Watch list: 48 BEST MOVIES BASED ON TRUE EVENTS.

A friend of mine asked me to list down the best movies which I have watched that are based on true events. I believe the following 48 movies are the most touching and inspirational set of movies which meant the most to me as a critic and a lover of cinema. 

*Note: This list is loosely based on the year of release and not categorized on a rank.

Schindler's List (1993) — adapted from the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally about Oskar.

 Schindler and his actions to save over 1,000 Jews from the Holocaust. Directed by Steven Spielberg

Braveheart (1995) — Based on the story of William Wallace of Scotland.

saving Private Ryan (1998) — Story of the Niland Brothers during World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Boys Don't Cry (1999) — Story of hate crime victim Brandon Teena. Directed by Kimberly Peirce.

 

Erin Brockovich (2000) — Story of Erin Brockovich. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Men of Honor (2000) — Based on Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear the first African-American Master Diver of the US Navy. Directed by George Tillman, Jr..

Remember the Titans (2000) — Based on the 1971 football season of the newly integrated T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Cinderella Man (2005) — Based on the story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.

North Country (2005) — Based on a lawsuit. Directed by Niki Caro.

Coach Carter (2005) — Based on the Richmond High School basketball team led by coach Ken Carter.

Seabiscuit (2003) — Based on the book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand.

Hotel Rwanda (2004) — Story of the Paul Rusesabagina's experiences during the Rwandan Genocide. Directed by Terry George.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) — Adapted from Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind, an unauthorized biography of John Nash. Directed by Ron Howard.

Pearl Harbor (2001) — Based on the events of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid. Directed by Michael Bay.

Black Hawk Down (2001) — Adapted from Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare by Mark Bowden about the Battle of Mogadishu.

Enemy at the Gates (2001) — Based on Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.

Catch Me If You Can (2002) — Story of con artist Frank Abagnale. Directed by Steven Spielberg

City of God (2002) — Adapted from a book by Paulo Lins. Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.

The Pianist (2002) — Based on the memoir by Władysław Szpilman, a Polish musician of Jewish origins and childhood survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland.

Gridiron Gang (2006) — Based in real incidents involving youth gang members in a youth jail named 'Killpatrick Camp' who played into a football team led by the Coach Sean Porter.

Alpha Dog (2006) — Based on the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz organized mainly by Jesse James Hollywood, with names changed.

The Last King of Scotland (2006) — Based on factual events during Idi Amin's rule of Uganda. Directed by Kevin Macdonald.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) — Based on true story of Chris Gardner, starring Will Smith

Mongol (2007) — Intended to be the first in a trilogy of films based on the life of Genghis Khan.

Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) — British gangster film based on actual events.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007) — Based on Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan.

The Bank Job (2008) — Based on a 1971 London robbery allegedly concocted by MI5.

Changeling (2008) — Loosely based upon the real-life Wineville Chicken Murders, involving Christine Collins and the disappearance of her son.

Valkyrie (2008) — Story of the 20 July plot of German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

The Blind Side (2009) — The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Invictus (2009) — Based on the real life story of South Africa president Nelson Mandela and François Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby union team.

The Soloist (2009) - True Story Film Based On The Life Nathaniel Ayers

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) -A drama based on the true story of a college professor's bond with the abandoned dog he takes into his home.

The Social Network (2010) - Film Based on creation of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed.

127 Hours — Based on the story of Aron Ralston, the American mountain climber who amputated his own arm to free himself after being trapped by a boulder for six days.

The Fighter (2010) - Based on the life of boxer Micky Ward and his half-brother Dicky Eklund

The Whistleblower (2010)- Inspired by actual events, the film tells the story of Kathryn Bolkovac.

Conviction (2010) - Based on a sister's life who goes to law school so she can become her brother's attorney,as the brother is convicted of murder and is innocent. Betty Anne fights for her brother kenny for his life.

The King's Speech (2010) - Historical British Drama Film Based On King George VI Who Was Suffering From Stammer

The Way Back (2011) - A true story of seven men escaping the prison in Siberia, (held by Stalin) walking through the Gobi desert, Himalayas and all the way to the China wall.

Moneyball (2011) - Based on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis.

Kill the Irishman (2011) - Biopic movie based on the life of Danny Greene

I’m certain that there are many other great movies our there produced on the same category. But sadly I have not watched them! So good luck watching these flicks. I’m certain that once you get through all of these you will see the world as a different place. 

Author: Priyantha Bandara 

 Author contact Email: farcry77@gmail.com

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Reference: (Wikipedia) (IMDB)

KUNG FU PANDA 2 (2011)

Every year there are few animations comes out which will make you say wow that’s fantastic. And out of that one or two makes your eye brows go higher beyond its capability, and laugh out loud from corner to corner of your face. And this year NO DOUBT that animation is Kung Fu Panda the second edition. 

We all have seeing the first movie and sure enjoyed it like hell (Just saying no one really enjoys hell but if that movie was shown in hell that would have made lot of sinful poor souls happy!) And there was this awesome animation character named PO a Panda from the land of ancient China and his side kick Kung Fu friends. The characters just plainly evolve in this second movie as well. And now they are a gang of fighter who protect their land with the new Dragon Warrior Po. But Po seems to be the same old funny and not so heroic character time to time. 

In this edition Po is challenged by an Evil Peacock Lord Shen from the Gongmen city who is a threatening the whole China with a new secret weapon in hand. And later Po finds out that Lord Shen was his enemy from the childhood and discovers his sad origins as well. 

The plot may not be totally unique as this is the second edition but the spirits run high. The character creations are awesome and so do the voice acting. Don’t even have to mention that the animation is kick ass because most of you will not expect anything less. 

Simply put Kung Fun Panda 2 is a must watch. No excuses!

My Score 4/5

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Action

Director:  Jennifer Yuh

Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger

Stars:  Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan

MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS (2011)

Jim Carrey is not the kind which makes you a disappointed viewer. There may be a movie which does not live up to standards on the plots but Carrey always make sure that his part is covered. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a good example. It’s funny, light and makes you feel a little bit happier than most other flicks that come out with animal themes. 

Mr. Popper is a successful but a lonely business man. After the divorce seems like his wife or the two kids doesn’t really like to hang out with him. Surprisingly his father sends him 6 penguins and writes him an emotional letter on his deathbed. Though Popper was reluctant to keep the Penguins at his luxury condo at first, he finds that there is no better choice as his kids starts to get very fond of the creatures. 

The plot is not totally the interesting type. It’s quite predictable and sometimes does not make much sense. But it’s not hard to get through. It has more of Disney movie characteristics than a Jim Carrey movie. There are no special cinematography credits or extra special performances or music too. What might be the key to making the flick watchable is the performance by Carrey and the cute set of Penguins. And I’m sure more of them are not real but animations. But done quite cleverly I must say. 

My Score 3/5

Genre: Comedy, Family

Director: Mark Waters

Writers: Sean Anders (screenplay), John Morris (screenplay)

Stars: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino and Angela Lansbury

CAPTAIN AMERICA - THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)

When the skinny small man Steve Rogers wants to join the army at the time of WWii it seems to be almost impossible. After failing 5 times doing so, for his luck he manages to join a strategic scientific experiment unit of USA army. After undergoing an experiment his body reaches the ultimate human performance. Proving his capability of fighting the war and becoming a hero Steve steps up to the front line with the nick name Captain America. His mission is to defeat the evil Schmidt of the German army who heads the Hydra project which threatens to destroy the major cities of the world.   Schmidt aka Red Scull posses a secret energy source which is ultimate.

Captain America – The First Avenger is not one of those super hero movies which are filled with earth shattering action sequences.  But it preserves the comic style well. And starting from cinematography to performance it stands out among the mundane super hero wave of movies. Furthermore as he is not really a super hero with exceptional abilities just like Bat Man there is a sense of humanity in him. And the plot surrounds him with the good which he offers from his unique abilities and truthful desire. 

As the movie ends with the hopes of a second installment which takes place in the present times, I sure hope that next will be a bit bigger in every aspect. 

My Score 3.5/5

Genre: Action, Adventure

Director: Joe Johnston

Writers: Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely (screenplay)

Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson

CARS 2 (2011)

When the first movie ‘Cars’ came out it was like one of the best works of Pixar by then. And to be honest one of the best animations that hit the screen back then. It was amusing and had a wonderful story line mixed with good humor and breathtaking scenes. However that charisma seems to have faded away with Cars 2. Simply you don’t feel it like you used to be. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a totally bad movie. There is lots of good stuff in this. 

This time also the story evolves around the famous race car Lightning McQueen and his friend the tow truck Mater. After accepting a challenge from a car which runs from alternative fuel to gasoline the duo leaves the Radiator Springs in order to bring home another cup. However once they start to race Mater realizes that the race is a cover up for a big plan to make the gasoline more popular and at the end his best friend’s life is in danger. 

More than Lightning McQueen the story this time is rolled out based on Mater. The comic, romantic and even the heroic character is the old rugged tow truck. And to support the plot there is plenty of good animation lines up. There are some stunning sequences which is worth watching. 

However like I mentioned before that feeling of Cars is lost in this flick. Maybe I expected more than it was suppose to but then again I’m just a regular adult fan. And most of the good animations are capable of moving adults to the theater without hesitation. 

My Score 3/5

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Directors: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis

Writers:  Ben Queen (screenplay), John Lasseter (story)  

Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy and Michael Caine