History
12 Years a Slave
(2013)
John Ridley (screenplay by), Solomon Northup (based on "Twelve Years a Slave" by)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 239 wins & 335 nominations.
Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty personified by a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
All the President's Men
(1976)
Carl Bernstein (book), Bob Woodward (book), William Goldman (screenplay)
Won 4 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 21 nominations.
"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
Argo
(2012)
Chris Terrio (screenplay), Tony Mendez (based on a selection from "The Master of Disguise" by), Joshuah Bearman (based on the Wired Magazine article "The Great Escape" by)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 83 wins & 144 nominations.
In 1979, the American embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolutionaries and several Americans were taken hostage. However, six managed to escape to the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador and the CIA was ordered to get them out of the country. With few options, exfiltration expert Tony Mendez devised a daring plan: create a phony Canadian film project looking to shoot in Iran and smuggle the Americans out as its production crew. With the help of some trusted Hollywood contacts, Mendez created the ruse and proceeded to Iran as its associate producer. However, time was running out with the Iranian security forces closing in on the truth while both his charges and the White House had grave doubts about the operation themselves.
Black Hawk Down
(2001)
Mark Bowden (book), Ken Nolan (screenplay)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 37 nominations.
Action/war drama based on the best-selling book detailing a near-disastrous mission in Somalia on October 3, 1993. On this date nearly 100 U.S. Army Rangers, commanded by Capt. Mike Steele, were dropped by helicopter deep into the capital city of Mogadishu to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. This lead to a large and drawn-out firefight between the Rangers and hundreds of Somali gunmen, leading to the destruction of two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters. This film focuses on the heroic efforts of various Rangers to get to the downed black hawks, centering on Sgt. Eversmann, leading the Ranger unit Chalk Four to the first black hawk crash site, Warrant Officer Durant who was captured after being the only survivor of the second black hawk crash, as well as many others who were involved.
Bridge of Spies
(2015)
Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Won 1 Oscar. Another 29 wins & 88 nominations.
During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
Burke and Hare
(2010)
Piers Ashworth, Nick Moorcroft
1 nomination
Based on the true story of the famous murderers, this movie follows the hapless exploits of William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis) as they fall into the highly-profitable business of providing cadavers for the medical fraternity in 19th-century Edinburgh, Scotland, then the center of medical learning. The one thing they were short of was bodies.
City of Life and Death
(2009)
Chuan Lu
9 wins & 9 nominations.
In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.
Deepwater Horizon
(2016)
Matthew Michael Carnahan (screenplay by), Matthew Sand (screenplay by), Matthew Sand (screen story), David Barstow (based upon an article by), David Rohde (based upon an article by), Stephanie Saul (based upon an article by)
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations.
In April 2010, there is no oil exploration operation in the Gulf of Mexico to compare with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig with its size or sheer depth of its drilling. However, the project for the BP oil company is beset with technical difficulties to the point where the general operational supervisor, Jimmy Harrell, and his Chief Electrical Engineer, Mike Williams, are concerned potentially dangerous trouble is brewing. Unfortunately, visiting BP executives, frustrated by the project's long delays, order curtailed site inspections and slanted system tests to make up for lost time even as Harrell, Williams and his team helplessly protest for the sake of proper safety. On April 20, the workers' fears are realized in the worst possible way when the rig's various structural and system flaws spark a catastrophic cascade of failures that would create a massive blowout and explosion that threatens them all, even as it also begins the worst environmental disaster in US history.
Defiance
(2008)
Clayton Frohman (screenplay), Edward Zwick (screenplay), Nechama Tec (book)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.
Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.
Dunkirk
(2017)
Christopher Nolan
Won 3 Oscars. Another 61 wins & 228 nominations.
Evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France, between May 26- June 04, 1940, during Battle of France in World War II.
Flags of Our Fathers
(2006)
William Broyles Jr. (screenplay), Paul Haggis (screenplay), James Bradley (book), Ron Powers (book)
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 24 nominations.
In 1945, the Marines attack twelve thousand Japaneses protecting the twenty square kilometers of the sacred Iwo Jima island in a very violent battle. When they reach the Mount Suribachi and six Marines raise their flag on the top, the picture becomes a symbol in a post Great Depression America. The government brings the three survivors to America to raise funds for war, bringing hope to desolate people, and making the three men heroes of the war. However, the traumatized trio has difficulty dealing with the image built by their superiors, sharing the heroism with their mates.
Frost/Nixon
(2008)
Peter Morgan (screenplay), Peter Morgan (play)
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 67 nominations.
Writer Peter Morgan's legendary battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the story of the historic encounter that changed both their lives. For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans (as well as a $600,000 fee). Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.
Gangs of New York
(2002)
Jay Cocks (story), Jay Cocks (screenplay), Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Kenneth Lonergan (screenplay)
Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 44 wins & 93 nominations.
In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
JFK
(1991)
Oliver Stone (screenplay), Zachary Sklar (screenplay), Jim Garrison (book), Jim Marrs (book)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 43 nominations.
On November 22, 1963, president John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald is arrested for the crime and subsequently shot by Jack Ruby, supposedly avenging the president's death. An investigation concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby acted alone in their respective crimes, but Louisiana district attorney Jim Garrison is skeptical. Assembling a trusted group of people, Garrison conducts his own investigation, bringing about backlash from powerful government and political figures.
Kagemusha
(1980)
Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 3 nominations.
When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.
Letters from Iwo Jima
(2006)
Iris Yamashita (screenplay), Iris Yamashita (story), Paul Haggis (story), Tadamichi Kuribayashi (book), Tsuyoko Yoshido (book)
Won 1 Oscar. Another 23 wins & 36 nominations.
The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons, a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination.
North Face
(2008)
Christoph Silber, Philipp Stölzl, Rupert Henning, Johannes Naber, Benedikt Roeskau (story)
4 wins & 6 nominations.
Based on a true story, North Face is a suspenseful adventure film about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Set in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nation's ...
Roaring Currents
(2014)
Cheol-Hong Jeon, Han-min Kim
17 wins & 17 nominations.
The film mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), where the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin managed to destroy a total of 31 of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi.
Rogue Trader
(1999)
James Dearden, Nick Leeson (autobiography), Edward Whitley (book)
N/A
Ambitious, wide-boy Nick Leeson is determined to rise in the world and be more than a simple bank clerk. When his employers, Barings Bank, offer him the opportunity to go to Jakarta to sort out a problem that nobody else wants, he seizes the opportunity with both hands. In Jakarta he meets and marries Lisa and together they go to Singapore when the bank offers him the job of setting up their future options trading operation. To save money the bank allows Nick to operate both the floor trading and the back office facilities and force him to employ cheap, unskilled staff. His first year of trading is a big success and he makes large profits for the bank even though he has illegally broken trading rules and secretly covered up losses. Given more freedom, even more money and continuing unchecked, Nick starts to make losses and again attempts to trade out of them but this time he comes unstuck as his illegal trading generates even bigger losses. After the death of his unborn child Nick completely loses control and gambles without restraint with other people's money leading inevitably to a complete financial meltdown and the bankruptcy of the bank.
Schindler's List
(1993)
Thomas Keneally (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay)
Won 7 Oscars. Another 82 wins & 49 nominations.
Oskar Schindler is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric German Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, it is a testament to the good in all of us.