The best way to spend a snowy weekend is inside watching a movie marathon.
While watching movies can be a great distraction from real life, sometimes the best ones are based on actual events. These movies are not only entertaining, but truly educational and inspirational. Here are five of my favorite movies that are "based on a true story."
1. "Woman in Gold"
Maria Altmann escaped Nazi-occupied Austria, but not before the Nazis stole her family's artwork. This film tells the story of how she, as an elderly Jewish refugee living in California with the help of young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, fought the Austrian government to reclaim a portrait of her aunt.
This is a witty and inspiring film. If you're ever in New York City, be sure to stop by the Neue Galerie to see the Klimt painting of her aunt, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I."
This biographical film of physicist Stephen Hawking and his ex-wife, June Beryl Hawking, begins with the pair meeting at Cambridge University. It follows their relationship, his successful career, and his diagnosis and continuing battle with ALS.
Eddie Redmayne's Oscar-winning performance as Stephen Hawking is spectacular and moving. And if the film leaves you wanting more, read "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen," the memoir from which the film is adapted.
3. "Saving Mr. Banks"
This film depicts Walt Disney's meetings with "Mary Poppins" author, P.L. Travers, as he tried to obtain the screen rights to her novels. When I went to see this film in theaters, I thought I would be treated to a lighthearted film about Mary Poppins. I could not have been more wrong, as this film also takes a look into Travers' heartbreaking childhood, which partly served as the inspiration for her novels.
If you're looking for a good cry paired with amazing performances by Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, this is the film for you.
4. "The Imitation Game"
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, a cryptanalyst working at Bletchley Park during World War II. The brilliant mathematician played a pivotal role in designing machines that could crack the German Enigma machine, shortening the war by an estimated two to four years.
This film also depicts Alan Turing's arrest for "homosexual acts," a criminal offense in the United Kingdom during the 1950s, which led to his suicide in 1954. This Oscar-nominated film is powerful and so interesting that you wish the film was longer than 114 minute run-time.
5. "Unbroken"
"Unbroken" tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete turned United States airman during World War II. His bomber went down over the Pacific Ocean, and he survived in a raft for 47 days before being found by Japanese soldiers and sent to harsh prisoner of war camps.
This is the ultimate story of resilience, with wonderful performances and great cinematography.
The next time you're stuck inside during a storm, check out one of these movies.
