My Ten Favorite Biopics

I love movies based on the lives of real people.  Whether they're a little fantastical or strictly factual, I find them fascinating.  Of course, there are many movies based on real people that aren't biopics -- they focus on one event or short period in the person's life.  I think it only counts as a biopic if it either covers most of their life or a big part of their career.  Anyway, that's how I narrowed down my list for this post ;-)

Titles are linked to my reviews where applicable.

1. 42 (2013)

Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) is hired by Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the "color barrier" by being the first black player on a white team.  It's a masterful, respectful, beautiful film.

2. Luther (2003)

Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes) wrestles with his conscience, Scripture, and the Roman Catholic Church as he slowly comes to terms with the fact that the church needs to be reformed.  A moving portrayal of an ordinary man used by God to do extraordinary things.

3. Beyond the Sea (2004)

Bobby Darin (Kevin Spacey) reflects on his life and career in this mythic musical that tells his story through song and dance.  It's so bouncy and joyful!  Even in the low points.

4. Amazing Grace (2006)

William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) fights and fights and fights to end England's slave trade.  And he finally succeeds.  A beautiful movie in so many ways.

5. Evita (1996)

Eva Peron (Madonna) climbs Argentina's social ladder any way necessary, eventually becoming its first lady.  This music might get stuck in your head, but that's not really a bad thing.

6. Walk the Line (2005)

Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) turns anger and frustration into music, falls in love with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and finally learns to walk the line.  Masterful performances from both Phoenix and Witherspoon.

7. The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

Glenn Miller (James Stewart) makes music wherever he goes, bolstering the spirits of his family, his friends, and the entire nation.  Mostly a feel-good movie, but not entirely.

8. The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)

Molly Brown (Debbie Reynolds) goes from rags to riches multiple times, surviving gold rushes, bankruptcy, and even the sinking of the Titanic!  This is an irrepressibly fun movie.

9. The Wings of Eagles (1957)

Navy flier Frank "Spig" Wead (John Wayne) is paralyzed in an accident, but with the help of his wife Min (Maureen O'Hara) and many friends, he battles his way back to being able to stand on his own two feet.  So inspiring!

10. Miss Potter (2006)

Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger) falls in love, writes stories, paints cute pictures, publishes books, and refuses to let anyone stop her from doing any of those things.  It's a sweet, fun mix of cuteness and determination.

AMA Answers #2: Elanor, Maddy, and Claire

Time for the second set of AMA answers!  Once again, there's a short vlog at the end of this post in which I answer one question from each of these participants.

And again, if you haven't had a chance to ask me questions on my AMA post, I'm accepting questions until the end of the week.

Elanor

What is something that is considered a luxury, but you don’t think you could live without?

A camera.  I mean, obviously I could live without it, but I would be really miserable without a camera to record the big and little and medium-sized moments of life.  I haven't been without a working camera of my own since I was 8 years old.

What is something you do the "old-fashioned" way?

I do a lot of things the old-fashioned way, I think.  I like to bake things from scratch when I have the time.  I crochet and knit.  I sometimes sew.  I write thank-you notes.  I give birth with the assistance of midwives and no pain-relieving drugs.  My bicycle has only one speed.  Do any of those count?

What fictional place would you want to live in?

I'd love to live in Mitford, the fictional town created by Jan Karon.  It's based on a real town: Blowing Rock, North Carolina.  Which happens to be where I spent my honeymoon.

Do you have any hobbies you enjoy? If so, what are they?

I'm definitely a hobbyist.  I crochet, I knit, I sew, I bake, I dabble in photography.  I collect things.  I blog.  I garden.  I learn songs with complicated lyrics and try to sing them really fast.

What is you favorite old (like b&w old) movie?

I can't decide if I'm going to take this to mean the oldest movie I call a favorite, or my favorite black-and-white movie.  Because they've been making color movies since the 1930s.  I'll answer this in the vlog at the end of this post.

Just because I'm curious: Did you like Fantastic Beasts better than Harry Potter? Why/why not?

I am not sure, to be honest.  I love so many of the characters and the world-building in Harry Potter.  I doubt I will ever love a character in Fantastic Beasts like I love Sirius Black.  But I like the more mature story-telling that she's got going on in Beasts.  I'm excited to see where the next movie goes.

Maddy

If you could have written any novel, which one would it have been and why?

Intriguing question!  Um, well, hmmm.  I... am not really sure!  I don't think I've ever read a novel and thought, "Wow, I wish I'd written that."  I mean, maybe I have, and I just don't remember doing that.  I know there are books that I've read and thought, "Well, I could have done a better job writing that."  Not a lot, but a few.

Okay, here's one, but it's not a novel.  I wish I'd written John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in "Hamlet" instead of Richard L. Sterne because that would mean that I had gotten to experience being in the theater every day while they rehearsed, getting to bask in the presence of two actors I very much admire as they delved deeply into my favorite play.  That would have been amazing.

What are some of your favorite classic era films?

I'll answer this in the vlog at the bottom of the post :-)

Which is your personal favorite post that you have written here over the years?

I kind of answered this question yesterday, so today I'll say my post about the "realization and revelation" that helped me understand what makes me like and dislike stories.


Claire

You are at Elizabeth Chambers' Bird Bakery. What do you order? (And more importantly, which Armie Hammer movie do you watch afterwards? ;-)) I grew up right by Bird Bakery and have been missing it dearly lately, hence the question. :-)

I... I... I have no idea!  Bird Bakery is on my bucket list of places I want to visit one day.  I would order something chocolatey.  Unless, you know, Armie Hammer was there.  Then I'd just cower in the corner and try to keep breathing.

And then after, I'd either watch The Lone Ranger (2013) or The Man from UNCLE (2015), or possibly both.  Because I adore both of them.

What classic novel have you been putting off reading?

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  Cowboy read it in college, but I haven't.  Yet.

What movie has taken you by surprise and become an unexpected favorite?

Slow West (2015).  I mean, I knew it was a western, and that it had Michael Fassbender in it, but I was unprepared for the way it would creep into my brain and heart.

What is your favorite Rufus Sewell film/role?

Film would be A Knight's Tale (2001), which I have loved since I saw it in the theaters.  I had a poster of Heath Ledger from it on my dorm room wall for the rest of college.  But my favorite role of his is Autolycus in Hercules (2014).  Man, he just kills it in that film.

What is your favorite Christmastime recipe?

Answer is in the vlog below!

What's on the top of your "dream vacation" list?

Alaska.  Also New Zealand and all the LOTR film stuff there -- that's a close second.

You have just been put in charge of creating a new adaptation of Persuasion. Who do you cast?

Ioan Gruffudd as Captain Frederick Wentworth and Louise Brealy as Anne Elliot.  I really want this to happen, so if anybody knows any Hollywood producers, put a bug in their ear about it, okay?  Thanks!

What is your favorite television show episode of all time?

"The Walking Wounded" from Combat!, which I blogged about here.

What's the best movie you've seen so far this year?

I would say Logan (2017).  It's not necessarily my favorite movie of the ones I've seen this year, but it is probably just the all-around best.

THE VLOG

That's all for now!  More answers in a day or two :-)

"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" (2017)

I've seen this twice now, and I haven't quite wrapped my head around it yet, but I think I'm starting to.  Not that it's hard to understand -- the plot is pretty straightforward.  But there is a ton of stuff going on under the surface that I appreciated way more with the second viewing.  And since layered movies are my favorite kind, yeah, I'm basically a fan of this one.

In fact, I've realized that I'm becoming a Guy Ritchie fan.  You probably already know how much I adore The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), and I would like to see his two Sherlock Holmes movies again.  I also can't wait to see what he does with Aladdin (2019?).  He doesn't play things safe with his direction, always trying new ways to tell stories or show us things, and while I don't always like what he does (the "shoulder-cam" thing in King Arthur is just doofy, I'm sorry), I have to give him props for inventiveness.  He has this cool way of telling a story in circles, giving us the bare bones of an event and then filling in details later in a way that changes our perception of those events.

Cowboy says he thinks this is a good movie if you ignore the fact that it's supposed to be telling the story of King Arthur and just look at it as a cool story of some dude named Arthur becoming king.  And I guess that works too.  But one of the things I like best about it is the way it takes familiar bits of the Arthur legend and makes them fresh and new.  I mean, the world already has The Sword and the Stone (1963) if I want a super-traditional telling, Camelot (1967) if I want a musical version, and King Arthur (2004) if I want one that includes Ioan Gruffudd (because of course I do).  So why not a swaggery retelling with oddball music and lots of new ideas for things like how that sword got in that stone?

Because that's what we have here.  Lots of swagger.  Some very odd music, and some cool music -- I've been listening to the soundtrack on YouTube, and yeah, it's odd.  But I will give the composer, Daniel Pemberton, the same props I give Guy Ritchie here.  He is trying new things, he's not just writing generic placeholder music that could be swapped out with any other actiony movie.  I love his soundtrack for Man from UNCLE, and even though this one doesn't hit me at the same level, I still like listening to (most of) it just because it's so different.

Okay, so basically, Vortigen (Jude Law)  kills his brother, King Uther (Eric Bana), and takes over the throne, but fails to kill little Prince Arthur.  Little Arthur escapes and grows up in Londinium, in a house of ill repute.  He grows up scrappy and loyal and sarcastic and lonely (so, duh, of course I like him).  When he's all grown up (and now played by Charlie Hunnam), the sword in the stone comes to light.  Vortigen knows this was his brother's sword that won't answer to anyone but the rightful heir to the throne, so he sets about systematically searching for that heir.

Arthur's very bold and ambitious, but he doesn't know he's the rightful king.  He has these nightmares about the night his father died, but he doesn't know what they mean.  Yet.  Thanks to a powerful mage (Astrid Berges-Frisbey), he begins to understand his dreams, his past, and what his future could hold.  Also, there's a bunch of rebels who want Vortigen gone.  And these angry Viking dudes.  Plus, Vortigen gets power from these super creepy serpent-women-octopus-things.  Like I said, there's a LOT going on in the movie, and I'm not even sure how to coherently review it.

So I guess I won't try.  If you're interested in a movie about King Arthur with a lot of magic and some cool storytelling twists, not to mention nice scenery and pretty people, give it a try.  If you're not, don't.

My favorite scene both times I watched this was the approach to the big finale, when a hallucinating Arthur rides toward his uncle's castle, unarmed and alone.  (This song is playing in the background, and it's so wacky and off-kilter and perfect for the scene.)

(He's hallucinating because the mage had a snake bite him, and I haven't entirely figured out why yet.)

It's a cool montage sequence, and it's pretty.  Did I mention this movie is very pretty?  Just like Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a beautiful movie to look at, though this one involves more CGI.

And Ritchie uses some great, unusual camera angles and staging that keeps everything so interesting, visually.  Like this shot of Arthur confronting Vortigen after the ride to the castle:

Isn't that a feast?  The opulence of the castle, the solid bulk of Arthur and the two guards bringing him in, the tiny focal point of Vortigen framed by Arthur and a guard.  It's like Vortigen is a prisoner too here, and in a way he is -- captive to his own ambition.  Also, Arthur towers over him, shadowy and unknowable.  We spend most of the movie with Arthur, but he remains apart, a bit unknowable.  Whereas Vortigen... he gets fewer scenes, but we know so much about him from them.

My other favorite scene is when Arthur pulls the sword from the stone.

Can you feel the tension, his reluctance to touch this, his confusion?  And the dreary greys of his surroundings, with him the only bright spot -- mmm, I am in love with the cinematography, for sure.

I've wanted to see Charlie Hunnam in something ever since I read this article a few years ago about how his TV show Sons of Anarchy was basically a retelling of Hamlet.  Really, I want to see him play Hamlet himself, but this was a fun introduction to him, anyway.  (Plus, he was playing opposite the only person I've seen play Hamlet live, so that was cool.)

EDIT:  I forgot to say if this was family friendly or not.  Um, sorta?  It's got loads of violence, but none of it is bloody or gory, it's just smash-bash-crash-move along.  It does have a lot of magic stuff going on, so that's not for everyone.  No sex, but he does grow up in a brothel, so there's some implications of what the girls he protects do for a living.  Does have some bad language, including that one non-sexual F-bomb allowed by the PG-13 rating.  Not a movie for kids, but I'll let my kids see this when they're teens (with my finger on the mute button).  Would be great with something like ClearPlay to take out the language.

My Ten Favorite Actors

This was such a difficult list to compile.  Not the first five -- those are pretty easy.  Though Alan recently shouldered his way to second place, the other four there have been in that order in my affections for years now.

The bottom five, though, took some thinking as to what order to put them.  And I have a bunch of actors vying for the last spot -- I could have given it to Matt Damon or Dana Andrews or Chris Hemsworth or Val Kilmer or Michael Fassbender very easily.

This is a little different from my "ten favorite" posts about movies and such, as I can't provide a synopsis of people the way I can for films.  So instead, I'm going to list the first movie I saw them in, my favorite movie of theirs, and my favorite role they played.  And give them their own big pictures, not just the thumbnails above.  I've linked their names to the post labels for them, so if you click on one of their names, it will take you to all the posts I've written that involve that particular actor.  And of course, I've linked movie titles to my reviews of them where applicable.

1.  John Wayne.  I first saw him in either Dakota (1945) or In Old California (1942) when I was a pre-teen, but didn't really start liking him bunches until I watched North to Alaska (1960) a little while later.  My favorite movie of his is The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), and my favorite character he played is probably Quirt Evans in Angel and the Badman (1947).

2.  Alan Ladd.  I first saw him in Shane (1953) when I was in my twenties, but I didn't start to care about him until last year.  My favorite movie of his is Branded (1950), and my favorite roles are a tie between Shane in Shane and Luke Smith in Whispering Smith (1948).

3.  Hugh Jackman.  I first saw him in X-Men (2000) when I was in college, and I immediately became a fan.  My favorite movie of his is X-Men:  Days of Future Past (2014), and my favorite role is Wolverine.  But I really do like him in other roles too, honest!

4.  Harrison Ford.  I first saw him in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) around the age of 13, and by the time I was sixteen, he had become a dear favorite.  My favorite movie of his is The Fugitive (1993), and my favorite role he's played is Linus Larrabee in Sabrina (1995).

5.  Glenn Ford.  I first remember seeing him in Blackboard Jungle (1955) when I was fifteen, though it's possible I had seen him in something else first.  My favorite movie of his is 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and my favorite role he's played is probably Richard Dadier in Blackboard Jungle, though I also love him as George Temple in The Fastest Gun Alive (1956).

6.  Vic Morrow.  I first saw him on Combat! (1962-67), specifically the episode "The Walking Wounded."  I love him best on that show, and his character on it, Sgt. Saunders, is definitely my favorite of his roles.  In fact, he's my favorite fictional character of all.

7.  Rudolph Valentino.  I first saw Rudy in Blood and Sand (1922) and The Sheik (1921) on the same night, a couple years after I was already done with college and married.  My favorite movie of his is Moran of the Lady Letty (1922), and my favorite roles of his are a tie between Ramon in Lady Letty and Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in The Sheik. 

8.  Ioan Gruffudd.  I saw the first four A&E Horatio Hornblower movies when I was nineteen, shortly after they aired, and bought a boxed set of them on VHS as soon as I could so that I could watch them over and over.  While that series as a whole is my favorite thing he's been in, my favorite role he's played was Dr. Henry Morgan on the short-lived series Forever (2014-15), though William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace (2006) is a close second.

9.  Armie Hammer.  I'd only barely heard of him before I saw The Lone Ranger (2013) on the big screen.  I've been a devoted fan ever since.  That remains my favorite film of his, though my favorite role is probably Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015).

10.  Luke Evans.  First saw him as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit:  Desolation of Smaug (2012), where I just liked him okay.  Then came The Hobbit:  The Battle of Five Armies (2013), whereupon he catapulted his way into my affections in a spectacular fashion.  That remains my favorite movie of his, and Bard is definitely my favorite role of his.  (Notice that Bard dominates my blog header at the moment.)

Are there any surprises here?  Who are your favorite actors?  Do we have any in common?

I'll be doing my list of favorite actresses soon too -- working on that one.

If you're wondering why Bobby Darin isn't here, it's not because I have ceased to love him.  It is because I love him more for his music than his movies.  If I did a list of "favorite entertainers," he would be at the top.

A Period Drama Tag

Rachel at A Girl's Place tagged me with this recently.  Thanks, Rachel!  (You have a great name, by the way.  Just sayin'.)

1. What's your favorite Period Drama movie? 

It's also my favorite movie of all time:  The Man from Snowy River (1982), which is set in the Australian Outback sometime in the Victorian era, I'm guessing 1890s.  I've reviewed the film here, and also wrote about it here.

2. What's your favorite Period Drama series? 

The Granada Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, and first David Burke and then Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson.  It is beautifully done -- such attention to detail, such love for the original stories!  And Brett is by far the most Holmes-like Holmes I have ever seen.

3. Which Period Drama do you dislike the most? 

I don't know?  I don't keep track of movies and shows I dislike, really.  Hmmm.  Thinking.  Okay, I really don't like The Wild Bunch (1969) at all, so let's go with that.


4. Anne of Green Gables or Little Dorrit? 

Anne!  Always Anne.

5. Your favorite Period Drama dresses? 

I love just about every dress in White Christmas (1954), especially these:

6. Who's your favorite Period Drama character? (Okay, pick at least five) 

Sherlock Holmes, as portrayed by Jeremy Brett in the aforementioned Granada series, Nicholas Rowe in The Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), and Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC's Sherlock (2010-) (Yes, I know the latter is not a period drama, but it IS one of my favorite portrayals, and I must include him).

Jane Eyre, as portrayed both by Zelah Clarke (1983) and Ruth Wilson (2006).

Robin Hood, as portrayed by Errol Flynn (1938), Richard Todd (1952), and the animated version voiced by Brian Bedford (1973).

Zorro/Diego, as portrayed by Tyrone Power (1940), Guy Williams (1957-59), and Duncan Regehr (1990-93).

The Lone Ranger/John Reid, as portrayed by Clayton Moore in the TV series (1949-57) and Armie Hammer in the new film (2013).

7. If you could join a royal ball, which dress would you wear? (Pick a Period Drama dress) 

Since it is my life's ambition to be a fairy godmother, I choose this dress from Cinderella (2015):

8. What's your favorite Jane Austen movie? 

Emma (1996), with Gwyneth Paltrow.  It's one of my less-favorite Austen novels, but man alive, do I love that movie.

9. Downton Abbey or Call the Midwife? 

I've seen like 5 eps of Downton Abbey and none of Call the Midwife, so... neither.


10. Sybil Crawley, Jenny Lee, Emma Woodhouse or Marian of Knighton? 

Even though she's probably my least-favorite Austen heroine, I'm gonna have to go with Emma Woodhouse on this one.  What I've seen of DA hasn't impressed me with Sybil (though I liked her better than Mary), and if we're talking the Marian from the BBC Robin Hood, I'm honestly not a fan of her either.  Haven't seen Jenny Lee, so yup, going with Emma.

11. Which couples of a Period Drama do you like the most? (Pick at least four) 

Jane Eyre (Zelah Clarke) and Edward Rochester (Timothy Dalton) of Jane Eyre (1983).

Anne Shirley (Megan Follows) and Gilbert Blythe (Jonathon Crombie) of Anne of Green Gables (1985).

John Thornton (Richard Armitage) and Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) of North & South (2004).

Ringo (John Wayne) and Dallas (Claire Trevor) of Stagecoach (1939).

12. And last, which Period Drama villain do you like the most?

So here's the thing... I almost never *like* villains.  I mean, I can count on one hand the villains I actually like.  Happily, some of them are actually from period dramas!  Including my favorite, namely Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) from 3:10 to Yuma (1957), which I reviewed here.

Okay, this doesn't say you need to tag anyone, but I'm going to tag a few people because I'm curious to see their answers:

Annie of The Western Desk
Birdie of Lady of the Manor
Cordy of Write on, Cordy!
DKoren of Sidewalk Crossings
Eva of Coffee, Classics, and Craziness
Heidi of Along the Brandywine
Kara of Flowers of Quiet Happiness
Miss March of Sunshiny Corner
Rose of An Old-Fashioned Girl
Quiggy of The Midnite Drive-In (but you don't have to choose a ball gown -- maybe men's formalwear instead?)

Play if you want to!  (And if I didn't tag you and you want to play, go ahead!)