The Act of Killing (Indonesian: Jagal) is a 2012 Danish-British-Norwegian documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn, and an anonymous Indonesian co-director. The film explores the social significance of the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–1966 by focusing on the perpetrators and having them produce reenactments of the killings in the style of various Hollywood genres. The film's primary subjects had been petty criminals, but came to lead a powerful death squad during the anti-communist purge which resulted in the death of an estimated 500,000–2,000,000 suspected communists, communist sympathisers, alleged leftists, and ethnic Chinese. As many of the institutions and people responsible remained in power, those who carried out the killings were never held to account and continue to hold positions of power and respect. Oppenheimer was struck by the extent to which people not only rationalised but boasted about their participation in the killings, and used the film to explore the role the events continue to play in people's lives in the present. According to Oppenheimer, it is "about a regime in which genocide has, paradoxically, been effaced and celebrated – in order to keep the survivors terrified, the public brainwashed, and the perpetrators able to live with themselves."

The film first screened in September 2012 at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, and had its public premiere on July 19, 2013, in New York City. Its worldwide box office earnings totaled over $0.5 million USD, and it made $1.1 million in video sales. The Act of Killing has received worldwide critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 137 reviews and judged 96% to be positive. Metacritic, another review aggregator, evaluated 30 reviews, finding an average score of 89 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". (Full article...)

Her is a 2013 American science-fiction romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Spike Jonze. The film's musical score was composed by Arcade Fire, with the cinematography provided by Hoyte van Hoytema. It marks Jonze's solo screenwriting debut. The film follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who develops a relationship with Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), a female voice produced by an intelligent computer operating system. The film also stars Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde.

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 12, 2013. Warner Bros. Pictures initially provided a limited release for Her at six theaters on December 18. It was later given a wide release at over 1,700 theaters in the United States and Canada on January 10, 2014. The film grossed a worldwide total of over $47 million on a production budget of $23 million. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 270 reviews and judged 94 percent to be positive. (Full article...)

The 29th Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, ceremony was held by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation to identify the worst films the film industry had to offer in 2008, according to votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation. Razzies co-founder John J. B. Wilson has stated that the intent of the awards is "to be funny." The ceremony was held at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 21, 2009. Nominations were announced on January 21, 2009. The Love Guru was the most nominated film of 2008, with seven. Award results were based on votes from approximately 650 journalists, cinema fans and film professionals from 20 countries. Awards were presented by John Wilson, the ceremony's founder. The Love Guru received the most awards, winning Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay. Paris Hilton received three awards, including Worst Actress for her work in The Hottie & the Nottie and Worst Supporting Actress for Repo! The Genetic Opera. Hilton matched the record number of awards received by an actor in a single year, set by Eddie Murphy the previous year at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards for his roles in Norbit.

Pierce Brosnan received Worst Supporting Actor for his role in Mamma Mia!, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received the award for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Uwe Boll received the Worst Director award for the films 1968 Tunnel Rats, In the Name of the King and Postal, and also received a special award for Worst Career Achievement. (Full article...)

The 62nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1989 and took place on March 26, 1990, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the first time. Three weeks earlier in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on March 3, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Richard Dysart and Diane Ladd.

Driving Miss Daisy won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Glory with three awards, Born on the Fourth of July, The Little Mermaid, and My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown with two, and The Abyss, Balance, Batman, Cinema Paradiso, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, Dead Poets Society, Henry V, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Johnstown Flood, and Work Experience with one. The telecast garnered more than 40 million viewers in the United States. (Full article...)

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. Incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects, it is based on accounts of the sinking of the Titanic, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.

Titanic grossed a worldwide total of over $2.2 billion on a production budget of $200 million, being the first and second film to reach the mark of one and two billion dollars, respectively. It became the highest-grossing film of all time in 1998, and remained so for twelve years, until Avatar (2009), also written and directed by Cameron, surpassed it in 2010. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 237 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A mostly unqualified triumph for James Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama." Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average rating of 75 out of 100, reports the film has "generally favorable reviews" based on the reviews of 35 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale. In 2017, on its 20th anniversary, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". (Full article...)

Evita is a 1996 American musical drama film based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name about First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón. Directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone, the film starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce in the leading roles of Eva, Ché and Juan Perón respectively. Rice and Webber composed the film's musical score, while Darius Khondji was the cinematographer. Vincent Paterson created the choreography for the film and Gerry Hambling was responsible for editing. Penny Rose designed and created the period costumes for the film, and Brian Morris was the set designer.

Made on a budget of $56 million (equivalent to $109 million in 2023), Evita was released on December 25, 1996, and grossed over $141 million (equivalent to $274 million in 2023) worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 37 reviews and judged 62% to be positive. The film garnered awards and nominations in several categories and has won 19 awards from 40 nominations, with particular recognition for Madonna, Parker, Rice, Webber, and the song "You Must Love Me" from the film. (Full article...)

La La Land is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film focuses on two young people struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, while pursuing their dreams as artists. Justin Hurwitz composed the film's musical score, while Linus Sandgren was the cinematographer. David and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco were responsible for the production design and Mary Zophres designed the costumes.

La La Land premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2016, where Stone won the Volpi Cup Award for Best Actress. The film had a limited release on December 9, 2016 in Los Angeles and New York City, before expanding wider starting December 16. The film was successful at the box office, earning over $430 million against its $30 million budget. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 425 reviews and judged 91% to be positive. The film has been nominated for 265 awards, winning 112; its direction, screenplay, music and the performances of Gosling and Stone have received the most attention from award groups. (Full article...)