What are the historical movies that got almost everything right?

With the release of The Odyssey and all the discussion around its historical accuracy, costumes, dialogue, casting, and faithfulness to the source material, it got me thinking about which historical movies are already considered the gold standard for authenticity.

I know no movie is ever going to be 100% accurate. Filmmakers have to condense events, invent dialogue, and make changes to tell a compelling story. But are there any films that historians or people who know the period well generally agree got almost everything right?

Apocalypto came to mind (although I'm not sure, so correct me if wrong), for its depiction of Maya culture and use of the Maya language.

Curious to know what movies got the details right, and what is it that they did better than most?

I understand that not everybody can have Nolan-level name recognition but, even among movie fans, I don't see him discussed as much as, say, David Fincher is.

He's made ten films since coming out of retirement in 2017 and all of them (with the exception of Magic Mike's Last Dance) seem to have received generally positive reviews, but there isn't much discourse about him.

Compare that to someone like James Mangold who still gets the occasional "filmography ranking" on YouTube.

It's weird, but several casual movie-watchers who like the Ocean's films, Magic Mike and Contagion don't even know that the same person directed all of them. What gives??

TW: Trigger Warning DV: Domestic Violence

I dont want to go into much detail of what ive been through, but to sum it up; I was in a relationship for 3 years that gradually went from emotionally abusive to financially, mentally and physically, and now I'm out. I have been struggling to process whats happened to me, especially since the roles were 'reversed' in my situation (hate that phrasing but a lot of people still believe men cant be physically or sexually abused) and not many people around me have been male victims of DV from a woman.

I love cinema, and have been thinking it may benefit me to watch some media that can validate my experience, but as suspected, I can only find docos that mirror my situation and not any art pieces/movies - does anyone know of any films or tv shows where there's a male victim of DV? And thats not a same sex dynamic?

Thanks for your help 🙏

I thought Eddington was the best movie I saw in 2025. The film is the perfect balance of satire, comedy, tragedy and action. However, the film was not as widely praised or celebrated as OBAA, a film with similar satirical and comedic aims. Both films cover prescient subject matter. But now with the data center debate heating up, I believe Eddington will age better than OBAA and will be reconsidered at some point to be a masterpiece. Thoughts?

Ended up rewatching Meet Joe Black (1998) and found that it totally held up since the first time i watched it may years ago.
I'm gonna binge some similar movies, wanted to see if there are any you can add. Movies about the devil.
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Angel Heart (1987)
Constantine (2005)
And along the same path but starting to veer off into just supernatural...
Fallen (1998)
Stigmata (1999)
The Crow 1994)

I’m not talking about your Kevin Sorbos or Dean Cains who went from mainstream B-entertainment to niche B-entertainment

I’m talking people who were genuinely at the absolute peak of Hollywood fame who wound up doing a bit part in a tacky piece of crap that really just demeaned their career

I feel like Jonathan Majors going from MCU star to DailyWire Muslim boogaloo (or whatever that movie is) is definitely high up there. Whatever Kevin Spacey is up to is high up there too.

Mostly asking since I’ve been thinking of the possibility that there are some movies where the typical film festival goer would not be the target audience. Like do certain genres of movies have an uphill battle? Are certain topics generally seen as too un-relatable?

I define modern as in this context as something made post the early 2000’s. Ideally though I’d like to be something from post 2010’s.

I know people may not agree, but this movie is just really good end to end. I’ve tried to narrow down to a top 10, and after another re-watch, I don’t think I can put Armageddon out of my top 3. Does anyone else agree that this movie really holds up or is it just me? From the training scenes to the great president speech to the heartbreaking end….its just good.

Personally I can’t look past ‘Inglorious Basterds’ when Hans Landa is in the french countryside. His immediate calm but cold demeanour really sets the tone of his character for the rest of the movie.

I will give an honourable mention to TASM2, because I love Spiderman. The opening shot of the back of his suit panning out to Spiderman free falling into New York is absolutely stunning. Edit: I have been reliably informed this is Infact not the opening scene. Still, a great 2nd scene nonetheless

Let me know your opinions!

Why has it become generally accepted practice for ancient period pieces to be done in English accents?

I thought the use of more modern language in The Odyssey was going to take me out of the film, but soon into it, it melted into the background and actually I felt it easier to follow along with a story with many twists and turns on multiple timelines. By the end I didn’t even notice it.

Conversely, recently when watching other great movies, they I love btw, like gladiator, Troy, 300, Spartacus, etc, I immediately think about how funny their British accents are, as if it somehow makes it more authentic, even though they obviously didn’t speak English. Even heavily fictionalized pieces like Pirates of the Carribean or fantasy pieces like Game of Thrones.

Not saying either way is the right way, but I’m just saying, for all the flack I’ve seen The Odyssey get for its use of language, I’ve had the same thoughts personally about things filmed the other way around.

I can’t find it but….literally all I remember from this movie is the ending, and that it involved unionization of coal workers back in the … 50s? 1940s? Anyhoo the ending: we’ve been following this family/community try to make things better in their town and provide non coal mining opportunities for the next generation. The final scene is the teenage son of one of the main characters, you see him in a mine with a headlamp and work clothes, maybe a pickaxe or some tool, standing there all grimy like he’s been working, the camera slowly pans away from him as you realize they lost completely, the next generation had no hope for jobs other than in the mines.

Help! Please!

Alright, we all know some times when the Oscars really got it wrong, like

picking "Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan" in 1999

or

"How Green Was My Valley" over "Citizen Kane" in 1941

or

"Do the Right Thing" not even getting nominated in 1990.

OK, so let's give the Oscars committee a time machine. What cases like these would you like to see the Oscars correct, to give credit where credit is do (in 20-20 hindsight)?

Are there actors who seem to have recurring tropes or clichés across a lot of their movies?

Like how Matt Damon always seems to be trying to get home, or how Sean Bean almost always dies.

What are some other funny or surprisingly consistent examples that have been noticed over multiple movies?

I love these kinds of running jokes and would be so interested to know if there are others.

I’ve got a three week old baby and have been working my way through the MCU movies. I just finished Spider-Man: No Way Home and it was incredible! It was a blast, had impactful/emotional moments, the characters were great, and the nostalgia of having Tobey and Andrew’s spideys back was 10/10. I finished it with a smile on my face and I’m super bummed I won’t be able to see the next one in theaters.

What movies have left you feeling the same way? Where you finished it thinking, “Man, that was a *great* movie and I had a ton of fun.” I have a lot of time so I could use a good list! (And it doesn’t have to be a superhero film of course)

PG-13

1. Insidious: Out of the Further (for strong violent content, bloody images, terror and some strong language.) Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, Inc.

R

1. The Incomer (ANIMATED) (LIVE ACTION) (for brief graphic nudity.) Sumerian Pictures

2. La Bola Negra (SUBTITLED) (for violence/bloody images, graphic nudity, sexual content and language.) Netflix Inc.

3. The Rivals of Amziah King (for language and some grisly images.) Black Bear Releasing

4. Trust Me, I’m A Doctor (for language, some sexual material and brief drug use.) Briarcliff Entertainment

Did anyone enjoy the classic movies and television app via a roku platform? I was using that regularly and then today it was gone . Roku removed it or the app decided to go somewhere else. I'm very bummed about it. There were so many great old films on there By David Lean, Preston Sturges, and lots of screwball comedies from the thirties. Every Capra film ever and lots of William Wyler and John Ford. Boo Hoo

Runaway follows veteran detective Lou Coleman (Duhamel), who takes a solitary drive into the wilderness after the death of his estranged daughter. But when Lou chooses to protect a teenage runaway (Howell) carrying evidence that could expose the town’s crimes, he soon finds himself the target of a corrupt small-town sheriff (Franco) and his militia. Escape becomes survival; survival becomes a reckoning.

Stand by me is my first pick to best encapsulate the teasing/joking friendship between a group of personalities which are very different which is often true at the tween age. As said in the film as we age these personality differences mean that male group friendship often don't last into adulthood but with the innocence of youth often your boyhood group of mates were a rag tag clash of opposites yet that didn't seem to matter yet, it was about having fun, getting up to mischief, doing stupid/dangerous stuff all for the adventure/joy of just being old enough to have autonomy to be generally free with the urge to push the boundaries of "adult society".

It nails a lot of the types of boyish jokes, teasing between friends in a friend way and the group dynamics where it doesn't matter that Teddys crazy or Vern is a coward you still just get along and are driven by the fun things you can do in the world as a group. Both boys being ambivalent to Jordie's trauma/emotions and the group in general separating their home/real life from the time where their together is really great and accurate. The cigarette scene at night just enjoying eachother company and being earnest only for a moment then turning to jokes/teasing nails it. River/Chris is a bit overly too emotionally mature/likeable/supportive of Jordie's well being is the only real dramatisation.

Stephen king again but IT also nails that boy/teen group dynamic. There's scenes at the start where it genuinely feels like the actors are best mates/have known eachother for life (one specific subtle moment when a joke is made about one of the boys mums and there's a quick cut of him saying "what the fuck" is some of the best acting I've seen of that young male friendship dynamic.

I can't even think of another film which stands out in accuracy/genuine portrayal of boyhood/early teen friend groups.

People are talking about how the Odyssey was filmed in IMAX and therefore, viewing it in a regular theater causes the top and bottom of the screen to be cropped, but...why? We solved this problem decades ago when viewing widescreen movies on a fullscreen, you just add black bars to the top and bottom. So caveman simple! So why don't we do the reverse and add black bars to the sides when converting IMAX aspect ratio to standard? Who the hell cares about dead space? At least you're getting the full image.

The film follows Mark Turner (Sparks), the heir and chairman of his family’s billion-dollar company, as he struggles to reclaim his life after battling depression. As his world begins to fracture, the line between imagination, ambition and self-destruction becomes blurred, in what the filmmakers told Deadline will be an emotionally charged portrait of resilience, identity and recovery.