Category: True Story

September 5

2024   Constantin Film

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  35min

Drama ~ History ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by:  Tim Fehlbaum.

Starring:  Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch.

The Day Terror Went Live

During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany two very important events took place that altered the course of history. ABC Sports was covering the event live in Munich with a full team and broadcasting live worldwide via satellite for the first time ever, and a Terrorist group named Black September broke into the apartments housing the Israeli athletes and took them hostage. They immediately demanded release of 200 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. Word spread quickly and the ABC Sports News Team jumped into action covering every minute of the ordeal and broadcasted it worldwide. It was the first ever televised Olympics and a terrorist attack in real time. September 5 recreates the event from the perspective of the ABC crew in their control room.

FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

“September 5” unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, “September 5” provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time.

At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro), a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumours spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.

Interwoven with real footage from that day it is a fascinating look at the events that happened and the quick thinking of the ABC team in real time as they decided that since they had the capability, the world should see the events unfolding before them. It is also an interesting look at TV production in real time without the aid of computers and graphics. There is an interesting scene where we see how they came up with titles to overlay on the live feed. Very interesting stuff, way different than now when we can quickly add graphics to video in seconds.

It is a True Story and you know I love the True Story Movies. It is also a really good movie, you feel as if you are right there in the control room with them sweating out every second and every decision. Very well done down to the details in the control room, I was eyeing some of the vintage audio gear on the wall. Very Authentic!

I highly recommend this one. Give it a go!

Nonnas

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG

Length:  1 hr  51min

Comedy ~ Drama ~ True Story

Directed by Stephen Chbosky.

Starring:  Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro with Linda Cardellini and Susan Sarandon.

Your Table Is Waiting………

FROM NEXTFLIX:

Nonnas follows Joe (Vince Vaughn), who, after losing his mom and grandmother, turns to their generations-old recipes for solace and direction. With the money from his mom’s insurance and a little help from his friends, he opens Enoteca Maria, an old-school Italian spot staffed by four grandmothers, or “nonnas,” from different cities in Italy, who share their dishes with the neighborhood.

FROM THE WEB:

Nonnas is based on the True Story of Joe Scaravella who took the insurance money from his mother’s policy and opened his Staten Island, New York Restaurant Enoteca Maria in 2007. Just like in the movie, he hired all Italian Grandmothers (Nonnas) to do the cooking. The Restaurant is still open and thriving today, and as of 2015 they have expanded the use of Nonnas as Chefs from not only Italian Ancestory but Culinary Cultures from all over the world. You can visit Joe Scaravella and Enoteca Maria on the web at their site: ENOTECA MARIA.

The filming of Nonnas took place in various places around New Jersey including: Bayonne, Paterson Great Falls National Park, Downtown Paterson, Hoboken, Jersey City and Elizabeth. In Elizabeth, New Jersey they filmed the Restaurant scenes in a now closed Italian Restaurant named Spiritos. Spiritos opened in 1932 and closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. They paid homage to the restaurant by featuring the name and date in the tiled floor in the movie, which I thought was so classy. According to a previous lifelong customer who’s mother used to work at Spiritos:

“After they permanently closed, the people in the neighborhood knew there was a movie being filmed at Spiritos in Elizabeth NJ, but we didn’t know too many details. SPIRITOS opened in 1932 and they kept everything authentic and original including the menu and decor, until they closed for good in 2020. Their ravioli was legendary and it was my favorite, but some loved the pizza best, or the veal parm, or the garlic salad… I ate there regularly throughout my life and my mom worked there for 25 years until they closed. Like all of their waitresses who were all seniors, they took the orders without ever writing them down. They didn’t serve coffee or dessert because the line of hungry customers waiting for a table used to wrap around the room. If you wanted butter you had to bring it from home because they didn’t serve it. They didn’t need it because the bread was for mopping up the “red lead”, as their hearty gravy was nicknamed.”

“What a beautiful way to honor the history of such a special place that sadly had to close, than by using it as a set for a movie that celebrates the traditions, food, and love that the restaurant left behind.  Spiritos brought family, food, love and tradition to the table, and it’s clear that the NONNAS movie is going to do the same.”

FROM BOBBY:

I am always on the hunt for the latest movies to watch and had my eye on NONNAS. I am a Vince Vaughan fan from way back and when I read the movie description about a guy opening a restaurant to honor his late Italian Mother and Grandmother, I was in. As I started to watch and saw from the very beginning that it was a true story, I started googling on my phone. It was indeed a true story and it gets even better, he wanted to use real Italian Grandmothers, Nonnas, to do the cooking. Joe Scaravella wanted to bring the love and warmth of an Italian family gathering, and the food his Mom and Nonna made to the masses in a restaurant, to honor them and spread the love.

Are you kidding me? We need more of this in our world, how is this not a major headline story? Well, ok…I guess a major Motion Picture is good enough. I was hooked from the very beginning as Joe watched his Mom and Nonna in the kitchen, I swear I could smell the food cooking in the kitchen. And then along comes Linda Cardellini, I am a fan! Susan Sarandon and all the Nonnas were loveable in this, I love how Roberta and Antonella show their love for each other with such disdain at first!

I love Italian food and love to cook. I’ve worked in an Italian Restaurant in another life and there is something very special about all day simmered Red Gravy (Tomato Sauce). I have an Italian friend up in Pittsburgh who grew up like Joe did and told me stories about Sunday family gatherings and the infamous “Sunday Gravy” sauces his mom and Nonna would make. I love this story and I love the movie. I have to tip my hat to Joe Scaravella, his Nonnas and Enoteca Maria. And I think Netflix, Vince Vaughan, Linda Carellini, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro all did a fantastic job of bringing the warmth and love of Joe’s story to life.

Highly Recommended!

Only The Brave

2017   Sony Pictures

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  14min

Action ~ Drama ~ True Story

Directed by:  Joseph Kosinski

Starring:  Josh Brolin, James Badge Dale, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, Alex Russell, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Hardy, Thad Luckinbill, Geoff Stults, Scott Haze, Andie MacDowell, and Jennifer Connelly.

Based on The True Story of The Granite Mountain Hotshots.

I came across this movie on Netflix and had to watch it again. I remembered seeing it when it first came out and that I really liked it. It is based on the true story of The Granite Mountain Hotshots, a Fire and Rescue Team in Prescott, Arizona. They lack the Hotshot Certification they need to be able to fight fires and are delegated to cleaning up after the Hotshot crews that are flown in. “Hotshot” crews are certified elite teams of Wildland firefighters that get called in to battle the big wildland fires local crews aren’t equipped or certified to handle. Josh Brolin portrays Eric Marsh, the Superintendent of the team, who is frustrated by having the best firefighting team around but because of a technicality, can’t get the certification they need to become “Hotshots”.

Eric enlists the help of his Fire Chief friend Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges) to help him convince the Mayor to allow them to get Certified. He agrees and the team is given until the end of the fire season to achieve their certification, which they end up receiving. Miles Teller plays down on his luck Brendan McDonough who hears there might be a slot open on the crew. He has the right certification and is looking to turn his drug fueled existence around after finding out his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his child. He does exactly that by giving it everything he has to prove to Eric and the team that he is clean, sober and fighting to make a change and be an integral part of the team.

Jennifer Connelly stars as Eric’s wife Amanda and in doing research for her role spent time with the real life Amanda Marsh. I love Jennifer in this movie, I think she did an excellent job of being the tough cowgirl wife of Eric not afraid to speak her mind. Josh Brolin is an absolute winner in this movie. I think it is one of his best performances in a movie, absolutely riveting. I really liked everybody in this movie as well, Jeff Bridges, Andie MacDowell and all the guys on the crew. The scenery was southwest beautiful and the fires themselves were intense. The action of the firefights themselves had me on the edge of my seat.

It is an incredible story portrayed well by the cast. I never knew The Granite Mountain Hotshots but this movie made me proud to know them through the movie. I love the relationship between Eric and Amanda, Brendan and his girlfriend, and the comradery of the guys on the crew. I had seen it before but I was glad I watched it again. Well worth a second viewing, I’d have to put it up there as one of my favorites. If you haven’t seen it, It is a damn good movie, well worth a watch. Give it a go!

Inside Man: The Gemini Lounge

2023   Vertical Entertainment

Rated:  16+

Length:  1 hr  31min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by:  Danny A. Abeckaser

Starring:  Emile Hirsch, Jake Cannavale, Lucy Hale, Ashley Greene, Vincent Laresca, Kyle Stefanski, James Russo and Robert Davi.

Bobby Bones is a Freaking Cop!

Emile Hirsch stars as Bobby “Bones” Belucci, a disgraced New York City Police Detective who sees an opportunity for redemption. Bobby came home early from work one afternoon to find his wife with another man in their house. Being a little hot-headed, Bobby loses his mind on the guy and beats him to a pulp. His wife subsequently leaves him and he is demoted at work over the incident. Bobby is placed on desk duty and relieved of his service weapon. Completely miserable, one evening after work he decides to stop at a bar and tie one on.

Bobby gets pretty drunk and as he is relieving himself in the men’s room, two guys are doing a drug deal in a stall next to him. Suddenly they bust out of the stall and the customer pulls a knife on the drug dealer. Bobby snaps and jumps the knife yielding customer and takes out all his life’s frustrations on the guy. The Dealer, being very grateful to Bobby for saving his life, asks him for a ride. Bobby drives the dealer, Chris Rosenberg (Jake Cannavale) to The Gemini Lounge. Afterwards Bobby does some research on Chris and discovers that he is tied to The Demeo Crew and The Gemini Lounge is their hangout.

Bobby decides to go to the Gemini Lounge to hang out and get in good with his new friend Chris. It isn’t long before Chris introduces him to the rest of The Demeo Crew and finds himself fitting in with the gang. He approaches his Captain and convinces him to let him officially go undercover and get evidence against the group and their leader Roy Demeo. His boss agrees and assigns Bobby a budget and a partner. And that’s where the rest of the movie takes us, on the journey Bobby takes being undercover with a ruthless Mafia group with ties to the Notorious Gambino Family.

There are drugs, pimps, prostitutes, murders, dismemberments, and assorted mob violence portrayed in the film. It is a true story and there is nothing pretty about Mob activities. One scene in the bathtub reminded me of a scene from Scarface with Al Pacino. Emile Hirsch does a good job of portraying the tough Bobby Bones Belucci with a short fuse, not afraid to get dirty with the mob to bring them down. Reminded me of his role in Walden, somewhere in that mild-mannered actor lives a very violent man.

It is an independent film that Vertical Entertainment picked up and released. it was originally called Gemini Lounge and was re-titled Inside Man by Vertical. They should have kept the original name so it wouldn’t get confused with the 2006 Inside Man Movie with Denzel Washington. I thought it was pretty good for an independent film, well shot and the movie itself flowed pretty good. Not a lot of huge plot lines like some indies. It is a True Story and I thought they did a good job of portraying the story and The Demeo crew. If you are a fan of the Mob/Mafia/Gangster movies, you should like this…..just remember it is not a big budget production like The Irishman.

If you are not a fan of that genre or don’t like gangsters and violence, you’re not gonna like it.

So there you have Inside Man/Gemini Lounge not to be confused with Inside Man starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster or it’s sequel Inside Man: Most Wanted.

Inside Man starring Emile Hirsch is currently Streaming On Amazon Prime

Walden

Inside Man

Inside Man: Most Wanted

Love & Mercy

2015   Lionsgate

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr

Biography ~ Drama ~ Music ~ Romance ~ True Story

Directed by:  Bill Pohlad

Starring:  Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks,  Melinda Ledbetter and Paul Giamatti.

The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson.

SYNOPSIS(From the Official Website):

Love & Mercy presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys. Set against the era-defining catalog of Wilson’s music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost.

INTERESTING FACTS:

  • Brian Wilson thought the movie was very factual and that each character was cast so well that he “actually believed those characters were really who they were, like Paul Giamatti as Doctor Landry was so right on that it actually scared me.“
  • Paul Giamatti extensively researched Doctor Landy for his role:

“I played Dr. Landy, the crazy psychotherapist. It’s a great character. Brian Wilson had a severe freak-out and his family got in touch with a psychotherapist out in L.A. named Eugene Landy who took over. That’s where most of the story comes from, because the doctor was basically insane. He made Brian play in a sandbox, I mean crazy stuff.” Giamatti prepared for the role by engrossing himself in contemporary articles, meeting the real life Landy’s early career acquaintances, and listening to hours of tapes wherein Giamatti says “he’d just keep talking and talking, in these completely huge paragraphs. They were brilliant-sounding, but if you dug into them they didn’t make much sense.

Cusack’s performance as latter-day Wilson has been drawing praise from those closest to the musician, not only for the way he’s picked up on Wilson’s tics and speech patterns but for the underlying sweetness of his personality. His portrayal of Brian has drawn praise from Melinda who said of Cusack’s performance: “He’s amazing,” said Melinda Wilson. “I don’t know how he did it — he just morphed himself into Brian.”

  • Paul Dano completely immersed himself into Brian’s life, career and music learning as much as he could. He learned to play the piano and learned to sing Brian’s Beach Boy parts for the film. His voice was mixed with Brian’s in scenes of the movie. Paul gained 35 pounds by consuming 4200 calories a day to portray Brian at the time he had gained so much weight.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have seen this movie countless times and watched it again last night. It is one of my favorite movies. I added the ROMANCE category because I feel like it is a great Romance and Love story between Brian Wilson and Melinda Ledbetter. I think that is one of my favorite parts of the movie, how they met and fell in love amidst the chaos of Brian’s relationship and treatment with Dr. Landy. I love the scene in the dealership when they first met, in the Cadillac and Brian locks the doors and leaves her a note. I just love that. I really like Elizabeth Banks as Melinda Ledbetter, I am a huge fan of hers but there is something special about her portrayal of Melinda in this movie.

John Cusack and Paul Dano were both excellent as the differently aged Brian’s. I love both of their performances in this. The studio musicians portrayed in the movie were actual musicians hired to play the parts in the studio scenes. I thought they did a great job of portraying The Wrecking Crew. They were the actual group of studio musicians that Brian, The Beach Boys and so many artists of the 60’s and 70’s used on their recordings. The Wrecking Crew is a great Documentary about them currently streaming on Amazon. I love how they recreated the studio scenes down to the instruments and the equipment.

I grew up on The Beach Boys’ music and am a fan but watching this movie always gives me a deeper respect for their music and lives. Seeing Brian Wilson’s genius behind the scenes of the band is an incredible insight. I am always amazed and horrified by their relationship with their father. The audacity of Brian’s father informing him that “he sold the rights to ALL THEIR MUSIC for $750,000 because in five years time it wasn’t going to be worth anything.” is mind blowing and numbing at the same time. How is it that a father has nothing but disdain and animosity instead of unconditional love for his children? Watching the scenes between Brian and his Father is heartbreaking to say the least.

If you haven’t seen it you should watch it, If you have seen it….watch it again. It is worth it, it is a great story, a true story, a love story and a very insightful look into one of the most influential bands, Musician(s) and songwriters of modern American Music.

STREAMING ON AMAZON PRIME