Tom Hanks plays 1980s party boy Congressman Charlie Wilson in this 2007 biographical dramedy, also starring Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film was adapted from a novel titled: Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, written by George Criley III in 2003. Charlie Wilson worked together with the CIA operative Gust Avrakotos in order to formulate Operation Cyclone, a program that was created to organize and support the Afghan jihadists during the Soviet-Afghan War
Although the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and five Golden Globe awards, including Best Motion Picture, it didn’t win for any of the categories. It was nominated for a number of other awards as well and holds an eighty-two percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes..
Gia (1998)
Angelina Jolie stars as an aspiring supermodel, Gia Marie Carangi, in this 1998 made-for-TV HBO film. The movie follows as Carangi moves to the city from Philadelphia and immediately catches a big break. Unfortunately, the life she finds comes along with drug addiction, which leads her down a dark path that ends in her catching AIDS from shooting up Heroin. Much of the film reveals the real life of Gia who, at the height of her career during the 70s and 80s spiraled downwards from drug addiction. She tragically died from AIDS-related complications.
Angelina Jolie won a Golden Globe for her performance, as did supporting actress Faye Dunaway, who played the role of famed modeling agent, Wilhemina Cooper. The film also won the Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing in a Miniseries or Movie.
Great Balls of Fire! (1989)
Dennis Quaid plays the late Jerry Lee Lewis in this 1989 film about the music star’s rise to rock-and-roll fame – and his incestuous and highly controversial marriage to his cousin, played by Winona Ryder, – who was just 13 years old at the time of the nuptials (which took place in Mississippi.) Aside from his highly publicized and controversial marriage, Lewis was once dubbed the face of rock'n'roll and one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century.
Lewis actually rerecorded several of his songs from the 1950s for the film soundtrack including the title track, Great Balls of Fire. Ryder won an award for a best young artist starring a motion picture at the Young Artist Awards in 1990. It flopped at the box office, grossing just over $13 million worldwide.
J. Edgar (2011)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this 2011 biographical drama about J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI for nearly five decades. Hoover first gained control of the organization in 1919, and the film follows his rise to power and his troubled personal life. The real-life Hoover was director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for 48 years and was regarded as the architect of the FBI. The organization was initially a rather weak wing of the federal government, but through his work, it became one of the strongest investigative agency.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film also includes Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, and Armie Hammer. DiCaprio earned a Golden Globe nomination, and both he and Hammer received nods at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The film also made the Top Ten list at the National Board of Review.
Invincible (2006)
Mark Wahlberg stars in this athletic drama about a 30-year-old bartender/high school teacher named Vince Papale, who realizes his lifelong dreams of becoming a professional football player when he gets the chance to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. While Papale never actually scored an NFL touchdown as the movie portrays, he was obviously good enough that he impressed the Eagles coach.
Unfortainely, pro football aside, Papale leads a fairly average life, but sees himself as a failure, as does his wife, who decides to leave him. Afterward, he scores a spot as kicker on the Eagles, who proceed to lose the first six games of the preseason with their new kicker. The film holds a 72% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.