Brian’s Song is a made for TV movie from 1971, which premiered as an ABC Movie of the week, and tells the story of former Chicago Bears player, Brian Piccolo. Piccolo, portrayed by the late James Caan, played pro in the 1960s, and in 1965, was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, which resulted in his death in 1970.
The movie is widely regarded as being one of the best television films in history and holds a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It won several awards and was nominated for many more, including eight Emmys and the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Film.
Woman in Gold (2015)
Helen Mirren stars in this 2015 biographical drama as Maria Altmann, a Jewish refugee living in Los Angeles, and trying to recover stolen piece of art that she’s been battling the government of Austria for over a decade for after it was taken from her family by the Nazis. The Austrian-American Jewish refugee from Austria became recognized for a successful legal campaign to reclaim her family-owned paintings by Gustav Klimt which were stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
The film opened to mostly positive reviews and saw over $61 million returned on its budget of $11 million. Mirren earned a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor and a Leading Role.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
This 2019 film as written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, includes a star-studded cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Brad Pitt. It tells the story of an actor, Rick Dalton, and his stunt double, working to adjust to the changes in Hollywood during its Golden Age while living next door to the ill-fated Sharon Tate (Robbie.) Unlike the film, Sharon Tate was tragically killed in her home by the cult members of the Charles Manson gang. She was pregnant at the time and married to Roman Polanksi.
It received the number of accolades, including 10 nominations that year’s Academy Awards, among them, Best Picture, and a win for Pitt as Best Supporting Actor. The film also earned a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy.)
Without Limits (1998)
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical sports drama about record-breaking runner Steve Prefontaine, played by Billy Crudup, along with his coach, Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland,) who would go on to become the co-founder of Nike. Tom Cruise worked as a producer on the picture, which was distributed by Warner Bros.
The film was received fairly well from critics and audiences. Although it won no major awards, it holds nearly an 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, it flopped at the box office crossing less than $800,000 against a $25 million-dollar budget.
Soul Surfer (2011)
AnnaSophia Robb stars in this 2011 biographical drama based on the life of Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton was a surfer who, in 2003 at the age of 13, was horrifically attacked by a shark, which caused her to lose her left arm and more than 60% of her blood. She survived to tell the tale. Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid share the screen with Rob for the production which grossed nearly $48 million on an $18 million budget.
Although the film did well at the box office, the receipt mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. As of now, it sits at just a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was most popular with young audiences, which resulted in two nominations at the Teen Choice Awards.