The Reel Roundup | Everything Movies & More: Biopic

Review: ‘The Apprentice’ is a Shallow Look at the Man, the Myth and the Punch Line that is Donald Trump

October 11, 2024 Ben MK

Animation Biopic featured

The Building Blocks of a Music Icon: A TIFF Review of ‘Piece by Piece’

September 21, 2024 Ben MK

Biopic Capsule Review Drama

TIFF Capsule Review: The Imitation Game

September 10, 2014 Ben MK

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Secrets and lies...

On the surface, Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of renowned British mathematician Alan Turing in The Imitation Game seems to harken back to his turn as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate, as both roles — at least initially — strike audiences as being that of aloof and arrogant geniuses. But take heed of the question — "Are you paying attention?" — that Cumberbatch himself poses at the start of this biopic. Because there's more to the man — and the story of his secret life and work during the Second World War — than meets the eye.

Biopic Blu-ray Review Comedy

Tuppence a Blu-ray Review: Saving Mr. Banks

March 28, 2014 Ben MK

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Paging Mr. Hanks

By Ben Mk

Most people are probably familiar with Mary Poppins, the film — but many may not realize that Walt Disney himself spent some twenty years trying to secure the motion picture rights to the original book from its author, Pamela Lyndon (P.L.) Travers. And it's the end of this tumultuous journey that's dramatized in director John Lee Hancock's Saving Mr. Banks — with Emma Thompson playing the no-nonsense author and Tom Hanks as the affable Walt Disney, who's adamant about keeping a promise to his daughters, by bringing their favorite book to the big screen.

Biopic Blu-ray Review Crime

Bullish Blu-ray Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

March 26, 2014 Ben MK

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All-American hustle

By Ben Mk

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And in the case of Jordan Belfort — whose ambition to become a Wall Street power broker took him to the top of the FBI's most-wanted list — that couldn't be more true. His actions were unscrupulous and morally indefensible, and his story is one of greed and lust, full of anecdotes of drugs and debauchery. It's a quintessential tale of the American dream gone wrong, and all of it is brought to life in vivid detail in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street.

Animation Biopic Drama

High Flying Film Review: The Wind Rises

February 21, 2014 Ben MK

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Little Jiro needs to fly

By Ben Mk

Hayao Miyazaki doesn't make children's movies, he makes great movies. Period. Over a career spanning an incredible fifty years, the legendary Japanese filmmaker has made us believe in the friendliness of forest spirits, in witches that deliver mail and in pigs that can fly. But no matter how whimsical their content, his films have always resonated on a level above and beyond typical animated fare. His legions of ardent fans were of course saddened when the auteur announced his exit from the industry in 2013; but Miyazaki couldn't have picked a more fitting final bow than The Wind Rises, a majestic and poignant story of love, loss and the power of dreams.

Biopic Blu-ray Review Drama

Unredacted Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Estate

February 4, 2014 Ben MK

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Whistleblowers anonymous

By Ben Mk

Before Edward Snowden and the NSA surveillance scandal, there was Julian Assange and the saga of WikiLeaks. Branded as a villain by some and hailed as a hero by others, Assange became a controversial figure for his role in a new, global wave of citizen journalism that knew no bounds — moral or otherwise. In The Fifth Estate, director Bill Condon tackles the enigma of the WikiLeaks founder and reflects on the lasting moral and ethical implications of his legacy.

Biopic Drama Film Review

The Power of One Film Review: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

December 25, 2013 Ben MK

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People learn to hate — they can be taught to love

By Ben Mk

When Nelson Mandela passed away earlier this month, not only did the world lose one of its most important and influential leaders, it also lost one of its most outspoken proponents for peace. Even after being imprisoned for twenty-seven years, he harbored no ill will towards the South African government and championed for unity among the its peoples. His long walk to freedom — which is the subject of the film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom — was not just traveled by him, but also by his family and the entire country of South Africa.

Biopic Crime Dark Comedy

Feral Film Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

Ben MK

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For the love of money

By Ben Mk

What do Martin Scorsese and Jordan Belfort have in common? Scorsese is a prolific filmmaker, with over fifty directing credits to his name; Belfort is a prolific Wall Street moneymaker, who made over fifty million dollars a year at the height of his career. When Scorsese makes a film, people pay attention; when Belfort talks, people listen. Scorsese’s films often center on the themes of greed, power and ego; Belfort’s claim to fame is itself the ultimate story of greed, power and ego. The famous director and the infamous stockbroker cross paths in Scorsese’s new film, The Wolf of Wall Street, chronicling the rise and fall of the man and the myth that is Jordan Belfort.

Biopic Comedy Drama

Script-Approved Film Review: Saving Mr. Banks

December 20, 2013 Ben MK

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Step in time

By Ben Mk

With Disney's recent acquisitions of Marvel, Star Wars and the Indiana Jones licenses, it may seem like the company once known as "The House of Mouse" is now about anything but. Flashback fifty or so years, to the release of the 1964 Disney classic Mary Poppins, and it was an entirely different story. With Walt Disney still at the helm and Mickey, Minnie and Donald at the forefront, there wasn't much distance between the company and its menagerie of cartoon characters. What does this all have to do with Mary Poppins and the new film Saving Mr. Banks -- about the penultimate leg of the long journey to get it made -- you might ask? It all has to do with perception.

Biopic Dallas Buyers Club Drama

Non FDA-Approved Film Review: Dallas Buyers Club

November 1, 2013 Ben MK

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Defying the odds and defying the law

By Ben Mk

When you think of movies set in the '80s, you think of big hair, Cosby sweaters and Wall Street stockbrokers. What you may not think of is one of that decade's defining events: the world health crisis that was the rise of the AIDS epidemic. During that time -- in response to the lack of proper treatment and medication for AIDS patients -- so-called buyers clubs began springing up across the United States, providing the afflicted with access to medication not legally available in the US. Dallas Buyers Club is the story of one such club, started by a man who defied both the odds and the system, named Ron Woodroof. But more specifically, it's the story of his journey to redemption.

Biopic Drama Film Review

Declassified Film Review: The Fifth Estate

October 18, 2013 Ben MK

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Strike back against the empire

By Ben Mk

It's been well-publicized that Julian Assange isn't a fan of The Fifth Estate. Just last week, word leaked about the open letter he sent to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays him in the film, stating as much. In fact, there's a very meta moment in the film where Cumberbatch, as Assange, addresses an off-camera interviewer and says, "What WikiLeaks film? Oh, that WikiLeaks film". He then goes on to make known his disdain for the film and to point out that truth is not a definitive concept -- there are only the different versions of it that people tell -- and that it is up to you, the viewer, to find out for yourself. So, does The Fifth Estate condemn Assange for his tactics, or does it paint him as a martyr for the new wave of citizen journalism?

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