Based on Real Life... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lincoln

Daniel Day-Lewis received another Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the 2012 movie "Lincoln". The film takes place while the Civil War's casualties are mounting in the rift between the North and South. Lincoln's mission was to end the war, abolish slavery and reunite the nation into one country again.

Answer: The Queen

In 2006 "The Queen" was released, with Helen Mirren winning an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth II. The movie was a behind-the-scenes look at how the monarchy, particularly Queen Elizabeth II, handled the death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997. While the Queen was reluctant to mourn, Prime Minister Tony Blair convinces her that it's okay to show grief for the "People's Princess".

Answer: Spotlight

In 2001, the Boston Globe assigned a team to investigate the allegations against an unfrocked priest that he molested more than eighty young boys. With Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo, the journalists in the 2015 film, "The Spotlight", attempt to uncover the sexual scandals covered up by the Roman Catholic Church. The film won a Best Picture Academy Award in 2016.

Answer: 127 Hours

Mountaineer Aron Ralston is exploring a remote Utah canyon when a boulder falls on his arm trapping him. The 2010 movie "127 Hours" was based on Ralston's book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". James Franco plays Ralston who must make a life-altering decision to amputate his arm, extricate himself and try to return to civilization or remain trapped, facing death.

Answer: The Big Short

The 2015 film, "The Big Short", depicts the financial crisis which resulted from big banks lending subprime mortgages to people who could not afford them, and the resulting defaults. The greedy bankers, eager to take advantage of the economic crisis, doubled down, shorted stock, exacerbated the collapse and caused economic ruin for millions.

Answer: Black Hawk Down

Based on the 1999 book by Mark Bowden, "Black Hawk Down" was made into a 2001 film about events which occurred on October 3, 1993. The movie depicts U.S. troops in Black Hawk helicopters sent to Mogadishu, Somalia to capture two lieutenants of a Somali warlord. Two choppers were downed and U.S. Special Forces fought a battle against hundreds of Somali gunmen to try to get the helicopters.

Answer: Captain Phillips

Richard Phillips was captain of the ship Maersk Alabama in April 2009 when the ship was hijacked by Somali pirates; it was the first American cargo ship to be hijacked since the Second Barbary War in 1815. Tom Hanks played the brave captain in the 2013 movie "Captain Phillips".

His main concern was the life of his crew. Phillips was held hostage in a life boat for five days before being rescued.

Answer: The Imitation Game

British computer scientist and mathematical genius Alan Turing (1912-1954) was the focus of the 2014 film "The Imitation Game". The movie was set during War War II, in 1939, when a group of intelligence agents were brought together to help crack the Nazi code "Enigma". Facing time constraints and psychological issues, Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and his team save the day.

Answer: The King's Speech

Colin Firth won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of King George VI in the 2010 movie "The King's Speech". The setting is World War II and Prince Albert has become George VI, leader of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He needs to show strength and hope for his people but he stutters when public speaking. King George VI overcomes his disability.

Answer: The Perfect Storm

Have you ever heard Murphy's Law, i.e., "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"? "The Perfect Storm", released in 2000, is a perfect example of this theory. In October 1991, the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail set out to sea where it encountered a confluence of weather conditions which created a deadly storm in the North Atlantic. A fishing boat, it seems, is no match for a killer storm.

Answer: Valkyrie

On June 20, 1944, a plot by senior German Army officers was set in motion to assassinate Hitler, and crush the Nazi Regime. Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was selected to mastermind a plan to take out Hitler and then seize control of Berlin. The operation was called "Valkyrie", after the Norse women who choose those who go to Valhalla. The plot failed as did the 2008 film.

Answer: Thirteen Days

If you're old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, you will remember the tension in this country during the two weeks in October, i.e., October 16-28, 1962, thinking that World War III could break out at any moment. "Thirteen Days" is a 2000 film which describes how the buildup of Soviet arms in Cuba threatened the safety of the U.S., and the plan to end the threat.

Answer: The Social Network

"The Social Network", from 2010, is the story of how Facebook was born, with all its trials, tribulations and law suits, to become the biggest social media site in the world. Jesse Eisenberg plays founder Mark Zuckerberg as we first see him as a Harvard undergraduate in 2003. He uses his computer skills to create a global social network and become the youngest billionaire in history.

Answer: The Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne won a Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the brilliant theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018). The main focus of the 2014 film, "The Theory of Everything" is Hawking's relationship with Jane Wilde, the Cambridge art student he fell in love with in the 1960s. Despite his early diagnosis of ALS, Hawking went on to be a husband and father to three children, as well as a renowned author and highly respected scientist.

Answer: Zero Dark Thirty

After Kathryn Bigelow's directorial Oscar win for "The Hurt Locker" in 2008, she followed up with the 2012 film "Zero Dark Thirty". The movie chronicles the attempts to capture Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in retaliation for the 9/11 U.S. attacks. On May 2, 2011, at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.'s Team 6, one of the United States' worst terrorist threats was eliminated.