“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.
Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Sigourney Weaver stars in this emotional true story about a 1970s religious suburban housewife and mother who struggles to accept her young son Bobby being gay. What happens to Bobby is tragic and causes Mary to question her faith; ultimately this mom changes her views in ways that she never could have imagined. Premiering Saturday January 24th at 9pm/8c on Lifetime.
The Asian Awards 2011, in partnership with Lebara, has launched into its second year of celebrating the best in South Asian achievement. The House of Lords recently played host to 20 world-class leaders from the worlds of politics, business, sport, media, arts and technology - who gathered to choose winners from a short-list of inspirational luminaries and pioneers who have carved out their own places in history.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/asianawards/48914/
Sears and Kmart are spreading the holiday spirit early by changing the lives of one very special family and two well deserving charities as they announce the grand prize winner of the Shop Your Way Rewards “What Would You Do With One Billion Points?” contest. Todd Benjamin, resident of Lakewood, Colo., was named the winner for the national Sears and Kmart contest and received half of the prize value and the other half will be donated to the Rocky Mountain Rett Association (RMRA) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/sears/47344/
Lord & Taylor unveiled its annual Christmas Windows on November 15th, 2010 with performances by Emmy and Tony award-winner Kristin Chenoweth and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City along Fifth Avenue. For the first time ever, the company live-streamed the event online which allowed anyone to watch the festivities live. A video of highlights from the event was created and is available for viewing at: www.lordandtaylor.com/share throughout the holiday season.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/lordandtaylor/47260/
HGTV is reaching new heights with its second annual HGTV Urban Oasis Giveaway, offering one lucky winner a stunning residence on the 35th floor of Chicago’s Trump International Hotel & Tower®. Custom-designed by popular designer Vern Yip, the 1,000-plus-square-foot, fully-furnished condominium is the centerpiece of the fall 2011 grand-prize package valued at more than $750,000. Viewers can enter for a chance to win the HGTV Urban Oasis Giveaway once a day on HGTV.com as well as once a day on HGTV’s Frontdoor.com from Thursday, August 18 – Friday, October 7, 2011.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/48077-hgtv-urban-oasis-2011/
Global superstar and Grammy award winner Enrique Iglesias will perform LIVE for The Salvation Army’s 15th annual Red Kettle Kickoff during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Miami Dolphins at 3:15 CST on the CBS television network. The nationally televised performance launches The Salvation Army’s 120th annual Red Kettle Campaign, which began on the wharf in San Francisco in 1891 and has spread worldwide to raise money for people in need. Last year, the campaign recorded a record $142 million, mostly in small denomination donations from holiday shoppers. This year, the nation’s oldest and longest running fundraiser will continue to expand its partnerships and use of technology to give donors and volunteers more ways to help others.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52629-salvation-army-s-red-kettle-campaign-120th-anniversary-dallas-cowboys
Clinique and Teen Vogue announce Maggie Schoonmaker as the winner of the 2011 Clinique Fresh Faces Summer Internship. A senior news-editorial major from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Ms. Schoonmaker has been awarded a 10-week rotational internship at Clinique as well as a one-week, behind-the-scenes experiential opportunity at Teen Vogue in New York City. Runner-up Julie Merin, a senior from Boston University, will receive a one-week experience with Clinique and Teen Vogue.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/clinique/49100/
Two high school girls from Pennsylvania swept the top honors in the prestigious Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition (www.collegeboard.com/yes), the nation's leading public health research competition for high school students. Their research on rising consumption of energy drinks among adolescents and underdiagnosed migraines in teenage girls puts a spotlight on little recognized health threats to today's teen population. The two juniors, Shoshanna Goldin of Allentown and Gazelle Zerafati of Villanova, each received a $50,000 college scholarship, the top award in the YES Competition, which distributes nearly $500,000 annually to America's most promising young public health scholars.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/collegeboard-yes/43599/
Tyler Kozar of Pittsburgh, Penn., has been selected as the grand prize winner of the Pop-Tarts™ Pop It Forward Contest, giving him the ultimate opportunity to spread fun far and wide – with a prize of one million Pop-Tarts® toaster pastries.
The Pop-Tarts® brand has been bringing fun and excitement to fans for decades with delicious flavors, frosting and sprinkles. It is that spirit that inspired the Pop-Tarts™ Pop It Forward Contest that asked the question: “What would you do with one million Pop-Tarts® toaster pastries?” Throughout the fall, thousands of entrants logged on to the Pop-Tarts® Facebook page for a chance to win the Grand Prize of one million Pop-Tarts® toaster pastries.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/poptarts/47555/
The Art Institutes announces its search to find the next winners of the Passion for Fashion Competition. The call for entries is open to high school students throughout the U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec) and Puerto Rico. High school seniors with a passion for fashion design or the business side of fashion are encouraged to submit an entry. Entries must be postmarked by November 19, 2010.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/artinstitutes/45670/
