Added by Juli on 11 May 2012 01:22

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Biopics Worth Watching

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Decade: Rating: List Type:

932

6.6

6.5

The Runaways (2010)

This has to be one of my favorite movies ever. Not for obvious reasons, but mainly because I like that it looks so raw & the work that went into finding look-a-likes & whatnot wasn't just a grab & go. They really put effort into making it as genuine & honorable to the real things as possible.

Gotta say, the only thing I don't/didn't like about it was Dakota Fanning's "innocence". She's supposed to be new to it but have a hard edge. But through the film, she kept that doe-eyed, trying too hard to be badass type of vibe. It just wasn't fluid.

Juli's rating:

299

6.6

6.5

The Notorious Bettie Page

My favorite thing about this film is seeing the actors actually do what they're paid to; Act. Most Biopics that are done on low budgets tend to have actors that don't try & don't care. In this, mostly everyone did the opposite. Especially the lead. She was the closest thing I've seen to a Bettie look-a-like in a long time. Granted, she was wearing a wig & probably contacts. But she still did her job in the most spot-on way possible.

I didn't like that it stopped where it did. I would have liked it to either go a little further into how Bettie chose to stray from modeling into religion, or stop before & save all that for another film. Other than that, this has to be one of the best biopics I've seen.

Juli's rating:

485

7.1

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Another favorite of mine. The biggest reason why I wanted to see this in the first place is that I'm a huge Beatles fan. I saw Across The Universe years previous & I expected something a little like that. Light & musical. Even though I was aware it was a telling of John Lennon's life, I had no idea what to expect. Once I actually watched it, I noticed small details that other Beatles biopics would probably leave out. I quite admire the thought & effort put into making it & I'd definitely say it's something to watch if you're into that type of thing.

Something I didn't like was that Little Paul wasn't as spot-on as the rest of the Little Beatles. He was really the only member I didn't guess right away. I thought he was a little extra that made his way on-screen somehow. But I respect the actor for trying his best at it; & doing pretty well.

Juli's rating:

1555

7.4

7.6

50/50 (2011)

I only just recently watched this after wanting to for a while & I really just fell in love with it. You want to laugh, but you feel bad, so it's kind of a double-edged sword. But the movie makes you feel really comfortable with the situation the characters are in. The way it was put together gives more information that you're really thinking you got.

I didn't like that Seth Rogen tried so hard to seem like an ass. You get that his character isn't really the reliable best friend type but he just goes a little too far at a certain point, almost like he's making sure you leave the movie wanting to either punch him in the face or shake his hand.

Juli's rating:

830

6.8

6.9

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Very recently I had the pleasure of seeing this film. I didn't think it was going to suck, from what I'd heard, but I didn't expect it to be as good as I'd heard either. I was pleasantly surprised. It was very respectful in telling a not-so-flattering story. It showed Marilyn as a real person, just like it promised, but in her weakest moments, it still showed an endearing quality about her. It very much held the intrigue that it promised & that you expect from a biopic of it's stature.

I did not like that everyone praised Michelle Williams [despite my liking of her] for being so good at her Marilyn impression. I did think she did a great job, but it's nothing that hasn't already been done. She captured the essence of Miss Monroe, yes, but so have many other people. She showed the vulnerability quite well, but there were still moments when, except for the hair & the trademark mole, it looked nothing like the real thing.

Juli's rating:

2949

7.4

7.9

Almost Famous (2000)

This is one of those films that I'd heard a lot about & was very aware of for a long time, but I never got around to watching. When I finally did, I was somewhat confused, but definitely interested enough to watch it again to clear things up for myself. I love the genuine nature of it & the nostalgic feel are what makes it so easy to watch. You believe that the film was made in the year that it was simply set in.

I don't dislike much about it, mostly the pacing. It's a bit slow & sort of hard to really follow - well, it was that way for me. But at some point, you really don't notice once you're so caught up in all the details.

Juli's rating:

3316

7.4

7.3

Girl, Interrupted (2000)

I was fairly young when this came out so I didn't see it right away. But after a few years, I became aware of it & my curiosity peaked. I love it to pieces. The twisted-yet mundane air to it is what interests me. It's like a guilty pleasure. You can't help but laugh at it but then it makes you think in the turn of a second.

What I don't like is that you don't get to know the other characters well enough. Maybe it's just me, but I'm always more curious. Maybe because I haven't read the book yet.

Juli's rating:

2594

6.7

7.4

Erin Brockovich (2000)

The first few times I saw this, I wasn't sure that I liked it. I had to watch it a time or two more to really appreciate it. I liked that Julia Roberts wasn't her typical "I'm sweet as pie but I can act bitchy" routine. She actually came across as a bitch on a mission. I wanted to dislike her, but something made me like her instead. Maybe the fact that she reminds me of myself at times, but I definitely like that they didn't try too hard to show that she wasn't rich but she still tried her best to look decent; if only to herself.

A thing I didn't like... I don't really know, probably that it was a little dry at times. It's not meant to be a totally speaker-blasting action movie, but the parts where there was no yelling or lawyer-speak going on were somewhat lacking.

Juli's rating:

1176

6.9

7.2

The Doors (1991)

It's been a long time since I've seen this so I don't know if I could give it a proper review. But from what I remember, it was a decently accurate portrayal. Val Kilmer is always a chameleon in roles where he gets to be his partially-quirky self & this fed that, then added drugs.

I do not like Meg Ryan so that's my only critique. If it were anyone else but her, this would be an almost-flawless movie. Well, aside from Val Kilmer's overacting.

Juli's rating:

1743

7.5

7.8

The Fighter (2010)

I have to admit, I was sort of forced into watching this. But I'm glad I did. The reason I was reluctant is that I don't usually like boxing/sport movies. Something about them is just always boring to me, but this was not at all what I expected. Each of the actors were really great in their respective roles & even Mark Whalberg had me paying more attention than I normally would.

What I didn't like is that some of the conversations were so amplified, you get lost in the sound of the yelling. I'm from Chicago & we speak loud & fast so I'm used to that, but when you're in a theater [which I'm glad I wasn't] things are about ten times louder than if you're sitting in your living room.

Juli's rating:

219

6.2

6.5

Purple Rain

It's sad that there are no screen shots to choose from for this film.

This is such a lively, encompassing film that you almost don't notice that Prince is actually a partially good actor. At times, you lose your focus in the drawn-out conversations, but that's a feature in most films. I love that my parents will watch this without peeping a word, until the music starts. You honestly don't think about it that much, but as soon as you realize it, you're humming along.

I wish this were made more recently. [Not a remake or made more modern] Just so that certain things were clearer & more vibrant. A movie like this doesn't deserve to sit on a shelf & fade.

Juli's rating:

419

6.6

6.2

Party Monster (2003)

I have to be honest, this movie scared the living shit out of me when I first saw it. But I blame that on the fact that it was 3am & pitch black outside. Not even the scariest horror movies can scare me the way this did. But after the initial shock wore off, I watched it again & actually enjoyed which parts of it weren't completely deranged. Most of the acting is decent & the camera work is shotty, but the angles are flattering & I'm sure the real-lifers would be pleased.

I didn't like that it tried so hard to show the world these men were living in. They jammed so much into each scene that it totally distracts you from anything important.

Juli's rating:

256

6.2

Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

This is sort of one of those films where I went in with no concept of what to expect. I had no idea what I was watching until I asked my mom & she explained it. Aside from the fact that it's partially about incest, it's an okay film. I was hesitant, but after about half an hour or so, I actually started to enjoy myself. You'll like this film if you're a fan of brutal honesty & hard-hitting facts.

I didn't like the repetitiveness of it. They really only needed one or two scenes to get the idea across that he married his cousin. Not a whole damn hour.

Juli's rating:

2907

7.5

7.8

Walk the Line (2005)

I'll bet that this is one a lot of people saw coming, & while I don't personally like the film all that much, I feel like people should give it a chance at least once. I like the fact that they got two of the most well-known actors for the leads that you'd almost never think to cast in the roles they got. They ended up fitting perfect & making the movie that much more accurate.

I don't like the fact that everything was such a big deal. Yes, a lot of the things Johnny Cash did/sang about were very shocking when he did them, but the movie was about him as a person, not his ability to make people hate him.

Juli's rating:

4854

7.6

8.3

Braveheart (1995)

This is another film I'm not a fan of, mostly because I've been almost forced to watch a million or so times. But I do like that a lot of detail went into it & that they actually cared enough to make things as accurate to the era as possible. As depressing films go, it's one of the best.

I do not like that so much happens in a tiny time frame. Yes, I know the story & all the info, but too much goes on, your brain doesn't have time to rest most of the time. Which may only be a problem for me.

Juli's rating: