Explore films
2010-2019
Movies inspired by and based on true stories.
View trailers, reviews, films, and facts behind the stories.
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Most films included are highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). They have at least a 70% or 7/10 rating from critics and audiences alike, many with 80% or 8/10 or above. Enjoy the best true story films of the 2010s!
Best True Story Films of 2019
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PG-13 | Action, Biography, Drama, History, Survival | Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and transforms into one of America's greatest heroes, who courageously freed hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad.
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TV-14 | Drama, Education | A struggling mother whose son attends a dangerous urban school sacrifices everything to give her son a good education and leads a movement for thousands of children.
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The Unbelievable Tale Behind ‘Miss Virginia’ by Shuvrajit Das Biswas on TheCinemaholic
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Biography of Virginia Walden Ford on the About page on the official film website
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R | Biography, Drama, Music, Musical | In this musical biopic about Elton John's breakthrough years in the 1970s, the shy piano prodigy transforms into a famous pop musician and international superstar.
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History vs Hollywood article
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Elton John - Rocket Man (Royal Festival Hall, London 1972) on YouTube
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Top 10 Things Rocketman Got Factually Right and Wrong by WatchMojo on YouTube
R | Biography, Crime, Drama | Richard Jewell, a security guard, is praised as a hero for saving lives during a bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, but then his life unravels when the FBI investigates him as a suspect.
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History vs Hollywood article
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History vs Hollywood video on YouTube
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Richard Jewell: The 2002 60 Minutes interview video on YouTube
PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History, Law, Mystery | A courageous attorney risks his career and family by bringing an environmental lawsuit against a large and powerful chemical corporation connected to unexplained deaths and pollution in a rural town.
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How Accurate Is Dark Waters? on Looper
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Mark and Ruffalo and Rob Bilott Share Story Behind "Dark Waters" | The View video interview on YouTube
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‘Dark Waters’ star Mark Ruffalo, lawyer Rob Bilott tell the true story behind film | Nightline video on YouTube
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The Devil We Know - full investigative documentary on DuPont, Teflon, and the tragic health effects on workers and members of the town
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TV-MA | Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama | Frank is a beloved Long Island school superintendent, whom a student reporter reveals is involved in the largest public school embezzlement scheme in American history.
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History vs Hollywood video on YouTube
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Bad Education (2019 Film) - plot, cast, production, historical accuracy, themes, etc. on Wikipedia
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The Bad Superintendent: To the Harvard-obsessed parents of Roslyn, Frank Tassone appeared to be the ideal schools chief. Then $8 million went missing." - New York magazine article by Robert Kolker, the article on which the movie was based
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PG-13 | Biography, Crime, Drama, Law | In 1980s Alabama, Bryan Stevenson seeks to defend those wrongly accused or too impoverished to afford legal representation. In one of his first cases, his client Walter McMillian is sentenced to death for murder, despite evidence proving his innocence.
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5 things I learned about the historical accuracy of the movie Just Mercy on Based on a True Story Podcast video on YouTube
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How much of the movie Just Mercy is based on a true story? on Based on a True Story Podcast audio on YouTube
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Episode 84: Just Mercy on History by Hollywood podcast
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Bryan Stevenson biography on Wikipedia and Equal Justice Initiative
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Equal Justice Initiative founded by Bryan Stevenson
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McMillian v. State. 570 So. 2d 1285 (1990). Walter McMILLIAN v. STATE on Justia
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McMillian v. State. 616 So. 2d 933 (1993). Walter McMILLIAN v. STATE on Justia
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McMillian v. Johnson, 878 F. Supp. 1473 (M.D. Ala. 1995) on Justia
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We need to talk about an injustice - TED Talk by Bryan Stevenson on YouTube
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"I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." - Bryan Stevenson​
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"It's interesting, this question of the death penalty. In many ways, we've been taught to think that the real question is, do people deserve to die for the crimes they've committed? And that's a very sensible question. But there's another way of thinking about where we are in our identity. The other way of thinking about it is not, do people deserve to die for the crimes they commit, but do we deserve to kill?" - Bryan Stevenson
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"Ultimately, you judge the character of a society, not by how they treat their rich and the powerful and the privileged, but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated." - Bryan Stevenson
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Bryan Stevenson quotes with sources on Wikiquote
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PG-13 | Action, Biography, Drama, Sport | American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles build a race car for Ford to defeat Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans competition.
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PG | Comedy, Drama | A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a few weeks left to live, but deciding not to inform her, they return to China under the guise of a fake wedding to say goodbye.
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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
PG | Biography, Drama, Family, Journalism | Lloyd Vogel is a cynical journalist who interviews the kind-hearted television show host, Fred Rogers, with whom he builds an unlikely friendship.
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TV-MA | Drama, Disaster & Survival, History, Thriller | On April 26, 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear power plant disasters in the history of humankind.
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What HBO’s “Chernobyl” Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong" article by Masha Gessen in The New Yorker
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How HBO Got It Wrong On Chernobyl article by James Conca in Forbes
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History and Hollywood: Chernobyl Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 on Based on a True Story Podcast on YouTube
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Unrated | Biography, Drama, Journalism, Thriller | In the early 1930s, a Welsh investigative journalist travels solo into the Soviet Union, discovering deadly famine in the Ukraine, uncovering an international conspiracy and sharing the news in Western media, which inspires George Orwell's parable Animal Farm.
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Coming soon!
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Music, Romance | Actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London, thirty years after starring in "The Wizard of Oz," to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub, while navigating personal struggles and a new romantic relationship.
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Judy Garland quotes with sources on wikiquote​
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"As for my feelings toward 'Over the Rainbow', it's become part of my life. It is so symbolic of all dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it." - Judy Garland, Letter to Harold Arlen, as quoted in Over the Rainbow: The Wizard of Oz as a Secular Myth of America (1991) by Paul Nathanson, p. 340
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"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland, as quoted in Business Etiquette for the Nineties: Your Ticket to Career Success (1992) by Lou Kennedy, p. 8
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"I wish you would mention the joy she had for life, that’s what she gave me. If she was the tragic figure they say she was, I would be a wreck, wouldn't I? It was her love of life that carried her through everything. The middle of the road was never for her — it bored her. She wanted the pinnacle of excitement. If she was happy, she wasn’t just happy, she was ecstatic. And when she was sad, she was sadder then anyone. She lived eight lives in one, and yet I thought she would outlive us all. She was a great star, and a great talent, and for the rest of my life I will be proud to be Judy Garland's daughter. It wasn’t suicide, it wasn’t sleeping pills, it wasn’t cirrhosis. I think she was just tired, like a flower that blooms and gives joy and beauty to the world and then wilts away." - Liza Minnelli, as quoted in Little Girl Lost (1974) by Al DiOrio
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PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Disaster & Survival, Drama, Romance | In 1862, a balloon pilot and a scientist find themselves in a fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries and fly higher than anyone in history in a gas balloon.
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HB Mini: The Aeronauts History Buffs video on YouTube
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The True Story Behind The Aeronauts article by Rachael Bunyan in Time magazine
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The True History of the Aeronauts Who Transformed Our View of the World Above article by Jennifer Tucker in Smithsonian Magazine
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The Aeronauts: Facts about fiction in Eddie Redmayne's new film article by Jessica Labhart and John Newton on the BBC
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PG | Adventure, Animals, Biography, Drama, Family, History | In winter of 1925, the champion dogsled trainer Leonhard Seppala and his lead sled dog, Togo, embark on an adventure across the treacherous terrain of Alaska to transport medicine to a small town, despite Togo being considered too small and weak to lead the intense race.
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History vs Hollywood article
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History vs Hollywood video on YouTube
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Serum Run of 1925 from Alaska State Archives
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The True Story of Togo: Siberian Husky Sled Dog Hero of 1925 Nome Serum Run article by Will Hank on American Kennel Club
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R | Biography, Drama, Law & Crime, Thriller, War | In 2003, British intelligence specialist Katharine Gun becomes a whistleblower, leaking information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation after she receives a work memo from the United States seeking Britain's aid in gathering information on U.N. Security Council members to blackmail them to vote for the invasion of Iraq.
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'Official Secrets': The True Story Behind the Keira Knightley Movie article on Newsweek
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Iraq war whistleblower Katharine Gun: ‘Truth always matters’ by Tim Adams on The Guardian
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R | Biography, Drama, History, Law & Crime, Political Drama, Political Thriller | FBI agent and senate staffer Daniel J. Jones leads an exhaustive investigation into the CIA's use of torture on suspected terrorists in its post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program.
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The True Story Behind the Movie The Report article by Madeleine Carlisle in Time magazine
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What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in The Report article by Matthew Phelan on Slate
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Unrated | Drama, War | Six-year-old Sergei Aleshkov loses all of his relatives during World War II, running into the forest for safety, where he is rescued by soldiers of the Soviet army and becomes a valued member of their unit, earning the Medal "For Battle Merit" on April 26, 1943.
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​Sergei Aleshkov: ‘Seryozha’ Was the Youngest Soldier in WWII at 6 Years Old article by Ruslan Budnik on War History Online
Best True Story Films of 2018
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PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Romance | Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp are free spirits whose chance encounter leads them to love and then a sailing adventure into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history.
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Tami Oldham talks Adrift and her own story of love and survival interview on YouTube
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama | This true story film dramatizes the early career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she is a new attorney and mother struggling in her fight for equal rights. She takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, which changes the way the courts view gender discrimination.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg biography on History.com
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Ruther Bader Ginsburg biography on Biography.com
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes with sources on wikiquote​
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"Dissents speak to a future age. It's not simply to say, 'My colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way.' But the greatest dissents do become court opinions and gradually over time their views become the dominant view. So that's the dissenter's hope: that they are writing not for today but for tomorrow." - RBG, interview with Nina Totenberg of National Public Radio (2 May 2002). Also quoted in: Li Cohen (September 19, 2022): Ruth Bader Ginsburg's iconic quotes on law, love and the fight for equality. In: CBS News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022.
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"I tell law students…if you are going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, you have a skill—very much like a plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself…something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than you." RBG, On law. Source: The Mercury News, February 6, 2017. As quoted in: Li Cohen (September 19, 2022): Ruth Bader Ginsburg's iconic quotes on law, love and the fight for equality. In: CBS News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022.
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
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R | Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama | In 1990s New York, Lee Israel is a frustrated author who is desperate for money when she begins forging letters by famous writers in a deception scheme for profit.
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Coming soon!
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R | Biography, Drama, Journalism, War | Marie Colvin is a brave, rebellious, and celebrated war correspondent driven to the frontlines of conflicts around the world to bear witness to the horrors of war and give a voice to the voiceless.
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Telling legendary journalist Marie Colvin's story in 'A Private War' ABC News video on YouTube
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Marie Colvin wins 2000 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award video on YouTube showing Colvin's acceptance of the International Women's Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award
The Old Man and the Gun (2018)
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PG-13 | Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance | Forrest Tucker escapes from San Quentin at the age of 70, followed by committing a series of armed robberies that confound authorities and enchant the public due to his polite nature, and he meets a woman who loves him despite his profession.
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History | The film portrays the life of the tormented painter Vincent van Gogh while he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France, spending his last years painting the natural world around him.
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R | Biography, Drama, Law | The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was sentenced to death in Texas for killing his three children even after scientific evidence and expert testimony bolstered his claims of innocence.
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Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted . . . on The Innocence Project
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The Prosecutor and the Snitch 2014 article on The Marshall Project
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PG | Drama, Sport | Caroline "Line" Found is the high school team's star volleybar player, but in the wake of her tragic death, her team must unite under their tough-love coach with hopes of winning the state championship.
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'The Miracle Season': Meet the real people who inspired the movie from Iowa City Press Citizen
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Is ‘The Miracle Season’ based on a true story? Its director talks us through it from metro.us
Best True Story Films of 2017
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PG | Biography, Drama, Musical | In the early 1800s, the imaginative visionary P.T. Barnum rises from nothing when he enters show business, creating Barnum & Bailey circus, which becomes the greatest show on Earth.
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History vs Hollywood article
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History vs Hollywood video on YouTube
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R | Biography, Drama, Medical & Disability, Survival | Jeff Bauman is an ordinary man who becomes an inspiring symbol of hope after surviving the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
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PG-13 | Animation, Biography, Drama, History, Mystery | The film is made from oil painted animation and takes place in 1890 France after painter Vincent van Gogh passes away. A young man comes to van Gogh's last hometown to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
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'Loving Vincent': The story behind the world's first fully painted film from screendaily.com
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama | Ray Kroc is a struggling salesman when he meets Mac and Dick McDonald, two brothers running a small but innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, in 1950s Southern California. He soon turns the restaurant into a franchise, followed by ruthlessly turning it into his own multi-billion dollar empire.
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History Buffs: The Founder video on YouTube
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PG-13 | Action, Drama, History, Thriller, War | In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk, followed by troops evacuating from the beach during battle.
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Episode 24: Dunkirk on History by Hollywood podcast
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Fact v Fiction: Did Dunkirk get much right? video by Tim Benbow, a naval historian
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History Buffs: Dunkirk video on YouTube
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PG-13 | Crime, Drama, History, Law | In 1940s Connecticut, Thurgood Marshall is a young lawyer working for the NAACP in one of his most challenging, career-defining cases. Marshall and a Jewish lawyer face racism and anti-Semitism while defending a Black chauffer, Joseph Spell, against his wealthy socialite boss, Eleanor Strubing, who accuses Spell of sexual assault and attempted murder.
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The True Story Behind “Marshall” by Lorraine Boissoneault in Smithsonian Magazine
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Article on Variety: Director Reginald Hudlin said, "It's a thriller, not a biopic, about an early case of one of the greatest lawyers in American history."
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R | Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sport | In 1994, successsful figure skater Tonya Harding's reputation and life are tarnished when her ex-husband plans to injure Nancy Kerrigan, another figure skater and Olympic hopeful.
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Episode 54: I, Tonya on History by Hollywood podcast
PG | Adventure, Kids & Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance | Belle is a bright, beautiful and independent young woman taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast's hideous exterior, allowing her to recognize the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.
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The true stories behind Beauty and the Beast and other Disney stories article by Hannah Moore on the BBC
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Beauty and the Beast Was Inspired by a Tragic True Story article and audio on Ancient Origins
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The Real Beauty and the Beast Didn’t Live Happily Ever After article by Shannon Quinn on History Collection
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Noble Beast: The Stardom and Sadness of Petrus Gonsalvus on Hushed Up History
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Hypertrichosis article by Dahlia Saleh, Siva Naga S. Yarrarapu, and Christopher Cook on the National Library of Medicine.
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Definition: "Hypertrichosis is defined as excessive hair growth anywhere on the body in either males or females. It is important to distinguish hypertrichosis from hirsutism, which is a term reserved for females who grow an excessive amount of terminal hairs in androgen-dependent sites."
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Hypertrichosis (Werewolf Syndrome) article by James Roland on Healthline
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R | Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama | Barry Seal, a TWA pilot, is recruited by the CIA in 1978 and soon finds himself involved with the Medellín Cartel and in charge of one of the biggest drug trafficking and covert CIA operations in the history of the United States.
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All the Money in the World (2017)
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | In 1973 Rome, Italy, the grandson of billionaire Jean Paul Getty, the richest person in the world, is kidnapped, but Getty refuses to pay the ransom, despite desperate pleas from his grandson's mother and his adviser.
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J. Paul Getty Biography - biography.com
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Kidnapped grandson of Getty billionaire found - history.com
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Getty Museum endowed - history.com
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History of Getty - getty.edu
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‘All the Money in the World’ Angers Family of Getty Kidnappers - article on Variety
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A Billion-Dollar Heir and a Sliced-Off Ear: The Brutal True Story of J. Paul Getty III's Kidnapping - article on People
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PG-13 | Action, Biography, Drama, History, War | Megan Leavey is a U.S. Marine corporal who serves as a Military Police K9 handler, paired with military working dog Rex, who serves with her in Iraq, where they are both wounded by an explosive device.
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Comedy, History | Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim and begins to see the world through new eyes.
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History, Romance | In 1814 London, Mary Wollstonecraft-Godwin is a 16-year-old aspiring writer working in her father's bookshop when she meets and falls in love with poet Percy Shelley. While later staying in the home of poet Lord Byron, the guests are challenged to write a ghost story, and 19-year-old Mary conceives her novel Frankenstein.
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Mary Shelley biography on biography.com
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This Day In History: January 1 - On January 1, 1818, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is published. Read about Mary Shelley on history.com.
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‘Frankenstein’ Was Born During a Ghastly Vacation on history.com
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What was the “Year Without a Summer”? on history.com
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Mary Shelley’s Haunted Life - article by Caroline Macon Fleischer
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R | Crime, Drama, History, Thriller | A violent police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest race riots in United States history.
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Unrated | Drama, Law | A woman fights a group trying to evict her whole neighborhood and give it to a corporation, taking her case to the Supreme Court.
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‘Little Pink House’: The real story behind the movie by Jessica Gresko of The Associated Press on The Mercury News
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Eminent Domain Abuse - facts from the official movie website
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KELO V. NEW LONDON (04-108) 545 U.S. 469 (2005) - read the full text U.S. Supreme Court opinion, concurrence, and dissents on the Cornell Law School website
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Unrated | Adventure, Drama, History, Survival, Thriller | In March 1943, there were 12 men on an anti-Nazi sabotage mission in Norway. The Nazis killed 11 of them. This is the true story of Jan Baalsrud, the 12th man, showing his time on the run in the icy wilderness.
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The 12th Man book by Astrid Karlsen Scott and Tore Haug on Amazon
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We Die Alone: A WWII Epic Of Escape And Endurance by David Howarth and Stephen Ambrose on Amazon
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Following in the tracks of Jan Baalsrud article on the Visit Lyngenfjord website
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R | Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Survival, Thriller | Israeli backpacker Yossi Ghinsberg and two friends venture into the Amazon jungle in Bolivia, led by a cryptic guide who promises they will find a native tribe and gold, but their journey is threatened by human nature and the wild.
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Yossi Ghinsberg's full interview for The Discovery Channel video on YouTube, scenes taken from the docudrama "I Shouldn't Be Alive"
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Make It Out The Amazon Alive! | S1 E03 | Full Episode | I Shouldn't Be Alive documentary docudrama on YouTube with interviews, plus re-enactments by actors
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The True Story Behind the Jungle Thriller (2017) by Harry Stewart on Culture Trip
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Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival in the Amazon book, the 2017 movie tie-in edition, by Yossi Ghinsberg on Amazon
Best True Story Films of 2016
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama | In India, a five-year-old boy named Saroo gets lost on a train that takes him a thousand miles away from his home and family, followed by him learning to survive alone and then being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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Saroo Brierley: Homeward Bound 3-minute documentary by Google Maps on YouTube
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R | Biography, Drama, Journalism | In 1970s Sarasota, Florida, Christine Chubbuck is an ambitious, 29-year-old TV reporter trying to advance her career, struggling with depression and professional frustration when the station manager requires her to cover stories at odds with her wish for more serious journalism.
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This Gripping Psychological Drama is Based on a Real-Life Tragedy article by
Shawn Van Horn on Collider
R | Biography, Drama, History | After President John F. Kennedy is assassinated, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy copes with grief and trauma over the next seven days, facing the necessity of consoling her children, leaving their home in the White House, planning her husband's funeral, and managing both her and husband's legacy.
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Top 5 Must Watch Facts About 'Jackie' The Movie by MsMojo on YouTube
PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Law, Romance | In 1958 Virginia, Richard and Mildred Loving are an interracial couple who get married and whose subsequent arrest for interracial marriage leads to a legal battle culminating in a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision.
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What’s Fact and Fiction in Jeff Nichols’s Film about the Lovings by Arica L. Coleman on History News Network
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Loving v. Virginia by history.com editors
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Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967) full text opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court. Primary holding: "A unanimous Court struck down state laws banning marriage between individuals of different races, holding that these anti-miscegenation statutes violated both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment."
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Law | Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt includes World War II historian David Irving in her book about Holocaust deniers, followed by Irving accusing her of libel, but the legal burden of proof is placed on the accused.
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History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier book by Deborah E. Lipstadt
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Unrated | Animals, Biography, Drama, Family | In London, a stray ginger cat changes the life of James Bowen, a homeless street musician and recovering drug addict.
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A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life autobiographical book by James Bowen on Amazon
PG-13 | Adventure, Biography, Comedy, Drama, History, Sport | British ski jumper Eddie Edwards is an underdog who travels to Germany to develop ski jumping skills, aiming for the improbable: to compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.
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PG-13 | Biography, Disaster & Survival, Drama | On Jan. 15, 2009, pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger attempts an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River after US Airways Flight 1549 strikes a flock of geese, after which some consider him a hero, while others investigate his decision.
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Episode 78: Sully: Miracle on the Hudson on History by Hollywood podcast
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TV-14 | Biography, Drama, History | In 1991, Judge Clarence Thomas' nomination to the United States Supreme Court is called into question when Anita Hill, his former employee, testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he sexually harassed her.
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October 11, 1991: Anita Hill Full Opening Statement from C-SPAN on YouTube
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‘Confirmation’ Fact Check: What HBO’s Anita Hill Movie Got Right and Wrong article on The Wrap
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History, Romance | In the 1940s, Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana shocks the world when he marries Ruth Williams, a white woman from London, leading to political and diplomatic challenges.
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Jens Heycke on the historical accuracy of 'A United Kingdom' video from Based on a True Story Podcast on YouTube
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | An idealistic, young FBI agent goes undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group that's plotting an act of terror.
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Q&A with Mike German, former FBI agent and inspiration for the film, Imperium article by Nick Schwellenbach on Medium
PG-13 | Action, Drama, History, Thriller, Disaster & Survival | In April 2010, the offshore drilling rig named Deepwater Horizon exploded, creating the worst oil spill in American history.
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What really happened on Deepwater Horizon? video on Based on a True Story Podcast on YouTube
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Episode 16: Deepwater Horizon on History by Hollywood podcast
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R | Biography, Drama, History, War | American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss serves during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, where he is a conscientious objector who refuses to kill and who risks his life to save other soldiers, becoming the first person in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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PG | Biography, Docudrama, History | Three brilliant African American women mathematicians begin work at NASA during the beginning of the space program, where they are the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, an achievement that turned around the Space Race for the U.S. during the Cold War.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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Hidden Figures: Laudable Liberties on An Historian Goes to the Movies
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History behind the movie 'Hidden Figures' on Based on a True Story Podcast on YouTube
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Episode 10: Hidden Figures on History by Hollywood podcast
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R | Biography, Crime, Docudrama, Thriller | Edward Snowden is a National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who leaves his job to leak classified information about the NSA tracking all forms of digital communication from not only foreign governments and terrorist groups but also ordinary Americans. In so doing, Snowden becomes a traitor to some, a hero to others, and a fugitive from the law.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Citzenfour (2014): the documentary on which the film is based
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Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters 2014 TED Talk
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How we take back the internet | Edward Snowden 2014 TED Talk
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller | In 1986, federal agent Robert Mazur goes undercover to infiltrate the drug trafficking network of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Interview with Robert Mazur: "The Infiltrator - Robert Mazur on Daytime - Eclectic Media" on YouTube
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Interview with Robert Mazur: "THE SIT DOWN #2 - ROBERT MAZUR, The Man Who Cleaned Millions For Pablo Escobar!" on YouTube
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The Infiltrator: Undercover in the World of Drug Barons and Dirty Banks book by Robert Mazur on Amazon
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PG-13 | Drama, History, Medical | Based on the diary of Madeleine Pauliac, a doctor with the French Red Cross who worked in Poland post-World War II, where she assisted nuns dealing with the aftermath of mass rapes by Soviet soldiers.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The True Story Behind Haunting New Film The Innocents by Daisy Woodward on anothermag.com
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Faith And Fear In A Story Of 'Innocents' by Mark Jenkins on NPR
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PG | Biography, Drama, Sport | This biographical film is based on the life of Phiona and her family in impoverished Katwe, Uganda, where she learns to play chess at age ten and rises to become a top chess player under the guidance of a missionary and teacher.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Queen of Katwe 6 min. documentary on YouTube
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The Queen of Katwe: One Girl's Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion book written by sports writer Tim Crothers
Best True Story Films of 2015
PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History | "In 1961, famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans' willingness to obey authority."
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Full text of "Obedience to Authority" by Stanley Milgram
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The Milgram Experiment 1962 Full Documentary on YouTube
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2009 article "More shocking results: New research replicates Milgram's findings" on the American Psychological Association website
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Burger (2009) article "Replicating Milgram: Would People Still Obey Today?" PDF full text from the journal American Psychologist
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Medical, Sport | In Pittsburgh, forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu discovers brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the normal course of playing the game. Omalu names the disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy and publishes his findings in a medical journal, facing backlash from the football community on his mission to raise public awareness about the dangers of football-related head trauma.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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'Concussion' and the Serious Impact of Repeated Head Trauma | ABC News interview with Dr. Omalu on YouTube
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Concussion Interview - Will Smith & Dr Bennet Omalu on YouTube
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R | Action, Adventure, Drama, Survival, Western | In 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass goes on a fur trading expedition, where he is mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team, but he treks through the snowy terrain to find his way back to civilization.
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Journalism | In 2001, journalists at The Boston Globe investigate and uncover the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the Roman Catholic Church.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
​Shooting Dogs/Beyond the Gates (2015)
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts: ​
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Rwandan Genocide on history.com
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Shooting Dogs on Wikipedia
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PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Disaster & Survival, Thriller | On the morning of May 10, 1996, mountain guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer combine their expedition teams for a final ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. A blizzard suddenly strikes, and the climbers battle to survive.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama | Intelligent, young Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, accepts an invitation by his future friend and mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy, to study mathematics at Cambridge University, leaving behind his young wife and his impoverished homeland.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Coming soon!
PG-13 | Drama, History | "In 1912 London, a young working mother is galvanized into radical political activism supporting the right for women to vote, and is willing to meet violence with violence to achieve this end."
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Stanford Prison Experiment at Stanford Libraries website
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Haney, Banks & Zimbardo (1973) artcile "Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison" published in International Journal of Criminology and Penology on researchgate.net
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The Stanford prison experiment in introductory psychology textbooks: A content analysis article in PDF format from the journal Psychology Learning & Teaching
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PG-13 | Drama, History, Thriller | During the Cold War, an American lawyer, James Donovan, is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for an American spy plane pilot whom the Soviets captured.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The True Story of 'Bridge of Spies' on Biography.com
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PG | Adventure, Drama, Family, War | After U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott is killed in Afghanistan, his military service dog, Max, returns traumatized from Afghanistan to the United States, where he is adopted by Kyle's teenage brother.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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"Learn the Real-Life Stories Behind the Movie Max" by American Kennel Club staff
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History | Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government with the aid of her attorney to recover a Klimt painting of her aunt stolen from her home by the Nazis during World War II.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Art of the Heist: The Lady In Gold documentary free to view in full on attorney Randol Schoenberg's YouTube channel
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PG | Biography, Drama, Sport | "Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region."
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​Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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R | Biography, Comedy, Drama, History | In 2007 to 2008, a handful of financial opportunists bet against the United States housing and mortgage market, discovering its risky loans and corruption, aspiring to earn a fortune from the impending economic collapse that became the Great Recession.
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​Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Big Short True Story: 8 Biggest Changes Made To The Financial Crisis Movie article by Stephen Barker and Greg MacArthur on Screen Rant
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How historically accurate is The Big Short? article on The Guardian
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The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine book by Michael Lewis on Amazon
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Inside the Collapse interviews with the author Michael Lewis and with Michael Burry, the doctor turned hedge-fund founder, in a video by 60 Minutes on YouTube
Best True Story Films of 2014
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Thriller, War, LGBTQ+ | In 1939, the new British intelligence agency MI6 recruits mathematical genius Alan Turing to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma. In 1952, he encounters disgrace when authorities reveal he is gay.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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History vs Hollywood
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Alan Turing articles on Biography.com
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Alan Turing articles on History.com
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Alan Turing biography on Wikipedia
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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Alan Turing quotes with sources on Wikiquote
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Sport | Eccentric millionaire John du Pont invites U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz to move to his estate and form "Team Foxcatcher" to train for the 1988 Olympics, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens tragedy for everyone.
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R | Adventure, Biography, Drama, Survival | Cheryl Strayed solo hikes 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, one of the USA's longest through-trails, as a way to recover from personal tragedy, despite having no backpacking experience.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Cheryl Strayed biography on Wikipedia
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'Wild' Author Cheryl Strayed On Her Greatest Legacy - interview on Forbes
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"I knew in my own life that it was really important for me to go alone because the beautiful thing about going alone is that every triumph is yours, every consequence of every mistake is yours, everything that you have to figure out is on you. That’s a really powerful experience. And sometimes it is beautiful and positive and exciting and sometimes it's negative and hard and lonely. I wanted that. I welcomed that." - Cheryl Strayed
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PG-13 | Biography, Crime, Drama | In the 1950s to 1960s, Walter Keane achieves wild success and fame as an artist of portraits featuring big-eyed children, despite his wife, Margaret, being the real painter who receives no recognition while living with her controlling husband.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Margaret Keane biography on Biography.com and Wikipedia
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Keane Eyes Gallery - Margaret Keane McGuire's art gallery
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Video interview with Walter Keane circa 1964 - interview in which he describes the motivation behind painting the big eyes in "his" paintings
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Margaret Keane quotes with sources on Wikiquote
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"I'd have to lock the door of the paint room. He wouldn't allow anyone in. I was like a prisoner." - Margaret Keane
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"Gradually it dawned on me that I was painting my own inner emotions. Those children were asking: 'Why are we here? What is life all about? Why is there sadness and injustice?' All those deep questions. Those children were sad because they didn't have the answers. They were searching." - Margaret Keane
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Medical, Music | In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, creates his own music, and struggles with emerging psychosis. By the 1980s, he's broken and confused under the 24-hour watch of a shady therapist, Dr. Eugene Landy, when he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Here’s What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in Love & Mercy, the New Biopic About Brian Wilson on Slate
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Brian Wilson biography on Biography.com and Wikipedia
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Inside Brian Wilson's Mental Health Struggles on Biography.com
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The Many Ups and Downs of the Beach Boys on Biography.com
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Brian Wilson quotes with sources on Wikiquote
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Love and Mercy by Brian Wilson - Official Music Video on YouTube
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Diane Sawyer's investigative reporting and interview with Eugene Landy on YouTube
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Eugene Landy biography on Wikipedia
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Interview with Brian Wilson on YouTube
R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Journalism, Mystery & Thriller | In 1996 California, journalist Gary Webb begins investigating the CIA's role in the 1980s operation to smuggle crack cocaine to Los Angeles to obtain money and weapons for the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
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R | Action, Biography, Drama, War | U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle takes his mission to protect his comrades to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history while on his four tours of duty in Iraq, but when he finally returns home, he cannot leave the war behind.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
PG-13 | Biography, Drama | A group of Sudanese orphans arrive in Kansas City, Missouri to resettle after their village is destroyed and their parents are killed, and they meet an employment agency counselor who helps them rebuild their lives.
Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Coming soon!
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PG-13 | Drama, Medical, Romance | Hazel and Gus are teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They both share the same acerbic wit and a love of books, embarking on a journey to visit an author in Amsterdam.
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Trailers and Reviews:
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History | In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for the right to vote for African Americans. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, culminating in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts: ​
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Martin Luther King, Jr. on Biography.com
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Martin Luther King, Jr. on History.com
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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How Accurate Is Selma? on Slate
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The movie ‘Selma’ has a glaring flaw by Joseph A. Califano Jr. on The Washington Post. The author was President Lyndon Johnson’s top assistant for domestic affairs.
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When History is not Good Enough for Hollywood by Kent Germany on historians.org
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‘Selma’ vs. History by Elizabeth Drew on The New York Review
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"If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving." - Martin Luther King, Jr., speech "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?" delivered to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967. Full speech on YouTube.
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Unrated | Action, Biography, Drama, Survival, War | In 1942, an 8-year-old Jewish boy named Srulik flees from the Warsaw ghetto and attempts to survive alone in the forest, followed by living on a farm under a false identity as a Christian orphan named Jurek.
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Title: also called Escape From Warsaw in the UK. It premiered as Lauf Junge Lauf in Germany in 2013.
Trailer: Official U.S. Trailer on YouTube
Reviews: IMDb
Facts:
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Uri Orlev's 2000 novel Run, Boy, Run, based on Yoram Fridman's life. The film is adapted from the book. Yoram was a Jewish boy who escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto at age eight, after which he survived mostly on his own for three years in the countryside and forests in Nazi-occupied Poland.
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The boy who ran for three years to escape the Holocaust by Tom Tugend at The Jerusalem Post
Best True Story Films of 2013
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R | Biography, Drama, History | In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup is a free black man from upstate New York who is abducted and sold into slavery.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts: ​
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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How Accurate Is 12 Years a Slave? on Slate
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'12 Years' Gets Story Right But Context, Some Details May Be Off on All Things Remembered on NPR
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PG-13 | Biography, Comedy, Drama, Music | The story of Paul Potts, the shy amateur opera singer who auditions on Britain's Got Talent 2007.
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Trailers and Reviews:
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama | The story of Cecil Gaines, the butler who served eight presidents at the White House during the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and other major events.
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Trailers and Reviews:
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PG-13 | Animation, Biography, Drama, Romance, War | The film chronicles the life of Jiro Horikoshi, an innovative Japanese airplane designer, who lived through historical events such as the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic, and World War II.
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Trailers and Reviews:
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The Wind Rises remixes history to make a deeper, more personal point on polygon.com
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The Wind Rises (2013): Separating Fact from Fiction on the Artifice
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Jiro Horikoshi biography on World War II Database
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TV-14 | Biography, Crime, Drama | Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the infamous American robbery duo, embarked on a 21-month crime spree in 1932, robbing gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks in Texas, Oklahoma, and other states.
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Trailers and Reviews: IMDb
Facts:
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History of Bonnie and Clyde from fbi.gov
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Bonnie and Clyde on Britannica.com
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10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde on History.com
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY | MAY 23 Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde on History.com
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Bonnie Wasn't Clyde's Only Female Accomplice on History.com
Captain Phillips (2013)
PG-13 | Action, Biography, Crime, Disaster & Survival, Drama, Thriller | In 2009, Somali pirates hijack the U.S. Maersk Alabama and hold its crew and captain hostage in the first American cargo ship hijacking in two hundred years.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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History Buffs: Captain Phillips video on YouTube
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance | Oscar Grant is a 22-year-old Bay Area resident and black man who is trying to live a clean life and support his girlfriend and daughter. He takes the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train with family and friends to watch fireworks on New Year's Eve, but upon returning to a station in Oakland, he becomes involved in a police altercation.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Sport | In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball after Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signs him onto the team, resulting in racism from the public, press, and other players.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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History vs Hollywood video on YouTube
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'42' Gets The Story Of Jackie Robinson Right by All Things Considered on NPR
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Biography of Jackie Robinson on biography.com, jackierobinson.com, and history.com
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY | APRIL 15 Jackie Robinson becomes first African American player in Major League Baseball on History.com
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11 Things You May Not Know About Jackie Robinson on History.com
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Jackie Robinson quotes with sources on wikiquote
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I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. I am not ashamed of my dark skin. You and every other white American should understand that we believe our color is an asset. Your dislike of my aggressiveness has no effect on me. I'm after something much more important than your favor or disfavor. You should at least respect me as a man who stands up for what he believes in." - Jackie Robinson to an umpire, as quoted in Baseball Has Done It (1964) by Robinson, pp. 9-10​
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"I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded." - Leo Durocher, as quoted in Out of the Shadows: African American Baseball from the Cuban Giants to Jackie Robinson (2005) by Morgan Freedmon
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R | Biography, Drama, Romance, Survival, War | Eric Lomax is a former British Army officer who was tortured as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II. The film takes place from 1942 to decades after the war when he discovers that the man responsible for his torture is still alive.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Railway Man by Eric Lomax - autobiographical book
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PG-13 | Action, Drama, History, Romance, War | In Nazi-occupied Hungary in 1944, a young Hungarian man disguises himself as a Nazi S.S. officer to save his family and countrymen from the death camps.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Coming soon!
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PG | Biography, Drama, Law, Romance | Dido Elizabeth Belle is the illegitimate biracial daughter of a Royal Navy captain, raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord William Murray, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice. Belle helps influence her uncle's role in the end of slavery in England when he presides over the Zong case, involving a shipping company's drowning of over a hundred slaves.
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​Trailers and Reviews:
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Facts:
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Dido Belle painting and historical facts about Dido and her father, great-uncle, and mother on the Scone Palace website​
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Movie inspired by a painting, 'Belle' is a true story article by Maria Puente in USA TODAY
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Taking a few liberties with the real story of 'Belle' article by Maria Puente in USA TODAY
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Behind 'Belle': An 18th Century Portrait Ahead Of Its Time brief interview with director Amma Asante on NPR
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Belle: was British history really this black and white? article on The Guardian
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Belle: The True Story of Dido Belle book by Paula Byrne on Amazon
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Dido Elizabeth Belle biography on enslaved.org
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The Zong Massacre (1781) article about Gregson v. Gilbert by Ian Bernard on Black Past
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The story of the Zong slave ship: a mass murder masquerading as an insurance claim article on The Guardian
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A New Look at the Zong Case of 1783 article about Gregson v. Gilbert by Trevor Burnard in OpenEdition Journals
Best True Story Films of 2012
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PG-13 | Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Survival | In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl sets out to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in the Polynesian islands. He recruits a team to embark on an epic 4,300 mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsa-wood raft with a radio as their only modern equipment, despite his fear of water and inability to swim.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Comments regarding the historical accuracy of Kon-Tiki on Film Dice
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Kon-Tiki Sails Again by Franz Lidz on the Smithsonian Magazine website​
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R | Biography, Drama, History, Thriller | In 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking sixty-six American hostages. Six Americans escape and take refuge with the Canadian ambassador, but they are in danger of being found and executed. The U.S. government calls on CIA agent Tony Mendez to rescue them. He acts undercover as a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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"How Accurate Is Argo?" by David Haglund on Slate
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"CIA reveals what's real vs. reel in 'Argo'" by C. Molly Smith on Entertainment Weekly
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Episode 40: Argo on History by Hollywood podcast
R | Crime, Drama, History | "A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on."
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Interviews and live video footage of the true story on YouTube
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Acquittal in hoax call that led to sex assault NBC News article published October 31, 2006
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Ex-McDonald's worker wins lawsuit over strip search CTV News article published October 6, 2007
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Strip search legal analysis article by Roy A. Ginsburg of the law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP
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McDonald Corporation v. Ogborn (2009) opinion of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky
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PG-13 | Adventure, Drama, History, Disaster & Survival | The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts: ​
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R | Biography, Drama, History, Romance | In 1767, British Princess Caroline marries King Christian VII of Denmark, but the king's insanity brings her misery. She falls secretly in love with her physician, and together they start a revolution.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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A Royal Affair -- Chronology article by Joy K. Lintelman
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Biographies of Johann Friedrich, count von Struensee and Christian VII on Britannica.com
PG-13 | Biography, Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance | In 1968, a talent scout secures four talented Australian Aboriginal girls their first gig, flying them to Vietnam to sing for U.S. troops, where they learn about love, family, friendship, and war.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Sapphires: where are they now? interview with the three original members of The Sapphires by Gary Nunn in Australian Geographic
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The Sapphires (2012) article by Kristie Flannery on Not Even Past
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The Sapphires shines light on Aboriginal Australia by Rachel Curtis on the BBC
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History, War | During the Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln struggles against members of his own cabinet and makes the decision to end the war and abolish slavery through the 13th Amendment.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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How Accurate Is Lincoln? by Forrest Wickman on Slate
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How Historically Accurate is "Lincoln"? by Kelsey McKernie on History News Network
Best True Story Films of 2011
PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Sport | Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane attempts to assemble a baseball team on a tight budget by employing Peter Brand to use a computer-generated analysis to acquire new players whom the scouts have labeled as flawed but who have game-winning potential together.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Moneyball True Story: How Accurate The Baseball Movie Is article on Screen Rant
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What the ACTUAL 2002 A's thought of Moneyball brief interviews on NBC sports show
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The Real Story Behind ‘Moneyball’ article on Film School Rejects
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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game book by Michael Lewis on Amazon
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PG | Animals, Biography, Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance | The story of Red Dog, who united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long-lost master.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Real “Red Dog,” and the “Actor” Red Dog on the National Purebred Dog Day website
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PG | Adventure, Animals, Drama, Kids & Family | A young dolphin swimming freely in the ocean seriously injures her tail in a trap when a young boy finds her. The dolphin, now named Winter, receives aid from a marine biologist, a prosthetics designer, and the caring boy, who tries to help the dolphin swim again.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Movies: True story behind ‘Dolphin Tale’ from The Washington Post
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7 Things You Should Know About Dolphin Tale from Wired
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The true story behind Dolphin Tale from tribute.ca
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R | Drama, Thriller | Inspired by the finance industry and firms such as Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs, the film follows key employees at a fictional Wall Street investment bank over 12 hours during the early stages of the financial crisis of 2008.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Great Recession Timeline on history.com
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Lehman Brothers article by Corporate Finance Institute, detailing the rise and fall of the investment bank, which had the largest corporate bankrupty in U.S. history with $619 billion in debt. Excerpt:
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"Lehman’s collapse was a major contributor to the domino effect of multiple financial disasters that eventually became the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Many in the industry still wonder why Lehman was allowed to fail, rather than being rescued by the U.S. federal government like so many other banks were. One reason often put forward is simply the massive size of Lehman’s debt and the woeful inability of its assets to begin to cover it."
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Best True Story Films of 2010
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R | Biography, Drama, Disability, History | The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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George VI biography on Biography.com and Wikipedia
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Lionel Logue biography on Wikipedia
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Law | In 2003, Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that became known as Facebook. Six years later, when he is one of the youngest billionaires in the world, Zuckerberg is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the former co-founder. Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires.
Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook book by Ben Mezrich on Amazon
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Mark Zuckerberg biography on Biography.com and Wikipedia
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February 4 (This Day in History) on History.com
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Based on a True Story? Scene-by-scene Breakdown of Hollywood Films on information is beautiful
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R | Biography, Drama, History | Until the early 1970s, thousands of British children -- many orphans, others taken by social workers from broken homes -- were packed onto ships bound for Australia. Promised "oranges and sunshine," many instead endured abuse in workhouses as virtual slaves. In 1987, Nottingham, England, social worker Margaret Humphreys learns the horrific extent of this program as she attempts to help two of its survivors.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Real-life inspiration for ‘Oranges and Sunshine’ - article and interview with social worker Margaret Humphreys on Los Angeles Times website
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Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphreys on goodreads.com
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PG-13 | Adventure, Drama, History, Survival | Siberian labor camp prisoners plan an escape during a blizzard and face a 4,000 mile trek on foot through treacherous weather and terrain across the forest, desert, and mountains.
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Trailers and Reviews:
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SÅ‚awomir Rawicz biography on Wikipedia
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How The Long Walk became The Way Back by Hugh Levinson on the BBC website
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"We saw documents that suggested that Rawicz had not told the truth about his past, and that although he had been a prisoner in the gulag, he never escaped."
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"There was enough for me to say that three men had come out of the Himalayas, and that's how I dedicate my film, to these unknown survivors. And then I proceed with essentially a fictional film." - Peter Weir, director
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"This is why the film - to be released later this month - has a new title, The Way Back, and why the central character is not called Slavomir Rawicz. Yet it retains its power as a tale of courage and endurance." - Hugh Levinson
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R | Biography, Crime, Drama | Kathryn Bolkovac is a Nebraska police officer who works as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia, where she outs the United Nations for a sex trafficking coverup.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Kathryn Bolkovac biography on Wikipedia
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A 'Whistleblower' Made Into A Hollywood Heroine - article and interview with Kathryn Bolkovac on NPR
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Madeleine Reese biography on Wikipedia
PG-13 | Biography, Drama, Thriller | CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity is leaked after an op-ed article her husband wrote alleging that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Fair Game (2010 film) - film overview, plot, cast, production, critical reception, historical accuracy, etc. on Wikipedia
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Valerie Plame biography on Wikipedia
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Joseph C. Wilson biography on Wikipedia
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This Day in History (September 29): Reporter Judith Miller released from prison on History.com
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The Long, Complicated History of Political Leaks - article in which The Plame Affair is included (see section # 5) on History.com​
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Joe and Valerie Plame Wilson Interview by movieweb on YouTube
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R | Biography, Drama, Survival | Mountain climber and adventurer Aron Ralston is exploring a remote canyon alone near Moah, Utah when he becomes trapped under a boulder, facing a desperate choice to amputate his arm to extricate himself and return to civilization or remain pinned to the canyon wall and likely die.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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Desperate Days in Bluejohn Canyon: The Aron Ralston Story interview from NBC News on YouTube
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Aron Ralston Interview from Flicks on YouTube
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston memoir on Amazon
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R | Biography, Law & Crime, Drama | In 1983, Massachusetts, Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is convicted of murder and sentenced to life, but Betty vows to get the conviction overturned and spends 18 years on a quest to exonerate Kenny, putting herself through college and law school.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Real-Life Story Behind "Conviction" article on CBS News
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Conviction: The Incredible True Story of Betty Anne Waters article on the story of the real Kenny Waters, video interview with Betty Anne Waters, Kenny and Betty Anne’s family photos, and an article about the making of Conviction on the Innocence Project
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PG-13 | Action, Disaster & Survival, Thriller | An unmanned, half-mile-long freight train containing toxic chemicals barrels out of control toward a city, but a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent catastrophe.
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Trailers and Reviews:
Facts:
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The Runaway Train True Story That Inspired Unstoppable by Tom Meisfjord on Looper
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CSX 8888 incident on Alchetron, Free Social Encyclopedia for the World
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Runaway Train Blamed on Human Error article by ABC News on May 16, 2001