Remember the Titans is a 2000 film based on the story of Herman Boone, portrayed by film icon Denzel Washington. Boone is one of the first African American coaches on a (newly integrated) high school football team in the early 1970s. The film follows along as he fights to do the best he can to coach while enduring racism from all angles.
Washington won the 2001 BET Award for Best Actor, as well as the same year’s Black Reel Award. Reviews of the film were mixed but mainly positive, and it went on to earn more than $115 million at the box office.
Che: Part One (2008)
Benicio Del Toro stars as Argentian doctor turns revolutionary, Che Guevara, in part one of this to part 2008 film. Part one is known as The Argentine and earned del Toro the award for Best Actor at that year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film follows Che's downfall in Bolivia. The revolutionary was executed by the Bolivian army in 1967. Since his death, he has been regarded as a hero for Marxists and the fight against ant-imperialism.
The film has mixed reviews among critics and audiences alike, with USA Today writing, “with its lyrical beauty and strong performances, the film can be riveting. It’s the excessive length and rambling scenes also make it maddening.” The movie only has about a 67% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 130 reviews.
Eddie the Eagle (2015)
Hugh Jackman leads the charge in this 2015 film based on the life of Michael “Eddie” Edwards, a British Olympics ski jumper who, in 1998 became the first competitor in several decades to represent Great Britain in ski jumping at the Olympics. Taron Egerton plays Edwards, while Jackman plays coach Bronson Peary.
The film became the highest grossing of the year in the UK with nearly $13 million, and over $45 million worldwide. With nearly 200 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a steady 82% approval rating. Taron Egerton was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2016 for his work on the film.
Sully (2016)
Clint Eastwood directs this 2016 biographical film that tells the story of retired pilot Chelsey Sullenberger, played by Tom Hanks. It follows the harrowing events of US Airways Flight 1549, on which the pilot had to perform an emergency landing and wound up saving over 150 lives. The plane was hit by birds, but the calm Sully successfully landed the plane atop New York’s Hudson River.
Sully grossed more than $240 million at the box office and received mostly positive reviews from critics. It also holds an 85% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on more than 335 reviews. Tom Hanks won the Hollywood Film Award for his work in the role in November of 2016.
The Aviator (2004)
The Aviator stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes. Directed by Martin Scorsese and packed with a star-studded cast (including Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn and Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner. The film gives the very true to life account of the billionaire, filmmaker and aviation tycoon Howard Hughes and his affairs with some of the most high-profile women in Hollywood at the time and his tormented phobias.
Nominated for eleven Academy Awards, the film follows Hughes (DiCaprio,) the record-setting pilot and director on his journey to success, from 1927 until 1947. It also gives insight into the decline of his mental health, due to his battle with severe OCD. DiCaprio won the Oscar for Best Actor for his work in the film, which won and was nominated for several more prestigious accolades.