Gangs of New York 2002

Gangs of New York is a 2002 American historical drama film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of Lower Manhattan. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 non-fiction book, The Gangs of New York. It was made in Cinecittà, Rome, distributed by Miramax Films and nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.The film begins in 1846 but quickly jumps to 1862. The two principal issues of the era in New York were Irish immigration to the city and the Federal government's execution of the ongoing Civil War. The story follows Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) in his roles as crime boss and political kingmaker under the helm of "Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent). The film culminates in a violent confrontation between Cutting and his mob with protagonist Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his allies, which coincides with the New York Draft Riots of 1863.
        On February 6, 1846, at Paradise Square in Lower Manhattan's Five Points, a territorial battle of hand-to-hand combat between Bill "the Butcher" Cutting's U.S.-born nativist gang, the Natives, and "Priest" Vallon's Irish Catholic immigrant gang, the Dead Rabbits, concludes when Cutting kills Vallon, witnessed by Vallon's young son, Amsterdam. Cutting declares the Dead Rabbits outlawed but orders that Vallon's body be buried with honor. Amsterdam seizes the knife used to kill his father, races off, and buries it along with a medal his father gave him. He is later raised at Hellgate orphanage.
In late 1862, an adult Amsterdam Vallon returns to Five Points and reunites with an old friend, Johnny Sirocco, who reintroduces Amsterdam anonymously to Cutting. Amsterdam finds many of the former Dead Rabbits now loyal to Cutting, including "Happy Jack" Mulraney, who has become a corrupt police officer, as well as the racist McGloin. Amsterdam works his way into Cutting's inner circle, and learns that, each year, Cutting celebrates the anniversary of his victory over the Dead Rabbits. Amsterdam plans his father's revenge: to kill Cutting during this year's ceremony. Amsterdam becomes more deeply involved with Tammany Hall, the twisted political empire of Boss Tweed, who is heavily manipulated by Cutting.
Initial release: December 9, 2002 (New York City)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Featured song: The Hands That Built America
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture, more
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonergan

Titanic 1997

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed, written, co-produced, co-edited and partly financed by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.Cameron's inspiration for the film was predicated on his fascination with shipwrecks; he wanted to convey the emotional message of the tragedy and felt that a love story interspersed with the human loss would be essential to achieving this. Production on the film began in 1995, when Cameron shot footage of the actual Titanic wreck. The modern scenes were shot on board the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, which Cameron had used as a base when filming the wreck. A reconstruction of the Titanic built at Playas de Rosarito in Baja California, scale models, and computer-generated imagery were used to recreate the sinking. The film was partially funded by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and, at the time, was the most expensive film ever made, with an estimated budget of $200 million.
       In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team aboard the research vessel Keldysh search the wreck of RMS Titanic for a necklace with a rare diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. They recover a safe containing a drawing of a young woman wearing only the necklace. It is dated April 14, 1912, the day the ship struck the iceberg.[Note 1] Rose Dawson Calvert, claiming to be the person in the drawing, visits Lovett and tells of her experiences aboard the ship.In 1912 Southampton, 17-year-old first-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater, her fiancé Cal Hockley, and her mother Ruth board the Titanic. Ruth emphasizes that Rose's marriage will resolve the DeWitt Bukaters' financial problems. Distraught over the engagement, Rose considers committing suicide by jumping from the stern; Jack Dawson, a penniless artist, convinces her not to. Discovered with Jack, Rose tells Cal that she was peering over the edge and Jack saved her from falling. Cal is indifferent, but when Rose indicates some recognition is due, he offers Jack a small amount of money. After Rose asks whether saving her life meant so little, he invites Jack to dine with them in first class the following night. Jack and Rose develop a tentative friendship, though Cal and Ruth are wary of him. Following dinner, Rose secretly joins Jack at a party in third class.Aware of Cal and Ruth's disapproval, Rose rebuffs Jack's advances, but later realizes that she prefers him over Cal. After rendezvousing on the bow at sunset, Rose takes Jack to her state room and displays Cal's engagement present: the Heart of the Ocean. At her request, Jack sketches Rose posing nude wearing it. They evade Cal's bodyguard and have sex in an automobile in the cargo hold. They later visit the forward deck, witnessing a collision with an iceberg and overhearing the officers and designer discussing its seriousness.Cal discovers Jack's sketch of Rose and a mocking note from her in his safe along with the necklace. When Jack and Rose attempt to tell Cal of the collision, he has his butler slip the necklace into Jack's pocket and accuses him of theft. He is arrested, taken to the Master-at-arms' office, and handcuffed to a pipe. Cal puts the necklace in his own coat pocket.With the ship sinking, Rose is desperate to free Jack. She flees Cal and her mother, who has boarded a lifeboat, and rescues him. They return to the boat deck, where Cal and Jack encourage her to board a lifeboat; Cal claims he can get himself and Jack off safely. After Rose boards one, Cal tells Jack the arrangement is only for himself. As her boat lowers, Rose decides that she cannot leave Jack and jumps back on board. Cal takes his butler's pistol and chases Rose and Jack into the flooding first class dining saloon. After using up his ammunition, Cal realizes he gave his coat and consequently the necklace to Rose. He later boards a lifeboat by carrying a lost child.After braving several obstacles, Jack and Rose return to the boat deck. All the lifeboats have departed and passengers are falling to their deaths as the stern rises out of the water. The ship breaks in half, lifting the stern into the air. Jack and Rose ride it into the ocean and he helps her onto a wooden panel only buoyant enough for one person. Holding the edge, he assures her that she will die an old woman, warm in her bed. He dies of hypothermia but she is saved.
With Rose hiding from Cal en route, the RMS Carpathia takes the survivors to New York. There she gives her name as Rose Dawson. She later learns that Cal committed suicide after losing everything in the 1929 Wall Street Crash.Hearing Rose's story, Lovett abandons his search. Alone on the stern of the Keldysh, Rose takes out the Heart of the Ocean—in her possession all along—and drops it into the sea over the wreck site. While she is seemingly asleep in her bed, photos on her dresser depict a life of freedom and adventure, partly inspired by Jack. A young Rose reunites with him at the ship's Grand Staircase, applauded by those who perished.
Initial release: November 18, 1997 (London)
Director: James Cameron
Running time: 195 minutes
Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
Awards: [Academy Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Original Music Score, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, MTV Movie Award for Best Movie, Academy Award for Best Director, Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie, Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress, Academy Award for Best Film Editing, Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, Academy Award for Best Production Design, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture, People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie, American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases, Satellite Award for Best Film, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Satellite Award for Best Art Direction and Production Design, Satellite Award for Best Costume Design, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance, Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, Satellite Award for Best Editing, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director, Satellite Award for Best Director, Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film, Satellite Award for Best Original Score, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score, Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Song, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Director, European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actress, Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement: Technical Achievement, Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film, Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress - Drama, ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for Most Performed Songs From Motion Pictures, ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Top Box Office Films, Hochi Film Award for Best Foreign Film, People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Production Design, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film, PGA Producer of the Year Award for Motion Picture Producer of the Year, Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Camera Award for Film - International,]

Valkyrie 2008

Valkyrie is a 2008 American-German historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country. Valkyrie was directed by Bryan Singer for the American studio United Artists, and the film stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters. The cast included Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp and Tom Wilkinson.
         During World War II, Wehrmacht Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) is severely wounded during an RAF air raid in Tunisia, losing a hand and an eye, and is evacuated home to Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, Major General Henning von Tresckow (Branagh) attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler by smuggling a bomb aboard the Führer's personal airplane. The bomb, however, is a dud and fails to detonate, and Tresckow flies to Berlin in order to safely retrieve it. After learning that the Gestapo has arrested Major General Hans Oster, he orders General Olbricht (Nighy) to find a replacement. After recruiting Stauffenberg into the German Resistance, Olbricht presents Stauffenberg at a meeting of the secret committee which has coordinated previous attempts on Hitler's life. The members include General Ludwig Beck (Stamp), Dr. Carl Goerdeler (McNally), and Erwin von Witzleben (Schofield). Stauffenberg is stunned to learn that no plans exist on the subject of what is to be done after Hitler's assassination.
Initial release: December 25, 2008 (USA)
Director: Bryan Singer
Initial DVD release: May 19, 2009
Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie, Nathan Alexander
Awards: BMI Film Music Award

12 Years a Slave 2013 Yahoo Trailer

In the hands of any other director, the true story of Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man kidnapped and forced into slavery from 1841 to 1853, could very well have been formulaic, run-of-the-mill, and overly sentimental. Thankfully, it landed in the hands of Steve McQueen ("Shame"), who portrays the brutality of slavery by framing Northrup's tale as a taut thriller, creating a visceral experience for viewers akin to someone grabbing you by the throat and not letting go for two hours (in a good, somewhat cathartic way). What results is an instant classic, and the definitive slavery film of our time. Believe the hype: "12 Years a Slave" will knock you out … again, in a good way.

Dallas Buyers Club 2013 Yahoo Trailer

Every bit as great as Tom Hanks Oscar-winner "Philadelphia," "Dallas Buyers Club" -- also about a man with HIV-AIDS -- is vastly different, showcasing a visceral, rousing cowboy spirit. "I prefer to die with my boots on," Matthew McConaughey's Ron protests as he goes against doctor's orders. Jared Leto is searing and heart-wrenching as Ron's unlikeliest of sidekicks. Intuitive in all the right ways, "Dallas" flaunts its star's most important performance to date.

Saving Mr. Banks 2013 Yahoo Trailer

This one -- about Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks) wooing of author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) in his attempt to adapt "Mary Poppins" for the big screen -- pushed every button on our emotional dashboard: We laughed, we cried, we pondered, we sang. It's about so many things, yet it covers them all with resonance. It's about the hopeful power of storytelling; it's about finding common ground when ground is not easily given; it's about forgiving past sins to move onto future greatness; it's about the price of art, and how very valuable it can be. Somehow, though its messages are heavy indeed, in the end, there’s a therapeutic catharsis, eerily akin to flying a kite.

Twenty Feet from Stardom 2013 Yahoo Trailer

The unsung heroes behind some of pop music's biggest hits finally get their time to shine in this heartbreaking-yet-life-affirming documentary from award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville. Part love letter, part confessional, "20 Feet From Stardom" honors these supremely talented back-up singers while showcasing why they never should have been relegated to the shadows in the first place.