“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.
Getting involved in regenerating \'Life\' back into living. Instead of, just being a game piece who loses, for political, commercial, and religious self-interest moves.
The legacy of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, faded into the annals of history after he left office in 1929 and for decades was largely ignored by historians and scholars. But at a time when partisan politics increasingly supersedes the business of a Nation — from rural town council meetings to the halls of the U.S. Capitol — a new book published by the National Notary Association (NNA), Why Coolidge Matters, revisits the ideals, integrity and commitment to public service that defined the Coolidge Presidency, and in the face of today’s political climate, asks the question: What Would Coolidge Do?
Hotel prices have experienced pronounced volatility as a result of political turmoil and natural disasters in the first half of 2011, according to the latest Hotels.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®).
The average price of a room around the world rose by just 3% in the first six months of the year but this masked some steep rises and falls in regions affected by the historic events.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/hotels/50554/
Carol Baldwin-Moody of Wilmington Trust describes the challenges that are present in her line of work as senior vice president and chief risk officer. There is a strong legal backing to every major issue in today’s society. Baldwin-Moody has come across several scenarios that aren’t covered by the dated constitutional law in effect today. In past years, a risk officer was thought to be a management concept that would be useful, but not worth the investment. Lately, a risk officer career has become an indispensible resource in the corporate world.
The law plays an important role in every aspect of our lives. Even something that seems simple, like the ability to send a text message and donate money to a charitable organization, requires contract law to come into play. If a career as a compliance officer is of interest to you, an online legal studies degree from Kaplan University could be the first step in working toward that goal.* A legal studies degree allows students the unique opportunity to grow into a field that is constantly changing and evolving.
*Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.
“Social media, the first amendment, privacy; the law is so far behind in that trend. Blogs and all of that, that is a constant challenge for me today because everybody wants to talk the way they want to talk and in my job, I’m required to actually surveil peoples’ e-mails; I’m required by law. I look for certain words; well, that was ok when people used words. Now when they use ‘r u,’ I can’t surveil that. The privacy issue with kids and MySpace, that whole area of law, think about it; constitutional law was what we learned. There’s nothing in constitutional law that we learned 30 years ago, so if you’re into that, there’s going to be a lot of time. We need that because it’s evolutionary.
Globalization—if you think about what happened in the financial markets, the meltdown, it’s because there’s so much connection and therefore there are a lot of things going on in that arena where every country’s financial rules, they’re looking at them and comparing them. That’s another area- comparative law. Comparative law when it comes to the environment and financial services; those are two big things.
Health—the whole health debate; you may be thinking just about the politics but there’s a lot of law behind that. HIPA, all those rights, and think about the things they’re talking about from a political perspective—there’s a lot of law behind that.
Those are just three areas that are not only specific in terms of thinking outside of the box, but they actually go back to a lot of the fundamentals that are part of the law. Those are just three; that social media one, I don’t even want to tackle that one; I’m assigning that to my kids. Just think about it—it’s out there before anything has been screened. You think about the things that go on—it’s called the social media. There used to be the 6 o’clock news; there’s the 24 hour news, there’s the instant news now.
I think some of it’s great, I think some of the positive things about the technology, I just learned this, the fact that you could text five digits on your phone and the money was in Haiti instantly. But, a lot of people don’t realize how much legal work was behind the contractual agreement between the phone companies. There was a lot of legal work that was done in order for that to happen but yet young people, my daughter was one of them, it’s like, ‘ok mom,’ and then I start thinking; well I know what really happened. They had to get into a contract about that, but those are the kinds of things that at the end you see the result is phenomenal. Think about that 20 years ago—could not have happened.”
Three hundred leading malaria scientists, global health leaders, policymakers, government officials and advocates gathered today at the Malaria Forum to discuss great strides in malaria control and address challenges that are impacting the long-term goal of eradication.
“We have seen tremendous success in the control of malaria, thanks to an infusion of resources, innovation, and political will,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Worldwide, malaria deaths are down 20 percent since 2000.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/gatesfoundation/49364/
On this year’s World Polio Day (October 24, 2011), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a global community of partners are calling for increased commitment and greater accountability from political leaders to end polio, and for supporters around the world to lend their voices to the fight.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to eradicate polio but we need greater global commitment, leadership, and funding,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “We work with exceptional partners like Rotary, FC Barcelona and the Global Poverty Project to help keep polio a priority.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/gatesfoundation/49365/
CEOs remain optimistic about prospects for the economy as well as the outlook for their own firm’s performance in the midst of persistent economic and political uncertainties. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index was 105.1 in the 1st quarter 2012 survey, up from 98.8 in Q4 and 83.5 in Q3 of last year. Confidence is at its highest level since 105.2 was recorded at the start of 2011. Expected economic gains have prompted CEOs to continue to slowly expand employment in anticipation of higher sales; nonetheless, 84% of the CEOs surveyed said they’ve learned to be more productive with fewer employees. The Q1 2012 results reflect the sentiments of 1,854 small business CEOs surveyed from March 5-16, 2012.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/vistage/51157/
Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, believes a reasonably positive economic momentum barring a geopolitical crisis is likely during Q2 2012. The eventual return of QE seems inevitable as central banks try to keep the crisis at bay and the compounding of policy errors failing to address the solvency problem and growing social and geo-political friction will potentially lead to an explosive outcome.
According to the Bank’s analysts, Europe will continue on the path of flat growth despite the Eurozone having entered recession at the tail-end of last year. However the rebound in economic growth in the US will eventually spill over into Europe, and Asia will continue to aid its growth through imports. If the recovery in the US fails to provide enough jobs momentum a return of QE some time in Q3 may be a possibility. In Asia, the critical question is China, as losses on investments continue to accumulate and eventually need to be realised.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/saxobank/53812/
This year’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum, will convene under the theme, 'Leadership that Works'. The Forum’s official programme will feature a range of sessions organized under four interrelated content pillars, and designed in various formats so as to stimulate interactivity and enrich participant experience. In addition to the traditional panel sessions and roundtables it will include a number of 'session series', industry breakfasts, business round tables, and plenary sessions with participation of global political and business leaders.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/st-petersburg-international-economic-forum/56554/
Fifteen-year-old Chengo Chewe from Lusaka, Zambia, has turned his life around through the Children International Youth Program. Raised in an extremely volatile community, he lost his father at a young age; few expected him to escape this terrible cycle of poverty and violence. Yet, in 2009, 12-year-old Chengo participated in the United Nations International Youth Day in New York City. Today, Chengo is in high school and plans to study political science in college. His biggest dream? Returning to the United Nations as a diplomat.
Chengo credits Children International for the positive track his life has taken. “I would like to say thank you to Children International for the opportunities they have given me, the opportunities that have opened in my life.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52276-children-international-impoverished-youth-learn-to-give-back
