What are some realistic movies or books?

Blue Valentine.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

I thought Castaway was mesmerizing from a character standpoint. the range of that characters state of mind from a normal everyday working stiff, to a castaway communicating with a volleyball….to his rescue and attempt to regain his life that no longer exists was an incredible ride.

Heat. It was actually based around a genuine real life robbery & subsequent shoot out on the streets. Exhliarating stuff right there.

The Waterdance

Julie and Julia (if you are unfamiliar) is about the life of the cookbook and cooking school chef, Julia Child and the blog that was written about her, in modern times where the author (Julie Powell) spent one year (2002) cooking all of the recipes in Child’s book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Bottle Shock is about the 1976 “blind Paris wine tasting” contest in which California wines were paired against French wines. Up until this time, French wine was considered to be the finest wine in the world, and wines from California were considered to be inferior. With the help of a British born wine purveyor, Steven Spurrier, who was working in France at the time (who discovered the California wine on his own) the California wine won the contest that year and catapulted Califonia into the big leagues of winemaking. (Plus it’s a more interesting movie than Sideways, if you are interested in wine).

The Chorus (a French movie from 2004) Here is the synopsis: In this gentle French drama from first-time director Christophe Barratier, music teacher Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot) lands a job at a boys’ boarding school populated by delinquents and orphans—and run by a martinet headmaster (Francois Berleand). Sensing potential in the rambunctious ruffians, Mathieu forms a choir to rein in his charges through the transforming power of song, even at the probable cost of his career.

Doubt, about a young minority child who comes to a Catholic school in the early 1960’s. There is some controversy (and doubt) over whether the child is being abused or if something else is going on. What really happened? Will you ever be sure?

Goodnight Mr. Tom, synopsis: Bitter old Tom Oakley (John Thaw) is transformed after taking in young war refugee William Beech (Nick Robinson), who’s evacuated to Tom’s village during the London blitz in this affecting Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Michelle Magorian’s novel. Ill-tempered Tom grudgingly agrees to harbor Willie and slowly coaxes the cheerless boy from his shell as the two form an unlikely bond. But Willie’s joy is shattered when his mother beckons him home.

Gone and Back Again by Jonathon Scott Fuqua. It is loosely based on the author’s childhood and is one of my favorite books even if it is by an obscure author. It’s a nice short read and the realness of the characters is what I’ve always liked best about it.

Rachel Getting Married.

The bicycle thief.
The Joy Luck Club.
Trees Lounge

as far as whats out currently, the following:
127 hours
all good things
fair game

older stuff:
munich
apocalypse now
requiem for a dream