Joshua Oppenheimer's Oscar-shortlisted The Act of Killing, a documentary revisiting squad leaders from the Indonesian genocides of the 60's, was released on iTunes today. In a partnership between Drafthouse Films and BitTorrent, heaps of exclusive and free bonus content can be downloaded through their new BitTorrent Bundle. Read on to find out what's inside the Bundle and how you can download it.
As digital distribution evolves, more emphasis is being put on bonus content to help drive people to buy a film. With BitTorrent bundles, the major advantage is a chance to get your material in front of their 170 million+ user base. In this Bundle, Drafthouse Films are offering 1.2 gigabytes of free companion content. Here's a quick run-down of what's inside:
VICE Presents: Werner Herzog and Errol Morris on The Act of Killing [12 min Video]
Essay: Indonesia on the impact of The Act of Killing, TEMPO Magazine [PDF]
The Act of Killing Stills [Photographs]
The Act of Killing Trailer [Video]
BitTorrent Bundles can be downloaded through any torrent client.
Here's a trailer for the film:
And here's three powerhouse quotes to give you an idea of the impact of the film:
From the film's anonymous Indonesian Co-director:
Collective blindness is price paid by the country: the true legacy of dictatorship is the erasure of our ability to imagine anything other. In partnering with Drafthouse to share this Bundle with 170 million people around the world, our goal is to ensure that we remember. To guarantee Indonesia's, and our own, ability to imagine anything other.
Executive Producer Errol Morris adds:
An extraordinary portrayal of genocide. To the inevitable question: what were they thinking, Joshua Oppenheimer provides an answer. It starts as a dreamscape, an attempt to allow the perpetrators to reenact what they did, and then something truly amazing happens. The dream dissolves into nightmare and then into bitter reality. An amazing and impressive film.
The National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia explains the film's importance:
If we are to transform Indonesia into the democracy it claims to be, citizens must recognize the terror and repression on which our contemporary history has been built. No film, or any other work of art for that matter, has done this more effectively thanThe Act of Killing. It is essential viewing for us all.
Does this kind of extra content help draw you in? Are you likely to explore the Act of Killing bundle or purchase the film on iTunes? Let us know in the comments below.
I grew up in a Trekkie household, and my parents loved watching all the shows and the movies. I think part of that is that the show and movies came out in their formative years and then stayed with them and always had something new for them as well.
That's what great franchises do, they grow with the fans and stay relevant in their lives.
So today, I wanted to go over the chronological order of Star Trek movies, so we can see how they shaped generations.
Let's dive in.
The 'Star Trek' Movies in Chronological Order
Before we dig into all the titles, here's a cheat sheet for you to see all the movies in chronological order.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
1. 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979)
Plot: A mysterious object is on a path of destruction towards Earth. Admiral Kirk retakes command of the newly refitted USS Enterprise to intercept it and learn its origins.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan
Director: Robert Wise
2. 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982)
Plot: Khan, a genetically engineered superhuman from Kirk's past, seeks revenge after being marooned for years. He steals a powerful device called Genesis and targets Kirk and the Enterprise.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Ricardo Montalban
Director: Nicholas Meyer
3. 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984)
Plot: Following Spock's death in the previous film, Kirk and his crew defy Starfleet orders to recover Spock's body and return it to his home planet Vulcan, where his soul may be reunited with his body.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Christopher Lloyd
Director: Leonard Nimoy
4. 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986)
Plot: To save Earth from an alien probe that is disrupting the planet's atmosphere, Kirk and his crew travel back in time to 1986 San Francisco to retrieve humpback whales, the only creatures who can communicate with the probe.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Catherine Hicks
Director: Leonard Nimoy
5. 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' (1989)
Plot: A crazy Vulcan, Spock's half brother, threatens the stability of the galaxy.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Laurence Luckinbill
Director: William Shatner
6. 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991)
Plot: Kirk and the Enterprise crew are tasked with escorting a Klingon delegation to Earth for peace talks, but a conspiracy threatens to derail the negotiations and ignite war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Christopher Plummer
Director: Nicholas Meyer
7. 'Star Trek: Generations' (1994)
Plot: Captains Picard and Kirk meet in a timeless realm called the Nexus, where they must stop a villain who wants to enter the Nexus and alter history.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Malcolm McDowell
Director: David Carson
8. 'Star Trek: First Contact' (1996)
Plot: The Borg launch a devastating attack on Earth. Captain Picard and the Enterprise-E must travel back in time to prevent the Borg from altering history and conquering Earth.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Alfre Woodard, James Cromwell
Director: Jonathan Frakes
9. 'Star Trek: Insurrection' (1998)
Plot: Picard and the Enterprise crew uncover a conspiracy involving Starfleet and a race called the Son'a who want to exploit a planet with unique properties that can reverse aging.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy
Director: Jonathan Frakes
10. 'Star Trek: Nemesis' (2002)
Plot: The Enterprise crew faces a new threat in the form of a clone of Captain Picard, who leads the Romulan Star Empire in a plot to destroy the Federation.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Tom Hardy
Director: Stuart Baird
11. 'Star Trek' (2009)
Plot: This reboot introduces a new timeline and younger versions of the original series characters. Kirk and Spock must work together to stop a Romulan from the future who is seeking revenge and threatening to destroy Vulcan.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy
Director: J.J. Abrams
12. 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013)
Plot: Kirk and the Enterprise crew face a mysterious and powerful terrorist named John Harrison, who has a personal vendetta against Starfleet.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch
Director: J.J. Abrams
13. 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016)
Plot: Stranded on a hostile planet after a surprise attack, Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew must face a new alien enemy and find a way to escape.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Director: Justin Lin
14. 'Star Trek: Section 31' (2025)
Plot: Former Emperor Philippa Georgiou, from the Mirror Universe, joins Section 31, a clandestine organization within Starfleet that operates in the shadows to protect the Federation. She'll be forced to confront her past actions while undertaking a new mission.
Cast: Michelle Yeoh (reprising her role as Philippa Georgiou), along with some new faces like Kacey Rohl, and Humberly González.
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Summing Up
What are your favorite Star Trek movies, and did you grow up watching them in order? For me, my favorites are probably First Contact and The Voyage Home, but I'm open to hearing other opinions.