query: Ben Stiller was involved in the film industry in the 1990s.

pos: Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller ( born November 30 , 1965 ) is an American actor , comedian and filmmaker . He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara .   After beginning his acting career with a play , Stiller wrote several mockumentaries , and was offered his own show entitled The Ben Stiller Show , which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run . Having previously acted in television , he began acting in films ; he made his directorial debut with Reality Bites . Throughout his career he has written , starred in , directed , or produced more than 50 films , including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , Zoolander , The Cable Guy , There 's Something About Mary , the Meet the Parents trilogy , DodgeBall , Tropic Thunder , the Madagascar series , and the Night at the Museum trilogy . In addition , he has had multiple cameos in music videos , television shows , and films .   Stiller is a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack . His films have grossed more than $ 2.6 billion in Canada and the United States , with an average of $ 79 million per film . Throughout his career , he has received multiple awards and honors , including an Emmy Award , multiple MTV Movie Awards and a Teen Choice Award .

pos: The Cable Guy The Cable Guy is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller , starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick . It was released in the United States on June 14 , 1996 . The film co-stars Leslie Mann , Jack Black , George Segal , Diane Baker , Eric Roberts , Owen Wilson , Janeane Garofalo , David Cross , Andy Dick , Amy Stiller , and Bob Odenkirk .

pos: Reality Bites Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller . It stars Winona Ryder , Ethan Hawke and Stiller , with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn . The plot follows Lelaina ( Ryder ) , an aspiring videographer working on a documentary called Reality Bites about the disenfranchised lives of her friends and roommates . Their challenges exemplify some of the career and lifestyle choices faced by Generation X.   The film 's critical reception was mixed , but was successful commercially , grossing $ 20 million in the United States on an $ 11 million budget . Critics highlighted the performances of Ryder , Hawke and Garofalo in particular . However , it has since achieved cult status and has been singled out as one of the films that captured the zeitgeist of the early 1990s grunge scene among 20-somethings , while also bringing attention to various issues that plagued young Americans at the time .

pos: Frat Pack The `` Frat Pack '' is a nickname given to a group of comedy actors who have appeared together in many of the highest-grossing comedy movies since the mid-1990s . The group is usually considered to include Ben Stiller , Jack Black , Owen Wilson , Luke Wilson , Will Ferrell , Vince Vaughn , and Steve Carell .   The term was used by USA Today in a June 2004 story and was soon picked up by other media outlets . Before USA Today dubbed this group the `` Frat Pack , '' Entertainment Weekly had referred to them as the `` Slacker Pack , '' having earlier coined the term `` Frat Pack '' to describe actors Leonardo DiCaprio , Tobey Maguire , Matt Damon , Ben Affleck , and Edward Norton who have done dramatic roles together . By 2005 , Entertainment Weekly had dropped the `` Slacker Pack '' term and followed suit , referring to the aforementioned crop of actors as the `` Frat Pack . ''   Recently , the term has also been used to refer to the actors that have collaborated with director Judd Apatow like Seth Rogen , Paul Rudd , Jonah Hill , Martin Starr , Jason Segel , Danny McBride and James Franco . These members have been called the `` Apatow Chapter '' of the Frat Pack .   The name is an allusion to the Rat Pack ( and the later Brat Pack ) , combined with a reference to the group 's popular fraternity-related film , Old School , and the sophomoric style of humor employed in many of their films . Ben Stiller has decried the use of the term , saying , `` I think the whole thing about the Frat Pack group is completely fabricated anyway . ''

neg: Ben Shedd Ben Shedd is an American director , producer , and writer of film and video . He shared the 1978 Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject .

neg: Buffalo '66 Buffalo '66 is a 1998 comedy-drama film that is writer-director Vincent Gallo 's full-length motion picture debut . Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci star in the lead roles and the supporting cast includes Mickey Rourke , Rosanna Arquette , Ben Gazzara , and Anjelica Huston . Gallo also composed and performed much of the music for the film .   The film received critical acclaim and Empire listed it as the 36th-greatest independent film ever made . It was filmed in and around Gallo 's native Buffalo , New York in winter . The film uses British progressive rock music in its soundtrack , notably King Crimson and Yes .   The title refers to the Buffalo Bills football team , with the number referring to the statement , `` They have n't won a championship since 1966 . '' This is critical to the plot which focuses on the Super Bowl in which the Bills , in the early 1990s , came very close to winning , but the game was blown with a missed field goal .

neg: Still Crazy Still Crazy is a 1998 British comedy film about a fictional 1970s rock band named `` Strange Fruit '' , who , after being split up for two decades , are persuaded to get back together to perform at a reunion of the same concert venue where they played their last gig . The film focuses on the personal lives of the band members and those closest to them , and their individual experiences with approaching middle-age and the success that eluded them .   It was nominated for two Golden Globes in 1999 .

neg: Cleaner (crime) A cleaner , or fixer , is a person who `` cleans up '' after crimes to physically erase their trace or uses pressure or bribes to limit fallout from a criminal act .   A fixer plays a similar but often less hands-on role , often minimizing bad publicity for public officials or media figures by quelling stories of their misadventures , but also capable of more heavyhanded tactics , as necessary .   A cleaner may destroy or remove incriminating evidence at the scene of a crime . A popular figure in crime fiction , a cleaner may also be a contract killer who commits murder to `` clean up '' a situation .  Cleaner is also a slang term for someone , usually a member of a crime organization or a covert government agency , who disposes of a corpse after a hit .   In contrast , legal crime scene cleanup is a legitimate industry , eliminating blood and other biohazardous materials such as dangerous chemicals used in an illegal drug lab as permitted by responsible authorities .   A fictional example of a cleaner is Shoulders from the comic strip Dick Tracy . More contemporary are the roles played by Jean Reno as Victor in the film La Femme Nikita ( 1990 ) , Harvey Keitel as Victor in Point of No Return ( 1993 ) , and a year later as a Mr. Wolf in Quentin Tarantino 's Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) ( parodied on Seinfeld ` s episode 155 , `` The Muffin Tops '' ( 1997 ) , where Newman makes the problem of leftover muffin stumps go away by eating them ) , and George Clooney as the title character in Michael Clayton . On television , similar roles are played by Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut in the TV series Breaking Bad and its prequel , Better Call Saul , Liev Schreiber in the title role of Showtime 's Ray Donovan , Paige Turco as recurring character Zoe Morgan in Person of Interest , and Susan Blommaert as `` Mr. Kaplan '' in The Blacklist .

neg: Film director A film director is a person who directs the making of a film . Generally , a film director controls a film 's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay ( or script ) while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision . The director has a key role in choosing the cast members , production design , and the creative aspects of filmmaking . Under European Union law , the director is viewed as the author of the film .   The film director gives direction to the cast and crew and creates an overall vision through which a film eventually becomes realized , or noticed . Directors need to be able to mediate differences in creative visions and stay within the boundaries of the film 's budget . There are many pathways to becoming a film director . Some film directors started as screenwriters , cinematographers , film editors or actors . Other film directors have attended a film school . Directors use different approaches . Some outline a general plotline and let the actors improvise dialogue , while others control every aspect , and demand that the actors and crew follow instructions precisely . Some directors also write their own screenplays or collaborate on screenplays with long-standing writing partners . Some directors edit or appear in their films , or compose the music score for their films .

neg: Rysher Entertainment Rysher Entertainment was the owner of television and film programming content , primarily distributed around the world by CBS Television Distribution and Paramount Pictures . Select rights are also distributed by Warner Bros. , Universal , Lionsgate , Fox , Columbia Pictures , MGM and other entertainment distribution companies worldwide .   The company has its roots in Bing Crosby Productions ( `` BCP '' ) . Its namesake , actor-singer Bing Crosby , founded BCP in 1949 , and was best known for producing the sitcom Hogan 's Heroes and the medical drama Ben Casey -- in succeeding years , BCP was acquired by Cox Broadcasting .   In 1993 , Cox acquired Rysher Entertainment . Rysher , founded in April 1991 by Keith Samples , had been established as an independently owned company whose original sole product had been the distribution of NBC 's series Saved By The Bell . In 1993 , and later distribution of another NBC series California Dreams in 1994 , Rysher merged with Al Masini 's Television Program Enterprises to form Rysher TPE , its alternate name used from 1993 to 1995 . Through Rysher TPE , they produced and distributed shows such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous ( renamed Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte for its final season ) and Star Search . Later , they produced and distributed George & Alana , which ran for one season in 1995 .  The company was shut down in 1999 and the library was acquired by Viacom who folded it into both the film and television division of Paramount .   Rysher 's library , today distributed by CBS Television Distribution ( CTD ) and Paramount Pictures ( for TV series and films , respectively ) , includes television and feature film classics such as Hogan 's Heroes ( whose partial rights are held by CBS ) , Ben Casey , and Walking Tall , as well as more recent programs and films including Nash Bridges ( 1999 -- 2001 episodes are produced by Paramount Network Television ) , Highlander : The Series , The Opposite of Sex ( with Sony Pictures Classics ) , Kingpin and Big Night .   Rysher also distributes internationally through CTD several of HBO 's award-winning titles including Arli $ $ , Oz and Sex and the City .   Rysher also produced House Arrest and Zeus and Roxanne , both of which were released by MGM and distributed by HBO Home Video for home release .

neg: Tower Heist Tower Heist is a 2011 American heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson , based on a story by Bill Collage , Adam Cooper and Griffin . The plot follows Josh Kovaks ( Ben Stiller ) , Charlie Gibbs ( Casey Affleck ) and Enrique Dev ` reaux ( Michael Peña ) , employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions in the Ponzi scheme of Wall Street businessman Arthur Shaw ( Alan Alda ) . The group enlist the aid of criminal Slide ( Eddie Murphy ) , bankrupt businessman Mr. Fitzhugh ( Matthew Broderick ) and another employee of the apartment building , Odessa ( Gabourey Sidibe ) , to break into Shaw 's apartment and steal back their money while avoiding the FBI agent in charge of his case , Claire Denham ( Téa Leoni ) .   Tower Heist began development as early as 2005 , based on an idea by Murphy that would star himself and an all-black cast of comedians as a heist group who rob Trump International Hotel and Tower . As the script developed and changed into an Ocean 's Eleven -- style caper , Murphy left the project . Ratner continued to develop the idea into what would eventually become Tower Heist , with Murphy later rejoining the production . Filming took place entirely in New York City on a budget of $ 75 million ( after tax rebates ) , with several buildings provided by Donald Trump used to represent the eponymous tower . The film score was composed by Christophe Beck and released commercially on November 1 , 2011 .   The film received mixed reviews with much of the praise going to the cast , including Broderick , Leoni and Stiller . However , Murphy was repeatedly singled out by critics as the star of the film , with critics feeling that he displayed a welcome return to the comedic style of his early career . Much of the criticism received by the film was focused on the plot , which was considered `` formulaic , '' `` rushed , '' `` dull '' and `` laborious . '' The film was released on November 4 , 2011 and earned $ 152 million worldwide .   Prior to release , the film was involved in a controversy over plans by Universal Pictures to release it for home viewing on video on demand to 500,000 Comcast customers , only three weeks after its theatrical debut . Concern over the implementation 's harming ticket sales and inspiring further films to follow suit resulted in several theater chains ' refusal to show the film at all if the plan went ahead , forcing Universal to abandon the idea .

neg: Mr. Saturday Night Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that marks the directorial debut of its star , Billy Crystal .   It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr. , a stand-up comedian . Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz . It was filmed from November 1991 to March 1992 and released on September 23 , 1992 , by Columbia Pictures .   Co-star David Paymer received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor .   The opening title sequence was designed by Elaine and Saul Bass .   The film is based on the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update sketch in which Billy Crystal plays Buddy Young Jr. reviewing a restaurant he went to .

neg: BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards . It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards , representing the best films of 1947 , but until 1969 it was called the BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source . It is possible for films from any country to be nominated , although British films are also recognised in the category BAFTA Award for Best British Film and ( since 1983 ) foreign-language films in BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language . As such , there have been multiple occasions of a film being nominated in two of these categories .   There has been one tie for the Best Film award when , in 1962 , Ballad of a Soldier tied with The Hustler for Best Film from any Source . Until 1981 , the award was given to the director , except in 1976 and 1977 , when it was given to the producers . From 1981 to 1985 , it was given solely to the producers , and then in 1986 , it was shared between the Director and Producer . In 1998 , it was once again given to only the producers .   In the following lists , the titles and names in bold with a dark grey background are the winners and recipients respectively ; those not in bold are the nominees . The years given are those in which the films under consideration were released , not the year of the ceremony , which always takes place the following year .

neg: B movie A B movie is a low-budget commercial movie , but one that is not an arthouse film . In its original usage , during the Golden Age of Hollywood , the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature . Although the U.S. production of movies intended as second features largely ceased by the end of the 1950s , the term B movie continues to be used in the broader sense it maintains today . In its post -- Golden Age usage , there is ambiguity on both sides of the definition : on the one hand , the primary interest of many inexpensive exploitation films is prurient ; on the other , many B movies display a high degree of craft and aesthetic ingenuity .   In either usage , most B movies represent a particular genre -- the Western was a Golden Age B movie staple , while low-budget science-fiction and horror films became more popular in the 1950s . Early B movies were often part of series in which the star repeatedly played the same character . Almost always shorter than the top-billed films they were paired with , many had running times of 70 minutes or less . The term connoted a general perception that B movies were inferior to the more handsomely budgeted headliners ; individual B films were often ignored by critics .   Latter-day B movies still sometimes inspire multiple sequels , but series are less common . As the average running time of top-of-the-line films increased , so did that of B pictures . In its current usage , the term has somewhat contradictory connotations : it may signal an opinion that a certain movie is ( a ) a genre film with minimal artistic ambitions or ( b ) a lively , energetic film uninhibited by the constraints imposed on more expensive projects and unburdened by the conventions of putatively `` serious '' independent film . The term is also now used loosely to refer to some higher-budgeted , mainstream films with exploitation-style content , usually in genres traditionally associated with the B movie .   From their beginnings to the present day , B movies have provided opportunities both for those coming up in the profession and others whose careers are waning . Celebrated filmmakers such as Anthony Mann and Jonathan Demme learned their craft in B movies . They are where actors such as John Wayne and Jack Nicholson first became established , and they have provided work for former A movie actors , such as Vincent Price and Karen Black . Some actors , such as Bela Lugosi , Eddie Constantine and Pam Grier , worked in B movies for most of their careers . The term B actor is sometimes used to refer to a performer who finds work primarily or exclusively in B pictures .

neg: List of Bulgarian films of the 1990s A list of the most notable films produced in Bulgaria during the 1990s ordered by year of release . For an alphabetical list of articles on Bulgarian films see : Category : Bulgarian films .

neg: American Beauty (1999 film) American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball . Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham , a 42-year-old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenaged daughter 's best friend , Angela ( Mena Suvari ) . Annette Bening co-stars as Lester 's materialistic wife , Carolyn , and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter , Jane . Wes Bentley , Chris Cooper , and Allison Janney also feature . The film is described by academics as a satire of American middle-class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction ; analysis has focused on the film 's explorations of romantic , and paternal love , sexuality , beauty , materialism , self-liberation , and redemption .   Ball began writing American Beauty as a play in the early 1990s , partly inspired by the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992 . He shelved the play after realizing the story would not work on stage . After several years as a television screenwriter , Ball revived the idea in 1997 when attempting to break into the film industry . The modified script had a cynical outlook that was influenced by Ball 's frustrating tenures writing for several sitcoms . Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen took American Beauty to DreamWorks ; the then-fledgling film studio bought Ball 's script for $ 250,000 , outbidding several other production bodies . DreamWorks financed the $ 15 million production and served as its North American distributor . American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes ' film debut ; courted after his successful productions of the musicals Oliver ! and Cabaret , Mendes was , nevertheless , only given the job after 20 others were considered and several `` A-list '' directors turned down the opportunity .   Spacey was Mendes ' first choice for the role of Lester , though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better-known actors ; similarly , the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes offered the part to Bening without DreamWorks ' knowledge . Principal photography took place between December 1998 and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank , California , and on location in Los Angeles . Mendes ' dominant style was deliberate and composed ; he made extensive use of static shots and slow pans and zooms to generate tension . Cinematographer Conrad Hall complemented Mendes ' style with peaceful shot compositions to contrast with the turbulent on-screen events . During editing , Mendes made several changes that gave the film a less cynical tone than the script .   Released in North America on September 17 , 1999 , American Beauty was positively received by critics and grossed over $ 356 million worldwide . Reviewers praised most aspects of the production , with particular emphasis on Mendes , Spacey , and Ball ; criticism focused on the familiarity of the characters and setting . DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase the film 's chances of Academy Award success ; at the 72nd Academy Awards the following year , the film won Best Picture , Best Director , Best Actor ( for Spacey ) , Best Original Screenplay , and Best Cinematography . It was nominated for and won many other awards and honors , mainly for the direction , writing , and acting .

neg: A Simple Plan (film) A Simple Plan is a 1998 American neo-noir crime thriller film adapted by Scott B. Smith from his 1993 novel of the same name . Directed by Sam Raimi , the film stars Bill Paxton , Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda . Set in rural Minnesota , the story follows Hank Mitchell ( Paxton ) and his brother Jacob ( Thornton ) , who , along with Jacob 's friend Lou ( Brent Briscoe ) , discover a crashed plane containing $ 4.4 million in cash . The three men go to great lengths to keep the money a secret but begin to doubt each other 's trust , resulting in lies , deceit and murder .   Development of the film began in 1993 before the novel was published . Mike Nichols purchased the film rights , and the project was picked up by an independent film studio , Savoy Pictures . After Nichols stepped down , the film adaptation became mired in development hell ; during the troubled pre-production , Ben Stiller and John Dahl turned down opportunities to direct the film . After Savoy closed in November 1995 , the project was sold to Paramount Pictures . John Boorman was hired to direct , but scheduling conflicts led to his replacement by Raimi . Principal photography began in January 1998 and concluded in March after 55 days ; filming took place in Wisconsin and Minnesota . The score was produced and composed by Danny Elfman .   A Simple Plan premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival , where it was met with critical acclaim . The film 's appearance at the festival preceded a limited release in the United States on December 11 , 1998 , followed by a general release in North America on January 22 , 1999 . It underperformed at the North American box office , grossing $ 16.3 million on a $ 17 million production budget . Reviewers praised various aspects of the film 's production , including the storytelling , performances and Raimi 's direction . A Simple Plan earned multiple awards and nominations , among them two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor ( Thornton ) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Smith ) .

neg: Goodfellas Goodfellas ( stylized as GoodFellas ) is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese . It is an adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi , who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese . The film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends over a period from 1955 to 1980 .   Scorsese initially named the film Wise Guy and postponed making it ; later , he and Pileggi changed the name to Goodfellas . To prepare for their roles in the film , Robert De Niro , Joe Pesci , and Ray Liotta often spoke with Pileggi , who shared research material left over from writing the book . According to Pesci , improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals wherein Scorsese gave the actors freedom to do whatever they wanted . The director made transcripts of these sessions , took the lines he liked best , and put them into a revised script , which the cast worked from during principal photography .   Made on a budget of $ 25 million , Goodfellas grossed $ 46.8 million . It received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for six Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Director , with Pesci winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role . The film won five awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts , including Best Film and Best Director . Additionally , Goodfellas was named the year 's best film by various critics ' groups .   Goodfellas is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in the crime genre . In 2000 , it was deemed `` culturally , historically , and aesthetically significant '' and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress . Its content and style have been emulated in numerous other films and television shows .

neg: Art film An art film is typically a serious , independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience . An art film is `` intended to be a serious artistic work , often experimental and not designed for mass appeal '' ; they are `` made primarily for aesthetic reasons rather than commercial profit '' , and they contain `` unconventional or highly symbolic content '' .   Film critics and film studies scholars typically define an art film as possessing `` formal qualities that mark them as different from mainstream Hollywood films '' , which can include , among other elements , a sense of social realism ; an emphasis on the authorial expressiveness of the director ; and a focus on the thoughts , dreams , or motivations of characters , as opposed to the unfolding of a clear , goal-driven story . Film scholar David Bordwell describes art cinema as `` a film genre , with its own distinct conventions '' .   Art film producers usually present their films at specialty theatres ( repertory cinemas , or , in the U.S. , `` arthouse cinemas '' ) and film festivals . The term art film is much more widely used in the United States , the UK and Australia than in Europe , where the term is more associated with `` auteur '' films and `` national cinema '' ( e.g. , German national cinema ) . Because they are aimed at small niche market audiences , they can rarely get the financial backing that will permit large production budgets , expensive special effects , costly celebrity actors , or huge advertising campaigns , as are used in widely released mainstream blockbuster films . Art film directors make up for these constraints by creating a different type of film , which typically uses lesser-known film actors ( or even amateur actors ) and modest sets to make films that focus much more on developing ideas or exploring new narrative techniques or film-making conventions .   A certain degree of experience and knowledge are required to fully understand or appreciate such films . One mid-1990s art film was called `` largely a cerebral experience '' that one enjoys `` because of what you know about film '' . This contrasts sharply with mainstream `` blockbuster '' films , which are geared more towards escapism and pure entertainment . For promotion , art films rely on the publicity generated from film critics ' reviews , discussion of their film by arts columnists , commentators and bloggers , and `` word-of-mouth '' promotion by audience members . Since art films have small initial investment costs , they only need to appeal to a small portion of the mainstream viewing audiences to become financially viable .

neg: Joe Stillman Joseph `` Joe '' Stillman ( born August 1 , 1959 ) is an American television and movie writer , producer and director .   Before becoming a screenwriter he worked for several TV shows like Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , Doug and The Adventures of Pete & Pete .   Stillman 's first screen credits were on Joseph : King of Dreams and his second on Shrek , both for DreamWorks . His most recent credits are on Planet 51 for TriStar and Gulliver 's Travels for 20th Century Fox .

neg: Groundhog Day (film) Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Harold Ramis , starring Bill Murray , Andie MacDowell , and Chris Elliott . It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin , based on a story by Rubin . Murray plays Phil Connors , an arrogant Pittsburgh TV weatherman who , during an assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania , finds himself caught in a time loop , repeating the same day again and again . After indulging in hedonism and committing suicide numerous times , he begins to re-examine his life and priorities .   On its release , Groundhog Day was a modest success and garnered generally positive reviews . It gained stronger appreciation among critics and film historians over time , and is now often listed among the best comedy films ever . It further entered into the public consciousness , where the term `` Groundhog Day '' can represent a situation that seems to repeat over and over in government and military arenas , as well as influencing other entertainment . In 2006 , the film was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' . A stage musical version of the film premiered in 2016 .

neg: Good Will Hunting Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American drama film , directed by Gus Van Sant , and starring Robin Williams , Matt Damon , Ben Affleck , Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgård . Written by Affleck and Damon ( and with Damon in the title role ) , the film follows 20-year-old South Boston laborer Will Hunting , an unrecognized genius who , as part of a deferred prosecution agreement after assaulting a police officer , becomes a client of a therapist and studies advanced mathematics with a renowned professor . Through his therapy sessions , Will re-evaluates his relationships with his best friend , his girlfriend and himself , facing the significant task of confronting his past and thinking about his future .   The film received positive reviews and was a financial success . It grossed over US$ 225 million during its theatrical run with only a modest $ 10 million budget . It was nominated for nine Academy Awards , including the Academy Award for Best Picture , and won two : Best Supporting Actor for Williams and Best Original Screenplay for Affleck and Damon .   After Williams ' death in 2014 , it was ranked at number 53 in The Hollywood Reporters `` 100 Favorite Films '' list .

neg: List of action films of the 1990s This is chronological list of action films released in the 1990s . Often there may be considerable overlap particularly between action and other genres ( including horror , comedy , and science fiction films ) ; the list should attempt to document films which are more closely related to action , even if they bend genres .


query: The Los Angeles Lakers were nicknamed "Showtime" in the 1980s.

pos: Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles . The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , as a member of the league 's Western Conference Pacific Division . The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center , an arena shared with the NBA 's Los Angeles Clippers , the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women 's National Basketball Association , and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League . The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA , and have won 16 NBA championships , their last being in 2010 . As of 2015 , the Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA according to Forbes , having an estimated value of $ 2.7 billion .   The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team , the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The new team began playing in Minneapolis , calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of the state 's nickname , `` Land of 10,000 Lakes '' . Initially a member of the NBL , the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America and winning five of the next six BAA and NBA championships in Minneapolis after the NBA formed in 1949 . The team was propelled by center George Mikan , who is described by the NBA 's official website as the league 's `` first superstar '' . After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan 's retirement , they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960 -- 61 season .   Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West , Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s , but lost each series to the Boston Celtics , beginning their long and storied rivalry . In 1968 , the Lakers acquired four-time NBA Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Wilt Chamberlain to play center , and after losing in the Finals in 1969 and 1970 , they won their sixth NBA title -- and first in Los Angeles -- in 1972 , led by new head coach Bill Sharman . After the retirement of West and Chamberlain , the team acquired another center , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who had won multiple MVP awards , but was unable to make the Finals in the late 1970s . The 1980s Lakers were nicknamed `` Showtime '' due to their Magic Johnson-led fast break-offense , and won five championships in a 9-year span , including their first ever Finals championship against the Celtics in 1985 . This team featured Hall of Famers in Johnson , Abdul-Jabbar , and James Worthy , and a Hall of Fame coach , Pat Riley . After Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson 's retirement , the team struggled in the early 1990s before acquiring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 1996 . Led by O'Neal , Bryant , and another Hall of Fame coach , Phil Jackson , Los Angeles won three consecutive titles between 2000 to 2002 , securing the franchise its second `` three-peat '' . After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals , the Lakers won two more championships by defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and Boston in 2010 .   The Lakers hold the record for NBA 's longest winning streak , 33 straight games , set during the 1971 -- 72 season . 21 Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles , while four have coached the team . Four Lakers -- Abdul-Jabbar , Johnson , O'Neal , and Bryant -- have won the NBA MVP Award for a total of eight awards .

neg: Backstage: Lakers Backstage : Lakers is a reality sports documentary television series produced by Spectrum SportsNet which covers the Los Angeles Lakers from an in-depth , behind-the-scenes angle , giving the viewer `` unprecedented access '' to the team .   The series has documented the season from inside the locker room , the practice facility , the executive offices , the training room , as well as chronicling the players at home with their families and on the road with their team .   A new 30-minute episode debuts every week of the season on Wednesdays at 5:00 PM PST on Spectrum SportsNet . Re-airs can be viewed multiple times throughout the week of the network . A Spanish-language version entitled Lakers Confidencial premieres every Thursday on Spectrum Deportes .

neg: 1985–86 Golden State Warriors season The 1985-86 NBA season was the Warriors ' 40th season in the NBA and 23rd in the San Francisco Bay Area .

neg: EuroLeague Final Four The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition . The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002 , following the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Final Four , which was the last final four held by FIBA Europe . In the original FIBA Europe competition , as seen below , the final four was used for the first time at the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four . The final four format was used again the next year , with the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four , but was then abandoned .   The final four finally returned as the format of choice , for the first time during its modern era , with the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four . It is known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for name sponsorship reasons . Panathinaikos has been the most successful team at the EuroLeague Final Four , since the modern final four era began in the 1987 -- 88 season .   The EuroLeague Final Four is broadcast on TV in up to 213 countries and territories .

neg: A Night at the Met A Night at the Met is the third official album release by Robin Williams on August 9 , 1986 . It features segments recorded live at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City . The album won the 1988 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance Single or Album , Spoken or Musical .   The album was released the year before Williams ' critically acclaimed performance in the motion picture Good Morning , Vietnam ( 1987 ) . He had been shifting his focus from stand-up comedy to film making for several years , and A Night at the Met would be one of his last major concerts during the 1980s . The show is a mix of Williams ' quick-witted humor and voice work , with rants on the topics of drugs , sex , world affairs , and parenting . References to the events and people of the 1980s are mentioned heavily throughout ; U.S. President Ronald Reagan , Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi , and President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev are central to many of the jokes .

neg: 2002 NBA All-Star Game The 2002 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 10 , 2002 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia , home of the Philadelphia 76ers . This game was the 51st edition of the North American NBA All-Star Game and was played during the 2001 -- 02 NBA season .   The West defeated the East 135-120 , with Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers winning the Most Valuable Player . Bryant scored 31 points , dished 5 assists , and grabbed 5 rebounds . Tracy McGrady led the way for the East , scoring 25 points off the bench . He also made one of the most memorable plays in All-Star Game history , the self pass off the backboard dunk .   This was also the last All-Star Game to feature players wearing their respective team jerseys , and thus far , the last to be seen on over-the-air television ( all subsequent games have aired on the cable channel TNT ) .

neg: 1998 NBA Finals The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1998 playoffs of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) and the conclusion of the 1997 -- 98 NBA season . The Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls played against the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz , with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City . In a repeat of the previous year 's Finals , the Bulls won the series 4 games to 2 for their third consecutive NBA title and their sixth in eight seasons . Michael Jordan was voted the NBA Finals MVP of the series ( he also had won the award the last five times the Bulls won the Finals : 1991 , 1992 , 1993 , 1996 , and 1997 ) . This would be his sixth NBA championship and sixth Finals MVP award in six full basketball seasons . Until 2014 , it was the last consecutive Finals rematch between two teams .   The 1998 Finals garnered the highest Nielsen TV ratings in NBA history at 18.7 , and even surpassed the Nielsen ratings for the 1998 World Series , marking the first time the NBA had a higher rating in its championship round than of Major League Baseball 's championship round .   The 1998 NBA season documentary `` Unforgettabulls '' was the first of five narrated by Will Lyman through NBA Entertainment , which recaps the entire Bulls ' season . Rick Telander narrates on the opening credits . Marv Albert narrates the timeline of Michael Jordan 's career with the Bulls .

neg: 1989–90 New York Knicks season The 1989 -- 90 NBA season was the 44th season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association . Before the season , owners Gulf + Western reorganized and became Paramount Communications , renaming themselves after the Paramount Pictures film studio .   During the offseason , the Knicks hired Stu Jackson as their new head coach . The team got off to a solid start , winning 20 of their first 27 games , while posting a nine-game winning streak . At midseason , the Knicks traded second-year guard Rod Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs for Maurice Cheeks . However , as they stood at a 39 -- 22 record , they struggled and lost 15 of their final 21 games . The Knicks had a 45 -- 37 record and finished third in the Atlantic Division . The Knicks ' fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference earned them a berth in the NBA Playoffs for the third straight year . Patrick Ewing was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game .   In the first round of the playoffs , New York defeated the 4th-seeded Boston Celtics three games to two , after overcoming an 0 -- 2 deficit . The Knicks were then eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Detroit Pistons , who later on won their second consecutive NBA title , four games to one over the Portland Trail Blazers . Following the season , Johnny Newman signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Charlotte Hornets .

neg: Minneapolis Auditorium Minneapolis Auditorium was an indoor arena in Minneapolis , Minnesota . It hosted the NBA 's Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 until they moved to the Minneapolis Armory in 1959 . The arena held 10,000 people and was built in 1927 . The building fell into obscurity after the opening of the Met Center in suburban Bloomington . It was demolished in 1989 to make way for the Minneapolis Convention Center .

neg: Roger Corman Presents Roger Corman Presents was a series of films made for Showtime by movie producer Roger Corman .

neg: The World's Famous Supreme Team The World 's Famous Supreme Team was an American hip hop radio show crew and recording group from the early 1980s . Members included See Divine the Mastermind and Just Allah the Superstar ( now known as JazzyJust the Superstar ) , among others . Their pioneering radio show started in 1979 on WHBI-FM 105.9 broadcasting from Newark , New Jersey , and featured Mr. Magic before he went on to host the first rap show on a major radio station , The Rap Attack on WBLS . The group rose to international prominance when punk impresario Malcolm McLaren recruited See Devine and Just Allah and samples of their radio show for his surprise hip hop hit , 1982 's `` Buffalo Gals '' , and the full album follow-up , Duck Rock ( 1983 ) . They are credited as the first hip hop group to incorporate Five Percent teachings and slang into their music , and their appearances on Duck Rock contains the first instances on record - a trait that would become increasingly predominant in the late '80s and '90s . The World Famous Supreme Team released their own hit single `` Hey DJ '' in 1984 , which would appear on their only album , Rappin ' ( 1986 ) . The group reunited with McLaren for the 1990 album , Round the Outside ! Round the Outside ! .   `` Hey , DJ '' was later sampled on the Mariah Carey song `` Honey '' , popularising its use for a new generation .

neg: Hank Finkel Henry J. Finkel ( born April 20 , 1942 ) is an American basketball player whose professional career lasted from 1966 to 1975 . Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 2 of the 1966 NBA draft he remained with the team through 1966 -- 67 , then played with the San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1969 and spent the remaining years with the Boston Celtics , when , during his next to last season , the Celtics won the 1974 NBA Championship .

neg: NBA Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) is an annual National Basketball Association ( NBA ) award given since the 1955 -- 56 season to the best performing player of the regular season . The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy , which is named in honor of the first commissioner ( then president ) of the NBA , who served from 1946 until 1963 . Until the , the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players . Since the , the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada , each of whom casts a vote for first to fifth place selections . Each first-place vote is worth 10 points ; each second-place vote is worth seven ; each third-place vote is worth five , fourth-place is worth three and fifth-place is worth one . Starting from 2010 , one ballot was cast by fans through online voting . The player with the highest point total wins the award . , the current holder of the award is Stephen Curry , who won both the 2015 and 2016 MVP Awards .   Every player who has won this award and has been eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been inducted . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award a record six times . Both Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won the award five times , while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won the award four times . Russell and James are the only players to have won the award four times in five seasons . Moses Malone , Larry Bird and Magic Johnson each won the award three times , while Bob Pettit , Karl Malone , Tim Duncan , Steve Nash and Stephen Curry have each won it twice . Only two rookies have won the award : Wilt Chamberlain in the and Wes Unseld in the 1968 -- 69 season . Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria , Tim Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands , Steve Nash of Canada and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany are the only MVP winners considered `` international players '' by the NBA .   Stephen Curry in 2015 -- 16 is the only player to have won the award unanimously . Shaquille O'Neal in 1999 -- 2000 and LeBron James in 2012 -- 13 are the only two players to have fallen one vote shy of a unanimous selection , both receiving 120 of 121 votes . Since the , every winner was from a team that won at least 50 games in the regular season that year.Except for seasons affected by lockouts , when the schedule was shortened from the norm of 82 games . Karl Malone won in 1998 -- 99 when Utah was 37 -- 13 in 50 games , which projected to 60 wins in 82 games . James won in 2011 -- 12 when the Miami Heat were 46 -- 20 in 66 games , which projected to 57 wins .

neg: 1980–81 Houston Rockets season The 1980 -- 81 Houston Rockets season saw the Rockets lose the NBA Finals . The 1981 Rockets are the only team since the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers to make the NBA Finals with a losing record .

neg: 1991 NBA Playoffs The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1990 -- 91 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP .   After the Pistons had ended their season the last three years , the Bulls got revenge in the Eastern Conference Finals by sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions . It was the first time the Bulls won a playoff series over the Pistons since 1974 , when both teams were still part of the Western Conference . Game 4 ended with some of the Pistons walking off the court before time expired , refusing to shake the Bulls ' hands . In the 1989 NBA Finals , the Pistons themselves had swept the two-time defending champion Lakers . Detroit did not reach the conference finals again until 2003 .   The seventh seeded Golden State Warriors stunned the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs , defeating them 3 games to 1 . It would be Golden State 's last playoff series win until 2007 .   The 76ers and the Bucks met in the first round of the playoffs where the 76ers swept the series . It would be both teams last playoff appearance until 1999 .   Game 4 of the Blazers -- Jazz series was the last game ever played at the Salt Palace .   This was the first year that NBC aired the NBA Playoffs .

neg: Shaqtin' a Fool Shaqtin ' a Fool is a weekly segment from the television show Inside the NBA , the postgame show of NBA on TNT following the conclusion of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) games airing on cable TV channel TNT . It first aired during the 2011 -- 12 NBA season , when retired NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal voiced it upon joining the show and was created by Turner Sports producer Mike Goldfarb . It highlights humorous and uncommon basketball plays that have occurred during NBA games in the past week . O'Neal is the host and presenter , while the other analysts in studio react and provide commentary . Most often , those have been fellow Inside regulars Ernie Johnson , Kenny Smith , and Charles Barkley , but other Inside hosts have also participated , including Chris Webber , Grant Hill , Steve Smith and Matt Winer .   The segment regularly features NBA players and also includes , but is not limited to , referees , fans , mascots , and other arena employees . Sometimes they also air clips from other international basketball leagues . On special occasions , the segment features plays which had occurred during the past , including several entire `` retro '' editions . Each episode tends to have 5 entries from the past week , with each entry typically involving a single play ( although there are some times where a collection of similar bad plays , such as travels and air ball free throws , are highlighted ) . Multiple plays may include the same player , and a single play may highlight more than one player .   Only 3 players have the Shaqtin `` Golden Ticket , '' which is lifetime immunity from being included in the segment : Larry Nance Jr. ( 2015 winner ) , PJ Tucker ( 2016 winner ) , and JaVale McGee ( after his long feud with O'Neal escalated in early 2017 , see more in MVP section ) .   At the conclusion of the NBA postseason , a Shaqtin ' a Fool special airs on NBA TV . During the special , Shaquille O'Neal is joined by Jared Greenberg and Dennis Scott , and the top Shaqtin ' a Fool plays of the season are shown . On the 2013 special , 34 plays were shown to honor O'Neal 's jersey retirement of # 34 during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers . On the 2014 special , only 20 plays were shown . For the 2015 special , the number of plays increased to 30 .  Since the beginning of the 2013 -- 14 NBA season , fans are able to tweet suggestions for Shaqtin ' a Fool . Also , ahead of the 2015 -- 16 season , Hotels.com sponsored Shaqtin ' .

neg: NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball Association All-Star Game Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) is an annual National Basketball Association ( NBA ) award given to the player ( s ) voted best of the annual All-Star Game . The award was established in 1953 when NBA officials decided to designate an MVP for each year 's game . The league also re-honored players from the previous two All-Star Games . Ed Macauley and Paul Arizin were selected as the 1951 and 1952 MVP winners respectively . The voting is conducted by a panel of media members , who cast their vote after the conclusion of the game . The player ( s ) with the most votes or ties for the most votes wins the award . No All-Star Game MVP was named in 1999 since the game was canceled due to the league 's lockout . , the most recent recipient is New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis .   Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant are the only two players to win the All-Star Game MVP four times . Oscar Robertson , Michael Jordan , and Shaquille O'Neal have each won the award three times , while Bob Cousy , Julius Erving , Isiah Thomas , Magic Johnson , Karl Malone , Allen Iverson , LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have all won the award twice . James ' first All-Star MVP in 2006 made him the youngest to have ever won the award at the age of 21 years , 1 month . Kyrie Irving , winner of the 2014 All-Star Game MVP , is the second-youngest at 21 years , 10 months . They 're notable as being the two youngest to win the award , both as Cleveland Cavaliers . Four of the games had joint winners -- Elgin Baylor and Pettit in 1959 , John Stockton and Malone in 1993 , O'Neal and Tim Duncan in 2000 , and O'Neal and Bryant in 2009 . O'Neal became the first player in All-Star history to share two MVP awards . The Los Angeles Lakers have had eleven winners while the Boston Celtics have had eight . Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Irving of Australia are the only winners not born in the United States . Both Duncan and Irving are American citizens , but are considered `` international '' players by the NBA because they were not born in one of the fifty states or Washington , D.C. No player trained entirely outside the U.S. has won the award ; Irving lived in the U.S. since age two , and Duncan played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest .   Bob Pettit ( 1958 , 1959 ) and Russell Westbrook ( 2015 , 2016 ) are the only players to win consecutive awards . Pettit ( 1956 ) , Bob Cousy ( 1957 ) , Wilt Chamberlain ( 1960 ) , Bill Russell ( 1963 ) , Oscar Robertson ( 1964 ) , Willis Reed ( 1970 ) , Dave Cowens ( 1973 ) , Michael Jordan ( 1988 , 1996 , 1998 ) , Magic Johnson ( 1990 ) , Shaquille O'Neal ( 2000 ) , and Allen Iverson ( 2001 ) all won the All-Star Game MVP and the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in the same season ; Jordan is the only player to do this multiple times . 14 players have won the award playing for the team that hosted the All-Star Game : Macauley ( 1951 ) , Cousy ( 1957 ) , Pettit ( 1958 , 1962 ) , Chamberlain ( 1960 ) , Adrian Smith ( 1966 ) , Rick Barry ( 1967 ) , Jerry West ( 1972 ) , Tom Chambers ( 1987 ) , Jordan ( 1988 ) , Karl Malone ( 1993 ) , John Stockton ( 1993 ) , O'Neal ( 2004 , 2009 ) , Bryant ( 2011 ) and Davis ( 2017 ) ; Pettit and O'Neal did this multiple times . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the distinction of playing in the most All-Star Games ( 18 ) without winning the All-Star Game MVP , while Adrian Smith won the MVP in his only All-Star Game .

neg: 1963–64 Los Angeles Lakers season The 1963 -- 64 NBA season was the Lakers ' 16th season in the NBA and fourth season in Los Angeles .

neg: Ed Macauley Charles Edward `` Ed '' Macauley ( March 22 , 1928 -- November 8 , 2011 ) was a professional basketball player in the NBA . His playing nickname was `` Easy Ed . ''   Macauley spent his prep school days at St. Louis University High School , then went on to Saint Louis University , where his team won the NIT championship in 1948 . He was named the AP Player of the Year in 1949 .   Macauley played in the NBA with the St. Louis Bombers , Boston Celtics , and St. Louis Hawks . Macauley was named MVP of the first NBA All-Star Game ( he played in the first seven ) , and was named to the NBA 's All-NBA First Team three consecutive seasons . He was named to the All-NBA second team once , in 1953 -- 54 -- the same season he led the league in field goal percentage . Macauley 's trade ( with Cliff Hagan ) to St. Louis brought Bill Russell to the Celtics . In the two years he coached with the Hawks , he led them to an 89 -- 48 record , with a 9 -- 11 playoff record .   Macauley scored 11,234 points in ten NBA seasons and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960 . At age 32 , he still holds the record for being the youngest male player to be admitted . His uniform number 22 was retired by the Celtics and he was also awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame .   In 1989 Macauley was ordained a deacon of the Catholic Church . With Father Francis Friedl , he coauthored the book Homilies Alive : Creating Homilies That Hit Home .   He died on November 8 , 2011 , at his home in St. Louis , Missouri . He was 83 .

neg: 2004 NBA Finals The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003 -- 04 National Basketball Association season . The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference ; the Lakers held home court advantage . The series was played under a best-of-seven format , so the first team to collect four game victories would win the series .   Although the Lakers were the heavy favorite , the Pistons won the series four games to one to win their first title since 1990 and their fifth overall ( three NBA Championships , two NBL Championships ) . Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups was named as the NBA Finals MVP . The series was noted for the perceived underdog , the Pistons , dominating a Lakers team that had four future Hall of Famers .   Pistons owner William Davidson became the first owner in sports history to win two championships in one year . Eight days earlier , the other team that Davidson owned , the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League had won the Stanley Cup in seven games over the Calgary Flames .

neg: NBA Hangtime NBA Hangtime is a basketball video game developed and published by Midway and released in arcades in 1996 . Home versions were released for the Nintendo 64 , PlayStation , SNES , Sega Mega Drive/Genesis , and Microsoft Windows . A version for Game.com was cancelled .   Hangtime was the third basketball game by the original development team behind the NBA Jam series . The title was changed due to the NBA Jam name being acquired by Acclaim Entertainment , the publisher of the games for the home market . Acclaim 's NBA Jam Extreme was released the same year as Hangtime . Features introduced in Hangtime included character creation , alley oops , and double dunks . A software update known as NBA Maximum Hangtime was released for the arcades later in the life cycle . A sequel , NBA Showtime : NBA on NBC , was released in 1999 .


query: Slovenia is bordered by the Adriatic Sea.

pos: Slovenia Slovenia ( -LSB- sloʊˈviːniə , _ slə - , _ - njə -RSB- ; Slovenija -LSB- slɔˈʋéːnija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Slovenia ( Slovene : , abbr. : RS ) , is a nation state in southern Central Europe , located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes . It is bordered by Italy to the west , Austria to the north , Hungary to the northeast , Croatia to the south and southeast , and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest . It covers 20,273 km2 and has a population of 2.06 million . It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations , European Union , and NATO . The capital and largest city is Ljubljana .   The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate , with the exception of the Slovene Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western area that has an Alpine climate . Additionally , the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia . The country , marked by a significant biological diversity , is one of the most water-rich in Europe , with a dense river network , a rich aquifer system , and significant karst underground watercourses . Over half of the territory is covered by forest . The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven .   Slovenia has historically been the crossroads of South Slavic , Germanic , Romance , and Hungarian languages and culture . Although the population is not homogeneous , the majority is Slovene . South Slavic language Slovene is the official language throughout the country . Slovenia is a largely secularized country , but its culture and identity have been significantly influenced by Catholicism as well as Lutheranism . The economy of Slovenia is small , open , and export-oriented and has been strongly influenced by international conditions . It has been severely hurt by the Eurozone crisis , started in the late 2000s . The main economic field is services , followed by industry and construction .   Historically , the current territory of Slovenia was part of many different state formations , including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire , followed by the Habsburg Monarchy . In October 1918 , the Slovenes exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the State of Slovenes , Croats and Serbs . In December 1918 , they merged with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes ( renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929 ) . During World War II , Slovenia was occupied and annexed by Germany , Italy , and Hungary , with a tiny area transferred to the Independent State of Croatia , a Nazi puppet state . Afterward , it was a founding member of the Federal People 's Republic of Yugoslavia , later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , a communist state which was the only country in the Eastern Bloc which was never part of the Warsaw Pact . In June 1991 , after the introduction of multi-party representative democracy , Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country . In 2004 , it entered NATO and the European Union ; in 2007 became the first formerly communist country to join the Eurozone ; and in 2010 joined the OECD , a global association of high-income developed countries .

neg: A1 (Croatia) The A1 motorway ( Autocesta A1 ) is the longest motorway in Croatia , spanning 478.9 km . As it connects Zagreb , the nation 's capital , to Split , the second largest city in the country and the largest city in Dalmatia , the motorway represents a major north -- south transportation corridor in Croatia and a significant part of the Adriatic -- Ionian motorway . Apart from Zagreb and Split , the A1 motorway runs near a number of major Croatian cities , provides access to several national parks or nature parks , world heritage sites , and numerous resorts , especially along the Adriatic Coast . National significance of the motorway is reflected through its positive economic impact on the cities and towns it connects as well as its importance to tourism in Croatia .   The motorway consists of two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each driving direction separated by a central reservation . All intersections of the A1 motorway are grade separated . As the route traverses rugged mountainous and coastal terrain the route , completed , required 376 bridges , viaducts , tunnels and other similar structures , including the two longest tunnels in Croatia and two bridges comprising spans of 200 m or more . There are 33 exits and 26 rest areas operating along the route . As the motorway is tolled using a ticket system and vehicle classification in Croatia , each exit includes a toll plaza .   A motorway connecting Zagreb and Split was designed in the early 1970s , and a public loan was started in order to collect sufficient funds for its construction . However , due to political upheavals in Croatia and Yugoslavia , construction of the motorway was labeled a `` nationalist project '' and cancelled in 1971 . After Croatian independence and conclusion of the Croatian War of Independence , efforts to build the motorway were renewed and construction started in 2000 . The Zagreb -- Split section of the route was completed by 2005 , while the first sections between Split and Dubrovnik opened in 2007 and 2008 . Construction costs incurred so far amount to 3 billion euro . The figure includes funds approved for construction work scheduled to be completed by 2013 . On the other hand , the amount does not include construction cost related to Lučko -- Bosiljevo 2 section since that section was funded as a part of Rijeka -- Zagreb motorway construction project through Autocesta Rijeka -- Zagreb , current operator of that sector . The remainder of the A1 motorway , i.e. , the sections south of the Bosiljevo 2 interchange are operated by Hrvatske autoceste .

neg: National symbols of Slovenia The National symbols of Slovenia are the symbols used in Slovenia and abroad to represent the nation and its people .

neg: Matajur Matajur ( -LSB- mataˈjuːɾ -RSB- ) is a 1642 m mountain in the Julian Alps on the border between Italy and Slovenia . It is located on the border between the Soča Valley and the Italian mountainous region known as Venetian Slovenia , with views over the Adriatic Sea . Its prominence is 1385 m.

neg: Republic of Prekmurje The Republic of Prekmurje ( Vendvidéki Köztársaság , Mura Köztársaság Murska Republika , Republika Prekmurje Prekmurje Slovene : Reszpublika Szlovenszka okroglina , Mörszka Reszpublika ) was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje , an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ( `` Wendic March '' ) . On June 6 , 1919 , Prekmurje was incorporated into the newly established Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes ( renamed `` Yugoslavia '' in 1929 ) .   The state was bordered by Austria to the north , Hungary to the east , and the Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes to the west and south .

neg: Roman heritage in Serbia The territory of what is today the Republic of Serbia was under Roman ( and later Byzantine ) rule for about 600 years , from the 1st century BC until the Slavic invasions of the 6th century .  It was administratively divided into Moesia ( later Moesia Superior , corresponding to Serbia proper , Pannonia ( later Pannonia Inferior ) and Dardania ( corresponding to eastern and western Serbia proper , respectively ) ) .   The Danube River influenced the extension of the Roman Empire , and its confluents , such as Sava and Morava , affected the growth of frontier fortresses and towns , whose remains present the extent of the Roman Empire with architecture that presents the crown of Roman culture . Many authors and explorers wrote about traces of the Roman Empire on the Danube coast . One of the localities , Felix Romuliana , was ranked on the list of cultural heritage of UNESCO in July 2007 .   The location has been invaded by many peoples over the centuries . The northern Serbian city of Sirmium ( Sremska Mitrovica ) was among the top 4 cities of the late Roman Empire , serving as its capital during the Tetrarchy .  Contemporary Serbia comprises the classical regions of Moesia , Pannonia , parts of Dalmatia , Dacia and Macedonia .

neg: Zgornje Partinje Zgornje Partinje ( -LSB- ˈzɡoːɾnjɛ paɾˈtiːnjɛ -RSB- ) is a settlement in the Municipality of Sveti Jurij v Slovenskih Goricah in northeastern Slovenia . It is dispersed over a large area of the western Slovene Hills between Globovnica Creek and James Creek ( Jakobski potok ) , left tributaries of the Pesnica River . The area was part of the traditional region of Styria . It is now included in the Drava Statistical Region .

neg: Slovene The terms Slovene or Slovenian may refer to :   Slovenia , a country in Central Europe  The Slovene language , a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia  Slovenes , an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia   The term Slovene may also refer to :  Slavic peoples , an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group  Ilmen Slavs , the northernmost tribe of the Early East Slavs

neg: Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca The Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca ( Gefürstete Grafschaft Görz und Gradisca Principesca Contea di Gorizia e Gradisca Poknežena grofija Goriška in Gradiščanska ) was a crown land of the Habsburg dynasty within the Austrian Littoral on the Adriatic Sea , in what is now a multilingual border area of Italy and Slovenia . It was named for its two major urban centers , Gorizia and Gradisca d'Isonzo .

neg: Ribarevina Ribarevina ( Montenegrin Cyrillic : Рибаревина ) , meaning place of fishermen in Older Slavic , is the name of a major crossroads in Montenegro , based in the north of the country in the Bijelo Polje municipality . Situated close to Bijelo Polje , it connects the northern Montenegrin towns of Bijelo Polje , Pljevlja and Žabljak with both southern Montenegro ( Podgorica and the sea ) , and northeastern Montenegro ( Berane district ) , hence the border crossings into Serbia including Kosovo .   Category : Populated places in Montenegro  Category : Bijelo Polje

neg: Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea -LSB- ˌeɪdriˈætᵻk -RSB- is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula and the Apennine Mountains from the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges . The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea , extending from the Strait of Otranto ( where it connects to the Ionian Sea ) to the northwest and the Po Valley . The countries with coasts on the Adriatic are Albania , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Greece , Italy , Montenegro and Slovenia . The Adriatic contains over 1,300 islands , mostly located along its eastern , Croatian , coast . It is divided into three basins , the northern being the shallowest and the southern being the deepest , with a maximum depth of 1233 m . The Otranto Sill , an underwater ridge , is located at the border between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas . The prevailing currents flow counterclockwise from the Strait of Otranto , along the eastern coast and back to the strait along the western ( Italian ) coast . Tidal movements in the Adriatic are slight , although larger amplitudes are known to occur occasionally . The Adriatic 's salinity is lower than the Mediterranean 's because the Adriatic collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean , acting as a dilution basin . The surface water temperatures generally range from 30 C in summer to 12 C in winter , significantly moderating the Adriatic Basin 's climate .   The Adriatic Sea sits on the Apulian or Adriatic Microplate , which separated from the African Plate in the Mesozoic era . The plate 's movement contributed to the formation of the surrounding mountain chains and Apennine tectonic uplift after its collision with the Eurasian plate . In the Late Oligocene , the Apennine Peninsula first formed , separating the Adriatic Basin from the rest of the Mediterranean . All types of sediment are found in the Adriatic , with the bulk of the material transported by the Po and other rivers on the western coast . The western coast is alluvial or terraced , while the eastern coast is highly indented with pronounced karstification . There are dozens of marine protected areas in the Adriatic , designed to protect the sea 's karst habitats and biodiversity . The sea is abundant in flora and fauna -- more than 7,000 species are identified as native to the Adriatic , many of them endemic , rare and threatened ones .   The Adriatic 's shores are populated by more than 3.5 million people ; the largest cities are Bari , Venice , Trieste and Split . The earliest settlements on the Adriatic shores were Etruscan , Illyrian , and Greek . By the 2nd century BC , the shores were under Rome 's control . In the Middle Ages , the Adriatic shores and the sea itself were controlled , to a varying extent , by a series of states -- most notably the Byzantine Empire , the Serbian Empire , the Republic of Venice , the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire . The Napoleonic Wars resulted in the First French Empire gaining coastal control and the British effort to counter the French in the area , ultimately securing most of the eastern Adriatic shore and the Po Valley for Austria . Following Italian unification , the Kingdom of Italy started an eastward expansion that lasted until the 20th century . Following World War I and the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire , the eastern coast 's control passed to Yugoslavia and Albania . The former disintegrated during the 1990s , resulting in four new states on the Adriatic coast . Italy and Yugoslavia agreed on their maritime boundaries by 1975 and this boundary is recognised by Yugoslavia 's successor states , but the maritime boundaries between Slovenian , Croatian , Bosnian-Herzegovinian , and Montenegrin waters are still disputed . Italy and Albania agreed on their maritime boundary in 1992 .   Fisheries and tourism are significant sources of income all along the Adriatic coast . Adriatic Croatia 's tourism industry has grown faster economically than the rest of the Adriatic Basin 's . Maritime transport is also a significant branch of the area 's economy -- there are 19 seaports in the Adriatic that each handle more than a million tonnes of cargo per year . The largest Adriatic seaport by annual cargo turnover is the Port of Trieste , while the Port of Split is the largest Adriatic seaport by passengers served per year .

neg: Vič District The Vič District ( -LSB- ˈʋiːtʃ -RSB- ; Slovene : Četrtna skupnost Vič ) , or simply Vič , is a district ( mestna četrt ) of the City Municipality of Ljubljana . It encompasses the western part of Ljubljana , the capital of Slovenia . It is named after the former village of Vič .

neg: Stato da Màr The Stato da Màr or Domini da Mar ( `` State/Domains of the Sea '' ) was the name given to the Republic of Venice 's maritime and overseas possessions , including Istria , Dalmatia , Albania , Negroponte , the Morea ( the `` Kingdom of the Morea '' ) , the Aegean islands of the Duchy of the Archipelago , and the islands of Crete ( the `` Kingdom of Candia '' ) and Cyprus . It was one of the three subdivisions of the Republic of Venice 's possessions , the other two being the Dogado , i.e. Venice proper , and the Domini di Terraferma in northern Italy .

neg: Iž Iž ( pronounced -LSB- îːʒ -RSB- Eso , Ese ) is an island in the Zadar Archipelago within the Croatian reaches of the Adriatic Sea . It is situated between Ugljan on the north-east and Dugi Otok on the south-west and is about an hour 's ship ride from Zadar . It has an area of 17.59 km ² and a population of 615 ( 2011 ) . Its mineralogy is composed of mainly limestone and dolomite . The island has been settled since prehistoric times ; there is a Catholic church dating from the 11th century and records of the first Croatian settlers date from the year 1266 .   Its two biggest settlements ( Veli Iž and Mali Iž ) are located on the eastern part of the island .   Island is nowadays also accessible to reach by car ferry ; settlements are mutually connected by the state road that run between Veli Iž and island 's ferry port located in cove `` Bršanj '' in Mali Iž ; route construction started in early 1980 's and ferry port construction started in 1988 . Villages of Mali Iž are also connected to the main route with local roads .   Near the island there are some very small uninhabited islands : Knežak , Rutnjak and Fulija for example . In the Iž dialect people almost never say f , they use h instead . Main activities are sailing , fishing , olive cultivation and pottery . The island is very popular amongst foreign tourists , largely due to its great beaches .

neg: Pristava, Nova Gorica Pristava ( -LSB- pɾiˈstaːʋa -RSB- ; Prestava , Rafût , Prestau ) , also known locally as Rafut ( -LSB- ɾaˈfuːt -RSB- ) , is one of the four suburbs of the town of Nova Gorica in the Gorizia region of western Slovenia ( the other three are Solkan , Rožna Dolina , and Kromberk ) .   Between the late 18th century and 1947 , it used to be a suburb of the town of Gorizia ( now in Italy ) . When the city was partitioned in 1947 , most of the city center remained in Italy , while its eastern suburbs were annexed to Yugoslavia . Part of Pristava ( Rafut ) remained in Italy , and while part of it became part of Slovenia . In some cases , the border was drawn literally between individual houses . Until Slovenia 's entry into the Schengen zone in 2007 , a local border pass functioned in Pristava .   The Kostanjevica Monastery , in which Charles X of France is buried , is located on a hill above the settlement .

neg: Walls of Piran The Walls of Piran ( Piransko obzidje ) are the city walls of Piran , a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Slovenia . Significant parts of the fortification walls remain well-preserved .

neg: Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( Ιόνιο Πέλαγος , -LSB- iˈonio ˈpelaɣos -RSB- , Mar Ionio , -LSB- mar ˈjɔːnjo -RSB- , Deti Jon , -LSB- dɛti jɔ : n -RSB- ) is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea , south of the Adriatic Sea . It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria , Sicily , and the Salento peninsula to the west , southern Albania to the north , and the west coast of Greece .   All major islands in the sea belong to Greece . They are collectively referred to as the Ionian Islands , the major ones being Corfu , Zakynthos , Kephalonia , Ithaca , and Lefkada .  There are ferry routes between Patras and Igoumenitsa , Greece , and Brindisi and Ancona , Italy , that cross the east and north of the Ionian Sea , and from Piraeus westward . Calypso Deep , the deepest point in the Mediterranean at -5267 m , is located in the Ionian Sea , at . The sea is one of the most seismically active areas in the world .

neg: Croatia–Slovenia relations Croatia -- Slovenia relations are foreign relations between Croatia and Slovenia . Croatia has an embassy in Ljubljana and two honorary consulates in Maribor and Koper . Slovenia has an embassy in Zagreb and an honorary consulate in Split . The countries share 670 km of common border . Relations between Slovenia and Croatia have been friendly , but burdened with a series of unresolved border and other disputes .

neg: Sostro Sostro ( -LSB- ˈsoːstɾɔ -RSB- ; Sostru ) is a formerly independent settlement in the eastern part of the capital Ljubljana in central Slovenia . It was part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region . In addition to the main settlement , Sostro includes the hamlet of Betežica , located to the northeast along Betežčica Creek , and the hamlet of Glastavci in the wooded hills above Betežica . Sostro is also the source of the name of the Sostro District ( Četrtna skupnost Sostro ) , the largest district of the capital .

neg: Archipelagic state An archipelagic state is any internationally recognized state or country that comprises a series of islands that form an archipelago . The term is defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in order to define what borders such states should be allowed to claim .   In various conferences , Fiji , Indonesia , Papua New Guinea , the Bahamas , and the Philippines are the five sovereign states that obtained approval in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea signed in Montego Bay , Jamaica on December 10 , 1982 and qualified as archipelagic states .   Archipelagic states are states that are composed of groups of islands forming a state as a single unit , with the islands and the waters within the baselines as internal waters . Under this concept ( `` archipelagic doctrine '' ) , an archipelago shall be regarded as a single unit , so that the waters around , between , and connecting the islands of the archipelago , irrespective of their breadth and dimensions , form part of the internal waters of the state , and are subject to its exclusive sovereignty .   The approval of the United Nations for the five sovereign states as archipelagic states respect existing agreements with other countries and shall recognize traditional fishing rights and other legitimate activities of the immediately adjacent neighboring countries in certain areas falling within archipelagic waters . The terms and conditions for the exercise of such rights and activities , including the nature , the extent and the areas to which they apply , shall , at the request of any of the countries concerned , be regulated by bilateral agreements between them . Such rights shall not be transferred to or shared with third countries or their nationals .

neg: Kornati The Kornati ( -LSB- kɔ̝rnǎːti -RSB- ) archipelago of Croatia , also known as the Stomorski islands , is located in the northern part of Dalmatia , south from Zadar and west from Šibenik , in the Šibenik-Knin county . With 35 km length and 140 islands , some large , some small , in a sea area of about 320 km ² , the Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea . From northwest to southeast ( from the island of Balabra to Samograd ) , and from northeast to southwest ( from Gangarol to Mana ) they stretch for 13 km . The name of the archipelago is the plural form of the name of the largest island , called Kornat .