1.
Denver
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Denver, officially the City and County of Denver, is the capital and most populous municipality of the U. S. state of Colorado. Denver is in the South Platte River Valley on the edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level, making it the highest major city in the United States. The 105th meridian west of Greenwich, the reference for the Mountain Time Zone. Denver is ranked as a Beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. With a 2015 estimated population of 682,545, Denver ranks as the 19th-most populous U. S. city, and with a 2. 8% increase in 2015, the city is also the fastest-growing major city in the United States. The 10-county Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 2,814,330 and ranked as the 19th most populous U. S. metropolitan statistical area. The 12-city Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 3,418,876, which ranks as the 16th most populous U. S. metropolitan area. Denver is the most populous city of the 18-county Front Range Urban Corridor, Denver is the most populous city within a 500-mile radius and the second-most populous city in the Mountain West after Phoenix, Arizona. In 2016, Denver was named the best place to live in the USA by U. S. News & World Report and this was the first historical settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The site faded quickly, however, and by the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of Auraria, Larimer named the townsite Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver. Larimer hoped the name would help make it the county seat of Arapaho County but, unbeknownst to him. The location was accessible to existing trails and was across the South Platte River from the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne, the site of these first towns is now the site of Confluence Park near downtown Denver. Larimer, along with associates in the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, Denver City was a frontier town, with an economy based on servicing local miners with gambling, saloons, livestock and goods trading. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria, in May 1859, Denver City residents donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth & Pikes Peak Express in order to secure the regions first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for passengers, mail, freight, and gold, in 1863, Western Union furthered Denvers dominance of the region by choosing the city for its regional terminus. The Colorado Territory was created on February 28,1861, Arapahoe County was formed on November 1,1861, Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902. In 1867, Denver City became the territorial capital, with its newfound importance, Denver City shortened its name to Denver
2.
Colorado
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Colorado is a state in the United States encompassing most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is part of the Western United States, the Southwestern United States, Colorado is the 8th most extensive and the 21st most populous of the 50 United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Colorado was 5,540,545 on July 1,2016, the state was named for the Colorado River, which Spanish travelers named the Río Colorado for the ruddy silt the river carried from the mountains. The Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28,1861, Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State because it became a state in the same year as the centennial of the United States Declaration of Independence. Colorado is noted for its landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers. Denver is the capital and the most populous city of Colorado, residents of the state are properly known as Coloradans, although the term Coloradoan has been used archaically and lives on in the title of Fort Collins newspaper, the Coloradoan. Colorado, Wyoming and Utah are the states which have boundaries defined solely by lines of latitude and longitude. The summit of Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet elevation in Lake County is the highest point in Colorado, Colorado is the only U. S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters elevation. The point where the Arikaree River flows out of Yuma County, Colorado and this point, which holds the distinction of being the highest low elevation point of any state, is higher than the high elevation points of 18 states and the District of Columbia. A little less than one half of the area of Colorado is flat, East of the Rocky Mountains are the Colorado Eastern Plains of the High Plains, the section of the Great Plains within Nebraska at elevations ranging from roughly 3,350 to 7,500 feet. The Colorado plains were mostly prairies, but they have many patches of forests, buttes. Eastern Colorado is presently covered in farmland and rangeland, along with small farming villages. Precipitation is fair, averaging from 15 to 25 inches annually, corn, wheat, hay, soybeans, and oats are all typical crops, and most of the villages and towns in this region boast both a water tower and a grain elevator. Irrigation water is available from the South Platte, the Arkansas River, and a few other streams, however, heavy use of ground water from wells for irrigation has caused underground water reserves to decline. As well as agriculture, eastern Colorado hosts considerable livestock, such as cattle ranches. Roughly 70% of Colorados population resides along the edge of the Rocky Mountains in the Front Range Urban Corridor between Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Pueblo, Colorado. This region is protected from prevailing storms that blow in from the Pacific Ocean region by the high Rockies in the middle of Colorado. The Front Range includes Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Loveland, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Greeley and other townships, on the other side of the Rockies, the significant population centers in Western Colorado are the cities of Grand Junction, Durango, and Montrose
3.
Academy Award for Best Director
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The Academy Award for Best Director is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is given in honor of a director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry. However, these categories were merged for all subsequent ceremonies, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the directors branch of AMPAS, winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. For the first eleven years of the Academy Awards, directors were allowed to be nominated for multiple films in the same year, the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture have been very closely linked throughout their history. Of the 89 films that have been awarded Best Picture,63 have also been awarded Best Director, since its inception, the award has been given to 69 directors or directing teams. John Ford has received the most awards in this category with four, william Wyler was nominated on twelve occasions, more than any other individual. As of the 2017 ceremony, Damien Chazelle is the most recent winner in category for his work on La La Land. Chazelle also became the youngest director in history to receive this award, two directing teams have shared the award, Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for West Side Story in 1961 and Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men in 2007. The Coen brothers are the siblings to have won the award. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months from August 1 to July 31, for the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1,1932 to December 31,1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full calendar year from January 1 to December 31. org The Academy Awards Database Oscar. com
4.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by David Fincher. The storyline by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse, the film was released in North America on December 25,2008 to positive reviews. In August 2005, elderly Daisy Fuller is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital as Hurricane Katrina approaches, she asks her daughter, Caroline, to read aloud from the diary of Benjamin Button. From the reading, it is revealed that on the evening of November 11,1918, the babys mother died after giving birth, and the father, Thomas Button, abandons the infant on the porch of a nursing home. Queenie and Mr. Tizzy Weathers, workers at the home, find the baby. Benjamin learns to walk in 1925, he declares it a miracle, on Thanksgiving 1930, Benjamin meets seven-year-old Daisy, whose grandmother lives in the nursing home. He and Daisy become good friends, later, he accepts work on a tugboat captained by Mike Clark. Benjamin also meets Thomas Button, who does not reveal that he is Benjamins father, in Autumn 1936, Benjamin leaves New Orleans for a long-term work engagement with the tugboat crew, Daisy later is accepted into a dance company in New York City under choreographer George Balanchine. In 1941, Benjamin is in Murmansk, where he begins having an affair with Elizabeth Abbott and that December, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, thrusting the United States into World War II. Mike volunteers the boat for the U. S. Navy, during a patrol, the tugboat finds a sunken U. S. transport and the bodies of many American troops. A German submarine surfaces, Mike steers the tugboat full speed towards it while a German gunner fires on the tugboat, killing most of the crew, the tugboat rams the submarine, causing it to explode, sinking both vessels. Benjamin and another crewman are rescued by U. S. Navy ships the next day, in May 1945, Benjamin returns to New Orleans and reunites with Queenie. A few weeks later, he reunites with Daisy, they go out for dinner, upon failing to seduce him afterward, she departs. Benjamin later reunites with Thomas Button, who, terminally ill, reveals he is Benjamins father and wills Benjamin his button company, in 1947, Benjamin visits Daisy in New York unannounced but departs upon seeing that she has fallen in love with someone else. In 1954, Daisys dancing career ends when her leg is crushed in an accident in Paris. When Benjamin visits her, Daisy is amazed by his youthful appearance, in spring 1962, Daisy returns to New Orleans and reunites with Benjamin. Now of comparable physical age, they fall in love and go sailing together and they return to learn that Queenie has died, then move in together
5.
The Social Network
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The Social Network is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as founder Mark Zuckerberg, along with Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, neither Zuckerberg nor any other Facebook staff were involved with the project, although Saverin was a consultant for Mezrichs book. The film was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on October 1,2010, the Social Network received widespread acclaim, with critics praising its direction, screenplay, acting, editing and score. Rolling Stones Peter Travers said The Social Network is the movie of the year, but Fincher and Sorkin triumph by taking it further. Lacing their scathing wit with a sadness, they define the dark irony of the past decade. It was also Roger Eberts selection for the best film of the year, the film also received awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score at the 68th Golden Globe Awards. In October 2003, 19-year-old Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg is dumped by his girlfriend Erica Albright, after traffic to the site crashes parts of Harvards computer network, Zuckerberg is given six months of academic probation. However, Facemashs popularity attracts the attention of Harvard upperclassmen and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the trio invites Zuckerberg to work on Harvard Connection, a social network featuring the exclusive nature of Harvard students and aimed at dating. Saverin provides $1,000 in seed funding, allowing Mark to build the website and they raise their complaint with Harvard President Larry Summers, who is dismissive and sees no value in either disciplinary action or Thefacebook website itself. Saverin and Zuckerberg meet fellow student Christy Lee, who asks them to Facebook me, as Thefacebook grows in popularity, Zuckerberg extends the network to Yale University, Columbia University and Stanford University. Lee arranges for Saverin and Zuckerberg to meet Napster co-founder Sean Parker and he also suggests dropping the The from Thefacebook, just calling it Facebook. At Parkers suggestion, the moves to Palo Alto, with Saverin remaining in New York to work on business development. After Parker promises to expand Facebook to two continents, Zuckerberg invites him to live at the house he is using as company headquarters, meanwhile, Saverin objects to Parker making business decisions for Facebook and freezes the companys bank account in the resulting dispute. He later relents when Zuckerberg reveals that they have secured $500,000 from angel investor Peter Thiel and he confronts Zuckerberg and Parker about it, and Saverin vows to sue Zuckerberg for all the companys shares before being ejected from the building. As a result, Saverins name is removed from the masthead as co-founder, later, a cocaine possession incident involving Parker and his attempt to place the blame on Saverin finally convinces Zuckerberg to cut ties with him. Throughout the film, the narrative is intercut with scenes from depositions taken in the Winklevoss twins and Saverins respective lawsuits against Zuckerberg, the Winklevoss twins claim that Zuckerberg stole their idea, while Saverin claims his shares of Facebook were unfairly diluted when the company was incorporated. After everyone leaves, Zuckerberg is shown sending a friend request to Albright on Facebook, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin said, What attracted me to had nothing to do with Facebook. The invention itself is as modern as it gets, but the story is as old as storytelling, I got a 14-page book proposal that Ben Mezrich had written for his publisher for a book he was going to call The Accidental Billionaires
6.
Alien 3
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It serves as the third film installment of the Alien franchise, and takes place after the events of Aliens and was followed by Alien, Resurrection. The film stars Sigourney Weaver reprising her role as Ellen Ripley, the film faced large-scale problems during production, including shooting without a script, with various screenwriters and directors attached. Fincher was finally brought in to direct after a version with Vincent Ward at the helm was cancelled well into pre-production. While underperforming at the American box office, it earned over $100 million outside of North America, the film received polarized reviews and was regarded as inferior to the previous installments. Fincher has since disowned the film, blaming studio interference and deadlines, in 2003, a revised version of the film known as the Assembly Cut was released without Finchers involvement, it received a warmer reception than the first release version. A fire starts aboard the Colonial Marine spaceship Sulaco, the computer launches an escape pod containing Ellen Ripley, the young girl Newt, Hicks, and the damaged android Bishop, all four are in cryonic stasis. Scans of the crews cryotubes show an Alien facehugger attached to one member, the inmates, who live and work on Fiorina Fury 161 due to their dangerous nature and histories of violence, recover the crashed pod and its passengers. Another facehugger is seen approaching inmate Murphys dog, Spike, Ripley is awakened by Clemens, the prison doctor, who informs her that she is the sole survivor. She is warned by the warden, Harold Andrews, that her presence may have disruptive effects. Ripley insists that Clemens perform an autopsy on Newt, secretly fearing that Newt may be carrying an Alien embryo, despite protests from the warden and his assistant Aaron, the autopsy is conducted and no embryo is found. The bodies of Newt and Hicks are cremated, elsewhere in the prison, a quadrupedal alien bursts from Spike. Growing to full size, the Alien kills Murphy, Boggs, Ripley finds the damaged Bishop in the wreckage of the ship. Just as she is leaving the wreckage, four of the attempt to rape her. Ripley heads back to the infirmary, and re-activates Bishop, who confirms that a facehugger came with them to Fiorina in the escape pod, Ripley informs Andrews of her encounters with the Aliens and suggests everyone work together to hunt down and kill it. Andrews does not believe her story, but explains that the facility has no weapons, the Alien surprises Ripley and Clemens in the prison infirmary, where it kills Clemens. It examines Ripley, but spares her and retreats, Andrews orders Aaron to take her back to the infirmary, but he is dragged into the vents and killed by the Alien. Ripley rallies the inmates and proposes they pour flammable toxic waste into the ventilation system, however, the Aliens intervention causes an explosion and several inmates are killed. With Aarons help, Ripley scans herself using the escape pods medical equipment and she also discovers that Weyland-Yutani hopes to turn the Aliens into biological weapons
7.
Seven (1995 film)
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Seven is a 1995 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley, R. Lee Ermey, and Kevin Spacey, the film was based on a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. The films screenplay was influenced by the time Walker spent in New York City trying to make it as a writer, principal photography took place in Los Angeles, with the last scene filmed near Lancaster, California. The films budget was US$33 million, released on September 22,1995 by New Line Cinema, Seven went on to become the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year, grossing over $327 million worldwide. It was well received by critics, who praised the darkness and brutality of the film, the film was nominated for Best Film Editing at the 68th Academy Awards, but lost out to Apollo 13. Mills introduces Somerset to Tracy, after which Somerset becomes her confidant, Tracy is unhappy with the city and feels it is no place to raise a child. She discloses to Somerset that she is pregnant and has yet to inform her husband, Somerset sympathizes with her, having a similar situation with his ex-girlfriend many years earlier, and advises her to tell Mills only if she plans on keeping the child. Somerset and Mills investigate a pair of murders, the first victim is an obese man forced to eat until his stomach ruptured. The second was a defense attorney who died from both fatal bloodletting and the removal of a pound of flesh. At each crime scene, the murderer leaves behind clues for the detectives, including a word, gluttony at the obese mans home. Somerset recognizes them as part of the seven sins and realizes the murders are related. Other clues lead them to a possible perpetrators apartment, the word sloth is scrawled on the wall. The photos also indicate the killer has been planning these deaths for some time, Somerset and Mills identify a man named John Doe, who has checked out several library books on the deadly sins. Doe flees when they go to his apartment, and Mills gives chase, Doe eventually corners Mills and holds him at gunpoint, but after a few moments, turns and escapes. At Does apartment, they find hundreds of handwritten journals showing Does apparent psychopathy and they find lust written on the door. The word pride is written on her wall, shortly after, as Somerset and Mills return to the police station, they are approached by a man covered in blood, surrendering himself. Mills recognizes him as Doe and arrests him and they discover Doe has been removing the skin on his fingers to avoid leaving behind prints, the blood on him is from a yet-to-be-identified victim. Somerset is wary, but Mills agrees, the two detectives, following Does directions, drive him to a remote desert location
8.
The Game (1997 film)
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The Game is a 1997 American mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Propaganda Films and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift. As the lines between the real life and the game become more uncertain, hints of a large conspiracy become apparent. The Game was well received by critics like Roger Ebert and major periodicals like The New York Times, Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy investment banker, is estranged from both his ex-wife and his younger brother, Conrad. He remains haunted from having seen his father commit suicide on the latters 48th birthday, for Nicholas own 48th birthday, Conrad presents Nicholas with an unusual gift—a voucher for a game offered by a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Conrad promises that it change his brothers life. Nicholas has doubts about CRS, but he meets fellow bankers who enjoyed the game and he goes to CRSs offices to apply and is irritated by the lengthy and time-consuming series of psychological and physical examinations required. He is later informed that his application has been rejected, soon Nicholas begins to believe that his business, reputation, finances, and safety are at risk. He encounters a waitress, Christine, who appears to have been endangered by the game, Nicholas contacts the police to investigate CRS, but they find the offices abandoned. Eventually, Conrad appears to Nicholas and apologizes, claiming that he, with no one else to turn to, Nicholas finds Christines home. He soon discovers that she is a CRS employee and that her apartment was staged, Christine tells Nicholas that they are being watched. Nicholas attacks a camera, and armed CRS troops begin to swarm the house, Nicholas and Christine are forced to flee. Christine tells Nicholas that CRS has drained his financial accounts by using the tests to guess his passwords. In a panic, Nicholas calls his bank and gives a verification code to check his account balance—zero, just as he begins to trust Christine, he realizes she has drugged him. As he loses consciousness, she admits that she is part of the scam. Nicholas wakes up to find himself entombed alive in a cemetery in Mexico and he sells his gold watch to escape. He returns to find his mansion foreclosed and most of his possessions removed and he retrieves a hidden gun and seeks the aid of his ex-wife. Nicholas locates Feingold and forces him to find CRSs real office, Nicholas demands to be taken to the leader of CRS
9.
Fight Club
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Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, referred to as the narrator, who is discontented with his white-collar job. He forms a club with soap maker Tyler Durden, played by Pitt. The narrator becomes embroiled in a relationship with Durden and a woman, Marla Singer. Palahniuks novel was optioned by 20th Century Fox producer Laura Ziskin, Fincher was one of four directors the producers considered, and was selected because of his enthusiasm for the film. Fincher developed the script with Uhls and sought screenwriting advice from the cast, the director and the cast compared the film to Rebel Without a Cause and The Graduate. They said its theme was the conflict between a generation of people and the value system of advertising. The director copied the homoerotic overtones from Palahniuks novel to make audiences uncomfortable, studio executives did not like the film and restructured Finchers intended marketing campaign to try to reduce anticipated losses. It was cited as one of the most controversial and talked-about films of 1999, the film later found critical and commercial success with its DVD release, which established Fight Club as a cult film. The unnamed Narrator is a traveling automobile recall specialist who suffers from insomnia, the group assumes that he, too, is affected like they are, and he spontaneously weeps into the nurturing arms of another man, finding a freedom from the catharsis that relieves his insomnia. He decides to participate in groups of various kinds, always allowing the groups to assume that he suffers what they do. However, he begins to notice another impostor, Marla Singer, whose presence reminds him that he is attending these groups dishonestly, the two negotiate to avoid their attending the same groups, but, before going their separate ways, Marla gives him her phone number. On a flight home from a trip, the Narrator meets Tyler Durden. After the flight, the Narrator returns home to find that his apartment has been destroyed by an explosion, with no one else to contact, he calls Tyler, and they meet at a bar. After a conversation about consumerism, outside the bar, Tyler chastises the Narrator for his timidity about needing a place to stay, Tyler requests that the Narrator hit him, which leads the two to engage in a fistfight. The Narrator moves into Tylers home, a dilapidated house in an industrial area of their city. They have further fights outside the bar on subsequent nights, the fighting eventually moves to the bars basement where the men form a club which routinely meets only to provide an opportunity for the men to fight recreationally. Marla overdoses on pills and telephones the Narrator for help, he ignores her, leaving his phone receiver
10.
Panic Room
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Panic Room is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by David Koepp. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Koepps screenplay was inspired by news coverage in 2000 about panic rooms. The film was Finchers fifth feature film, following Fight Club, Fincher and Koepp brought together a crew of people with whom each had worked before. The house and its panic room were built on a Raleigh Studios lot, Nicole Kidman was originally cast as the mother, but she left after aggravating a previous injury. Her departure threatened the completion of the film, but Foster quickly replaced Kidman, the filmmakers used computer-generated imagery to create the illusion of the film camera moving through the houses rooms. Foster became pregnant during the schedule, so filming was suspended until after she gave birth. The film was released in the United States and Canada on March 29,2002. The film cost $48 million and it grossed $30 million on its opening weekend, in the United States and Canada, it grossed $96.4 million. In other territories, it grossed $100 million for a total of $196.4 million. Critics were generally positive or mixed in their reviews, in retrospect, Panic Room has been assessed for its portrayal of childhood and feminism, the elements of video surveillance and diabetes, and its thematic approach to mortality. Recently divorced Meg Altman and her 11-year-old daughter Sarah have just purchased a brownstone on the Upper West Side of New York City. The houses previous owner, a millionaire, installed an isolated room used to protect the houses occupants from intruders. The three are after $3 million in bonds, which are locked inside a floor safe in the panic room. After discovering that the Altmans have moved in earlier than expected, Junior convinces a reluctant Burnham, as they begin the robbery, Meg wakes up and happens to see the intruders on the video monitors in the panic room. Before the three can reach them, Meg and Sarah run into the room and close the door behind them. They are unable to use the phone in the room which has a phone line that was never hooked up by Meg. Intending to force the two out of the room, Burnham introduces propane gas into the air vents. Raoul, in conflict with Burnham and Junior, dangerously increases the amount of gas
11.
Gone Girl (film)
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Gone Girl is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by Gillian Flynn, based on her 2012 novel of the same name. The film stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, set in Southeast Missouri, the story begins as a mystery that follows the events surrounding Nick Dunne, who becomes the primary suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy. The film had its premiere on opening night of the 52nd New York Film Festival on September 26,2014. It was received critically and was a commercial success, grossing $369 million. Rosamund Pikes performance was praised, and she received nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award. The day of his wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne returns home to find that his wife Amy is missing. Her disappearance receives heavy press coverage, as Amy was the inspiration for her parents popular Amazing Amy childrens books, detective Rhonda Boney does a walkthrough of their house and finds poorly concealed evidence of a struggle. The police conduct an analysis and uncover the remnants of cleaned blood stains. Suspicions arise that Nick is responsible, and his behavior is interpreted by the media as characteristic of a sociopath. Flashbacks reveal that Nick and Amys marriage had disintegrated, both lost their jobs in the recession and moved from New York City to Nicks hometown of North Carthage, Nick has become lazy, distant, uninterested and unfaithful. Boney unearths evidence of financial troubles and domestic disputes, and a states that Amy wanted to purchase a gun. Amy is revealed to be alive and well, having changed her appearance and she despises Nick for the erosion of their marital bliss, her isolation after they moved to be closer to Nicks family, and his infidelity. She anticipates Nick will be convicted and executed for her murder, Nick hires Tanner Bolt, a lawyer who specializes in defending men accused of killing their wives. Nick meets Amys ex-boyfriend Tommy OHara, who says Amy framed him for rape and he also approaches another ex-boyfriend, the wealthy Desi Collings, against whom Amy previously filed a restraining order, but Desi refuses to share any details. When Amys neighbors at the campground rob her of her money, she calls Desi. He agrees to hide her in his house, which is equipped with surveillance cameras. Nick convinces his sister, Margo, of his innocence and his performance rekindles Amys feelings for him, even as Boney arrests him for Amys murder. Amy inflicts injuries on herself and uses Desis surveillance cameras to her advantage and she seduces Desi and kills him during sex by slitting his throat
12.
Zodiac (film)
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Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by James Vanderbilt is based on the 1986 non-fiction book of the name by Robert Graysmith. The cases remain one of Northern Californias most infamous unsolved crimes, Fincher, Vanderbilt and producer Bradley J. Fischer spent 18 months conducting their own investigation and research into the Zodiac murders. Fincher employed the digital Thomson Viper Filmstream camera to photograph the film, however, Zodiac was not shot entirely digitally, traditional high-speed film cameras were used for slow-motion murder sequences. Reviews for Zodiac were very positive, lauding the writing, directing, acting and historical authenticity. The film grossed over $84 million worldwide against a budget of $65 million. On July 4,1969, a man attacks Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau with a handgun, at a lovers lane in Vallejo. One month later, the San Francisco Chronicle receives encrypted letters written by the killer calling himself the Zodiac and taunting the police. Political cartoonist Robert Graysmith is not taken seriously by crime reporter Paul Avery or the editors and is excluded from the details about the killings despite his interest in the case. When the newspaper publishes the letters, a couple is able to decipher one. At a local bar, Avery initially makes fun of Graysmith before they discuss the coded letters, Graysmith interprets the letter, which Avery finds helpful, and Avery begins sharing information. The Zodiac killer attacks law student Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa in Napa County on September 27,1969, Shepard dies two days later, and Hartnell survives. One of Graysmiths insights about the letters is that the Zodiacs reference to man as the most dangerous animal of all is a reference to the story. The fact that both Zaroffs surname and the name Zodiac start with a Z also seems significant, two weeks later, San Francisco taxicab driver Paul Stine is shot and killed in the citys Presidio Heights district immediately after dropping the killer off. The Zodiac killer mails pieces of Stines blood stained shirt to the Chronicle, San Francisco police detectives Dave Toschi and his partner Bill Armstrong are assigned to the Stine case, and work closely with Vallejos Jack Mulanax and Captain Ken Narlow in Napa. The killer, or someone posing as him, continues to toy with authorities by sending more letters, Avery and Graysmith form an alliance, delving deeper into the case as time permits. In 1971, Detectives Toschi, Armstrong, and Mulanax question Arthur Leigh Allen, Allen behaves suspiciously during the interview. They ask to see his watch and notice that he wears a Zodiac brand wristwatch which has the logo used by the killer
13.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film)
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2011 Swedish-American psychological thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson. This film adaptation was directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillian, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, it tells the story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist s investigation to find out what happened to a woman from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years prior. He recruits the help of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, Sony Pictures Entertainment began development on the film in 2009. It took the company a few months to obtain the rights to the novel, while recruiting Zaillian, the casting process for the lead roles was exhaustive and intense, Craig faced scheduling conflicts, and a number of actresses were sought for the role of Lisbeth Salander. The script took six months to write, which included three months of analyzing the novel. Pre-release screenings occurred in London, New York City, and Stockholm, Critics gave the film favorable reviews, praising its bleak tone and lauding Mara and Craigs performances. With a production budget of $90 million, the film grossed $232.6 million over its theatrical run. In addition to being included in several publications best-of lists, the film was a candidate for numerous awards, in Stockholm, Sweden, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, co-owner of Millennium magazine, has lost a libel case brought against him by businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but troubled investigator and hacker, compiles an extensive background check on Blomkvist for business magnate Henrik Vanger, who has a special task for him. In exchange for the promise of damning information about Wennerström, Blomkvist agrees to investigate the disappearance and assumed murder of Henriks grandniece, after moving to the Vanger familys compound, Blomkvist uncovers a notebook containing a list of names and numbers that no one has been able to decipher. Salander, who is under legal guardianship due to diagnosed mental incompetency, is appointed a new guardian, lawyer Nils Bjurman. Bjurman, a sexual sadist, abuses his authority to extort sexual favors from Salander and violently rapes her, not realizing she has a hidden video camera on her bag. At their next meeting she stuns him with a gun, rapes him with a dildo. Threatening to disclose the video recording, she blackmails him into writing a glowing progress report, Blomkvists daughter Pernilla visits him and notes that the numbers from the notebook are Bible references. Blomkvist tells Vangers lawyer, Dirch Frode, that he help with his research. Blomkvist hires Salander to investigate the notebooks content and she uncovers a connection to a series of murders of young women from 1947 through 1967, with the women either being Jewish or having Biblical names, many of the Vangers are known antisemites. During the investigation, Salander and Blomkvist become lovers, Henriks openly national socialist brother Harald identifies Martin, Harriets brother and operational head of the Vanger empire, and Blomkvist marks Martin as a possible suspect. Salanders research uncovers evidence that Martin and his father, Gottfried, committed the murders
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Netflix
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Netflix is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph on August 29,1997, in Scotts Valley, California. It specializes in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail, in 2013, Netflix expanded into film and television production, as well as online distribution. As of 2017 the company has its headquarters in Los Gatos, Netflixs initial business model included DVD sales and rental, although Hastings jettisoned DVD sales about a year after Netflixs founding to focus on the DVD rental by mail business. In 2007, Netflix expanded its business with the introduction of streaming media, while retaining the DVD, Netflix entered the content-production industry in 2013, debuting its first series, House of Cards. It has greatly expanded the production of film and television series since then, offering Netflix Original content through its online library of films. Netflix released an estimated 126 original series or films in 2016, in January 2017, Netflix reported having over 93 million subscribers worldwide, including more than 49 million in the United States. Netflix was founded on August 29,1997, in Scotts Valley, California, by Marc Randolph, Randolph worked as marketing director for Hastings company, Pure Atria Corporation. Randolph was a co-founder of MicroWarehouse, a mail order company. Hastings, a computer scientist and mathematician, sold Pure Atria to Rational Software Corporation in 1997 for $700 million in what was then the richest acquisition in Silicon Valley history. Hastings, Randolphs mother and Integrity QA founder Steve Kahn invested $2.5 million in cash for Netflix. Randolph admired the fledgling e-commerce company Amazon and wanted to find a category of portable items to sell over the internet using a similar model. He and Hastings considered and rejected VHS tapes as too expensive to stock and too delicate to ship. When they heard about DVDs, which were available in only a few markets in 1997, when the disc arrived intact, they decided to take on the $16 billion home video sales and rental industry. Netflix introduced the monthly subscription concept in September 1999, and then dropped the model in early 2000. Since that time, the company has built its reputation on the model of flat-fee unlimited rentals without due dates, late fees, shipping and handling fees. In 2000, Netflix offered to be acquired by Blockbuster for $50 million, Netflix initiated an initial public offering on May 29,2002, selling 5.5 million shares of common stock at the price of US$15.00 per share. On June 14,2002, the company sold an additional 825,000 shares of stock at the same price. After incurring substantial losses during its first few years, Netflix posted its first profit during fiscal year 2003, in 2005,35,000 different films were available, and Netflix shipped 1 million DVDs out every day
15.
House of Cards (U.S. TV series)
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House of Cards is an American political drama web television series created by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of the BBCs mini-series of the name and is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The thirteen episode first season premiered on February 1,2013, thirteen episode seasons followed on February 14,2014, February 27,2015 and March 4,2016. Netflix announced a season due for release on May 30,2017. Willimon has stated plans for the shows future are decided after each season. House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood, a Democrat from South Carolinas 5th congressional district and House Majority Whip. After being passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, he initiates a plan to get himself into a position of greater power, aided by his wife. The series deals primarily with themes of pragmatism, manipulation. House of Cards has received reviews and several award nominations. It is the first original online-only web television series to receive major Emmy nominations, the show also earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with Wright winning for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2014 and Spacey winning for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2015. However, Underwood soon learns that he is no longer being considered for the position, Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez tells Underwood that the president wants him to promote his agenda in Congress and will not honor their agreement. Inwardly seething, Underwood quickly gains control of his anger and hides his disappointment to present himself as a lieutenant to the president. In reality, Underwood begins a plan behind the presidents back. Franks wife Claire runs an NGO, the Clean Water Initiative, using the charity to cultivate her own power and influence, yet its ultimate purpose remains unknown. Despite the success of the operation, Claire seeks to expand its scope to the international stage and they both work with Remy Danton, a corporate lobbyist and former Underwood staffer, to secure funds for their operations and further their influence. Underwood begins a highly intricate plan to obtain a cabinet position, meanwhile, he manipulates Peter Russo, a troubled alcoholic and congressman from Pennsylvania, into helping him undermine Walkers pick for Secretary of State, Senator Michael Kern. Underwood eventually has Kern replaced with his own choice, Senator Catherine Durant, Underwood also uses Russo in a plot to end a teachers strike and pass an education bill, which improves Underwoods standing with President Walker. Because the new Vice President is the governor of Pennsylvania
16.
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
17.
South Dakota
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South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, South Dakota is the 17th most expansive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Once the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2,1889, Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 171,000, is South Dakotas largest city. South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, the state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as East River and West River. Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the states population, West of the Missouri, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are located in West River, the Black Hills, a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, are located in the southwest part of the state. Mount Rushmore, a major tourist destination, is located there, South Dakota experiences a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The ecology of the state features species typical of a North American grassland biome, humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American settlement intensified after a rush in the Black Hills. Encroaching miners and settlers triggered a number of Indian wars, ending with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in areas to attract and retain residents. South Dakotas history and rural character still strongly influence the culture of the state, South Dakota is situated in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of the Midwest by the U. S. Census Bureau, it is also part of the Great Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with the West than the Midwest, South Dakota has a total area of 77,116 square miles, making the state the 17th largest in the Union. Black Elk Peak, formerly named Harney Peak, with an elevation of 7,242 ft, is the states highest point, while the shoreline of Big Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of 966 ft. South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota, to the south by Nebraska, to the east by Iowa and Minnesota, the geographical center of the U. S. is 17 miles west of Castle Rock in Butte County. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is located between Allen and Kyle,1,024 mi from the nearest coastline, the Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux, Eastern South Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly created by periods of glaciation. Additionally, dams on the Missouri River create four large reservoirs, Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions, eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills. The Missouri River serves as a boundary in terms of geographic, social, at times the Black Hills are combined with the rest of western South Dakota, and people often refer to the resulting two regions divided by the Missouri River as West River and East River
18.
Oklahoma
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Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central United States. Oklahoma is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States, the states name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning red people. The name was settled upon statehood, Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were merged, on November 16,1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans, or informally Okies, and its capital, a major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. In 2007, it had one of the economies in the United States, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahomas primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas. With small mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, interior Highlands—a region especially prone to severe weather. The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw phrase okla humma, literally meaning red people, equivalent to the English word Indian, okla humma was a phrase in the Choctaw language used to describe Native American people as a whole. Oklahoma later became the de facto name for Oklahoma Territory, and it was approved in 1890. Oklahoma is the 20th-largest state in the United States, covering an area of 69,898 square miles and it is one of six states on the Frontier Strip and lies partly in the Great Plains near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas, on the northwest by Colorado, on the far west by New Mexico, much of its border with Texas lies along the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, a failed continental rift. The geologic figure defines the placement of the Red River, the Oklahoma panhandles Western edge is out of alignment with its Texas border. The Oklahoma/New Mexico border is actually 2.1 to 2.2 miles east of the Texas line, the border between Texas and New Mexico was set first as a result of a survey by Spain in 1819. It was then set along the 103rd Meridian, in the 1890s, when Oklahoma was formally surveyed using more accurate surveying equipment and techniques, it was discovered the Texas line was not set along the 103rd Meridian. Surveying techniques were not as accurate in 1819, and the actual 103rd Meridian was approximately 2.2 miles to the east and it was much easier to leave the mistake than for Texas to cede land to New Mexico to correct the surveying error. The placement of the Oklahoma/New Mexico border represents the true 103rd Meridian, cimarron County in Oklahomas panhandle is the only county in the United States that touches four other states, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Its highest and lowest points follow this trend, with its highest peak, Black Mesa, at 4,973 feet above sea level, situated near its far northwest corner in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The states lowest point is on the Little River near its far southeastern boundary near the town of Idabel, Oklahoma, which dips to 289 feet above sea level
19.
Life (magazine)
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Life was an American magazine that ran weekly from 1883 to 1936 as a humor magazine with limited circulation. Time owner Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936, solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name, Life was published weekly until 1972, as an intermittent special until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. After 2000 Time Inc. continued to use the Life brand for special, Life returned to regularly scheduled issues when it became a weekly newspaper supplement from 2004 to 2007. The website life. com, originally one of the channels on Time Inc. s Pathfinder service, was for a time in the late 2000s managed as a joint venture with Getty Images under the name See Your World, LLC. On January 30,2012 the LIFE. com URL became a channel on Time. com. When Life was founded in 1883, it was developed as similar to the British magazine and it was published for 53 years as a general-interest light entertainment magazine, heavy on illustrations, jokes and social commentary. The Luce Life was the first all-photographic American news magazine, the magazines role in the history of photojournalism is considered its most important contribution to publishing. Life was wildly successful for two generations before its prestige was diminished by economics and changing tastes, Life was founded January 4,1883, in a New York City artists studio at 1155 Broadway, as a partnership between John Ames Mitchell and Andrew Miller. Mitchell held a 75 per cent interest in the magazine with the remainder by Miller, both men retained their holdings until their deaths. Miller served as secretary-treasurer of the magazine and was very successful managing the side of the operation. Mitchell, a 37-year-old illustrator who used a $10,000 inheritance to invest in the weekly magazine, Mitchell created the first Life name-plate with cupids as mascots, he later drew its masthead of a knight leveling his lance at the posterior of a fleeing devil. Mitchell took advantage of a new printing process using zinc-coated plates. This edge helped because Life faced stiff competition from the humor magazines Judge and Puck. Edward Sandford Martin was brought on as Lifes first literary editor, the motto of the first issue of Life was, While theres Life, theres hope. The new magazine set forth its principles and policies to its readers and we shall try to domesticate as much as possible of the casual cheerfulness that is drifting about in an unfriendly world. The magazine was a success and soon attracted the leading contributors. Among the most important was Charles Dana Gibson, three years after the magazine was founded, the Massachusetts native first sold Life a drawing for $4, a dog outside his kennel howling at the moon. Encouraged by a publisher who was also an artist, Gibson was joined in Life early days by such illustrators as Palmer Cox
20.
San Anselmo, California
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San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, in the western United States. San Anselmo is located 1.5 miles west of San Rafael and it is located about 20 miles north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, Mount Tamalpais dominates the view to the south. The population was 12,336 at the 2010 census, the land in and around San Anselmo was mostly pastoral until 1874, when the North Pacific Coast Railroad added to its line a spur track from San Anselmo to San Rafael. In 1875, the railroad completed a line from Sausalito to Tomales, for a few years, the town was referred to on railroad maps as Junction, but in 1883 the name San Anselmo came back into use. The San Anselmo post office opened in 1892, two postal substations were operated, Lansdale, from 1924 to 1962, and Yolanda, from 1924 to 1954. From 1902 until the early 1940s, San Anselmo was part of Marins Northwestern Pacific Electric Train system, the Miracle Miles and Center Boulevards current raised roadbed were the railroads right of way. Becoming unprofitable as a result of competition from the automobile and the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, the last of the major San Anselmo railroad station buildings was razed in 1963, according to the towns timeline. The 1913 electric train schedule shows a time from San Anselmo to the Sausalito Ferry to the Ferry Building in San Francisco of a mere 58 minutes. San Anselmo incorporated on April 9,1907 and its name came from the Punta de Quintin land grant, which marked the valley as the Canada del Anselmo, or Valley of Anselm, Anselm being the name of a Native American who was buried in the area. San Anselmo was a silent film capital in the early 1900s, on March 12,1974, San Anselmo officially became a town. Lucas worked on his Star Wars script for two and a half years, writing much of it at the back of his San Anselmo house in a room he shared with a gaudy Wurlitzer jukebox. The average high temperature is 85 °F, in July, the record high was 111 °F in July,1972, and record low was 18 °F in December,1990. Average rainfall is 47.47 inches, with the rainiest month being January, all but a sliver of San Anselmo lies within the 28-square-mile Ross Valley Watershed that flows into San Francisco Bay. The principal waterway of the portion of the watershed is San Anselmo Creek. Two of San Anselmo Creeks tributaries, Sleepy Hollow Creek and Sorich Creek, also flow through the town, as do East Fork Creek and West Fork Creek, there are three main roads running through San Anselmo. Their junction is known locally as the Hub, which lies near the business district. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard runs north from Ross, turns north-west at the Hub, Red Hill Avenue runs west from San Rafael, after 4th Street and 3rd Street merge, and into the Hub where it becomes Center Boulevard
21.
George Lucas
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George Walton Lucas Jr. is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is best known as the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as the founder of Lucasfilm and he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm, before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Upon graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas co-founded American Zoetrope with fellow filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, Lucas wrote and directed THX1138, based on his earlier student short Electronic Labyrinth, THX1138 4EB, which was a critical success but a financial failure. His next work as a writer-director was the film, American Graffiti, inspired by his teen years in early 1960s Modesto, California, the film was critically and commercially successful, and received five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. Following the first Star Wars film, Lucas produced and co-wrote the following installments in the trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back, along with Steven Spielberg, Lucas co-created and wrote the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade. Lucas also produced and/or wrote a variety of films through Lucasfilm in the 1980s and 1990s, Lucas also returned to directing with the Star Wars prequel trilogy, consisting of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. He later collaborated on the story for the Indiana Jones sequel Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, five of Lucass seven features are among the 100 highest-grossing movies at the North American box office, adjusted for ticket-price inflation. Lucas is one of the American film industrys most financially successful filmmakers, Lucas is considered a significant figure in the New Hollywood era. Lucas was born and raised in Modesto, California, the son of Dorothy Ellinore Lucas and George Walton Lucas and he is of German, Swiss-German, English, Scottish, and distant Dutch and French descent. Growing up, Lucas had a passion for cars and motor racing, on June 12,1962, while driving his souped-up Autobianchi Bianchina, another driver broadsided him, flipping over his car, nearly killing him, causing him to lose interest in racing as a career. He attended Modesto Junior College, where he studied anthropology, sociology and he also began shooting with an 8 mm camera, including filming car races. At this time, Lucas and his friend John Plummer became interested in Canyon Cinema, screenings of underground, avant-garde 16 mm filmmakers like Jordan Belson, Stan Brakhage, and Bruce Conner. Lucas and Plummer also saw classic European films of the time, including Jean-Luc Godards Breathless, François Truffauts Jules et Jim, thats when George really started exploring, Plummer said. Through his interest in racing, Lucas met renowned cinematographer Haskell Wexler, another race enthusiast. Wexler, later to work with Lucas on several occasions, was impressed by Lucas talent, George had a very good eye, and he thought visually, he recalled. Lucas then transferred to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to motion picture film. During the years at USC, Lucas shared a room with Randal Kleiser. Along with classmates such as Walter Murch, Hal Barwood, and John Milius and he also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student filmmaker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg
22.
Ashland, Oregon
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Ashland is a city in Jackson County, in the State of Oregon. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles north of the California border, as of 2015, the citys population was approaching 21,000. The city is the home of Southern Oregon University and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and these are important to Ashlands economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to tourists. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional visitor attractions, Ashland has a mayor-council government assisted by citizen committees. Historically, its politics have differed, often sharply, with much of the rest of southwest Oregon. Prior to the arrival of settlers in mid-19th century, the Shasta people lived in the valley along Ashland Creek approximately where todays city is located. Early Hudsons Bay Company hunters and trappers following the Siskiyou Trail passed through the site in the 1820s, in the late 1840s, mainly American settlers following the Applegate Trail began passing through the area. By the early 1850s, the Donation Land Act brought many to the Rogue Valley and these often violent clashes, known ultimately as the Rogue River Wars, continued until 1856. In 1851, gold was discovered at Rich Gulch, a tributary of Jackson Creek, settlers arrived in the Ashland area in January 1852, including Robert B. Hargadine, Sylvester Pease, Abel D Helman, Eber Emery, Helman and Hargadine filed the first donation land claims in Ashland. Helman and Emery built a sawmill along what was then called Mill Creek to turn timber into lumber for settlers, in 1854, they and another settler, M. B. Morris, built a mill, Ashland Flouring Mills, to grind local wheat into flour. The community around the mill known as Ashland Mills. A post office was established in Ashland Mills in 1855 with Helman as postmaster, during the 1860s and 1870s the community grew, establishing a school, churches, businesses, and a large employer, Ashland Woolen Mills, which produced clothing and blankets from local wool. In 1871, the Post Office dropped Mills from Ashlands name, in 1872 Reverend J. H. Skidmore opened a college, Ashland Academy, a predecessor of Southern Oregon University. In 1887, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California, were joined by rail at Ashland, until 1926, when most rail service began taking a different route, Ashland thrived on rail trade of local products, including pears, peaches, and apples. In 1908 the Womens Civic Improvement Club petitioned for the creation of community space along Ashland Creek, the discovery of lithia water near Emigrant Lake around the same time led to a plan to establish a mineral spa at the park. Voters approved bonds to pay for the project, which included piping the water from its source to Ashland
23.
Ashland High School (Oregon)
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Ashland High School is a public high school in Ashland, Oregon, United States, near the Southern Oregon University campus. On June 3,2006 at 2,30 p. m a fire out in the AHS room behind the gym during a farewell assembly for the seniors. The gym was heavily damaged and Mountain Avenue was closed for hours, no one was hurt during the fire. The fire department determined that the fire was started by two students with firework sparklers, Ashland High Schools homecoming on September 25,2015 was the first school dance at AHS to feature politically correct gender-neutral homecoming royalty. The change was initiated by student body presidents and approved by the principal at the time, the change received wide publicly and was announced to the student body in a video shown to all students during the mandatory advisory class. On the afternoon of October 1,2015, during the homecoming celebration. An AHS alumnus posted to Facebook a photo of a gun with threatening statements against the school, the Umpqua Community College shooting had taken place about three and a half hours prior, prompting the police to take the situation especially seriously. Students were kept in classes 10 minutes past the end of the day, the threat was later deemed too vague to represent a significant danger. In 2008, 81% of the seniors received their high school diploma. Of 296 students,239 graduated,53 dropped out,1 received a modified diploma, the school received a silver ranking from U. S. News & World Reports 2010 Americas Best High Schools survey
24.
KOBI
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KOBI is a local NBC affiliate based in Medford, Oregon. It is owned by Patricia Smullin, the company, California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc. is the longest continuously independent broadcast group in the West and one of the three oldest in the country. The station also operates a station in Klamath Falls, KOTI on channel 2. Together, the two stations serve 12 mostly rural counties in southern Oregon and northern California, the stations vice president and general manager is Robert Wise, who served as general manager of KOBIs former sister station KRCR-TV in Redding, California, from 1995 to 2005. The studios are located on South Fir Street in downtown Medford and it was founded on August 1,1953 by Bill Smullin, a 20-year veteran of the television industry. The stations call letters were originally KBES-TV, and it carried programming from all four major networks, however, for its first 25 years, it was primarily a CBS affiliate. It was the television station in Oregon, following KPTV in Portland by eleven months. Smullin soon realized that KBES signal was not strong enough to all of southern Oregon. Fortunately, he was able to buy the license for channel 2 in Klamath Falls, in 1962, Smullin changed the call letters to KTVM. When channel 10 was allocated to Medford, Smullin helped the owners of KMED-AM get the license, partly because of his help, KMED-TV signed on in 1961. In 1968, KTVM moved to a transmitter on King Mountain. By 1978, KOBI had become a primary ABC affiliate, which by then had become the top network, however, they continued to carry some CBS programs. In 1983, KOBI picked up NBC from KTVL, which switched to CBS and it carried a few ABC programs for another year until KDRV signed on. For many years, KOBI branded itself as Channel 5M, with a showing a 5 on an interstate highway sign, reflecting the interstate that goes through the Medford area. The interstate sign motif was later extended to KOTI and KRCR, KOBI rebranded itself as The News Channel in 1998 and as NBC5 in 2004, but the highway sign remains today. The station has a UHF translator, K32DY-D, to serve non-antenna-rotator-equipped households between Medford and Ashland and it is located on Mt. Baldy, east of Phoenix. KOBI has brought many firsts to Southern Oregon and Northern California, Bill Smullin retired in 1985 and was succeeded by his daughter, Patricia C. Patsy Smullin, who serves as owner and president today, KOBI added a DT2 channel for AccuWeathers local weather and national weather digital channel to KOBIs digital signal were instituted in early 2008
25.
Medford, Oregon
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Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of July 1,2014, the city had a population of 78,557. Medford is the county seat of Jackson County, in 1883, a group of railroad surveyors headed by S. L. Dolson and David Loring arrived in Rock Point, near present-day Gold Hill. They were charged with finding the best route through the Rogue Valley for the Oregon, citizens of neighboring Jacksonville hoped that it would pass between their town and Hanley Butte, near the present day Claire Hanley Arboretum. Such a move would have all but guaranteed prosperous growth for Jacksonville, the response from Jacksonville was mixed, but the decision was final. By November 1883, a site had been chosen and a surveying team led by Charles J. Howard was hard at work platting the new town. They completed their work in early December 1883, laying out 82 blocks for development, others point out the farms of town founders Iradell Judson Phipps and Charles Wesley Broback, which were present before the town was platted. Regardless, on February 6,1884, J. S. Howards store became Medfords first post office, with Howard serving as postmaster. The establishment of the post office led to the incorporation of Medford as a town by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 24,1885, Howard held the position of postmaster for Medfords first ten years, and again held the post upon his death on November 13,1919. The beginning of the 20th century was a transitional period, Medford built a new steel bridge over Bear Creek to replace an earlier one which washed away three years before. Without a bridge, those wanting to cross had to ford the stream, typically using a horse-drawn wagon, the first automobile did not arrive in Medford until 1903. Pharmacist George H. Haskins had opened a drugstore just after the town was platted, five years later the library moved to Medfords new city hall, in another four years, Andrew Carnegies donation allowed a dedicated library to be built. Construction on the Medford Carnegie Library was completed in 1912, in 1927, Medford took the title of county seat of Jackson County away from nearby Jacksonville. In 1967, Interstate 5 was completed adjacent to downtown Medford to replace the Oregon Pacific Highway. It has been blamed for the decline of businesses in downtown Medford since its completion. In fact, a study completed in 1999 found that 45% of vehicles entering I-5 from north Medford heading south exited in south Medford, the high volume of traffic on Interstate 5 led to the completion of a new north Medford interchange in 2006. The project, which cost about $36 million, improved traffic flow between I-5 and Crater Lake Highway, further traffic problems identified in south Medford prompted the construction of another new interchange, costing $72 million. The project began in 2006 and was completed in 2010, since the 1990s, Medford has dedicated an appreciable amount of resources to urban renewal in an attempt to revitalize the downtown area
26.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. The pair and Sundances lover, Etta Place, flee to Bolivia in search of a successful criminal career. In 2003, the film was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, the American Film Institute ranked Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the 49th-greatest American film on its 100 Years.100 Movies list. In late 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy is the affable, clever and his closest companion is the laconic dead-shot Sundance Kid. The two return to their hideout at Hole-in-the-Wall to discover that the rest of the gang, irked at Butchs long absences, have selected Harvey Logan as their new leader, Harvey challenges Butch to a knife fight over the gangs leadership. To celebrate, Butch and Sundance visit a brothel in a nearby town and watch, amused. They then visit Sundances lover, schoolteacher Etta Place, on the second train robbery, Butch uses too much dynamite to blow open the safe, blowing up the baggage car. Butch and Sundance finally elude their pursuers by jumping from a cliff into a river far below and they learn from Etta that the posse has been paid by Union Pacific head E. H. Harriman to remain on their trail until Butch and Sundance are both killed. Butch convinces Sundance and Etta that the three should escape to Bolivia, which Butch envisions as a robbers paradise, on their arrival there, Sundance is dismayed by the living conditions and regards the country with contempt, but Butch remains optimistic. They discover that they know too little Spanish to pull off a bank robbery, with her as an accomplice, they become successful bank robbers known as Los Bandidos Yanquis. However, their confidence drops when they see a man wearing a white hat, Butch suggests going straight, and he and Sundance land their first honest job as payroll guards for a mining company. However, they are ambushed by bandits on their first run and their boss. Butch and Sundance ambush and kill the bandits, the first time Butch has ever shot someone, Etta recommends farming or ranching as other lines of work, but they conclude the straight life isnt for them. Sensing they will be killed if they return to robbery, Etta decides to go back to the United States, Butch and Sundance steal a payroll and the mules carrying it, and arrive in a small town. A boy recognizes the brand and alerts the local police. They take cover in a building but are both wounded, after Butch makes a futile attempt to run to the mules in order to bring more ammunition. As dozens of Bolivian soldiers surround the area, Butch suggests the next destination should be Australia. The film ends with a freeze frame shot on the pair charging out of the building, guns blazing, William Goldman first came across the story of Butch Cassidy in the late 1950s and researched it on and off for eight years before sitting down to write the screenplay
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8 mm film
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8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the film strip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions — the original standard 8 mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8. Although both standard 8 mm and Super 8 are 8 mm wide, Super 8 has a larger image area because of its smaller and more widely spaced perforations. There are also two varieties of Super 8—Single 8 mm and Straight-8 that require different cameras, but produce a final film with the same dimensions. After the film is developed, the processor splits it down the middle, resulting in two lengths of 8 mm film, each with a single row of perforations along one edge. Each frame is half the width and half the height of a 16 mm frame, so there are four times the number of frames in a film area. Because of the two passes of the film, the format was sometimes called Double 8, the frame size of regular 8 mm is 4.8 mm ×3.5 mm and 1 meter of film contains 264 pictures. Normally Double 8 is filmed at 16 or 18 frames per second, common length film spools allowed filming of about 3 minutes to 4.5 minutes at 12,15,16 and 18 frames per second. Kodak ceased sales of standard 8 mm film under its own brand in the early 1990s, but continued to manufacture the film, some specialists also produce Super 8 mm film from existing 16 mm, or even 35 mm film stock. In 1965, Super-8 film was released and was adopted by the amateur film-maker. It featured a better quality image, and was easier to use due to a cartridge-loading system that did not require reloading and rethreading halfway through. In reality, this was not the case, the plastic pressure plate could be moulded to far tighter tolerances than their metal counterparts could be machined. To easily differentiate Super 8 film from Standard 8, projector spools for the former had larger spindle holes, therefore, it was not possible to mount a Super 8 spool on a Standard 8 projector, and vice versa. Another version of Super-8 film, Single-8, was produced by Fuji in Japan, introduced in 1965 as an alternative to the Kodak Super 8 format, it had the same final film dimensions, but with a different cassette. Unlike the co-axial design of Super 8, the Single 8 cartridge featured one spool above the other. A number of companies offered single width 8 mm film in magazines or spools. The first single run 8mm film was offered in 1935 with a Bell & Howell movie camera Filmo 127-A called Straight Eight. Single width 8 mm film revived in the United States by Bolsey-8 in 1956, introduced in 2011 by Nicholas Kovats, and implemented by Jean-Louis Seguin, this format uses Standard 8 film in a modified Bolex camera
28.
Twice Upon a Time (1983 film)
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Twice Upon a Time is a 1983 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by John Korty and Charles Swenson. It is the first animated film produced by George Lucas, the movie uses a form of cutout animation which the filmmakers called Lumage, involving prefabricated cut-out plastic pieces that the animators moved on a light table. The film features improvised dialogue and a blend of live-action, traditional 2D-animation. In the eternally busy city of Din, the black-and-white Rushers constantly go about their business in a way and stop only to sleep. The evil Synonamess Botch, maniacal ruler of the Murkworks, wants to foil Greenies efforts and he uses his vultures to kidnap the Figs and Greensleeves, but not before Greensleeves writes an S. O. S. to Frivoli. Meanwhile, two misfits – known as Ralph, the All-Purpose Animal, and Mumford, a Chaplinesque mime – are put on trial for their incompetence at work. They are determined to prove themselves when they meet Flora Fauna, Greensleevess niece, Botch spies on the three through Ibor, his robot gorilla, and uses Ralph and Mums desire to be heroes to his advantage. Botch deceives the three, claiming to be a friend of Greenie and telling them that Greensleeves can be saved if they go into Din, Flora stays behind to act the part of the damsel in distress for Botchs nightmares. Mumford and Ralph release the spring which causes time to freeze and they chase the spring throughout Din, but Botchs vultures steal the spring and begin planting nightmare bombs. A Fairy Godmother twinkles in to tell Mum and Ralph that they have been tricked, FGM also recruits the help of the dim-witted but musclebound Rod Rescueman to aid them. Rod is more interested in rescuing Fauna, however, and abandons the boys to find her, Ralph and Mum find nightmare bombs scattered in an office, ready to be set off by Botch once time starts again. Mumford accidentally detonates a bomb and the two are trapped in a nightmare where they are killed by office supplies. This further strengthens Ralph and Mums resolve to do right, meanwhile, Rod rescues Flora from the Murkworks and attempts to get a kiss from her. She tries to escape from his apartment in the sky and falls, landing on a mechanical serpent that attempts to stop Ralph. The trio and Rod storm their way in with the help of Scuzzbopper, Botchs former nightmare screenwriter, Rod and Flora rescue Greenie and the Figs but have to contend with Ibor. Rod tries to save Flora again but fails, and Flora destroys the robot herself, at the same time, Botch has his head vulture Rudy fly the spring back to Din as the final phase of his plan. When Ralph, Mum, and Scuzzbopper enter Botchs office, he has his pet rat attack them, Botch retreats to a control room housing his master nightmare bomb button, The Big Red One, with Ralph and Mum chasing after him. Ralph, in the form of a fly, tricks Botch into pressing The Big Red One, an enraged Botch is about to kill Ralph for ruining his plans when one last nightmare bomb appears, about to blow
29.
Industrial Light & Magic
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Industrial Light & Magic is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the production company, Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded. It is also the original company of the animation studio Pixar. ILM originated in Van Nuys, California, then moved to San Rafael in 1978. In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired ILM as part of its purchase of Lucasfilm, Lucas wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before. After discovering that the effects department at 20th Century Fox was no longer operational, Lucas approached Douglas Trumbull, famous for the effects on 2001. Trumbull declined as he was committed to working on Steven Spielbergs film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Dykstra brought together a team of college students, artists, and engineers. Lucas named the group Industrial Light and Magic, which became the Special Visual Effects department on Star Wars. Alongside Dykstra, other leading members of the original ILM team were Ken Ralston, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, Steve Gawley, Lorne Peterson, and Paul Huston. In late 1978, when in pre-production for The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas reformed most of the team into Industrial Light & Magic in Marin County, the Extra-Terrestrial, *batteries not included, The Abyss, and Flubber, and also provided work for Avatar, alongside Weta Digital. In addition to their work for George Lucas, ILM also collaborates with Steven Spielberg on most films that he directs, Dennis Muren has acted as Visual Effects Supervisor on many of these films. After the success of the first Star Wars movie, Lucas became interested in using computer graphics on the sequel. So he contacted Triple-I, known for their early computer effects in movies like Westworld and Futureworld and he found it to be too expensive and returned to handmade models. But the test had showed him it was possible, and he decided he would create his own computer graphics department instead, one of Lucas employees was given the task to find the right people to hire. His search would lead him to NYIT, where he found Edwin Catmull, Catmull and others accepted Lucas job offer, and a new computer division at ILM was created in 1979 with the hiring of Ed Catmull as the first NYIT employee who joined Lucasfilm. John Lasseter, who was hired a few later, worked on computer animation as part of ILMs contribution to Young Sherlock Holmes. The Graphics Group was later sold to Steve Jobs, named Pixar, in 2000, ILM created the OpenEXR format for high-dynamic-range imaging
30.
Return of the Jedi
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This list of characters from the Star Wars franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official Star Wars canon. C-3PO and R2-D2 are the characters to appear in all films to date
31.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and a sequel to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Executive producer and co-writer George Lucas decided to make the film a prequel as he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again, after three rejected plot devices, Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the films final storyline. The film was released to success but mixed reviews, which criticized its violence. However, critical opinion has improved since 1984, citing the films intensity, some of the films cast and crew, including Spielberg, retrospectively view the film in a negative light, partly due to the film being the darkest and most overtly violent Indiana Jones film. The film has also been the subject of controversy due to its portrayal of India, in 1935, Indiana Jones narrowly escapes the clutches of Lao Che, a crime boss in Shanghai, China. With his 11-year-old Chinese sidekick Short Round and the nightclub singer Willie Scott in tow, Indy flees Shanghai on an airplane that, unknown to them, is owned by Lao. While the three of sleep on the plane, the pilots parachute out, and they leave the plane to crash over the Himalayas while dumping its fuel. Indy, Shorty, and Willie discover this and narrowly manage to escape by jumping out of the plane on an inflatable raft, during the journey to Pankot, Indy hypothesizes that the stone may be one of the five fabled Sankara stones that promise fortune and glory. The trio receive a welcome from the Prime Minister of Pankot Palace. The visitors are allowed to stay the night as guests, during which they attend a lavish but grotesque banquet given by the young prince Maharaja, Chattar Lal rebuffs Indys questions about the villagers claims and his theory that the ancient Thuggee cult is responsible for their troubles. Later that night, Indy is attacked by an assassin, leading Indy, Willie and they discover a series of tunnels hidden behind a statue in Willies room and set out to explore them, overcoming a number of booby-traps along the way. The trio eventually reach a temple where the Thugs worship Kali with human sacrifice. They watch as the Thugs chain one of their victims in a cage and slowly lower him into a fire pit. They discover that the Thugs, led by their high priest Mola Ram, are in possession of three of the five Sankara stones, and have enslaved the children to mine for the two stones. As Indy tries to retrieve the stones, he, Willie, Indy is whipped and forced to drink a potion called the Blood of Kali, which places him in a trance-like state where he begins to mindlessly serve the Thugs. Willie, meanwhile, is kept as a sacrifice, while Shorty is put to work in the mines alongside the enslaved children. Shorty breaks free and escapes back into the temple where he burns Indy with a torch, after defeating Chattar Lal, Indy stops Willies cage and cranks it out of the pit just in time before it has a chance to enter the fire
32.
Rick Springfield
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Richard Lewis Springthorpe is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author best known by his stage name Rick Springfield. He had a No.1 hit with Jessies Girl in 1981 in both Australia and the US, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He followed with four more top 10 US hits, Ive Done Everything for You, Dont Talk to Strangers, Affair of the Heart, Springfields two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog and Success Hasnt Spoiled Me Yet. As an actor, he starred in the television series High Tide, from 1994 to 1997, and has appeared in supporting roles in Ricki, in 2010, Springfield published his autobiography, Late, Late at Night, A Memoir. He recently starred as Vince Vincente / Lucifer in the season of American TV show Supernatural on The CW. Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on 23 August 1949 in Guildford and he is the son of Eileen Louise and Norman James Springthorpe, an Australian Army career officer. When he was young, he lived at the camp with his family in Broadmeadows. At the age of fourteen, he witnessed the Beatles perform at Festival Hall, Springfield was 13 when he learned guitar. He joined various bands in England, where his father was stationed from 1958 to 1963, in 1968, he was approached by bass guitarist Pete Watson to join his group Rockhouse. Later that year, Watson changed the name to MPD Ltd and, in October when Springfield was 19 years old. Another member of MPD Ltd was Danny Finley, upon returning to Australia, they formed Wickedy Wak. They were joined by Phil Blackmore on keyboards and Dick Howard, Go-Set journalist Ian Molly Meldrum produced Wickedy Waks single, Billies Bikie Boys, with Beeb Birtles of pop rock group Zoot as a backing vocalist. In September 1969, Springfield replaced Roger Hicks as lead guitarist and vocalist in Zoot, with Birtles on bass guitar and vocals, Darryl Cotton on lead vocals and guitar, and Rick Brewer on drums. Upon joining Zoot, Springfield adopted the Think Pink – Think Zoot theme that had the members dressed head to toe in pink satin. The publicity gimmick brought attention to the group and attracted numerous teenage girl fans, zoots fifth single, Hey Pinky, was written by Springfield. The group attempted to shake off their teeny-bopper image and they followed with a hard rock cover version of The Beatles hit Eleanor Rigby, which peaked at No.4 on Go-Sets Top 40 in March 1971. Despite another hit single with Freak in April, which was written by Springfield, Springfield signed with Sparmac Records and issued his début solo single, Speak to the Sky, in October, which peaked at No.5 on the Go-Set singles chart. Sparmac label owner, Robie Porter, was producer and manager for Springfield
33.
Michael Bay
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The films he has produced and directed, which include Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and the Transformers film series, have grossed over US$7.8 billion worldwide. He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a. k. a, the Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness. He co-owns Platinum Dunes, a house which has remade horror movies including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, The Hitcher, Friday the 13th. Despite his considerable success at the box office, Bays work is generally held in low esteem by film critics. While The Rock and Transformers received moderately positive reviews, his other films, Michael Bay was born in Los Angeles. He was raised by his adoptive parents Harriet, a bookstore owner/child psychiatrist, and Jim and his cousin, Susan Bay, is the widow of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy. He attended the exclusive Crossroads School, in Santa Monica, California, Bay often traces his interest in action films back to an incident during his childhood. As a boy, he attached some firecrackers to a toy train, the fire department was called and he was grounded. Bay got his start in the film industry interning with George Lucas when he was fifteen, filing the storyboards for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which he thought was going to be terrible. His opinion changed after seeing it in the theater and he was so impressed by the experience that he decided to become a film director and he graduated from Wesleyan University in 1986, majoring in both English and Film. He was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and a student of film historian Jeanine Basinger. For his graduate work, he attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where he studied film. Michael Bay began working at Propaganda Films, directing commercials and music videos and his 90-second World War II-inspired Coca-Cola advertisement was picked up by Capitol Records. His first national commercial for the Red Cross, which won a Clio Award in 1992 and he directed Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Got Milk. Advertisement campaign for the California Milk Processors Board in 1993, Bays success in music videos gained the attention of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who selected him to direct his first feature-length film, Bad Boys. The film was shot in Miami in 1994 and starred Will Smith, the action film proved to be a break-out role for Smith, who was segueing from television to films at that time. Shooting in Miami was an experience for Bay who would later own a home in the city. The film was completed for $19 million and grossed a remarkable $141 million at the box office in the summer of 1995, Bays success led to a strong partnership and friendship with Jerry Bruckheimer
34.
Antoine Fuqua
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Antoine Fuqua is an American film director and producer. Initially active as a video director, he has worked primarily in the action and thriller film subgenres. Fuqua was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Carlos and he is the nephew of record producer and executive Harvey Fuqua of The Moonglows. From 1998 onwards, he began directing films, although he has worked on a few music videos since then. His first feature film was the John Woo-produced action film The Replacement Killers and he then directed the crime thriller Training Day, for which star Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor. His most recent film is the action western The Magnificent Seven and he co-created the comic book miniseries After Dark with Wesley Snipes, which was written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Jeff Nentrup. Fuqua was scheduled to direct Prisoners, based on a storybook from Aaron Guzikowski and he was slated to direct Tupac Shakurs official biopic. The project was postponed to allow Fuqua to direct rapper Eminems second feature film, however, Eminem put Southpaw on hold to focus on music, and was replaced with Jake Gyllenhaal. In 2010, CBS Films hired Fuqua to direct a new movie based on a Vince Flynn novel, in May 2014, 20th Century Fox set Fuqua to direct a drug smuggling thriller film Narco Sub which is scripted by David Guggenheim. In March 2011, Fuqua signed on to direct a film featuring the love story between Consort Yang Yuhuan and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. In 2016, Fuqua directed The Magnificent Seven, a remake of the 1960 western of the name and Akira Kurosawas Seven Samurai. This was the third of Fuquas films starring Denzel Washington, who plays the role of Sam Chisolm. He was also the producer of the 2016 television remake of Roots. In 1998, he and actress Lela Rochon were engaged and they married on April 9,1999, daughter Asia Rochon Fuqua was born on July 28,2002, followed by son Brando in May 2004. Fuqua has a son Zachary, from a previous relationship, when asked by the BBC if he believed in God, Fuqua said, Absolutely. Film On Directing with Antoine Fuqua nthWORD Magazine Interview by Gina Ponce, April 2010
35.
Michel Gondry
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Michel Gondry is a French independent film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is noted for his visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and he is well known for his music video collaborations with Radiohead, Björk, Beck, The Chemical Brothers and The White Stripes. He is the grandson of inventor Constant Martin, Gondrys vision and career began with his emphasis on emotion. Much of his inspiration, he says, came from the film Le voyage en ballon and he stated, When I watch this movie, I dream Im flying and then I do stories where people are flying. His career as a filmmaker began with creating videos for the French rock band Oui Oui. The style of his videos for Oui Oui caught the attention of music artist Björk, the collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of eight music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck. Gondry’s video for Lucas Secons Lucas With The Lid Off was nominated in the Best Music Video category at the 37th Grammy Awards, Gondry, along with directors Spike Jonze and David Fincher, is representative of the influx of music video directors into feature film. Gondry made his film debut in 2001 with Human Nature. His second film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, was released in 2004 and received favorable reviews. Eternal Sunshine utilizes many of the image manipulation techniques that Gondry had experimented with in his music videos, Gondry won an Academy Award alongside Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine. The style of Gondrys music videos often relies on videography and camera tricks which play with frames of reference and his following film, The Science of Sleep, hit theaters in September 2006. This film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, and marked a return to the fantastical, surreal techniques he employed in Eternal Sunshine, according to the Guinness World Records 2004, Michel Gondrys Levis 501 Jeans Drugstore spot holds the record for Most awards won by a TV commercial. The commercial was never aired in North America because of the suggestive content involving purchasing latex condoms. He was asked by French comic duet Éric and Ramzy to direct Seuls Two, in September 2006, Gondry made his debut as an installation artist at Deitch Projects in New York Citys SoHo gallery district. A leitmotif of the film is a Disastrology calendar, Gondry commissioned the painter Baptiste Ibar to draw harrowing images of natural and human disasters. His brother Olivier Twist Gondry is also a commercial and music video director creating videos for bands such as The Stills, Hot Hot Heat, Daft Punk
36.
Spike Jonze
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Spike Jonze is an American director, producer, screenwriter and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television. Jonze is well known for his music video collaborations with Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, Weezer, the Beastie Boys, Björk and he was a co-creator and executive producer of MTVs Jackass. He is currently the director of Vice Media, Inc. He is part owner of skateboard company Girl Skateboards with riders Rick Howard and he co-founded Directors Label, with filmmakers Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry, and the Palm Pictures company. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, Best Director for Being John Malkovich and he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the 2014 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Her. Jonze was born on October 22,1969 in Rockville, Maryland and his father, Arthur H. Spiegel III, was a distant relation of the Spiegel catalog family, and founded APM Management Consultants. His mother, Sandra L. Granzow, is a writer, communications consultant in developing countries and his brother, Sam Squeak E. Clean Spiegel, is a producer and DJ. He also has a sister, Julia and his father was from a German Jewish family, while his mother has German, Scottish, and English ancestry. Jonze attended the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, when he was a junior in high school, Jonze spent time at a Bethesda community store, where the former owner Mike Henderson gave him his nickname Spike Jonze in reference to Spike Jones. He fronted Club Homeboy, an international BMX club, with Mark Lew Lewman and Andy Jenkins, the three also created the youth culture magazines Homeboy and Dirt. In 2006, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005 and he was nominated for a body of work that included Hello Tomorrow for Adidas, Lamp for IKEA, and Pardon Our Dust for The Gap. He was a producer and co-creator of MTV television series Jackass and Jackass, The Movie, also directing some of the segments. Jonze has acted in videos and films, his most prominent role was in Three Kings as the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist Conrad. Jonze was a co-founder and editor of Dirt magazine along with Mark Lewman and Andy Jenkins, as well as an editor for Grand Royal Magazine and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. In the past, Jonze shot street skateboarding videos, most notably Blinds highly influential Video Days in 1991 and he co-directed the Girl Skateboards film Yeah Right. and the Chocolate Skateboards video Hot Chocolate. In the closing montage of Yeah Right. Spike is shown doing a nollie heelflip in loafers and he is co-owner of Girl Skateboards. Jonze has many alter egos, including Richard Koufey, the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group, the Koufey persona appeared when Jonze, in character, filmed himself dancing to Fatboy Slims The Rockafeller Skank as it played on a boom box in a public area
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