ABOUT
True Story Movies is a collection of high-quality films based on and inspired by true stories and real events.
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For lovers of film and history.
ABOUT ME
My n​ame is Kelly Knowles, and I have been a film lover since I was a kid. My mom would sing a little tune, "Going to the mooooovies!" on our way to the movie theater. In my teens, I would take notes on films I watched at home, jotting down my interpretations and quoting thought-provoking lines. In researching real people behind biopics, I became aware that the internet is filled with misquotations and misattributions, and I wanted to know the truth. I also saw that there are different kinds of truth - verifiable and falsifiable facts, as well as universal truths about the human condition that are felt and lived. My favorite films are those that give us a glimpse into reality, according to both types of truth above.
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Even a film that is 100% fictional can hold a mirror up to our world and ourselves, and we walk away with deeper insight into reality or a reminder of profound truths. I don't mind if a movie based on a true story has some fictional components, as long as the filmmakers don't violate laws against defamation of character. Fictionalization sometimes helps move the narrative forward to create a compelling and artful story, all in the short timeframe of about two hours of our lives. It also inspires me to time travel through history by learning more after the end credits roll. The themes of the movie and the facts are the most important to me, as they may be universal truths that strike a cord in the real world here and now. What I love about true story movies is that they can entertain, educate, and enlighten, all in a work of art. That's true whether there's only a kernel of factual truth in the film or a meticulous dedication to documentary-style filmmaking.
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I created True Story Movies as a personal collection of film favorites. My tastes usually correspond to films highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, so based on popular opinion and my own, it's a collection of the best true story movies. It started simply with a Google Doc for myself and family, which became so extensive that I moved it to a website to share with anyone who shares my passion for film and reality.
"What's past is prologue," wrote Shakespeare in The Tempest. I used to organize a Film and Enneagram Club in the S.F. Bay Area, focused on the psychology behind the characters mirrored in ourselves. For the future, I might open a true story film club in the Bay Area and remotely. It may be a mix of a movie club, book discussion club, and discussion club for lovers of history and film applied to our lives.
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ABOUT TRUE STORY MOVIES AND EVENTS
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There are four categories of factual truthiness in films.
1. Based on a true story.
2. Based on real events.
3. Inspired by a true story.
4. Inspired by real events.
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You could say that I wrote the categories above in descending order of faithfulness to factual truth. Movies don't always live up to those labels filmmakers place on them. Instead of bashing films for their historical inaccuracy, though, I prefer to find inspiration to dig deeper for facts on my own and also to see the themes about universal truths.
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CONTACT
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Want to get in touch? I am open to respectful questions, comments, positive feedback, and constructive feedback about this website. Thank you, and enjoy the movies!