Question To History Buffs

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Which movies that are based on historical events and/or figures do you recommend? My sister's birthday is coming up soon {May 27th} and I want to get her a DVD she will like because she is a history buff just like many of you. Do not post documentary titles.

We already have:

Captain Phillips {Although she liked this, she said that Hollywood should have waited longer to make this movie.}

Lincoln {My sister is not a Spielberg fan, but she admitted that this was one of his better movies.}

Milk {My sister is a homophobe, but she did like Sean Penn's performance as Harvey Milk.}

The King's Speech {She liked Geoffrey Rush's performance as Lionel Logue.}

She does not want:

Selma {She has seen this, said it was a great movie, but doesn't want a movie to make her feel sad.}

The Butler {She wasn't sure what to make of this.}

12 Years A Slave {Same reason why she doesn't want a DVD of Selma.}

My focus is military history. If she likes that stuff I might mention Patton, Saving Private Ryan, and Tora, Tora, Tora.

Really only have a primary interest in war, but I'll rec a couple to check out.

The Monuments Men (Didn't get very good ratings, but I enjoyed it for what it was.)
Schindlers List (Mentioned she's not a Spielberg fan, but it's a great movie.)

I recommend Gangs of New York by Martin Scorsese. It's a drama about rival gangs in 19th century Manhattan and has been praised for authenticity. Scorsese loves New York so much and it shows in this movie (in a lot of his movies). He took care with sets and historical events. The acting is good too and I bet your sister will like it.

Spielberg can be maudlin at times (if that's what she doesn't like) but Scorsese is never maudlin and New York City is his muse. It's a fine historical movie.

wiki about Gangs of New York

My sister does not like war movies either. However, if you know of any PG-13 war movies, post the titles.

Guilty By Suspicion: staring Robert DeNiro and George Wendt in a true life story about the 1950's Hollywood black list.
Truman: Gary Sinise stars as President Harry S. Truman. Not a well known movie, but very good.
The Whole Wide World: Story of the father of American Epic Fantasy literature, Robert E. Howard, as seen through the eyes of the one woman he loved then lost. I think a strong case can be made that Howard was an Aspie.
Pollock: Biopic of artist Jackson Pollock, starring Ed Harris, exploring his genius, as well as his struggle with mental illness and alcoholism.
Kill Your Darlings: Daniel Raddfield stars as American poet Alan Ginsberg, during his days at Columbia University, where he meets future lights of the Beat movement, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Lucien Carr. Ginsberg learns to accept his own homosexuality at a time when gays were a social pariah, and finds himself drawn into Carr's world, which careens into obsession and murder.
Cleopatra: While this movie is dated film making, as it is over dramatized, as well as over acted, but is still interesting for one who loves ancient history. Stars Elizabeth Taylor.
Three Hundred: Not great history, as a lot of license has been taken with it, but still it reawakened interest in a small force of Spartan soldiers who stood against the might of the million man Persian army. As your sister doesn't like war movies, this might not be for her.

What about a TV series?

I, Claudius is an awesome, old school history show.

You could get the DVD set for about $30.

@ Janissy: My sister is not a Scorsese fan either. Although she likes Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, she thinks that most of his works are on the same level as Spielberg's, in terms of tone and quality.

@ Goon: I don't know if my sister has heard of I, Claudius. I'll have to ask her about that.

@ Bill: Anything that features LGBT characters my sister will not watch because my sister is a homophobe, so therefore she will not watch Kill Your Darlings.

^^
I do agree that it is strange that my sister is a homophobe, but she'll watch LGBT-related movies like Milk and the Kinsey biopic.

Charlie Wilson's War. Can't think of any better than that.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
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-Gem Tos

^^
My sister won't watch any movie that has Tom Hanks in it. She thinks he's worse than Tom Cruise.

@ Bill: My sister won't watch anything that is related to the Beat Generation, although I do agree that she may not have much objection to receiving a copy of Kill Your Darlings.

^^
I don't know, she doesn't usually explain herself.

Modern History?

Hotel Rwanda