Biopic Theatre: Grace of Monaco (2014)

I’ve probably said this about Lifetime biopics before: attacking them is like picking low-hanging fruit. As Lifetime becomes the de facto biopic factory, they’ve certainly injected an added air of quality to their work, as evidenced by their acquisition of Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco. The Nicole Kidman-starring Grace Kelly-biopic has been riddled with production woes…

Biopic Theatre: The Last of Robin Hood (2013)

Look up infamy in the dictionary and you’ll probably see a picture of Errol Flynn. The actor was never shy about admitting his “wicked, wicked ways” that, ultimately, led him to being accused of statutory rape. Hollywood, however, has been slower to discuss the late actor’s proclivities. The 1985 TV movie, that, despite being named…

The Aviator (2004)

While not quite as prolific as Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes’ life has yielded a few biopics over time. I gave my thoughts on Tommy Lee Jones’ portrayal in The Amazing Howard Hughes in 2012 (in a nutshell, it wasn’t that amazing), while Larry Buchanan’s Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell continues to elude to me…

Alias Nick and Nora (1991/2005)

Our final tribute to Nick and Nora Charles is a pair of documentaries included with the Complete Thin Man box set. (I assumed the final disc, Alias Nick and Nora, was a documentary discussing the legacy of their work in the Thin Man series as a whole.) William Powell: A True Gentleman and Hollywood Remembers:…

Blonde (2001)

Biopic Theater makes its triumphant return with a TV movie doomed to irrelevancy after next year (barring release dates don’t change). If you read my News From the Lake post from a few weeks back, you’ll recall the announcement that director Andrew Dominik was adapting Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional Marilyn Monroe novel, Blonde, with Jessica Chastain.…