Our “Film Odyssey” closes with the 2001 Best Picture winner, the rare biopic with a massive plot twist stuck in the middle.
Category Archives: Biopic
GYPSY (1962)
In honor of Stephen Sondheim, here is one of his earlier works, about the seminal insane stage mom and her daughter who ends up as the most famous stripper of all time.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE (1944)
A historical epic filmed in Russia during World War II with an unlimited budget, but Stalin found himself regretting the end result.
MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS (1985)
The story of famous Japanese author who also had his own private army and tried to overthrow the government, as one does, told in such a highly stylized manner that I honestly lost track of it.
THE LAST EMPEROR (1987)
Our Forgotten Best Pictures Film Festival closes with an interesting epic about the final emperor of China, who lived a fascinating life despite lacking any personal agency whatsoever.
THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937)
A very old-fashioned biopic (sort of) about a French writer and his fight to save an army officer wrongly accused of treason. I found myself drawn in despite myself.
AMADEUS (1984)
A story about a normal human who is confronted with genius and it slowly drives him insane. I think I might like this movie so much because of my own psychological problems, but I definitely like it a lot.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
This “jukebox musical” of patriotic Broadway hits showcases James Cagney’s powerhouse performance, but that’s basically the only part of the movie that works for me.
RAGING BULL (1980)
Scorsese’s “masterpiece” about a boxer whose life falls apart because of his toxic masculinity.
Movie Valhalla 