Sep
11
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Action thriller fans get ready for a Premium Rush
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I recall seeing a trailer for a movie featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt with the whole world it seemed chasing him on his bicycle after seeing the very same man impress in The Dark Knight Rises and I thought to myself, this looks promising.
And lo and behold Saigonese film buffs will be trotting along to their local cinema hall this weekend to catch the man, who looks certain to be the next Robin, maybe with or without Batman, sometime in the future, in action in the very same film.
In that two minute trailer plug, we had it all; young guy doing his job as a bicycle messenger no less, being chased around New York City by assassins and it just so happens he is a wizard on wheels, what more can you ask for.
Of course for your benefit I have delved a little deeper and actually know now that the movie is called Premium Rush, which is a good start.
Directed by David Koepp and written by Koepp and John Kamps, we follow Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) your friendly neighborhood bicycle courier who becomes embroiled in a complex but enjoyable plot as he delivers a package which a number of people are desperate to get their hands on.
Michael Shannon stars as the dirty cop Bobby Monday, Vanessa (Dania Ramirez) is Wilee’s former love and Nim Ga (Jamie Chung) is Vanessa’s room-mate who actually instigates the brouhaha with the US$50,000 she has saved up so that her son and mother can be smuggled into the U.S. from China.
Nim Ga has to pay the cash in exchange for two tickets on one of the mysterious Sister Chen’s ships for her beloved family members. That is when the fun starts resulting in Wilee fighting for his life.
Also in the mix are Aaron Tveit as Kyle and Aasif Mandvi as Raj.
Now action thrillers are more my thing, but if you just love action without any acting or thrills or any plot whatsoever go and watch Expendables 2.
The first round of absolute nonsense was so cliched with Big Sly Stallone ‘going back for the young raven-haired damsel in the small village being harassed by the local baddie’, I was sure John Wayne was going to ride past him on a horse.
Anyway the gang are back to have some fun and earn some megabucks without stretching themselves too much, with Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) ready for their next mission with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench also involved.
If you weren’t happy enough with the tons of recent and fading action stars there are new recruits in Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan).
The gang is reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), come on Bruce you are not that desperate, enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like easy money on and off the screen for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries.
But when things go wrong and one of the team is murdered, the Expendables are out for revenge in enemy territory where the odds are stacked against them.
Also making an appearance is former action star Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean Vilain, the leader of a band of mercenaries, well another band of mercenaries that are on the wrong side of the good guys. And the baddest, bad ass star of them all Chuck Norris as Booker. Jeez whoever was in charge of the budget must be sweating.
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Sep
11
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Legacies of War
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It was around four years ago that thirteen year old Duong Ba Dung was playing in his garden. Odds are it was a day as quiet as most in the small village of An My, when the forgotten American bomb that had lain underground for around 36 years detonated, killing Dung as he played.
An My is a tiny village of some 838 people, most even share the same surname. For them, living with the kind of explosive that cost Duong Ba Dung his life is a daily reality. International NGO, MAG, (the Mines Advisory Group) have identified within the 180 households of An My, 116 areas that are host to the kind of unexploded ordnance, (UXO) which took Dung’s life. In total, around 14 million tons of ordnances - around three times that used by the Allies during WWII - was dropped on Vietnam during the American War. It is estimated that some 10% to 30% of that ordnances failed to detonate at the time, leaving a lethal legacy for those who now farm the land that was once battlefield.
A MAG technician investigates a projectile - Photos: Simon Speakman Cordall
MAG, and organizations like them, are gradually working on the clean up that will leave farming land safe for the purpose it should have always been used for. The Vietnamese government estimates that this could take anywhere up to 100 years, at an annual cost of approximately US$1,015 million. At the moment, MAG’s operations are centered on Quang Tri, Quang Bình and Quang Nam Provinces.
It’s around 7.30am at MAG’s field office in An My and already the adult population are at work, bringing in this year’s harvest, leaving it to their children to come and take MAG’s team to the ordnance they’ve been living with and working around since hostilities ended. Duong Ba Canh, age eight, found a .37mm projectile as he helped his father build a toilet. Its lain half buried at the side of a well used track ever since. Had it been triggered, everything within a thirty meter radius would be leveled. The list goes on. Duong Ba Tien, age twelve, knows a 155 mm Projectile that lies where he grazes his family’s water buffalo. It’s been lying on the same white sand beach since the US withdrew and, if triggered, would leave nothing standing for 150 meters.
Nearby, it’s 40C at MAG’s site at Vinh Linh. To move is to sweat. Here, an area of 30,400 square Meters is to be cleared of the UXO that riddles it. MAG estimates that up to thirty pieces of UXO might be lying underfoot. In time, this will become a rubber plantation, providing a livelihood for up to fourteen families in what is still a poor and isolated region. However, for now, it is the site of MAG’s careful and methodical search for the hidden ordnance that could turn that prospect to tragedy. It’s hard and dangerous work. Not least, in the unforgiving midday sun. However, for De-Miner, Duong Thi Hong, under her heavy boots, helmet and 5kg reinforced body amour, it’s the chance to make a lasting difference to the region in which she now raises her children. “Everyone in my village is very proud of me,” she says “they know that I’m making the land safe for them and for the children to play.”
The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs estimate that around 105,000 civilians fell victim to UXO between 1975 and 2007. Even now, up to 15% of Vietnam’s total surface area is still contaminated by the unexploded bombs of a war that nobody wanted. However, with the help of organizations like MAG, there comes the opportunity to build a longer lasting and infinitely more profound legacy; land that is safe for children to play on.
For further information, access http://www.maginternational.org.
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Sep
11
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Pricey Kissho has the wow factor
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I warn you now, though, it ain’t cheap but in my experience you get what you pay for and the food is out of this world. From the outside decor in a plum location downtown, until you walk into the beautifully-designed interior which focuses on the dark side with a touch of red, apparently inspired by Hong Kong-style restaurant interiors, you know you are going somewhere a little bit special.
In fact, as this was my first visit, I thought my wife and her friend had decided to skip dinner and we were going straight to a night club. With all the members of staff on hand and the assistant manager greeting you at the door I expected to be led to a table and be offered a whisky menu.
Thankfully, it was a restaurant after all and I was starving so we sat down and this place had the wow factor. So splendidly designed and you were made to feel like a VIP as we ordered some sake. The bar area/chefs quarter is immaculate and some guests even sat on the extended bar area to enjoy the exquisite fare on offer.
When I say we had sake, it was not just your normal run of the mill Japanese alcohol on offer, in fact we had three different types, thirsty work this eating business.
Now I wasn’t exactly sure what the main differences were between the vials as I am no expert in this particular beverage but it does go down well with sumptuous food.
Ah the food, well for starters it was Tempura Moriawase, basically seafood and vegetables, sushi-wise it was Cal Sake Tataki Maki, Sencha Gohan Unagi Maki and Dragon Avacado Maki. To finish off we had Chawan Mushi, egg custard with seeds of ginko apparently.
With the sake taken care of, we had some green tea to quench our thirst before heading for pastures new.
The logic behind Kissho, is that it offers multi-concept cuisine with the freshest imported seafood in town served by Japanese Executive Chef Inose Tadashi who can even speak a little English. The service is the best I’ve experienced in the city also and food is top-notch. It is not only the best Japanese restaurant in town but it is also the biggest, catering for 200 guests at any one time.
You won’t get much change for dinner for three from VND2 million but you will have a fantastic night that you will remember for a long time.
Kissho Japanese Restaurant is located at 14 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, District 1 and is opened daily from 11 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. Tel: 0838 232223.
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Spectacular views of Danang from Son Tra peninsula
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11/09/2012 09:20:09
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Autumn-Winter Elle Fashion Show 2012 scheduled on Sept. 20
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11/09/2012 09:16:35
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Touching “Children in Wartime” exhibition
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11/09/2012 09:14:42
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13 movies to be released in September
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11/09/2012 09:12:05
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Food fair urges young people to go vegetarian
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11/09/2012 09:09:37
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TV series focus on rural life
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11/09/2012 09:06:24
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Terraced field festival canceled because of fatal landslides
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11/09/2012 08:58:32
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Blind OV woman enters Master Chef final
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11/09/2012 08:55:07
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Vietnam Airlines cooperates with SNCF from France
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11/09/2012 08:52:06
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