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Goodbye Bafana [ 2007 ] [ Hits:11735 ]
Review: Goodbye Bafana is a biographical drama based on the memoirs of Nelson Mandela’s prison guard, James Gregory. The two men were inextricably linked from Mandela’s days on Robben Island in 1968 through to his imprisonment in Pollsmoor in the late 1980s. The story centres on Gregory, played by Joseph Fiennes, who was commissioned to watch over Mandela thanks to his firm grasp of Xhosa. Diane Kruger stars alongside Fiennes as his doting wife, Gloria Gregory, who is a bastion of strength. The stor...

A United Kingdom [ Hits:7600 ]
Review: A United Kingdom is an important biographical romance drama. While the international stir caused by Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana happened in the late 1940s, the familial and societal prejudices exposed at that time still echo today. After meeting Ruth Williams in London, the two fell hopelessly in love and decided to get married against the wishes of their families and governments. David Oyelowo played Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma and now Prince Seretse Khama, both inspirational politica...

Chocolat [ Hits:7537 ]
Review: Most people may associate Chocolat with the quaint Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp romance drama released at the turn of the 21st-century about a chocolate shop in a small French village. However, the original "Chocolat" became famous for clowning in Paris at the turn of the 20th-century. Rafael "Chocolat" Padilla became the first black circus artist in France and Chocolat chronicles his rise and fall. Together with George Footit, the pairing revolutionised the art form by concocting a double ...

Sully [ Hits:7571 ]
Review: Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger will be remembered for his heroic efforts in making an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York after his Airbus A320 lost the use of its engines following a bird strike shortly after take-off. The pilot's quick thinking saved many lives and planted a much-needed aviation miracle in the hearts and minds of the people of New York after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The amazing true story captured the world's imagination as reports flooded in with the g...

Pawn Sacrifice [ Hits:7676 ]
Review: Pawn Sacrifice is a psychological biopic and character study about troubled chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer. Fischer took to chess from an early age, adopting the sport with a swagger and arrogance that would suggest he could go all the way. During the Cold War, it was the Russians, who dominated the chess world. Together with the on-going space race, the game's parallel with intellectual agility, gave the perception that the Russians had the edge on the Americans. On its own, Fischer's story ...

Cobain: Montage of Heck [ Hits:7470 ]
Review: Kurt Cobain is an icon of the '90s. The Nirvana frontman's music lives on... long after his alleged suicide, perpetuated by a strong cult following, conspiracy theories and his enigmatic spirit. Montage of Heck is a documentary that assimilates Cobain's art, writing, vocal recordings and home videos into a raw, honest and intimate biographical music film. Writer-director, Brett Morgen, was fascinated with Pink Floyd's film, The Wall, which blended animation, symbolism and their music into a hau...

Theory of Everything [ Hits:7547 ]
Review: Theory of Everything is a "star-crossed" romance drama and biopic about the relationship between famous physicist, Stephen Hawking, and his wife, Jane. This is a film from James Marsh, the Oscar-winning Man on Wire documentary-maker who also directed IRA thriller, Shadow Dancer. His latest film, Theory of Everything, put him in touch with the Academy Awards again after the film garnered 5 nominations, winning Best Actor for Eddie Redmayne's take on Stephen Hawking. This is a beautifully crafted...

Winnie Mandela [ Hits:7657 ]
Review: Winnie Mandela's life is chronicled in Winnie Mandela, taking us from her childhood through her education, her marriage to Nelson Mandela and the years following her husband's incarceration. Director Darryl Roodt (Yesterday) has delivered a fleeting biopic drama that is sympathetic towards Winnie, portraying her as a disappointment to her father and ultimately a victim of her circumstances. We watch her life unfold from a distance like a highlights reel, tackling some of her bigger moments with...

The Wolf of Wall Street [ Hits:7856 ]
Review: "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." The verse is often misquoted, but seems fitting when you consider the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort, a stock broker whose extraordinary biography became a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.Money is power and in a world that seems to never have enough of it, Jordan Belfort thrived. Preying on Joe Public's dream of hitting the big time without a lottery ticket was an easy way to amass a fortune, under t...

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom [ Hits:8043 ]
Review: Nelson Mandela is an extraordinary man, whose life story plays like a political version of The Count of Monte Cristo. He was born into a rural family, educated as a lawyer, discriminated against in his own country, branded a "terrorist" leader, a political prisoner for 27 years, only to be inaugurated as President of South Africa.His autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, chronicles this incredible journey, which was bound to be adapted to film. Anant Singh's mission to adapt Long Walk to Freedom ...

Jobs [ Hits:7915 ]
Review: Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur, a pioneer and a creative genius. This is the iconic Jobs we know from the media, yet we only know half the story. Jobs the biopic drama about the Apple founder is an eye-opening journey, taking the tempestuous Jobs from his days as a hippie in college to his crowning achievements as the creative force associated with the Apple empire. Behind the revered status was a complex man so passionate about his life's work that he was willing to sacrifice relationshi...

Hitchcock [ Hits:9659 ]
Review: Alfred Hitchcock, Hitch or The Master of Suspense was and is a cultural icon. Described as "genius" and regarded as one of the most influential film directors of all-time, but to say the man was not without fault is an understatement. In Hitchcock, based on the book, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, we're given a behind-the-scenes tour of Hitch's life when he conceived and executed his most famous movie, Psycho. The film is focused on the complex personal and professional relationship...

Moneyball [ Hits:10451 ]
Review: You've heard of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson but who the hell is Billy Beane? Moneyball turns this unsung hero into a household name. The general manager for Oakland Athletics modernised the business of baseball in the 2002 season by using key statistics to draft overlooked yet valuable players, giving them a chance to shine. Moneyball is based on the book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. The book drew on the Oakland A's sabermetric ...

The First Grader [ Hits:9740 ]
Review: The First Grader is the inspiring true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan ex-Mau Mau freedom fighter, who at the age of 84 fought the system for his right to an education he could never afford. This powerful biographical drama tells of a Maruge's struggle as he and primary school teacher, Jane Obinchu, stood up to a community and government that wanted to smother a man's right to basic education.This is an important film, one of many incredible stories that have emerged from a continent with many ...

Creation [ 2009 ] [ Hits:10371 ]
Review: Charles Darwin, an English naturalist in the 1800s published his theory of evolution in On the Origin of the Species, a book which sold out immediately, providing compelling evidence for evolution and now regarded as a fundamental life sciences principle in explaining the diversity of life. Creation details Darwin's evolution of thought as he gets to grips with actually writing and completing On the Origin of the Species. The film also suggests that Darwin was so passionate and dedicated to his ...

Skin [ Hits:10928 ]
Review: Skin is the extraordinary true story of Sandra Laing, a so-called coloured girl, born to white parents in 1950's Apartheid South Africa. It's a fascinating story about a woman trying to forge her way into South African culture, going against the grain because of her skin colour and racial classification. This has got to be one of the most interesting lives to have lived during the struggle, as Sandra essentially bridged the divide between white and black South Africans. She spent her childhood, ...

Julie & Julia [ 2009 ] [ Hits:9458 ]
Review: Julie & Julia is a homage to Julia Child's most famous cook book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a 734-page bestseller, which was and is critically acclaimed for its recipes, giving American chefs a taste for French cuisine and cooking techniques. Child is also famous for her television appearances, most notably The French Chef. Julie & Julia parallels Child's build-up to her magnum opus in 1961 with Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book in the space o...

Talk to Me [ 2007 ] [ Hits:9284 ]
Review: Talk to Me is one of those movies that just had to be made, and Petey Green was one of those extraordinary people that deserves the recognition. He led a fascinating life that only really came into its own, when he had a mouthpiece. It didn’t matter if it was a microphone, a loudspeaker or a talk show… the man told it like it was. It didn’t matter if ‘keeping it real’ was unpopular as long as it was his truth. Green’s prolific life was all about hard-living and he was a ‘miscreant�...

La Vie En Rose [ 2007 ] [ Hits:9392 ]
Review: La Vie En Rose a.k.a. La Môme is a stirring biographical movie about Edith Piaf, one of France’s most famous voices. The woman was said to embody the very spirit of Paris, and her lyrics welled up from the pain and sorrows she endured. She grew up in poor conditions and spent some of her childhood in a brothel. Her beautiful blue eyes were the most notable thing about the child, until she was given the opportunity to open her lungs and sing with her circus-performing father. Her life story wa...

Hansie [ 2008 ] [ Hits:11398 ]
Review: Hansie is a classic rise and fall story that saw one man disgrace a nation, only to redeem himself. The difference is that this story is actually history. Hansie Cronje, South Africa’s golden boy fell from grace after captaining the Proteas cricket team for several years. Cronje’s leadership and talent as a player guided South Africa through some of their most successful tours, almost upstaging Australia in the 1999 World Cup. His formative years were built on integrity, growing up within a ...

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