It’s the summer of 1973, and eight year-old Bobby Burke’s father has been MIA in Vietnam for three years. He’s been keeping his father alive through the magic of his SafeKeeper, a charm bracelet he wears on his wrist, but it seems lately that the SafeKeeper’s power has been fading. The military has given up hope of finding his father alive, and even Bobby’s mom has taken up with a new guy, Nick, who seems determined to become a new father to him. What’s worse, Bobby has to contend with a pair of fearsome Tolltakers who have entered his life: one, a local schoolyard bully who demands money to let Bobby get home from school in one piece; the other a demon who visits Bobby’s dreams to try to snatch the SafeKeeper from his wrist. Bobby fights desperately against these forces that seem intent on keeping his father from him forever, until his final, shattering confrontation with the truth and the understanding of the toll he must pay in order to grow up.
When the Football World Cup begins in South Africa in June 2010, many thousands of boys aged between ten and twelve will have already finished competing in their own World Cup. The Volkswagen Junior World Masters is a worldwide tournament series which is held in Brazil, Mexico, the USA, Russia, South Africa and Germany, amongst other countries. In May, the winning teams will compete in a final tournament at the famous Bernabe� Stadium in Madrid.
“A TENSE AND RIVETING PIECE OF ACTION CINEMA… IMPRESSIVE FIGHT SEQUENCES… BONE-CRUSHING VIOLENCE.” – TWITCH.
Winner of eight honours at the prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Action Choreography, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Make-up Design and Best Original Film Score, and the winner of the Best Actor (Wang Xueqi) and Best Supporting Actor (Nicholas Tse) prizes at this year’s Asian Film Awards, the epic, period action movie Bodyguards And Assassins is a dramatic fictionalized retelling of the suspenseful events of 1906 that eventually led to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China.
Directed by Teddy Chan (The Accidental Spy) and featuring an impressive cast of Hong Kong and China’s biggest stars, including Donnie Yen (Ip Man; Kill Zone), Leon Lai (An Empress And The Warriors; Seven Swords), Xueqi Wang (Forever Enthralled; Warriors Of Heaven And Earth; The Red Suit), Tony Leung Ka Fai (Missing; The Myth), Nicholas Tse (Dragon Tiger Gate; New Police Story; The Medallion) and Simon Yam (Ip Man; Triangle), Bodyguards And Assassins is a sumptuously staged, action-packed blockbuster, full of political intrigue, tragedy and drama that will appeal as much to lovers of quality cinema as it will to martial arts aficionados.
On October 15th 1906, the man destined to become the Father of Modern China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, is due to arrive in the British Colony of Hong Kong to discuss plans to overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty with a group of leading anti-Qing revolutionaries. Aware of Sun’s intentions, the Qing Court dispatches an elite army of assassins to the port where Sun is due to arrive, with orders to see to it that he never makes it to his appointment and does not leave the colony alive.
Receiving news of the proposed assassination, a newspaper editor and a local tycoon, both sympathetic supporters of the revolution, take it upon themselves to protect Dr. Sun at any cost. To help ensure his safety they recruit a motley band of fellow sympathisers, friends and acquaintances, all skilled in martial arts combat to act as Sun’s bodyguards. Additionally, they devise a risky plan to secretly replace the assassins’ target with a human decoy in an attempt to lead the killers away from their quarry.
As Sun arrives on the fateful day, the stage is set for a bloody confrontation in which a small group of selflessly courageous men and women will risk their lives fighting against hundreds of adversaries in a conflict that will determine the fate of millions.
Cleverly taking his time to establish his characters, their back-stories, motives and sub-plots in the deliberately paced first half of the film, director Chan expertly unleashes a barrage of non-stop, action set-pieces in a final hour that will leave viewers breathless.
Among the many standout sequences in a film that manages to be as emotionally involving and moving as it is exciting are a brilliantly directed sequence that echoes Brian De Palma’s homage (from “The Untouchables”) to Eisenstein’s famous Odessa Steps sequence from “Battleship Potemkin”, an extended free-running duel involving Donnie Yen and Cung Le, and a ‘man versus horse’ confrontation that is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Bodyguards And Assassins will be released on DVD (£12.99) and Blu-ray (£19.99) by E1 Entertainment on 31st May 2010.
Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas today announced FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is now available at retailers.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54433-square-enix-inc-announces-final-fantasy-xiii-2-now-available-at-retailers
TJ Walker, CEO of Media Training Worldwide, comments on what to expect from Barack Obama and John McCain during their 3rd and final presidential debate this week.
Boston air traffic controller Nick Jensen is working an overnight shift when terrorists overrun the ATC facility. Nick escapes capture, but with U.S. President Robert Cartwright scheduled to fly into Boston in hours, he must single handedly stop an assassination while outnumbered, unarmed and on the run from cold blooded fanatics. Learn about the book: http://bit.ly/iapbwz Learn about this author: http://bit.ly/hNUSxk thriller
The EU’s cyber security agency, ENISA, has issued its final report on the first Pan-European cyber security exercise for public bodies, 'Cyber Europe 2010'. The report underlines the need for more cyber security exercises in the future, increased collaboration between the Member States and the importance of the private sector in ensuring IT security. ENISA has also released an online video clip to support the report.
Supporting EU-wide exercises concerning cyber-security preparedness is a priority for the EU within its 'Digital Agenda for Europe', in order to ensure that businesses and citizens are secure when they are online.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/enisa/48902/
For juicy, tender and flavorful pork, it might be time to toss out Grandma’s advice. Announced today, new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines confirm that 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured on a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time, is a safe final internal cooking temperature for pork.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/pork/50354/
Welcome to Mexico. We’re in the south central province of Puebla where the Mexican finals of the Volkswagen Junior Masters recently took place.
The Volkswagen Junior Masters is an under thirteen tournament in which the best teams from twenty countries will compete in the world finals in Madrid this May.
Puebla local, Alejandro Dresser was one of the young hopefuls who participated in Mexico’s final junior masters match-ups.
