Ray vs. Che

With the Oscar nominations approaching, it's biopic season again here in movieland. Time to reflect on the movies of the lives of the people who changed the world. Or at least warranted a $50 million budget from Fox Searchlight. This post should really be titled "Ray vs. Che vs. Kinsey vs. Hughes vs. Darin," but that wouldn't be the zingy title that this blog is so well-known for. Whose impersonation of a historical figure will garner Oscar gold? The smart money's on Jamie Foxx, since he's playing a drug addict and, more importantly, a cripple. Oscar can't resist a cripple.

I've seen all but one of the above-mentioned films, and all I can really say about the biopic genre is that I'll give major props to any filmmaker who doesn't end his movie with a little "Where Are They Now" segment (big ups, Bill Condon!). Directors, if you're gonna say it, put it in the film. Don't pad your runtime with inane paragraphs on black screens (e.g. "[Insert lead female's name] never stopped loving [protagonist], who died tragically of heart disease before his time, but not before kicking heroin, losing his mind and leading a peasants' revolt in the jungles of Bolivia.)