Betty Anne Waters, a film with some major Oscar potential, has officially had its title changed to Conviction. Perhaps in an attempt to redeem the disaster that was Amelia, Fox Searchlight picked up the film a while back, and has settled on an October 15th release date. [The Playlist] Read the full story

It’s safe to say that Mira Nair‘s Amelia – a Fox Searchlight production — was one of 2009′s biggest busts. Most people figured that a Hilary Swank biopic was going to be a shoo-in for awards left and right, but the film completely bombed with both critics and audiences. Well, it looks like Fox Searchlight is out for some redemption, as Variety reports that they have acquired the rights to Tony Goldwyn‘s Betty Anne Waters, another true story set to star the Oscar-winning Swank. Read the full story

Another Tuesday is upon us. It’s time to sift through the DVD releases of the week and share what to check out and what to avoid.  Jordan also tells us the Blu-ray deals of the week. Read the full story

What a disappointing year for Fox Searchlight it has been. The studio behind indie hits such as Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, The Wrestler, and Slumdog Millionaire have had a rough year. They kicked off with Miss March, a critical bomb that brought in less than $5 million. My Life In Ruins brought in less than $9 million and didn’t sit so well with critics either. Adam, Post Grad, and Whip It all underperformed as well. Their only real success has been with (500) Days of Summer, which has brought in almost $33 million on a budget of $7.8 million. The film also did very well with critics, finishing with 87% on RottenTomatoes. Their only Oscar hope, Amelia did modestly for a limited release, but was panned critic-wise, leaving no chance for awards. Their most recent film, Jared Hess‘ Gentlemen Broncos has only opened in a few cities where it accumulated a terrible $14,458 on a $10 million budget. Searchlight announced today they are not planning on expanding it to any more markets and are leaving it dead in its tracks. The film, directed by the man behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre currently has only 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. Before you run away, there is some good news in this post.
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It’s a question with no precise answer and no particular set of rules attached to it. Loosely, a biopic tells the story of life, usually one of both triumph and failure and, of course, accomplishment.

Think Chaplin or Ray, standard bio-films that follow the life of their “great” subjects from childhood to death, going over all of the big moments while sure to add a couple “poignant” small moments many viewers didn’t already know about. Sometimes these films bookend their subjects’ lives with elderly collections of the past or last will and testaments (remember Milk, if you can).

Others work are framed in a similar fashion, only under a thinner scope, i.e. the significant event/achievement said subject lead/started/was part of. Think Patton, which begins with his victory in North Africa than Sicily than Normandy, charting his WWII command as a filter through which to study his life. In a (slightly) similar way does Lawrence of Arabia unfold, quickly checking off the historical moves in which he becomes a British military officer so as to concentrate on his brilliant tactical leadership of the Arab Revolt of 1916 and its aftermath. Sticking with the war hook, another easy example (from a much more complicated angle) is Schindler’s List.

All this to reiterate the titular question: what is the art of telling the story of a true life? How can one capture the awe of something, and someone, that really happened?

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Hilary Swank is looking to take home her third Oscar playing the title role in Mira Nair‘s (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake) Amelia. Co-starring Ewan McGregor, Richard Gere and Virginia Madsen, the biopic follows the life and mysterious disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart. The film was scripted by Ronald Bass, who won an Oscar in 1988 for his work on The Rain Man.

Fox Searchlight has released the official trailer for the film which we’ve embedded below:

Frankly, it looks like a pretty by-the-numbers affair. I’m hoping that the film is just victim to poor trailer cutting and that it’s more than just an attempt at blatant award-grabbing. No doubt the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will fall all over itself when it comes to the Golden Globes.

But if I’m wrong, I’m ready to eat crow later this year. The film opens in limited release October 23, 2009.

Hat tip to First Showing.

What are your impressions of the trailer?