Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is the story of a legendary showman's double life - television producer by day, CIA assassin by night. At the height of his TV career, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.
Even at the start of his singing career, Dean Martin is an impressive gentleman, big, tall, hansom, exquisitely dressed, fitting his nightingale voice and naturally classy appeal, even though his womanizing costs him enough in alimony to declare bankruptcy. Jerry Lewis on the other hand is an unsightly schmuck, whose buffoon version of stand-up comedy is an agent's nightmare. When he accepts playing MC in a show with Dean, he tries interacting with him, and they hit gold judging by the audience's reactions. Initially Dean wants to walk off and stay a solo act, but success as a duo is irresistible, and they rocket together, even in Hollywood. However in time they fall out of friendship as their characters and lifestyle clash, and Dean still dreams of solo success.
The story of the rise and fall of the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, born July 13, 100 B.C., and starting his career as a young Roman with visions of greatness for the Eternal City. When Sulla conquers Rome with his troops, Caesar is one of the very few to stand up against the despotic dictator. This impresses Pompeius, Sulla's general, and he protects the young man, who is a nephew of Marius, a well known veteran, against the wrath of Sulla. After Sulla's death, Caesar returns from exile and starts his political career. Caesar's daughter Julia marries general and senator Pompeius, and Caesar takes Pompeius' troops in order to simply safeguard the borders to Gaul, but instead conquers the whole country. His final victory takes place at the fortress of Alesia, where the Germanic troops under Vercingetorix capitulate. Back in Rome, Ceasar is not trusted anymore, since the troops are loyal to him alone and it is feared by Pompeius and Cato that he will use the troops to conquer Rome and declare himself King, including the establishing of a inheritbale right to the throne. Instead, Caesar does none of that and sets off to Egypt in order to ensure a constant delivery of agricultural goods to the Roman Empire. After a glorious return to Rome, his former friends Pompeius and Cato are dead, their deaths blamed on Caesar, and his personal life is in ruins since he could not resist the temptation of beautiful Egyptian empress Cleopatra. Being inveigled and aided by a group of rebellious and untrusting senators around Cassius, his nephew Brutus finally kills Julius Caesar at March 15, 44. B.C. (the Ides of March) at the age of 55, starting an era of civil wars.
The biopic follows the life and career of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali (Will Smith) also known as ‘The Greatest’. He was the only boxer to become the world’s heavyweight champion three times. He was born in 1942 and was called Cassius Clay. When in 1954 somebody stole his new bike, Ali couldn’t stand up for himself, so he went to a gym to learn how to fight. Ali trained six days a week and was soon really good at running, skipping and, of course, boxing. In 1964 Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. The movie depicts his rise and fall in sports and politics, including forfeiture of his boxing license and championship title for his principled refusal to serve in the military during the Vietnam War and his comeback battles against Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Based on true events, the extraordinary movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001. The movie tells the story of John Nash (Russell Crowe) who starts grad school at Princeton in 1947. Some people consider him to be mentally ill, others regard him as a math genius. He is very lonely as he doesn't much like people, and they don't like him either. John often misses classes and spends his time working on game theory. As a result, Nash gains a prestigious post at MIT's Wheeler House. Some time later he gets married to brilliant student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and is recruited by the CIA for top-secret code-breaking activities. Eventually, Nash's brilliance leads him to madness making him lose control of reality. Alicia wants to help her husband; drugs and shock therapy, however, turn Nash into a listless, crest-fallen person. But Nash starts struggling to gain some control over his mental state. After hard years of insanity John Nash ultimately manages to overcome his schizophrenia and win international recognition.
The life of Miguel Piñero (Benjamin Bratt), a cult Puerto Rican playwright, poet and actor, is portrayed in the movie. Born in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, he grew up in the slums of New York City. Before he reached the age of 20, he had been sunk in vice. He was a drug addict with a long criminal record but his talent gave him a chance to give up a reckless way of life. He achieved fame by writing his first play "Short Eyes" which was nominated for six Tony Awards and won two of them. He co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Café, created the spoken-word poetry, wrote five plays and played some small movie roles. However, he continued to be a drug addict and was in love with a woman of pleasure. Bohemian lifestyle was his passion; risk was second nature to him. He was a New York idol who preferred walking on the razor's edge.
The crime drama follows George Jung (Johnny Depp), an ordinary guy from the blue-collar suburbs, who doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps of working hard and making ends meet. After moving to California, he becomes involved with drugs trafficking to pursue the American dream. His illegal business grows very fast. But the more money people have, the more they want. Driven by itch for money, Jung starts exporting tones of cocaine to the United States. He soon becomes wildly successful and lives in luxury. However, Jung has to pay the price...
A moving and tender depiction of the novelist Iris Murdoch's descent into Alzheimer's Disease, covering the period from just before her marriage to intellectual John Bayley until her death. The film is based on the two books by John Bayley (Iris, Iris & The Friends).
Seriocomic story based on the memoir by Beverly Donofrio, the movie follows a young woman who finds her life radically altered by an event from her teen years. Born in 1950, Beverly grew up bright and ambitious in a working-class neighborhood in Connecticut; her father was a tough but good-hearted cop who listened to his daughter's problems, and her mother was a nervous woman eager to imagine the worst. From an early age, Beverly displays a keen intelligence and an interest in literature, and dreams of going to college in New York and becoming a writer. However, she also develops an early interest in boys, and at 15 finds herself madly in love with a boy from her high school. However, an attempt to get his attention leads to an embarassing incident at a party, and Ray, a sweet but thick-headed 18-year-old, steps forward to defend her. Beverly and Ray end up making out, and after one thing leads to another, Beverly discovers she's pregnant. Telling Ray is only marginally less difficult than informing her parents, and at 16, Beverly is a wife and mother. Against the odds, Beverly is determined to still finish high school and go on to college, but that goal becomes more difficult with time, especially after Beverly's marriage begins to fall apart. Ray tries to do the right thing but has trouble holding a job, and becomes addicted to heroin.
Erin Brockovich is an unemployed single mother, desperate to find a job, but is having no luck. This losing streak even extends to a failed lawsuit against a doctor in a car accident she was in. With no alternative, she successfully browbeats her lawyer to give her a job in compensation for the loss. While no one takes her seriously, with her trashy clothes and earthy manners, that soon changes when she begins to investigate a suspicious real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. What she discovers is that the company is trying quietly to buy land that was contaminated by hexavalent chromium, a deadly toxic waste that the company is improperly and illegally dumping and, in turn, poisoning the residents in the area. As she digs deeper, Erin finds herself leading point in a series of events that would involve her lawfirm in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
The true-life military drama focuses upon two "men of honor", Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.), the first African-American deep-sea diver, and Leslie W. Sunday (Robert De Niro), the training officer. In the 1940s, Brashear managed to overcome racism and become a Navy student. But he was the main enemy of other students and Leslie William "Billy" Sunday, the Leading Chief Petty Officer and head instructor. However, he had enough grit to hold out in the face of mental and physical challenges. He successfully graduated from the diving school and began to serve in the Navy. Years later, after having lost half his left leg in the atomic bomb incident, he continued to dive and his old enemy Billy Sunday unexpectedly became his guardian angel...
This animated feature-length life of Jesus boasts a stellar pedigree. Originally a BBC Wales production, it showcases the voices of some of Britain's finest actors in any medium: Ralph Fiennes as a brooding and humble Jesus, Miranda Richardson as Mary Magdalene, Richard E. Grant as John the Baptist and David Thewlis as Judas. The lovely, flute-heavy score is by Oscar-winner Anne Dudley (The Full Monty). And clearly a lot of expense has gone into the Claymation-like animation. But while it's hard to find fault with the rendering of this familiar story—it is respectful and definitely done, you might say, by the Book—it would have been nice if there had been a tad more joy, if it walked a bit lighter in its sandals. As it is, all the characters seem consistently subdued, whether they are expressing angst, rage, terror or bliss—none of which is helped by the figures' blank-eyed stares (if animators are becoming ever more sophisticated, why can't they get rid of those creepy blank gazes once and for all?). Still, the weight of having such formidable actors play these familiar roles lends the production a certain credibility, and parents looking for good religious videos that won't insult their kids' intelligence will be thrilled.
Susanna is depressed and directionless after finishing high school in the late 1960's. A suicide attempt lands her in Claymore, a mental institution. She befriends the band of troubled women in her ward (Georgina the pathological liar, the sexually abused Daisy, the burn victim Polly) but falls under the hypnotic sway of Lisa, the wildest and most hardened of the bunch. Will Susanna "drop anchor" at Claymore and perpetually act out like Lisa, or will she finally pull her mind together and leave institutional life behind?
The biopic comedy relates the story of Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey), a famous American entertainer, actor and performance artist who was able to stir any audience. An eccentric, extraordinary person and an enigmatic comedian, he gave bizarre performances making the audience empathize with him, hate him or wonder at his escapades. He made them show their emotions, as opposed to just sitting in front of a TV and swallowing cheap jokes. The movie takes a profound look at Kaufman's art as well as his personal life and his relationship with his girlfriend Lynne Margulies (Courtney Love), his best pal and partner Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti), and his manager George Shapiro (Danny DeVito).
In the 15th century, France was entangled in the Hundred Years' War with England. When the country seemed to be threatened with its inevitable downfall, Joan of Arc (Milla Jovovich), a 17-year-old illiterate peasant girl, appeared at the court of the French Dauphin, Charles (John Malkovich). She claimed that she had been instructed by the Lord to lead troops into a holy battle and defend their land against the aggressors. Inspired by the charismatic, self-confident, strong and fearless maiden, warriors won a victory over the English at Orleans. A year later, Joan was captured by the Burgundian and sold to their allies, the English, who tried her for heresy and burnt alive at the stake. In 1456, she was pronounced innocent. In 1920, Joan of Arc was declared a national heroine and canonized a saint.
This film tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, a former tobacco executive, who decided to appear on the CBS-TV News show "60 Minutes." As matter of conscience partially prodded by producer Lowell Bergman, he revealed that, the tobacco industry was not only aware that cigarettes are addictive & harmful, but deliberately worked on increasing that addictiveness. Unfortunately, both protagonists of this story learn the hard way that simply telling the truth is not enough as they struggle against both Big Tobacco's attempts to silence them and the CBS TV Network's own cowardly complict preference of putting money as a higher priority over the truth.
In 16th century Venice, courtesans enjoy unique privileges: dressed richly in red, they read, compose poetry and music, and discuss affairs of state with the men who govern the Republic. When Veronica Franco comes of age, she cannot marry Marco Venier, whom she loves, because she is well born but penniless. Her choice: cloister or courtesan. She steels her heart, and with beauty and intelligence becomes the best. She's a heroine when she helps convince France to aid Venice in war with Turkey, but when plague descends, the Church charges her with witchcraft. At her inquisition, she must match wits with an old rival, speak for all women, and call courage from Venier.
At the beginning of World War II, Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt), a famous Austrian mountaineer, and his friend Peter Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis) go to Tibet to climb one of the highest picks of the Himalayas. But they are captured by the Allied forces in the mountains and put into a prisoner-of-war camp. After the escape, they reach the Forbidden City where only a few Western people have been before. Young Dalai Lama (Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk), a Buddhist spiritual leader, gets quite curious about the strangers.
Having always wanted to be a disc-jockey, Howard Stern works his way painfully from radio at his 1970's college to a Detroit station. It is with a move to Washington that he hits on an outrageous off-the-wall style that catches audience attention. Despite his on-air blue talk, at home he is a loving husband. He needs all the support he can get when he joins NBC in New York and comes up against a very different vision of radio.
The musical drama depicts the real-life story of Eva Duarte (Madonna), an Argentine girl from the lower class who at the age of 15 decides to leave her hometown for the capital city with hopes of a better life. Once in Buenos Aires, she becomes involved in relationships with influential men who help her to climb the ladder. A famous radio performer and film actress, Eva meets ambitious Colonel Juan Perón (Jonathan Pryce) at a fundraiser in San Juan in 1944. The two fall in love and get married the following year. Encouraged by his wife, Juan wins election to the presidency. Eva Perón eventually becomes "the spiritual leader of the nation" by establishing and running the Ministries of Labor and Health, the charitable Eva Perón Foundation, and the Female Peronist Party. Her untimely death of uterine cancer at the age of 33 shakes the whole world.
