Biopics

Instead of every late-20th-century musician (Springsteen, Aretha, Queen, Elvis, Dylan, Elton, Beatles, Michael), we need biopics of more fascinating figures. More intrigue than nostalgia. For instance, Alexander, David, Leonardo... and there I've even given you the titles of the movies, since these figures are so singular as to earn the mononym. Napoleon (with Joaquin) was a worthy effort, though it just wasn't done quite right. But that's the kind of thing that would elevate biopics for me.

The other thing is artistic vision, like I'm Not There. It abstracts and distorts its subject, nearly removing itself from the genre. Aesthetically adventurous biopics are more appealing than the majority who place aesthetics beneath nostalgia, stimulation, historical accuracy, and appealing to as wide a fanbase as possible.

Without aesthetic adventure or truly historically singular subjects (you can't tell me Springsteen had a deep cultural impact when I'm aware of people like Augustus) the ceiling for biopics is so low, and most don't even brush it.

Bob Dylan is one of my favorite famous figures of all time, and A Complete Unknown was admirably done, yet I still didn't love it. You might argue that one actually wasn't all that auspicious for me, since I knew the subject too well, but how many excuses do biopics get? I feel like I'm shooting down most of them.

Maybe I'd like Lincoln (with DDL). Maybe Amadeus. Obviously, I'm leaning toward historical subjects, since they offer more room for deification. For better or worse, that deification is exciting. Perhaps there are some modern options though. Einstein, Fenyman...

Notice I haven't mentioned any women. I lean toward pre-20th-century, and the further back you go, the less women appear in the history. Men rule the history books, mostly, so men are the historical figures of which I'm most aware. But here are a few options: Joan of Arc, Mary, Eve (lol wouldn't really be a biopic), Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Emily Dickinson (this one would have to be distinctly done, like mostly occurring in her imagination, or deliberately claustrophobic), Helen (wouldn't be a biopic), Athena (wouldn't be a biopic). Maybe I should watch Mary Magdalene.

Bach and Shakespeare are two more options. Plato. Genghis. Buddha. For some of these figures though, not all that much exists in the documents, so if you already know a lot about them, the movie is less valuable. Like, notice I haven't mentioned Julius Caesar. I already know much of what there is to know about him. So unfortunately, I see biopics as largely educational, rather than as of lasting cinematic value.

Biopic about Daniel Day-Lewis starring Daniel Day-Lewis, including scenes of current DDL filming past DDL movies. Answers the question "how would DDL play 2007 DDL paying Daniel Plainview" -- the ultimate question for a method actor (how do you play a method actor).