.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell
Director: Saul Dibb
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Drama | History | War
Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
Starring: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend
Director: Mark Herman
Ironclad (2011)
Action | Adventure | History | Romance
It is the year 1215 and the rebel barons of England have forced their despised King John to put his royal seal to the Magna Carta, a noble, seminal document that upheld the rights of free-men. Yet within months of pledging himself to the great charter, the King reneged on his word and assembled a mercenary army on the south coast of England with the intention of bringing the barons and the country back under his tyrannical rule. Barring his way stood the mighty Rochester castle, a place that would become the symbol of the rebel's momentous struggle for justice and freedom.
Starring: Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox, James Purefoy, Derek Jacobi
Director: Jonathan English
61* (2001)
Biography | Drama | History | Sport
In the summer of 1961, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle took on Babe Ruth's record, the 1927 single-season 60 home run slam. It would be a summer that no one who knows baseball would forget. Mickey Mantle is a Yankee favorite, a hit with fans and sports writers alike and natural heir to his predecessors Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth. Also at bat is a yound midwesterner, Roger Maris, ahard-hitting right fielder. Maris is Mantle's opposite in almost every way. Quiet and soft-spoken, he doesn't add up to everything a sports legend should be, and finds himself losing the support of the fans. As the summer of 1961 unfolds, both find themselves approaching Babe Ruth's benchmark of 60 home runs. Facing mounting pressure from the media and the stands, they both know there's only room for one winner.
Starring: Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Masur, Bruce McGill
Director: Billy Crystal
Das Boot / The Boat (1981)
Action | Drama | History | War
This is the story of 42 raw recruits caught up in a war they didn't understand, and the Captain who must lead them in their struggle to survive.
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
The Lost Bladesman / Guan yun chang (2011)
Action | Biography | Drama | History
In the final years of the Han, the court was under the sway of Prime Minister Cao Cao. When his troops defeated those of rival king Liu Bei, they took Liu Bei's two wives, future concubine and other members of his family hostage, as well as Liu Bei's sworn brother, Guan Yunchang. Cao Cao greatly admires Guan and wishes to retain him, but Guan's loyalty is with Liu Bei. When Cao Cao finds out Guan was once in love with Liu Bei's future concubine, Qilan, he sets a trap to lead Guan to temptation and betrayal. Guan escapes with Qilan. But to get to Liu Bei, they must cross five passes. Guan, who is tired of killing, is forced to fight his way through, leaving a trail of corpses. At the final crossing, they fall into a deadly ambush.
Starring: Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Li Sun
Director: Felix Chong, Alan Mak
The Princess of Montpensier / La princesse de Montpensier (2010)
Action | Drama | History | Romance
Bertrand Tavernier is in top form with this gripping, superbly mounted drama set against the savage Catholic/Protestant wars that ripped France apart in the 16th century. Based on a novella by the celebrated Madame de Lafayette, the action centers on the love of Marie de Mezières for her dashing cousin Henri de Guise, thwarted when her father's political ambitions force her into marriage with the well-connected Philippe de Montpensier, who she has never met. When Philippe is called away to fight, she is left in the care of Count Chabannes, an aging nobleman with a disdain for warfare, and soon becomes exposed to the sexual and political intrigues of court.
Starring: Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Gaspard Ulliel, Raphaël Personnaz
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
