1.
Coventry
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Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Warwickshire, Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and it is the second largest city in the West Midlands region, after Birmingham, with a population of 345,385 in 2015. Coventry is 95 miles northwest of central London,19 miles east-south-east of Birmingham,24 miles southwest of Leicester and 11 miles north of Warwick. Coventry Cathedral was built after the destruction of the 14th century cathedral church of Saint Michael by the German Luftwaffe in the Coventry Blitz of 14 November 1940, Coventry motor companies have contributed significantly to the British motor industry. The city has two universities, Coventry University in the city centre and the University of Warwick on the southern outskirts. The Romans founded a settlement in Baginton, next to the River Sowe, and another formed around a Saxon nunnery, founded c. AD700 by St Osburga, that was later left in ruins by King Canutes invading Danish army in 1016. Earl Leofric of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva built on the remains of the nunnery, in time, a market was established at the abbey gates and the settlement expanded. By the 14th century, Coventry was an important centre of the cloth trade, the bishops of Lichfield were often referred to as bishops of Coventry and Lichfield, or Lichfield and Coventry. Coventry claimed the status of a city by ancient prescriptive usage, was granted a charter of incorporation in 1345, the plays that William Shakespeare witnessed in Coventry during his boyhood or teens may have influenced how his plays, such as Hamlet, came about. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main British centres of watch and clock manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot, in Lancashire, in the late 19th century, Coventry became a major centre of bicycle manufacture. The industry energised by the invention by James Starley and his nephew John Kemp Starley of the Rover safety bicycle, by the early 20th century, bicycle manufacture had evolved into motor manufacture, and Coventry became a major centre of the British motor industry. Jaguar is owned by the Indian company, Tata Motors, with many of the citys older properties becoming increasingly unfit for habitation, the first council houses were let to their tenants in 1917. With Coventrys industrial base continuing to soar after the end of the Great War a year later, numerous private and council housing developments took place across the city in the 1920s and 1930s. The development of a southern by-pass around the city, starting in the 1930s and being completed in 1940, Coventry suffered severe bomb damage during the Second World War. There was a massive Luftwaffe air raid, part of the Coventry Blitz, firebombing on this date led to severe damage to large areas of the city centre and to Coventrys historic cathedral, leaving only a shell and the spire. More than 4,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, along with three quarters of the citys industrial plants. More than 800 people were killed, with injured and homeless. Aside from London, Hull and Plymouth, Coventry suffered more damage than any other British city during the Luftwaffe attacks, following the raids, the majority of Coventrys historic buildings could not be saved as they were in ruinous states or were deemed unsafe for any future use
2.
Warwickshire
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Warwickshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton, the county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Commonly used abbreviations for the county are Warks or Warwicks, the county is divided into five districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon. The current county boundaries were set in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, the historic county boundaries also included Coventry and Solihull, as well as much of Birmingham. The northern tip of the county is only 3 miles from the Derbyshire border, an average-sized English county covering an area of almost 2,000 km2, it runs some 60 miles north to south. Equivalently it extends as far north as Shrewsbury in Shropshire and as far south as Banbury in north Oxfordshire, the majority of Warwickshires population live in the north and centre of the county. The market towns of northern and eastern Warwickshire were industrialised in the 19th century, and include Atherstone, Bedworth, Nuneaton, of these, Atherstone has retained most of its original character. Major industries included coal mining, textiles, engineering and cement production, of the northern and eastern towns, only Nuneaton and Rugby are well-known outside of Warwickshire. The south of the county is rural and sparsely populated. The only town in the south of Warwickshire is Shipston-on-Stour, the highest point in the county, at 261 m, is Ebrington Hill, again on the border with Gloucestershire, grid reference SP187426 at the countys southwest extremity. There are no cities in Warwickshire since both Coventry and Birmingham were incorporated into the West Midlands county in 1974 and are now metropolitan authorities in themselves, the largest towns in Warwickshire in 2011 were, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Warwick, Stratford and Kenilworth. Much of western Warwickshire, including that area now forming part of Coventry, Solihull, thus the names of a number of places in the central-western part of Warwickshire end with the phrase -in-Arden, such as Henley-in-Arden, Hampton-in-Arden and Tanworth-in-Arden. The remaining area, not part of the forest, was called the Felden – from fielden, areas historically part of Warwickshire include Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, and some of Birmingham including Aston and Edgbaston. These became part of the county of West Midlands following local government re-organisation in 1974. Some organisations, such as Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which is based in Edgbaston, in Birmingham, Coventry is effectively in the centre of the Warwickshire area, and still has strong ties with the county. Coventry and Warwickshire are sometimes treated as an area and share a single Chamber of Commerce. Coventry has been a part of Warwickshire for only some of its history, in 1451 Coventry was separated from Warwickshire and made a county corporate in its own right, called the County of the City of Coventry. In 1842 the county of Coventry was abolished and Coventry was remerged with Warwickshire, in recent times, there have been calls to formally re-introduce Coventry into Warwickshire, although nothing has yet come of this
3.
Highgate
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Highgate is a suburban area of north London at the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath,4.5 miles north north-west of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live and it has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character. Until late Victorian times it was a village outside London. The area retains many green expanses including the part of Hampstead Heath. The village is at the top of North Hill which provides views across London, the area is divided between three London boroughs, Haringey in the north, Camden in the south and west, and Islington in the south and east. Historically, Highgate adjoined the Bishop of Londons hunting estate, Highgate gets its name from these hunting grounds, as there was a high, deer-proof hedge surrounding the estate, the gate in the hedge. The bishop kept a toll-house where one of the main roads out of London entered his land. A number of pubs sprang up along the route, one of which, in later centuries Highgate was associated with the highwayman Dick Turpin. Hampstead Lane and Highgate Hill contain the red brick Victorian buildings of Highgate School, the school has played a paramount role in the life of the village and has existed on its site since its founding was permitted by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I in 1565. The area north of the High Street and Hampstead Lane was part of Hornsey parish and also later the Municipal Borough of Hornsey, Highgate Hill, the steep street linking Archway and Highgate village, was the route of the first cable car to be built in Europe. It operated between 1884 and 1909, like much of London, Highgate suffered damage during World War II by German air raids. The local tube station was used as a bomb shelter, some notable favourites are the Angel, the Flask, the Dukes Head and the Wrestlers. The 2011 census showed that the Highgate ward of Haringey was 82% white, the Highgate ward of Camden meanwhile was 80% white, and 3% Black African. For details of education in the Haringey portion of Highgate see the London Borough of Haringey article, on Friday 26 August 1988, Michael Williams, a 43-year-old father from Highgate who worked for the Home Office in Pimlico, disappeared whilst travelling back home after an employee social. His body was found at Highgate Wood the next day and his killer has never been found. The case remains unsolved despite being featured heavily in the national press, between 1930 and 1939, the wife and son of Adolf Hitlers half-brother, Alois, lived in Highgate, before moving to the United States. Bridget and Patrick Hitler lived at 26 Priory Gardens, leslie Compton, formerly an Arsenal footballer and a Middlesex cricketer, owned a pub in Highgate after he retired from sports. Singer George Michael owned an ₤8 million house in Highgate, southend United striker Nile Ranger was born in Highgate
4.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
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The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school in London, England. It is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, RADA is an affiliate school of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. Its higher education awards are validated by Kings College London and its students graduate alongside members of the departments which form the Kings Faculty of Arts & Humanities and it is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London. Undergraduate students are eligible for government student loan through the Conservatoire for Dance, RADA also has a significant scholarships and bursaries scheme, offering financial assistance to many students at the Academy. The current director of the academy is Edward Kemp, the president is Sir Kenneth Branagh, the chairman is Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen and its vice-chairman was Alan Rickman until his death in 2016. RADA was founded in 1904 by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, an actor manager, in 1905, RADA moved to 52 Gower Street, and a managing council was set up to oversee the school. Its members included George Bernard Shaw, who donated his royalties from his play Pygmalion to RADA. In 1920, RADA was granted a Royal Charter, and in 1921, the Prince of Wales opened the theatre. The Gower Street buildings were torn down in 1927, and replaced with a new building, financed by George Bernard Shaw, in 1923, John Gielgud studied at RADA for a year. He later became President of the academy, and its first honorary fellow, a number of famous actors took on leading roles at RADA, such as Richard Attenborough, Oliver Neville, Nicholas Barter, and Alan Rickman. Other 1924 saw RADAs first government subsidy, a grant of £500, in 2001, RADA joined forces with the London Contemporary dance School to create the UKs first Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance joined this Conservatoire in 2005, in 2000 the Academy founded RADA Enterprises Ltd, which includes RADA in Business, providing training in communications and teambuilding that uses drama training techniques in a business context. The profits are fed back into the Academy to fund students training, RADA is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London. The main RADA building is on Gower Street, with a second premises nearby in Chenies Street, the Goodge Street and Euston Square underground stations are both within walking distance. RADA has five theatres and a cinema, there is also a 150-seat cinema. In January 2012, RADA acquired the lease to the adjacent Drill Hall venue in Chenies Street, the Drill Hall is a Grade II listed building with a long performing arts history, and was where Nijinsky rehearsed with Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in 1911. This venue has a 200-seat space, the Studio Theatre, and a 50-seat space, the RADA library contains around 30,000 items. The collection was started in 1904 with donations from actors and writers of the such as Sir Squire Bancroft, William Archer, Arthur Wing Pinero
5.
Close My Eyes (film)
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Close My Eyes is a 1991 film written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Alan Rickman, Clive Owen and Saskia Reeves as well as Lesley Sharp and Karl Johnson. Music was by Michael Gibbs and the film was produced for Beambright, the film won the Evening Standard film award for best picture in 1991. Natalie has recently bought a fairly noisy apartment with her only to have him leave her within two months. She is also unhappy in her job as a buyer, Richards attempts to lighten the mood are ended when Natalie pulls him into a somewhat passionate embrace, although she immediately apologizes and makes the excuse she just wanted someone to hug. Richard does not seem to have a reaction, the film checks in on the two in 1987 and 1990. During this time, Richard becomes a successful town planner. The next time they meet is 1991, the editor, Colin, is somewhat skeptical of Richards intentions but takes him on anyway to work with his deputy, Jessica. Meanwhile, Natalie applies for a job as secretary to a very powerful and she does not get the job but later marries Sinclair. Richard, who does not go to the wedding, finally visits Natalie in her home in Petersham and is surprised by her changed. He is introduced to Sinclair and the two get along well as they are both highly intelligent and seem to have similar interests in literature and a similar outlook on life. However, Natalie is not fully happy with her life because she feels insignificant compared to Sinclair, shortly after Richards visit to her home, she visits his apartment. While attempting to prevent their attraction for each other from spilling over, Natalie tries to make Richard stop her from making love. He stops her and wanders to the side of the room. Eventually, they succumb to their desires and have sex, meanwhile, at work, which Richard has proven to be good at, Colin has developed AIDS and informs the office. After this revelation, Richard and Colin find it hard to interact with each other because they are both pretending nothing is wrong. In the course of the weekend, Sinclair infers Natalie is having an affair because she was not in Nuneaton where she claimed to be, but she still claims on her return that this was where she was. At Richards job, Colin is dying but Richard takes him out of one last time to confront an unpleasant city planner with facts they intend to publish in their magazine. The two of them grill him and Colin eats half a sandwich, offering the other half to Richard, Sinclair does not yet suspect Richard but will not believe that Richard doesnt know who it is, but respects his decision not to reveal the person
6.
Croupier (film)
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Croupier is a 1999 British neo-noir film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Clive Owen. The film attracted a strong following in North America and helped to launch Owens acting career there. It uses interior monologues in the style of early noir detective films. Croupier was released on DVD by Alliance Atlantis in Canada and Image Entertainment in the US and it was disqualified from the Academy Awards after it was shown on Dutch television. Jack Manfred is an aspiring writer going nowhere fast, to make ends meet and against his better judgment, he takes a job as a croupier. The interview was set up by his father, a small-time hustler back home in South Africa, Jack finds himself drawn into the casino world, and the job gradually takes over his life. He goes drinking with Matt, a croupier who he knows is cheating the casino and he sleeps with a fellow croupier named Bella in contravention of casino policy. Bella confronts Jack at his apartment, accuses him of getting her fired, one gambler, Jani, tries to befriend Jack — another serious violation of casino rules. Jani shows him saying she got them from gambling creditors. All he has to do is raise the alarm when a gambler cheats at his table, Jack eventually agrees and accepts a £10,000 advance with an additional £10,000 if all goes well. In doing so, Jack notices that Janis injuries were faked, Marion reconciles with Jack but discovers that he is involved in something criminal and tries to foil it. On the night of the robbery, Jack raises the alarm anyway and they fail, and Jack and Marion have an argument but she stays with him. When a late-night knock at the door comes, Jack assumes it to be the casino robbers demanding the return of their advance money, instead, it is a policeman, who informs him that Marion has been killed in an apparent hit-and-run. Jack finishes his book and gets it published anonymously and it is a big success, but he doesnt change anything about his life, continuing to work as a croupier and live in his basement flat, not even buying the new car he wanted. Jack goes on with his life and gets another call, this one from Jani, then she puts his father on the phone, and he implies that he set up the croupier job for Jack in order to arrange for the attempted robbery, and he benefited as well. Stunned but amused, Jack hangs up, just then, Bella appears from the bedroom and kisses him. Car Dealer The film critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes gave a 98% positive rating based on 53 reviews, critic Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, remarking that the point of the film was not the plot, but the atmosphere and characterization. He also lauded the realistic depiction of the casino itself, stephen Holden in the New York Times called the movie, a breezy meditation on life as a game of chance
7.
Golden Globe Award
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Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is a part of the film industrys awards season. The 74th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film, the 1st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, was held in January 1944, at the 20th Century-Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies were held at venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel. In 1950, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the decision to establish an honorary award to recognize outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Recognizing its subject as a figure within the entertainment industry. The official name of the award became the Cecil B. In 1963, the Miss Golden Globe concept was introduced, in its inaugural year, two Miss Golden Globes were named, one for film and one for television. The two Miss Golden Globes named that year were Eva Six and Donna Douglas, respectively, in 2009, the Golden Globe statuette was redesigned. It was unveiled at a conference at the Beverly Hilton prior to the show. The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars, gervais returned to host the 68th and 69th Golden Globe Awards the next two years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th, 71st and 72nd Golden Globe Awards in 2015, the Golden Globe Awards theme song, which debuted in 2012, was written by Japanese musician and songwriter Yoshiki Hayashi. On January 7,2008, it was announced due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The ceremony was faced with a threat by striking writers to picket the event, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was forced to adopt another approach for the broadcast. In acting categories, Meryl Streep holds the record for the most competitive Golden Globe wins with eight, however, including honorary awards, such as the Henrietta Award, World Film Favorite Actor/Actress Award, or Cecil B. DeMille Award, Barbra Streisand leads with nine, additionally, Streisand won for composing the song Evergreen, producing the Best Picture, and directing Yentl in 1984. Jack Nicholson, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda and Shirley MacLaine have six awards each, behind them are Rosalind Russell and Jessica Lange with five wins. Meryl Streep also holds the record for most nominations with thirty, at the 46th Golden Globe Awards an anomaly occurred, a three way-tie for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
8.
British Academy Film Awards
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The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to honour the best British and international contributions to film. Between 2008 and 2016, the ceremony was held in central London at the Royal Opera House, the 70th British Academy Film Awards were held on 12 February 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. British Academy of Film and Television Arts was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell and others. BAFTA stated charitable purpose is to support, develop and promote the art forms of the image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners. In addition to awards ceremonies BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events including film screenings. BAFTA is supported by a membership of about 6,000 people from the film, television, the Academys awards are in the form of a theatrical mask designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, which was commissioned by the Guild of Television Producers in 1955. The ceremony previously took place in April or May and since 2002 it takes place in February in order to precede the Oscars. The awards are open to all nationalities, though there is an award for Outstanding British Film. Only UK films are eligible for the categories of The British Short Film, the Awards ceremony is delayed broadcast on British television the same evening, and across the world for example its shown on BBC America in the United States. It has been broadcast in colour since 1970, the award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007 the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square, between 2008 and 2016, the ceremonies took place at the Royal Opera House. The 70th Awards in 2017 were held at the Royal Albert Hall, until 2012, the mobile network Orange sponsored the awards and starting in 2013 Oranges parent company, EE, began sponsorship. British Academy of Film and Television Arts British Academy Television Awards Official website BAFTA Awards database Museum of Broadcast Communications, BAFTA IMDB, BAFTA
9.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered a performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry. At the 9th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1937, Walter Brennan was the first winner of award for his role in Come. Initially, winners in both supporting acting categories were awarded instead of statuettes. Beginning with the 16th ceremony held in 1944, however, winners received full-sized statuettes, currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS, winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. Since its inception, the award has given to 72 actors. Brennan has received the most awards in this category with three awards, Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, and Claude Rains were nominated on four occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2017 ceremony, Mahershala Ali is the most recent winner in category for his role as Juan in Moonlight. In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of release in Los Angeles County. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-55002-574-3. org The Academy Awards Database Oscar. com Complete Downloadable List of Academy Award Nominees
10.
Closer (2004 film)
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Closer is a 2004 American melodrama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. The movie was produced and directed by Mike Nichols and stars Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. The film, like the play on which it is based, has seen by some as a modern and tragic version of Mozarts opera Così fan tutte. Owen starred in the play as Dan, the role played by Law in the film, the film was recognized with a number of awards and nominations, including Oscar nominations and Golden Globe wins for both Portman and Owen for their performances in supporting roles. Alice is a young American stripper who just arrived in London, Alice looks in the wrong direction as she crosses the street and is hit by a taxi cab right in front of Dans eyes. After he rushes to her side she smiles to him and says, Hello and he takes her to the hospital where Alice is treated and released. Afterward, on the way to his office, they stop by Postmans Park, the same park that he and his father visited after his mothers death. Pausing in front of the office before he leaves her and goes to work, Dan reminds her that traffic in England tends to come on from the right, a year later, though the two are in a relationship, Dan is straying. He has written a novel based on Alices life and while being photographed to publicize it, Anna shares a kiss with Dan before finding out that Dan and Alice are in a relationship. Alice arrives and uses Annas bathroom, leaving Anna and Dan alone again, Dan takes the chance to try to persuade Anna to have an affair with him but is cut short by Alices return. Alice asks Anna if she can have her portrait taken as well, Anna agrees and Alice asks Dan to leave them alone during the photo shoot. While being photographed, she reveals to Anna that she overheard them, Alice does not reveal what she overheard to Dan, even as he spends a year stalking Anna. Another year later, Dan enters a cybersex chat room and randomly meets Larry Gray, with Anna still on his mind, Dan pretends to be her, and using the pretense that they will be having sex, Dan convinces Larry to meet at the aquarium. Larry goes to the rendezvous and has his rude awakening there, Anna tells Larry that a man who had pursued her, Dan, was most likely to blame for the setup. Soon, Anna and Larry become a couple and they refer to Dan as Cupid from then on, four months later, at Annas photo exhibition, Larry meets Alice, whom he recognizes from the tearful photograph that is one of many being exhibited. Larry knows that Alice and Dan are a couple, from talking to Anna, meanwhile, Dan convinces Anna to become involved with him. They begin cheating on their lovers for a year, even though Anna. Eventually Anna and Dan each confess the affair to their respective partners, Alice goes back to being a stripper, heartbroken by her loss
11.
Sin City (film)
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Sin City is a 2005 American neo-noir crime anthology film written, produced, and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It is based on Millers graphic novel of the same name, much of the film is based on the first, third and fourth books in Millers original comic series. The Big Fat Kill focuses on an everyman getting caught in a war between a group of prostitutes and a group of mercenaries, the police and the mob. That Yellow Bastard follows a police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The intro and outro of the film are based on the short story The Customer is Always Right, which is collected in Booze, Broads & Bullets, the sixth book in the comic series. The film was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in competition and won the Technical Grand Prize for the films visual shaping, the Salesman steps out of an elevator and walks onto a balcony overlooking Basin City, where The Customer awaits. He comforts her, the two talk and share a kiss, and he shoots her, after she dies, he ponders what she was running from before mentioning that he will cash her check in the morning. On the docks of Sin City, aging police officer John Hartigan tries to stop serial child-killer Roark Junior from raping and killing his fourth victim, Junior is the son of Senator Roark, who bribes the police to cover up his sons crimes. Hartigans partner, Bob, tries to convince Hartigan to walk away, fighting off the pain caused by his bad heart, Hartigan confronts Junior, and shoots off his ear, right hand and genitals. Bob then arrives and shoots Hartigan in the back, revealing himself to be on Senator Roarks payroll, as sirens approach, Nancy comforts Hartigan as he passes out, as he reasons that the death of an old man is a fair trade for a young girls life. After a one-night stand, Marv awakens to find that Goldie, realizing he has been set up, he escapes the police that have arrived to arrest him, vowing to avenge her death. Marv interrogates several informants, working his way up to a corrupt priest who reveals that the Roark family was behind the murder, after killing the priest, Marv is attacked by a woman who looks like Goldie. Marv goes to the Roark farm where he is subdued by silent stalker Kevin, Marv and Lucille escape their holding cell, but she is shot by the leader of a squad of corrupt cops. Marv kills the squad, interrogates the leader, and finds out that Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark arranged for Goldies murder and he convinces her that he is not the killer and she resolves to help him avenge Goldie. They return to the farm, where Marv attacks and slowly dismembers Kevin and he brings Kevins head to Cardinal Roark, who confesses to his part in the murders, before Marv brutally murders him too and is immediately captured by Roarks guards. Marv is blackmailed into confessing to the murder of Cardinal Roark and the women Kevin killed, wendy visits him the night before and pretends to be Goldie as a way of thanking him for avenging her sister and the next day, Marv is executed via electric chair. Dwight McCarthy is with his waitress girlfriend Shellie, when her drunken ex-boyfriend, Jackie Boy, after Jackie Boy hits Shellie and goes to the bathroom, Dwight ambushes him and threatens to kill him if he doesnt leave Shellie alone. Angry and embarrassed, Jackie leaves Shellies flat, with Dwight following them to make sure he does not take his anger out on another girl
12.
Derailed (2005 film)
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Derailed is a 2005 American crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by James Siegel. The film is directed by Mikael Håfström and stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Giancarlo Esposito, David Morrissey, RZA and this was also the first film to be released by The Weinstein Company in the United States. The film is set in Chicago, Charles Schine, is an advertising executive. His marriage to Deanna is deteriorating, and his daughter Amy suffers from diabetes, Charless story is being written down by an unidentified man in a prison cell. On a commuter train, Charles encounters a woman named Lucinda Harris. She is a financial adviser. The two show each other photographs of their daughters and begin to talk. A mutual attraction develops, and the two begin meeting frequently, ultimately, they decide to consummate their affair and wind up in a seedy hotel. An armed man—later identified as Philippe LaRoche —bursts into the room, beats Charles. Charles and Lucinda agree not to report the crime, as they do not want their spouses to learn of the affair, shortly after, Charles is blackmailed by LaRoche, who threatens to kill his family if he does not pay $20,000, which Charles promptly pays. A month later, the attacker calls again, this time demanding $100,000, Charles explains his situation to Winston, an ex-con who works as a repairman in his building and whom Charles had earlier befriended. Winston offers to scare off LaRoche for ten percent of the payout, Charles agrees and embezzles the money from his company. He and Winston travel to the location specified by LaRoche. However, before they can act, Winston is shot and killed, LaRoche appears and takes the money, leaving Charles to dispose of the body. Afterwards, Charles is questioned by detective Franklin Church about Winstons murder, later, Charles receives a call from LaRoche who claims that he will kill Lucinda if Charles doesnt deliver the $100,000. Charles takes the money from an account meant for his daughters medical treatment, the next day, Charles stops by Lucindas company to ask to see her and is introduced to the real Lucinda Harris. The woman he met on the train is identified as Jane and he goes to Lucindas apartment, which he realizes is actually in the process of being rented out. Seeing that Lucindas photograph of her daughter was actually a cut out of a picture in a brochure
13.
Inside Man
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Inside Man is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee, written by Russell Gewirtz. The film centers on a bank heist on Wall Street over a 24-hour period. Inside Man marks the fourth collaboration between Washington and Lee. Gewirtz spent five years developing the premise before working on what became his first original screenplay. After he completed the script in 2002, Imagine Entertainment purchased it to be made by Universal Studios, after Howard stepped down, his Imagine partner Brian Grazer began looking for a new director to helm the project, and ultimately hired Lee to do so. Principal photography began in June 2005 and concluded in August of that year, inside Man premiered in New York on March 20,2006 before being released in North America on March 24,2006. Upon release, the received a generally positive critical response and was a commercial success. Dalton Russell, seated in what appears to be a jail cell, a team of masked robbers, dressed as painters who call each other by variants of the name Steve, seize control of a Manhattan bank and take the employees and patrons hostage. They divide the hostages into groups and hold them in different rooms, additionally, they take all of the hostages clothes and dress everyone in jumpsuits and masks identical to those of the robbers. This way, the robbers and hostages will be indistinguishable to the police, Police surround the bank and detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell take charge of the negotiations. Russell, the leader of the robbers, demands food, the police supply pizzas whose boxes include listening devices, these pick up a language which the police finally identify as Albanian. However, they discover that the conversations are just old propaganda recordings of the deceased Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxha, it becomes clear that the robbers anticipated surveillance. Russell implies that Case started his bank with money that he received from the Nazis for unspecified services which resulted in the deaths of many Jewish people during World War II, White tells Russell that Case will pay him a substantial sum to destroy the contents of the box. She claims she can arrange a minimal jail sentence as Russell and his team have not yet stolen anything or hurt or killed anyone, Frazier demands to inspect the hostages before allowing the robbers to leave and Russell takes him on a tour of the bank. As he is being out, Frazier attacks Russell, but is restrained by another robber. Frazier later explains to Mitchell that his actions were intended to provoke Russell to establish whether he was capable of killing, the robbers counter this theory by shooting a hostage in the head. The execution prompts the ESU team into action and they plan to storm the bank and use rubber bullets to knock out the occupants. However, Frazier discovers that the robbers have planted a listening device on the police, aware of the police plans, the police detain everyone, knowing that some of the hostages are members of the gang, but cant distinguish between the two
14.
Children of Men
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Children of Men is a 2006 British-American dystopian science fiction drama-thriller film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James 1992 novel of the name, was credited to five writers. The film takes place in 2027, where two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse, illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom, where the last functioning government imposes oppressive immigration laws on refugees. Owen plays civil servant Theo Faron, who must help a refugee escape the chaos, Children of Men also stars Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Charlie Hunnam. A co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was released on 22 September 2006 in the UK, critics noted the relationship between the U. S. Christmas opening and the films themes of hope, redemption, and faith. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing and it was also nominated for three BAFTA Awards, winning Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, and for three Saturn Awards, winning Best Science Fiction Film. In 2027, after 18 years of human infertility, civilization is on the brink of collapse as humanity faces extinction. The United Kingdom, one of the few stable nations with a functioning government, is deluged by asylum seekers fleeing the chaos. In response, the UK has become a state as the British Army round up. Theo Faron, a former activist turned cynical bureaucrat, is kidnapped by the Fishes and they are led by Theos estranged wife, Julian Taylor, from whom he separated after their son Dylans death during a 2008 flu pandemic. The transit papers require that the bearer must be accompanied, so Theo agrees to escort Kee in exchange for a large sum, Luke, a Fishes member, drives them and former midwife Miriam towards the coast to a boat. They are ambushed by a gang, and Julian is killed. Luke kills two officers who stop their car, and they bury Julian in the forest as Theo breaks down crying over her death. The group ditches their car for another to escape to a Fishes safe house, Kee reveals to Theo that she is pregnant, as Julian had told her to trust only Theo. Later that night, Theo eavesdrops on a meeting of Luke, Theo wakes Kee and Miriam, and they steal a car, escaping to the secluded hideaway of Theos aging friend Jasper Palmer, a former political cartoonist turned pot dealer. The group makes plans to board the Human Project ship Tomorrow, Jasper proposes getting Syd, a camp guard to whom he frequently sells drugs, to smuggle them into Bexhill masquerading as refugees. The Fishes discover Jaspers house, and the group flees while Jasper stays behind to stall the Fishes, Luke brutally murders Jasper as Theo watches from the woods. Very odd, what happens in a world without childrens voices, the group then meets with Syd and are transported to Bexhill, where they see refugees being beaten, tortured, robbed, and executed by camp guards and police
15.
The International (2009 film)
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The International is a 2009 German–American political thriller drama film directed by Tom Tykwer. The film follows an Interpol agent and an American district attorney who investigate corruption within the IBBC and it serves organized crime and corrupt governments as a banker and as an arms broker. The banks ruthless managers assassinate potential threats including their own employees, production began in Berlin in September 2008, including the construction of a life-size replica of New Yorks Guggenheim Museum for the films climactic shoot-out scene. The film opened the 59th Berlin International Film Festival on 5 February 2009, salingers and Whitmans investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan, where the IBBC assassinates Umberto Calvini, an arms manufacturer who is an Italian prime ministerial candidate. The banks assassin diverts suspicion to an assassin with political connections. Salinger and Whitman get a lead on the assassin, but the corrupt policeman shows up again. At the airport they are able to check the security footage for clues on the whereabouts on the banks assassin. In New York, Salinger and Whitman are met by two New York Police Department detectives, Iggy Ornelas and Bernie Ward, who have a photograph of the face when he arrived in New York airport. Salinger, Ornelas, and Ward locate Dr. Isaacson to whose practice the assassins leg brace has been traced and they find the assassin and follow him to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Since the bank knows that Salinger and Whitman are close to finding their assassin, Wexler leaves and is arrested by Ornelas. As Salinger speaks to the assassin, a gunfight at the Guggenheim erupts when a number of gunmen attempt to kill them with automatic weapons. They escape, but the assassin is mortally wounded, even if he succeeds in bringing the IBBC down there are hundreds of other banks which will replace them. If Salinger wants justice, he needs to go outside the system, in Italy, Salinger tells the Calvini brothers of the IBBCs responsibility for their fathers murder, prompting them to cancel the deal with the bank and have White killed. Salinger then accompanies Wexler to Istanbul, where Skarssen is buying the components from their only other manufacturer. Salinger attempts to record the conversation so that he can obstruct the deal by proving to the buyers that the missiles will be useless, both Wexler and Skarssen are then killed by a hitman contracted by Enzo and Mario Calvini to avenge their fathers murder by the bank. Salinger is left stunned, his investigation, pursuit, and determination to bring down the IBBC, have led him to nothing. During the closing credits, it is indicated that the bank is successfully continuing with its operations despite the death of its Chairman—as Skarssen had predicted to Salinger before he was killed. Clive Owen as Louis Salinger Naomi Watts as Eleanor Whitman Armin Mueller-Stahl as Wilhelm Wexler Ulrich Thomsen as Jonas Skarssen Brían F. Isaacson James Rebhorn as New York D. A, later reviewers compared it directly to The Parallax View and All The Presidents Men
16.
Hemingway & Gellhorn
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Hemingway & Gellhorn is an HBO biopic film about the lives of journalist Martha Gellhorn and her husband, writer Ernest Hemingway. It was directed by Philip Kaufman, and first aired on HBO on May 28,2012. Telling the story of one of America’s most famous literary couples and they encounter each other again a year later in Spain, while both are covering the Spanish Civil War, and staying in the same hotel on the same floor. Initially, Gellhorn resists romantic advances made by the author, but during a bombing raid. They become lovers, and stay in Spain until 1939, Hemingway collaborates with Joris Ivens to produce The Spanish Earth. In 1940 Hemingway divorces his wife so that he and Gellhorn can be married. He credits her with having inspired him to write the novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, over time, however, Gellhorn becomes more prominent in her own right, leading to certain career jealousies between the two. Gellhorn leaves Hemingway to go to Finland to cover the Winter War by herself, when she return to the Lookout Farm in Havana, Hemingway tells her that he has divorced Pauline. The two marry and, together, travel to China to cover the bombing attacks by Japan, in China, they interview Chiang Kai-shek and his spouse. Gellhorn is horrified after visiting an opium den, Chiang Kai-shek is fighting the Chinese Communists and Japanese invaders. The two secretly visit Zhou Enlai, lastly, in 1945, Gellhorn became the only one of Hemingways four wives to ask him for a divorce. Gellhorn Steven Wiig as Simo Häyhä Keone Young as Mr, the film received mixed reviews with much praise going for Nicole Kidmans portrayal of Martha Gellhorn. Mark Rozeman of Paste commented In terms of the acting, there’s little room for complaint, at 45, Kidman remains a fetching and powerful screen presence. But for the most part, she rivets one’s attention, lifting the entire enterprise by her presence, in a similar vein Vanity Fair observed that none of the reviews quite prepared me for the unchained malady of Hemingway & Gellhorn. Of the director they say it’s as if Kaufman answered the call of wild, the Huffington Post described it as a gigantic missed opportunity, a jaw-droppingly trying waste of time. Dont let the fancy names in the cast fool you, This is a stupid, stupid movie, review site Rotten Tomatoes gives the film 50% on the Tomatometer with an average rating of 4. 7/10, based on 8 reviews. Official website Hemingway & Gellhorn at the Internet Movie Database
17.
Cinemax
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Cinemax is an American pay cable and satellite television network that is owned by the Home Box Office Inc. operating subsidiary of Time Warner. Cinemax primarily broadcasts theatrically released films, along with original series, softcore pornographic series and films, documentaries. As of July 2015, Cinemaxs programming is available to approximately 21.325 million television households in the United States, Cinemax launched on August 1,1980 as HBOs answer to The Movie Channel. Cinemax was originally owned by Time-Life Inc. which later merged with Warner Communications in 1989 to form the present-day Time Warner. Unlike HBO – and most cable and broadcast channels already on the air at the time of its launch – Cinemax had broadcast a 24-hour-a-day schedule from its sign-on, on-air spokesman Robert Culp told viewers that Cinemax would be about movies, and nothing but movies. At the time, HBO featured a range of programming, including some entertainment news interstitials, documentaries, childrens programming, sporting events. Movie classics were a mainstay of Cinemax at its birth, presented all uncut, a heavy schedule of films from the 1950s to the 1970s made up most of the channels program schedule. In many cases, cable providers would not sell Cinemax to customers who did not already have a subscription to HBO, the two channels were typically sold as a package, and were usually offered at a discount for subscribers that chose to get both channels. The typical pricing for a subscription to HBO in the early 1980s was US$12.95 per month. In 1983, Time-Life Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against independent station KOKI-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma and its owners Tulsa 23. As additional movie-oriented channels launched on television, Cinemax began to change its programming philosophy in order to maintain its subscriber base. Although its programming had diversified, Cinemax had foremost remained a movie channel, in February 1988, the network premiere broadcast of the 1987 action-comedy Lethal Weapon became the highest rated telecast in Cinemaxs history at that time, averaging a 16.9 rating and 26 share. By 1990, Cinemax limited its programming lineup mainly to movies, the particular film genre that played on the specific day varied by country. m. Eastern Time and a primetime movie at 10,00 p. m. Eastern Time. Today, a majority of mainstream films featured on the main channel are releases from the 1990s to the present. For the 1980s video game system, see Action Max, for the Canadian premium movie service formerly known as MovieMax. It is not to be confused with 5Star, Cinemax broadcasts its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. In 1991, HBO and Cinemax became the first premium services to offer multiplex channels to subscribers as companions to the main network
18.
The Knick
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The Knick is an American television drama series on Cinemax created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series follows Dr. John W. Thackery and the staff at a fictionalized version of the Knickerbocker Hospital in New York during the twentieth century. Amiel and Begler write the majority of the episodes and are executive producers, Owen, Soderbergh, Gregory Jacobs, and Michael Sugar are also executive producers. Steven Katz is the producer and also writer, Michael Polaire is the producer. The show premiered on Cinemax on August 8,2014, on July 10,2014, Cinemax renewed The Knick for a ten-episode second season, which premiered on October 16,2015. In March 2017, Cinemax announced the series was officially cancelled, Dr. John Thackery, the new leader of the surgery staff, balances his cocaine and opium addictions against his ambition for medical discovery and his reputation among his peers. While struggling to keep the lights on, the attempts to attract a wealthy clientele. Clive Owen as Dr. John W. Thack Thackery, Chief surgeon at the Knickerbocker Hospital, however, he is also a drug addict, regularly injecting cocaine during the day and spending nights at a Chinatown opium den. André Holland as Dr. Algernon C, Edwards, New African-American assistant chief surgeon at the Knick, who manages an after-hours clinic in the basement for those turned away by the hospital. He is disrespected by many of the doctors and patients. Jeremy Bobb as Herman Barrow, Manager of the Knick and he is constantly striving to finance the hospital with wealthy patrons and patients. Having mismanaged hospital funds, he is in debt to ruthless mobster Bunky Collier, juliet Rylance as Cornelia Robertson, Head of the Knick’s social welfare office. Daughter to Captain August Robertson, she serves as his representative on the board of directors and she is a longtime friend of Edwards, whose parents have worked for her family for years. Eve Hewson as Lucy Elkins, Nurse at the Knick, a West Virginia native, she grows close to Thack and Bertie. Michael Angarano as Dr. Bertram Bertie Chickering, Jr, a young surgeon at the Knick. He is the son of Dr. Bertram Chickering, Sr. who is displeased with his sons choice of hospitals, chris Sullivan as Tom Cleary, Ambulance driver. He augments his income by stealing possessions off those he picks up, cara Seymour as Sister Harriet, Catholic nun and midwife who runs the orphanage affiliated with the Knick. She secretly conducts abortions in her off-hours, eric Johnson as Dr. Everett Gallinger, Surgeon at the Knick
19.
Keresley
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Keresley is a village and civil parish in the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about 5 miles north of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 791 falling to 713 at the 2011 Census, Keresley is located in the north west of the city. Keresley lies within the Bablake and it is bounded by the Woodlands, Whoberley, Sherbourne, Radford, however, in 1911 the construction of Coventry Colliery by the Warwickshire Coal Company near to Keresley Green brought the focus of development back to that area. It was not until 1974 that the two parts of Keresley lost their identities and became united. The closure of the colliery followed in 1991, Keresley parish is largely rural and contains some beautiful ancient woodland. The area has a lot of footpaths which make it accessible to the public and is one of the few areas of Coventry where you can hear skylarks. Despite this Coventry City Council propose the area can be developed as an Eco suburb with 3000 homes, and a separate estate of new properties is currently being built, as of January 2010. The etymology of the word Keresley suggests that it is Saxon in origin, meaning that the name could originate from the 7th century, the -ley suffix is shared by many villages in the country, and means a clearing in the woods. This means that Keresley was clearing in the Forest of Arden, and the Keres- prefix is thought to either be a corruption of the Saxon word for cress or someones name, meaning together either, The cress clearing, or Mr Cresss Clearing. The Church of England parish church of Saint Thomas is just off the Tamworth Road and it was designed by the Gothic Revival architect Benjamin Ferrey in the Early English style and built in 1844-45. The bell tower has a ring of six bells, st. Thomass is a Grade II* listed building. Coventry City Council is the government body of the City of Coventry. The city is divided up into 18 Wards each with three councillors, Coventry forms part of the West Midlands Police force area. The neighbourhood policing team for Keresley, Coundon and Allesley are the Bablake neighbourhood team, the actor Clive Owen and the cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick were born in Keresley. Also from Keresley is Roddy Radiation Byers guitarist of 1980s ska band The Specials, on the evening of Monday 12 December 2011 hundreds of apples reportedly fell from the sky over the junction between Kelmscote Road and Keresley Road, in Keresley, Coventry. Several witnesses reported that hundreds of apples seemingly fell out of the sky landing on the ground and this incident received both local and national media coverage and, although it drew comment by the Met Office, it still remains unexplained
20.
Country music
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Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the genre of United States, such as folk music. Blues modes have been used throughout its recorded history. The term country music is used today to many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of Europe and Africa along with them for nearly 300 years. Country music was introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon, Bristol, Tennessee, has been formally recognized by the U. S. Congress as the Birthplace of Country Music, based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. Prior to these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the early 1920s, with Atlantas music scene playing a role in launching countrys earliest recording artists. Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records in 1924, many hillbilly musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville, during the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Bob Wills was another musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a hot string band. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had played at Carnegie Hall. Gospel music remained a component of country music. It became known as honky tonk, and had its roots in Western swing and the music of Mexico. By the early 1950s a blend of Western swing, country boogie, rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres
21.
William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet, and the Bard of Avon and his extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a career in London as an actor, writer. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, in his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and it was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as not of an age, but for all time. In the 20th and 21st centuries, his works have been adapted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship. His plays remain highly popular and are studied, performed. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden and he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual date of birth unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholars mistake, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next day, two of Hathaways neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded the marriage, twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596, after the birth of the twins, Shakespeare left few historical traces until he is mentioned as part of the London theatre scene in 1592. The exception is the appearance of his name in the bill of a law case before the Queens Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term 1588 and 9 October 1589
22.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
23.
Channel 4
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Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster that began transmission on 2 November 1982. With the conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in Wales to digital on 31 March 2010, before Channel 4 and S4C, Britain had three terrestrial television services, BBC1, BBC2, and ITV. The Broadcasting Act 1980 began the process of adding a fourth, after some months of test broadcasts, it began scheduled transmissions on 2 November 1982. Indeed, television sets throughout the 1970s and early 1980s had a spare channel called ITV/IBA2. It was most likely politics which had the biggest impact in leading to a delay of almost three decades before the commercial channel became a reality. The campaign was taken so seriously by Gwynfor Evans, former president of Plaid Cymru, the result was that Channel 4 as seen by the rest of the United Kingdom would be replaced in Wales by Sianel Pedwar Cymru. Operated by a specially created authority, S4C would air programmes in Welsh made by HTV, since then, carriage on digital cable, satellite and digital terrestrial has introduced Channel 4 to Welsh homes where it is now universally available. The first programme to air on the channel was the game show Countdown. The first person to be seen on Channel 4 was Richard Whiteley with Ted Moult being the second, the first woman on the channel, contrary to popular belief, was not Carol Vorderman and was a lexicographer only ever identified as Mary. Whiteley opened the show with the words, On its first day, Channel 4 also broadcast controversial soap opera Brookside, which ran until 2003. On its launch, Channel 4 committed itself to providing an alternative to the existing channels, Channel 4 co-commissioned Robert Ashleys ground-breaking television opera Perfect Lives, which it premiered over several episodes in 1984. The channel often did not receive mass audiences for much of period, however. Channel 4 for many years had a poorer quality signal compared to other channels, Channel 4 also began the funding of independent films, such as the Merchant-Ivory docudrama The Courtesans of Bombay, during this time. In 1992, Channel 4 also faced its first libel case by Jani Allan, a South African journalist, who objected to her representation in the documentary The Leader, His Driver and the Drivers Wife. After control of the station passed from the Channel Four Television Company to the Channel Four Television Corporation in 1993, instead of aiming for the fringes of society, it began to focus on the edges of the mainstream, and the centre of the mass market itself. It began to show many US programmes in peak viewing time and it gave such shows as Friends and ER their UK premières. In the early 2000s, Channel 4 began broadcasting reality formats such as Big Brother and obtained the rights to broadcast mass appeal sporting events like cricket and this new direction increased ratings and revenues. In addition, the corporation launched a number of new channels through its new 4Ventures offshoot, including Film4, At the Races, E4
24.
ITV (TV network)
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ITV is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990 its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the analogue channels at the time, namely BBC1, BBC2. ITV is a network of channels that operate regional television services as well as sharing programmes between each other to be displayed on the entire network. In recent years, several of companies have merged so currently the fifteen franchises are in the hands of two companies. With the exception of Northern Ireland, the ITV brand is the used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas. In Northern Ireland, ITV plc uses the brand name UTV, STV Group plc, uses the STV brand for its two franchises of central and northern Scotland. The origins of ITV lie in the passing of the Television Act 1954, the act created the Independent Television Authority to heavily regulate the industry and to award franchises. The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, the Midlands, the first ITV network to launch was Londons Associated-Rediffusion on 22 September 1955, with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the country was covered by fourteen regional stations. Following the 1993 changes, ITV as a network began to consolidate with several companies doing so to save money by ceasing the duplication of services present when they were all separate companies. The ITV Network is not owned or operated by one company, since 2016 the fifteen licences are held by two companies, with the majority held by ITV Broadcasting Limited, part of ITV plc. The network is regulated by the media regulator Ofcom who is responsible for awarding the broadcast licences, the last major review of the Channel 3 franchises was in 1991, with all operators licences having been renewed between 1999 and 2002 and again from 2014 without a further contest. However, due to amalgamation of several of companies since the creation of ITV Network Limited. Approved by Ofcom, this results in ITV plc commissioning and funding the network schedule, all licensees have the right to opt out of network programming, however many do not due to pressures from the parent company or because of limited resources. The network also needs to produce accessible output containing subtitles, signing, in exchange for this programming, the ITV network is available on all platforms free to air and can be found at the top of the EPG of all providers. Since the launch of the platform in 1998, all of the ITV licensees have received gifted capacity on the terrestrial television platform. At present, the companies are able to broadcast additional channels and all choose to broadcast the ITV plc owned ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV in their region. UTV and STV previously broadcast their own services – UTV2 in Northern Ireland and S2 in central and northern Scotland – until 2002, the broadcasters all make use of the Digital 3&4 multiplex, shared with Channel 4
25.
Thames Television
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Thames Television was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding area on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Formed as a joint company, it merged the interests of British Electric Traction owning 49%. It was both a broadcaster and a producer of programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered and for networking nationally across the ITV regions. Thames covered a broad spectrum of commercial television, with a strong mix of drama, current affairs. Consequently, ABC applied for both the Midlands seven-day operation and the contract to serve London at the weekend, preferring the latter and it was widely expected that the company would be awarded the weekend franchise. After an impressive application, it was awarded to what became London Weekend Television in a consortium led by David Frost and this led to a serious problem for the ITA as ABC was a popular station, whose productions earned vital foreign currency. Its station management and presentation style were well-admired, and it could have been controversial to dismiss that as a result of administrative changes. Rediffusion had believed that its renewal was a formality, and its application reflected this complacency. In the early days of ITV, the company had worked hard to keep the network on-air during financial crises that threatened the collapse of other companies, particularly Granada Television. It was reported that Rediffusions chairman Sir John Spencer Wills felt the ITA owed his company a debt of gratitude for this, the outcome proposed by the ITA was a shotgun marriage between ABC and Rediffusion. The combination of two companies, announced ITA Chairman Lord Hill, seemed to the Authority to offer the possibility of a programme company of real excellence. The resultant company was awarded the contract to serve London on weekdays, control of the new company would be given to ABC, a move unpopular with Rediffusion. Questioning the ITAs decision, Rediffusion attempted to slow down the merger, the structure of the new company was also a problem. The answer was found to be a new holding company, Thames Television Ltd, ABC had majority control of the new company and the make-up of its board predominantly came from ABC. The use of ABCs old studios at Teddington meant the workforce was predominantly ex-ABC and this name had been previously considered and rejected by London Weekend Television. On 30 July 1968 Thames began broadcasting to London, from the start of broadcasting on Monday until its handover to London Weekend Television at 19,00 GMT on Friday, the former ABC studios at Teddington became Thames main production base. When Thames was formed the new company acquired other properties of the former franchise holders. Rediffusions main studio complex at Wembley was leased to London Weekend Television by order of the ITA before being sold to Lee International in 1977, ABCs Midlands base in Aston, Birmingham, co-owned with ATV, was sold in 1971 when ATV moved to new colour television facilities
26.
Lorna Doone
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Lorna Doone, A Romance of Exmoor is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset. In 2003, the novel was listed on the BBCs survey The Big Read, Blackmore experienced difficulty in finding a publisher, and the novel was first published anonymously in 1869, in a limited three-volume edition of just 500 copies, of which only 300 sold. The following year it was republished in an inexpensive one-volume edition and it has never been out of print. It received acclaim from Blackmores contemporary, Margaret Oliphant, and as well from later Victorian writers including Robert Louis Stevenson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Thomas Hardy. A favourite among female readers, it is popular among males. By his own account, Blackmore relied on a style for his characters speech, emphasising their accents. Blackmore incorporated real events and places into the novel, the Great Winter described in chapters 41–45 was a real event. He himself attended Blundells School in Tiverton which serves as the setting for the opening chapters, one of the inspirations behind the plot is said to be the shooting of a young woman at a church in Chagford, Devon, in the 17th century. Unlike the heroine of the novel, she did not survive, apparently, Blackmore invented the name Lorna, possibly drawing on a Scottish source. The basis for Blackmores historical understanding is Macaulays History of England, along with the historical aspects are folk traditions, such as the many legends based around both the Doones and Tom Faggus. The composer Puccini once considered using the story as the plot for an opera, the book is set in the 17th century in the Badgworthy Water region of Exmoor in Devon and Somerset, England. John Ridd is the son of a farmer who was murdered in cold blood by one of the notorious Doone clan. Battling his desire for revenge, John also grows into a farmer and takes good care of his mother. Carver will let nothing get in the way of his marriage to Lorna, Sir Ensor dies, and Carver becomes lord of the Doones. John Ridd helps Lorna escape to his familys farm, Plovers Barrows, since Lorna is a member of the hated Doone clan, feelings are mixed toward her in the Ridd household, but she is nonetheless defended against the enraged Carvers retaliatory attack on the farm. A member of the Ridd household notices Lornas necklace, a jewel that she was told by Sir Ensor belonged to her mother, during a visit from the Counsellor, Carvers father and the wisest of the Doone family, the necklace is stolen from Plovers Barrows. Shortly after its disappearance, a family friend discovers Lornas origins, learning that the necklace belonged to a Lady Dugal, only her daughter survived the attack
27.
Stephen Poliakoff
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Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, best known for his work as a television dramatist. Poliakoff was born in the Holland Park district in west London to Anglo-Jewish and Russian-Jewish parents, Ina, the second of four children, he was sent at a young age to boarding school, which he hated. He then proceeded to Westminster School where he attracted sufficient attention for Granny, after Westminster, he went to Kings College, Cambridge but never took a degree. There were also TV adaptations of his stage plays Hitting Town and these two plays were some of his first big successes. Poliakoffs theatre, although well received critically has never achieved a level of attention from the critics. This has been attributed to the ambiguity of his politics and his approach towards political issues has been described as individual in nature rather than generalising. Some of the themes in his works have been recognised as environmental pollution, due to human intervention. Most of his plays portray contemporary Britain and he is scared of and fascinated by Fascism. He said, Im writing about whats happening now, about searching for beliefs in what is no longer a religious country. A full length study of his work was published in 2011 Stephen Poliakoff, On Stage, nearly all of Poliakoffs plays premiered in London, four at the Royal National Theatre, four at the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the Almeida, Hampstead, Bush and Royal Court. Three of his plays have transferred to the West End, many of the plays have been performed across Europe and also in the US, Australia and Japan. Poliakoffs first feature film was Runners, directed by Charles Sturridge, starring James Fox, Jane Asher and it received a limited theatrical release in 1983 before being shown in Channel 4s Film on Four slot. His directorial debut was the much-lauded and now rare Hidden City, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and starring Charles Dance, Richard E. Grant, the film also featured Miranda Richardson in a Golden Globe-nominated performance as Queen Mary of Teck. Michael Gambon, Gina McKee, Tom Hollander and Bill Nighy appeared in major roles, the latter won a Peabody Award in April 2007, with Golden Globes for Nighy and Blunt. Joes Palace was screened on 4 November 2007 on BBC One, the Culture Show also screened a Poliakoff special, including an interview between Poliakoff and Mark Kermode and a new TV play, A Real Summer, on 10 November. Glorious 39, starring Romola Garai, Bill Nighy and Julie Christie, in 2011, Poliakoff wrote a seven-minute short film, Astonish Me, to celebrate WWFs 50th anniversary. Starring Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton, the film was shown in Odeon Cinemas in August 2011 and made available on the WWF website and YouTube. In February and March 2013, Dancing on the Edge, a series which followed the fortunes of a black jazz band in 1930s London, was broadcast by the BBC
28.
Incest
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Incest is sexual activity between family members or close relatives. The incest taboo is and has one of the most widespread of all cultural taboos. Most modern societies have laws regarding incest or social restrictions on closely consanguineous marriages, in societies where it is illegal, consensual adult incest is seen by some as a victimless crime. Some cultures extend the incest taboo to relatives with no consanguinity such as milk-siblings, stepsiblings, third-degree relatives on average share 12. 5% genes, and sexual relations between them is viewed differently in various cultures, from being discouraged to being socially acceptable. The children of incestuous relationships were regarded as illegitimate, and are still so regarded in some societies today, in most cases, the parents did not have the option to marry to remove that status, as incestuous marriages were, and are, normally also prohibited. A common justification for prohibiting incest is avoiding inbreeding, a collection of genetic disorders suffered by the children of parents with a genetic relationship. But inbreeding is not the basis for the incest taboo for two reasons. First, most prohibitions on incest cover affinity relationships—that is, relationships created by marriage —as well as created by adoption. And second, the incest taboo also applies to non-procreative sex—for example, some societies, such as the Balinese and some Inuit tribes, have different views about what constitutes illegal and immoral incest. However, sexual relations with a first-degree relative are almost universally forbidden, the English word incest is derived from the Latin incestus, which has a general meaning of impure, unchaste. It was introduced into Middle English, both in the generic Latin sense and in the modern sense. The derived adjective incestuous appears in the 16th century, before the Latin term came in, incest was known in Old English as sib-leger or mǣġhǣmed but in time, both words fell out of use. In ancient China, first cousins with the surnames were not permitted to marry. Several of the Egyptian Pharaohs married their siblings and had children with them. For example, Tutankhamun married his half-sister Ankhesenamun, and was himself the child of an union between Akhenaten and an unidentified sister-wife. It is now accepted that sibling marriages were widespread among all classes in Egypt during the Graeco-Roman period. Numerous papyri and the Roman census declarations attest to many husbands and wives being brother and sister, in the sequel to Oedipus, Antigone, his four children are also punished for their parents incestuousness. Incest appears in the accepted version of the birth of Adonis
29.
Doomsday Gun
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The young Catholic Gerald Bull is fascinated with large-bore guns, inspired by Jules Vernes novel From The Earth To The Moon. After his release, Bull promotes his supergun idea to Saddam Hussein, british and U. S. government agencies are shown to be aware of Bulls activities, but do nothing to stop him. The Israeli Mossad tries to dissuade Bull, and goes so far as to threaten his life, the Iraqis demand an additional, 45-degree, test of the prototype gun, using threats to coerce Bull into compliance. That completed test firing results in a hit on a target 100 miles away. Agent Dov notes that assassination of Bull will happen one way or another as he has too many enemies, a threat to Iran, the Iraqis due to his knowing too much, Syrians, and the Saudis. An embarrassment and liability to the UK and there is also the US, as the gun nears completion, Bull, while returning home, is gunned down at his apartment, where his body is discovered by his wife. The end text states that Dr. Bulls murder was unsolved. Frank Langella as Dr. Gerald Bull Alan Arkin as Col and it premiered Saturday, July 23,1994 on HBO. Reviews were mixed, noting good performances, with several faulting the script and its ratings notice indicates extreme profanity, violence, adult situations. The films writing was criticized for quips and zingers that arent worth the effort, the Los Angeles Times review noted no flaws with the film, describing it as an intricately woven thriller that demands the viewers undivided attention and praising Langellas portrayal of Bull. The film was nominated for a 1995 cable Ace Award for best original soundtrack, Doomsday Gun at the Internet Movie Database Doomsday Gun at AllMovie Doomsday Gun at Rotten Tomatoes
30.
The Return of the Native
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The Return of the Native is Thomas Hardys sixth published novel. It first appeared in the magazine Belgravia, a known for its sensationalism. Because of the controversial themes, Hardy had some difficulty finding a publisher, reviews, however. In the twentieth century, The Return of the Native became one of Hardys most popular novels, the novel takes place entirely in the environs of Egdon Heath, and, with the exception of the epilogue, Aftercourses, covers exactly a year and a day. The narrative begins on the evening of Guy Fawkes Night as Diggory Venn is slowly crossing the heath with his van, in his van is a passenger. When darkness falls, the country folk light bonfires on the hills, emphasising—not for the last time—the pagan spirit of the heath. Venn is a reddleman, he travels the country supplying farmers with a red mineral called reddle that farmers use to mark their sheep, although his trade has stained him red from head to foot, underneath his devilish colouring he is a handsome, shrewd, well-meaning young man. His passenger is a woman named Thomasin Yeobright, whom Venn is taking home. Earlier that day, Thomasin had planned to marry Damon Wildeve, a local innkeeper known for his fickleness, however, Thomasin, in distress, ran after the reddlemans van and asked him to take her home. Venn himself is in love with Thomasin, and unsuccessfully wooed her two years before, now, although he believes Wildeve is unworthy of her love, he is so devoted to her that he is willing to help her secure the man of her choice. At length, Venn reaches Blooms End, the home of Thomasins aunt and she is a good woman, if somewhat proud and inflexible, and she wants the best for Thomasin. Yeobright can envision is for the marriage to be duly solemnised as soon as possible. She and Venn both begin working on Wildeve to make sure he keeps his promise to Thomasin, Wildeve, however, is still preoccupied with Eustacia Vye, an exotically beautiful young woman living with her grandfather in a lonely house on Egdon Heath. Eustacia is a black-haired, queenly woman, whose Italian father came from Corfu, and who grew up in Budmouth and she holds herself aloof from most of the heathfolk, they, in turn, consider her an oddity, and some even think shes a witch. She is nothing like Thomasin, who is sweet-natured and she loathes the heath, yet roams it constantly, carrying a spyglass and an hourglass. The previous year, she and Wildeve were lovers, however, even during the height of her passion for him, when Wildeve broke off the relationship to court Thomasin, Eustacias interest in him briefly returned. The two meet on Guy Fawkes night, and Wildeve asks her to run off to America with him, Eustacia drops Wildeve when Mrs. Yeobrights son Clym, a successful diamond merchant, returns from Paris to his native Egdon Heath. With some difficulty, she arranges to meet Clym, and the two fall in love
31.
The Rich Man's Wife
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The Rich Mans Wife is a 1996 American thriller film written and directed by Amy Holden Jones and starring Halle Berry. The title character becomes a suspect when her husband is murdered, Josie Potenza is the trophy wife of workaholic Hollywood producer Tony Potenza, but their marriage is crumbling due to his increased drinking resulting from stress at work. Josie sees Cole Wilson ogling her at a bar and, uncomfortable with the unwanted attention. Her jeep breaks down on a dark, secluded country road and he convinces her he is harmless, and when he extends an invitation to dinner the following night, Josie accepts. As they linger over drinks after dinner, Josie discusses her unhappy marriage, although there are problems, and she sometimes fantasizes about her husbands death, she is grateful to Tony for all he has given her and still has hopes for their future. Cole becomes aggressive and she resists his advances, during the drive back to the cabin, he turns off his headlights and begins to drive erratically, and Josie becomes hysterical. When he tries to himself on her, Josie fires a gun she found in a kitchen drawer. With the passing of time, Tony stops drinking and he, on the way home one rainy night, he stops at an ATM, and Cole conceals himself in the back seat of his car. He forces him to drive to a park and shoots him numerous times, then goes to Josies home. He warns her if she reports him to the police he will tell them she hired him to murder Tony, Josie tells her lover, struggling restaurateur Jake Golden, she knows the identity of Tonys killer, but he warns her not to reveal anything. Complications arise when attorney Bill Adolphe tells Josie all her husbands assets were in his name, all his accounts have been frozen and Josie will have to wait an undetermined amount of time for the court to supervise probate. While Jakes ex-wife Nora tries to convince the police he may have killed Tony, after killing Jake, he traps her in her garage and Josie kills him in the ensuing skirmish. The film holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and you will try to explain to me how the last scene in the movie, the one that is supposed to provide the key, fits in with what has gone before. Because I dont think it does and this plot is not blindingly original, its elements are familiar from many other crime stories. But it does become intriguing because the writing is good and the characters are original, what I was not prepared for was the twist at the end, which doesnt seem to follow from anything that went before, and makes all of my speculation irrelevant. Am I holding the ending against the entire movie, the Rich Mans Wife is not a great movie, but its competent and effective enough, and I might have been tempted to give it a recommendation if I hadnt felt so cheated at the end. Somehow a movie like this establishes a contract with us, an agreement that some things cannot be doubted even though others are up for grabs. When a few of the sure things turn out to be tricks, but when everything is smoke and mirrors, I walk out wondering, where is Keyser Soze when we really need him
32.
Halle Berry
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Halle Maria Berry is an American actress. She won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama Monsters Ball, as of 2017, she is the only black woman to have won a Best Actress Academy Award. Berry was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s and has involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed. She is also a Revlon spokesmodel, before becoming an actress, she started modeling and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986. She then appeared in the X-Men sequels, X2 and X-Men, in the 2010s, she appeared in movies such as the science fiction film Cloud Atlas, the crime thriller The Call and X-Men, Days of Future Past. Berry was formerly married to baseball player David Justice, and singer-songwriter Eric Benét and she has a daughter by model Gabriel Aubry, and a son by actor Olivier Martinez. Berry was born Maria Halle Berry, her name was changed to Halle Maria Berry at age five. Her parents selected her name from Halles Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland. Her mother, Judith Ann, who is of English and German ancestry, was a psychiatric nurse and her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African-American hospital attendant in the psychiatric ward where her mother worked, he later became a bus driver. Berrys maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Berrys parents divorced when she was four years old, she and her older sister, Heidi Berry-Henderson, were raised exclusively by their mother. Berry has said in published reports that she has been estranged from her father since her childhood, noting in 1992 and her father was very abusive to her mother. Berry has recalled witnessing her mother being beaten daily, kicked down stairs, Berry graduated from Bedford High School where she was a cheerleader, honor student, editor of the school newspaper and prom queen. She worked in the department at Higbees Department store. She then studied at Cuyahoga Community College, in the 1980s, she entered several beauty contests, winning Miss Teen All American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas, in the Miss USA1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges and she was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986, where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobagos Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World. According to the Current Biography Yearbook, Berry. pursued a career in Chicago. Berrys first weeks in New York were less than auspicious, She slept in a homeless shelter, in 1989, Berry moved to New York City to pursue her acting ambitions
33.
Casino
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A casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. The industry that deals in casinos is called the gaming industry, casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. There is much debate whether or not the social and economic consequences of casino gambling outweigh the initial revenue that may be generated. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events, such as comedy, concerts. The term casino is a confusing linguistic false friend for translators, Casino is of Italian origin, the root casa originally meant a small country villa, summerhouse, or social club. In modern-day Italian, the term designates a bordello, while the gambling house is spelled casinò with an accent. Not all casinos were used for gaming, the Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, known for the mass public meetings often held in its hall during the 1848 Revolution, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. Until 1937, it was a well-known Danish theatre, the Hanko Casino in Hanko, Finland—one of that towns most conspicuous landmarks—was never used for gambling. Rather, it was a hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 19th century and is now used as a restaurant. In military and non-military usage in German and Spanish, a casino or kasino is an officers mess, in Italian—the source-language of the word—a casino is either a brothel, a mess, or a noisy environment, while a gaming house is called a casinò. The precise origin of gambling is unknown and it is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleons France and Elizabethan England and it was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry. In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons, the creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, during the early 20th century in America, gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, Americas first legalized casinos were set up in those places. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, now Americas second largest gambling city, most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age. Customers gamble by playing games of chance, in cases with an element of skill, such as craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack. Most games played have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an overall advantage over the players and this can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative
34.
BBC One
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BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service and it was renamed BBC TV in 1960, using this name until the launch of sister channel BBC2 in 1964, whereupon the BBC TV channel became known as BBC1, with the current spelling adopted in 1997. The channels annual budget for 2012–13 is £1.14 billion, the channel is funded by the television licence fee together with the BBCs other domestic television stations, and therefore shows uninterrupted programming without commercial advertising. It is currently the most watched channel in the United Kingdom, ahead of its traditional rival for ratings leadership. As of June 2013 the channel controller for BBC One is Charlotte Moore, the BBC began its own regular television programming from the basement of Broadcasting House, London, on 22 August 1932. BBC Television returned on 7 June 1946 at 15,00, Jasmine Bligh, one of the original announcers, made the first announcement, saying, Good afternoon everybody. Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh, the Mickey Mouse cartoon of 1939 was repeated twenty minutes later. The competition quickly forced the channel to change its identity and priorities following a reduction in its audience. The 1962 Pilkington Report on the future of broadcasting noticed this, and it therefore decided that Britains third television station should be awarded to the BBC. The station, renamed BBC TV in 1960, became BBC1 when BBC2 was launched on 20 April 1964 transmitting an incompatible 625-line image on UHF. The only way to all channels was to use a complex dual-standard 405- and 625-line, VHF and UHF, receiver. Old 405-line-only sets became obsolete in 1985, when transmission in the standard ended, although standards converters have become available for enthusiasts who collect, BBC1 was based at the purpose-built BBC Television Centre at White City, London between 1960 and 2013. In the weeks leading up to 15 November 1969, BBC1 unofficially transmitted the occasional programme in its new colour system, to test it. At midnight on 15 November, simultaneously with ITV and two years after BBC2, BBC1 officially began 625-line PAL colour programming on UHF with a broadcast of a concert by Petula Clark, colour transmissions could be received on monochrome 625-line sets until the end of analogue broadcasting. In terms of share, the most successful period for BBC1 was under Bryan Cowgill between 1973 and 1977, when the channel achieved an average audience share of 45%. On 30 December 1980, the BBC announced their intention to introduce a new breakfast television service to compete with TV-am. On 17 January 1983, the first edition of Breakfast Time was shown on BBC One, becoming the first UK wide breakfast television service and continued to lead in the rating until 1984. The first major overhaul was to axe the deeply unpopular Sixty Minutes current affairs programme and its replacement was the BBC Six OClock News, a straight new programme in a bid to shore up its failing early evening slot
35.
Greenfingers
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Greenfingers is a 2000 British comedy film directed and written by Joel Hershman. It is loosely based on a story about the award-winning prisoners of HMP Leyhill. When Colin Briggs is placed in a program to finish off his prison sentence, all he wants is peace. After his wise, elderly roommate Fergus introduces him to gardening, Colin uncovers a talent, teaming up with his fellow inmates, Colin gets the attention of celebrated gardener Georgina Woodhouse. Soon, the gardeners are preparing to compete for the Hampton Court Flower Show. When Colin meets Georginas beautiful daughter Primrose, he discovers another reason to fight for his freedom, clive Owen – Colin Briggs Helen Mirren – Georgina Woodhouse Natasha Little – Primrose Woodhouse David Kelly – Fergus Wilks Warren Clarke – Gov. The New York Times,27 July 2001
36.
Second Sight (TV series)
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Second Sight was a British television crime drama, written by Paula Milne, that aired on BBC One from 9 January 2000 to 6 February 2001. Two series were broadcast before the show was cancelled due to falling ratings, both series were released on DVD on 24 July 2006, in a complete box set via 2|Entertain. Second Sight follows Detective Chief Inspector Ross Tanner, a cop who finds out that he has a rare disease which is causing him to go blind. Tanners boss, Superintendent Lawson, little suspects that the man he named to head the elite Specialist Elite Murder Unit is losing his sight. Tanner struggles keep his condition a secret, but soon asks himself – how long can he keep solving crimes that not even the fully sighted can fathom. Whilst battling with his irrepressible Inspector Catherine Tully, who urges him to tell the truth for the sake of his own health –, Ross Tanner Claire Skinner – D. I. Catherine Tully Selina Boyack – D. C, tanya Holt Rupert Holliday-Evans – D. S. Robert Pewsey Mark Bazeley – D. I. Michael Boyd Akbar Kurtha – D. C, mohammad Chad Frank Harper – D. S. Tommy Finch Alexander Morton – D. S. Eddie Julian Thomas Wheately – Supt, jim Lawson Second Sight at the Internet Movie Database Second Sight at TV. com
37.
Walk On By (song)
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Walk On By is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David. The song was recorded in 1964 by Dionne Warwick on her album. Warwicks version peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a 1965 Grammy Award for the Best Rhythm, Isaac Hayes covered the song in 1969 and reached number 30 on the Hot 100 chart and number 13 in the R&B charts with his version. Walk On By has since charted numerous times in various countries, the following entries discuss the chart versions of the song, in the order in which they appeared. The original version of Walk On By by Dionne Warwick was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded her hit Anyone Who Had a Heart. Walk On By was the follow-up to that single, released in April 1964 and reaching number 6 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100, the song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboards easy listening survey. The song was ranked number 70 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, session drummer Gary Chester played on this recording. Warwick also recorded a German version of the song, entitled Geh Vorbei, the Toronto folk-rock group Bobby Kris & The Imperials released a fairly straight-ahead cover version in late 1965. The single became a hit in Canada, reaching number 8 in early 1966. Funk/soul musician Isaac Hayes released a version of Walk on By in 1969 for his studio album Hot Buttered Soul. Edited for single release down to under 5 minutes, this reached number 30 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This version was featured in the film Dead Presidents and is sampled in 1996 by Hooverphonic in 2 Wicky. In 1978, The Stranglers recorded a punk rock sounding version of Walk on By that hit No.21 on the UK Singles Chart. The video for the Stranglers version was based on the 1966 movie Blowup and was filmed in the location as the movie. The Average White Band cut a lightly disco-tinged version that charted in 1979, though AWB is sometimes remembered as an instrumental band, their version of Walk On By was a vocal track—as were many of their other songs. In 1982, Walk on By was covered by the funk duo D-Train who had a UK, in 1983, Australian group Jo Jo Zep covered Walk on By in a slow, moody version that featured electronics and synthesizers. The track was a hit in Australia, peaking at number 55. In 1989, Walk On By was covered by singer Melissa Manchester and her version of the song hit number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
38.
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
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The play centers on a British couple who are struggling to save their marriage whilst trying to raise their only child, a small girl with cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and is unable to communicate, caring for her has occupied nearly every moment of her parents lives since her birth, taking a heavy toll on their marriage. Sheila, her mother, gives Josephine as much of a life as she can while husband Bri wants the child institutionalised and has begun to entertain chilling fantasies of killing himself and Josephine. Bri Grace Joe Freddie Pam Sheila After its premiere in Glasgow in 1967, on Broadway, the play received four nominations for Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Actor, Best Featured Actress and Best Director. Walker won the Tony for Best Featured Actress, the play has been revived twice on Broadway. A1985 revival staged at the Longacre Theatre ran for 93 performances and it was directed by Arvin Brown and the cast included Jim Dale, Stockard Channing, Joanna Gleason, Christina Pickles and Kate Wilkinson. The production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival, a revival in the West End opened in October 2001 at the New Ambassadors Theatre, starring Clive Owen and Victoria Hamilton and was directed by Laurence Boswell. This production transferred to the Comedy Theatre in December 2001, with Eddie Izzard replacing Owen, the same production opened on Broadway, produced by Roundabout Theatre, in March 2003 at the American Airlines Theatre and played for 69 performances. Directed by Lawrence Boswell, the play starred Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton, in October 2011 the Citizens Theatre again staged the play that premiered there in 1967, with Miriam Margolyes confirmed in the cast. In May 2013 it received a production from Retro Productions in New York City. Nichols adapted A Day in the Death of Joe Egg for two films, first in 1970, and again in 2002. The 1970 adaptation, which was not released until 1972, was directed by Peter Medak, starring Alan Bates, Janet Suzman, Joan Hickson, Peter Bowles and Elizabeth Robillard. A2002 television version was directed by Robin Lough, with stars Eddie Izzard, Victoria Hamilton, Prunella Scales, a Day in the Death of Joe Egg
39.
Mexico City
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Mexico City, or City of Mexico, is the capital and most populous city of Mexico. As an alpha global city, Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in the Americas and it is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres. The city consists of sixteen municipalities, the 2009 estimated population for the city proper was approximately 8.84 million people, with a land area of 1,485 square kilometres. The Greater Mexico City has a domestic product of US$411 billion in 2011. The city was responsible for generating 15. 8% of Mexicos Gross Domestic Product, as a stand-alone country, in 2013, Mexico City would be the fifth-largest economy in Latin America—five times as large as Costa Ricas and about the same size as Perus. Mexico’s capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by Amerindians, the other being Quito. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, Mexico City served as the political, administrative and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. After independence from Spain was achieved, the district was created in 1824. Ever since, the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution has controlled both of them, in recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberal policies, such as abortion on request, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. On January 29,2016, it ceased to be called the Federal District and is now in transition to become the countrys 32nd federal entity, giving it a level of autonomy comparable to that of a state. Because of a clause in the Mexican Constitution, however, as the seat of the powers of the federation, it can never become a state, the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was founded by the Mexica people in 1325. According to legend, the Mexicas principal god, Huitzilopochtli indicated the site where they were to build their home by presenting an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. Between 1325 and 1521, Tenochtitlan grew in size and strength, eventually dominating the other city-states around Lake Texcoco, when the Spaniards arrived, the Aztec Empire had reached much of Mesoamerica, touching both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. After landing in Veracruz, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés advanced upon Tenochtitlan with the aid of many of the native peoples. Cortés put Moctezuma under house arrest, hoping to rule through him, the Aztecs thought the Spaniards were permanently gone, and they elected a new king, Cuitláhuac, but he soon died, the next king was Cuauhtémoc. Cortés began a siege of Tenochtitlan in May 1521, for three months, the city suffered from the lack of food and water as well as the spread of smallpox brought by the Europeans. Cortés and his allies landed their forces in the south of the island, the Spaniards practically razed Tenochtitlan during the final siege of the conquest. Cortés first settled in Coyoacán, but decided to rebuild the Aztec site to erase all traces of the old order and he did not establish a territory under his own personal rule, but remained loyal to the Spanish crown
40.
The Hire
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The BMW film series The Hire is a series of eight short films produced for the Internet in 2001 and 2002. The series made a comeback in 2016, fifteen years after its run ended. On April 26,2001, John Frankenheimers Ambush premiered on the BMW Films website and, soon after, director Wong Kar-Wai was tapped to make a third film entitled The Follow, a dramatic piece about a runaway wife being followed by the Driver. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and received rave reviews and it was followed by Guy Ritchies Star and Alejandro González Iñárritus Powder Keg. After the series began, BMW saw their 2001 sales numbers go up 12% from the previous year, the movies were viewed over 11 million times in four months. Two million people registered with the website and a majority of users, registered to the site, sent film links to their friends. The series was created by members of famed indie New York City film studio – Shooting Gallery – such as CJ Follini, Paul Speaker. The films were so popular that BMW produced a free DVD for customers who visited certain BMW dealerships, due to demand, BMW ran out of DVDs. In September, BMW and Vanity Fair magazine collaborated to distribute a second DVD edition of The Hire in the magazine, the Vanity Fair disc did not include Wong Kar-Wais The Follow. Forest Whitaker had a part in The Follow and had only agreed to be in the film if it were shown exclusively on the Internet. The Vanity Fair disc, in lieu of carrying The Follow, the DVD was highly sought on Internet forums after the September issue of Vanity Fair quickly vanished from shelves and became a rare find. The movies were reviewed by Time Magazine and The New York Times, the series continued in October 2002, replacing producer David Fincher with Ridley and Tony Scott due to Finchers continuing work on Panic Room. Season 2 debuted with a dark action/comedy piece by Tony Scott called Beat the Devil, whereas the first season was serious and subdued with tiny bursts of action and comedy, the second season was all flash and fun. To fit this motif, John Woo and Joe Carnahan were hired to direct Hostage and Ticker, the other main difference was that, instead of showcasing several different BMW cars, the only car showcased was the then-new BMW Z4 Roadster. To celebrate the premiere of the season, BMW threw a party at the ArcLight Hollywood on October 17,2002. The party, co-hosted by Vanity Fair, was also a charity, a month after the premiere of Beat the Devil, DirecTV began airing the entire series in half-hour loops for five weeks, on one of the blank satellite channels the system offered. The films were a success and, as a result, DirecTV considered using blank channels to air other companies ads, in 2003, BMW decided to make a third DVD compilation of The Hire. The new DVD made its debut at The Palais des Festival during the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and contained all eight movies, once again, the disc became available at select dealerships but fans could also obtain the disc for a nominal shipping fee via the BMW Films website
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