7 DVDs for the history lover's stocking
American Sniper: Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper, this film tells the story of Chris Kyle, the legendary Navy SEAL murdered by a disturbed veteran in 2013.
Best of Enemies:Debates featuring conservative intellectual William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal intellectual Gore Vidal were featured during ABC’s coverage of the 1968 Democratic and Republican presidential conventions. In this documentary, filmmakers focus on the unprecedented on-air vitriol and how it changed television news. But the debates -- minus that oh-my-God moment when Vidal called Buckley a crypto-Nazi and Buckley called Gore a queer -- are fascinating because the high-octane haggling involves still-relevant issues.
Bridge of Spies: This serious but entertaining drama starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg tells the story of a spy exchange between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
Everest: The story of the deaths of eight climbers during a storm on Mount Everest May 10-11, 1996, is, at times, difficult to watch. Even so, Everest leaves viewers with a sense of what happened and why. The all-star cast includes Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley.
Steve Jobs: This movie has much to recommend it -- screenplay by Aaron Sorkin (based on the book by Walter Isaacson), Danny Boyle as director and a stellar cast led by Michael Fassbender in the title role. But beyond all that, it entertains while giving the audience a complicated picture of the late Apple Inc. co-founder.
Testament of Youth: The true story of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), who became an anti-war activist after her brother and close friends were killed during World War I.
Woman in Gold: While many other movies tell the story of the Holocaust, this film, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds, focuses on a woman’s quest to reclaim her family’s property -- specifically, a valuable painting --long after the end of World War II.
Related:
Bridge of Spies: A Cold War thriller
Video: Three upcoming movies tell war stories
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