Homer's Odyssey Iliad Entertainment News

Should Hollywood get its 'true stories' straight?

LOS ANGELES — Oscar season must be here, because accuracy is an issue again.  After nine months of forgiving Hollywood its biggest fish stories — zombies as fast as Olympic sprinters, a college for monsters — the awards season ushers its annual raft of biopics and dramas based on real events, starting with Friday's opening of the Somali pirate thriller Captain Phillips. Films on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Princess Diana, Wall Street stockbrokers and soldiers who recovered art stolen by Nazis soon will follow. And with them comes the inevitable accusation that studios shun the truth in exchange for profits, despite claims of veracity.  While accuracy claims are nothing new between studios vying for Oscar attention, observers say the backbiting has become especially pronounced. Last year's three leading contenders for best picture were based on real people and stories, and all were targets for getting history wrong.