This 2007 French biographical film dives into the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, journalist and editor of an esteemed fashion magazine, Elle. The French biographical drama stars Mathieu Almaric as the editor who’s left suffering from locked-in syndrome after having a stroke. The film is based on the very book Bauby wrote while “locked in.” He used a method of blinking in order to communicate the words he wanted to write.
The film won a number of prestigious awards and was nominated for several more, at the Golden Globes, the Cannes film Festival, and the BAFTAs, among others. It is widely regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the decade and, on Rotten Tomatoes, it has nearly a 95% fresh score.
Captain Phillips (2013)
This 2013 movie depicts Tom Hanks as a merchant mariner whose boat was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. It did well at the box office, pulling in over $218 million against a $55 million budget. The real-life captain was a merchant mariner and author who served as captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in 2009.
Captain Phillips has an impressive 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, and four Golden Globes including Best Picture, and Best Actor for Hanks’ performance. Those who were really aboard the Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked say the film depicts the captain as being much more heroic than he actually was.
Bombshell (2019)
John Lithgow stars as disgraced former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who was forced to resign from the network after being accused of sexual harassment by several of the women who worked for him. Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron (who plays Megyn Kelly), and Nicole Kidman (who plays Gretchen Carlson) star opposite Lithgow. Theron is eerily close to Megyn Kelly. The famed anchorwoman was one of the key figures in the #metoo movement and was involved in completely rearranging the management at Fox.
The movie just came out in 2019, and received a number of major award nominations, including the Academy for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for both Theron and Robbie’s work in the film. The make-up and hair stylists won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Cinderella Man (2005)
This 2005 and film tells the tale of Boxer James Braddock, played by Russell Crowe. Braddock was a promising contender in the 1920s, but his career was cut short after an injury. But in the 1930s he made a surprising comeback, which was good news for a country desperate for it in the midst of the Great Depression. Braddock became famous for his deadly counterpunching style, mighty right hand, and his chin of iron.
The film grossed over $100 million at the box office and received three Academy Award nominations. It holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 69% on Metacritic, and opened to mostly positive reviews.
The Big Sick (2017)
Zoe Kazan stars in this Judd Apatow romantic drama about a young couple who come from very different worlds and must face incredible hardships together. Kazan plays grad student Emily V Gordon, who falls in love with a man from a traditional Muslim family in the Oscar-nominated picture. While Kazan plays Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani actually plays himself in biographical account of his relationship with his now-wife.
The Big Sick premiered at Sundance in 2017, and was nominated for a number of awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It won the 2018 Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy. It grossed $56 million against a budget of $5 million and was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year.