Director Jim Sheridan sets the table early on for everything that will unfold in "Brothers." It's a last supper of sorts for the Cahill family, featuring Tobey Maguire as older brother Sam, a Marine captain returning to Afghanistan, and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), younger by a few years, a roguish reprobate just out of jail.
Though it is Sam's experiences on the frontlines that will ultimately sear and shred the Cahills, dinner turns out to be not a bad starting point. As is often the case in Sheridan's movies, family dynamics will actually be the main course with old fights and simmering resentments served alongside rolls and the rest. Unfortunately, the film goes about as badly as the dinner, overcooked or underdone, depending on the scene.
"Brothers" seemed as if it would be a natural progression for Sheridan. If anything, the stress fractures within families represent the director's strongest and most heartfelt work beginning with his first film, "My Left Foot" in 1989, followed a few years later by "In the Name of the Father" and more recently "In America."
There will be echoes of that passion and poignancy in "Brothers." But unlike the clear voice of those earlier films, Sheridan seems as conflicted as the Cahills about their virtues and failings. The underlying themes -- love, loyalty, decency, duty, honor, betrayal -- that screenwriter David Benioff will use to both bind and break this family seem to bedevil him more than inspire him this time out.
As the film opens, the lines are clearly drawn with soldier Sam the good son and parolee Tommy the black sheep. Family patriarch Hank (Sam Shepard), a retired military man burying his war memories in bad temper and booze, stands in as judge and jury.
Sam is barely back in Afghanistan when news of his hero's death comes, leaving wife Grace (Natalie Portman), daughters Maggie (Taylor Geare) and Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and the rest of the family to grieve. We, on the other hand, don't feel as much of the sting having been prepped by a blitz of ads that Sam has actually survived.
Regardless, everyone is forced to deal with Sam. Grace and the girls must figure out their lives without him, Tommy tries to step into the breech and become the good man Sam was, Sam battles the monster that war is turning him into, and we are left to contend as Sheridan struggles to reconcile the duality of the brothers' souls, mainly Sam's.
The director is usually more at home when his characters are in difficult spots, and Sam is certainly in one after his chopper goes down. The Afghan guerrillas who capture him and the other surviving soldier are merciless. The sinkhole that serves as Sam's cell, like the rest of this slice of war, is deep in metaphors, topped only by the one bruising moment that will change the fate of the soldiers and the course of the film.
Maguire, who soared as the clever crime-fighting Spider-Man, has a tough time moving from model soldier to major head case at the pace Sheridan has set. And the cloying menace that served him well in "The Good German" and might have helped fill in some of the missing emotional pieces in "Brothers" eludes him.
Back on the home front after the funeral, everything has gone soft, which plays somewhat better for Gyllenhaal, who was always hard to buy as a prison tough. Still, when he winds up at the local bar one night drowning his sorrows in shots, he looks more likely to get carded than drunk, which doesn't work so well for the stark contrasts the film is trying to create.
Softness comes naturally to Gyllenhaal -- particularly nice are Tommy's moments with the kids, whose sibling spats serve to remind him of his own -- but it's not a particularly good fit for Portman. She is somehow more believable the colder it gets, whether head sheared and battle ready in "V for Vendetta" or tightly corseted with claws out in "The Other Boleyn Girl."
In "Brothers," she seems more girlfriend than wife, more baby-sitter than mother, and the will-they-or-won't-they with Gyllenhaal is so without fire that any thoughts of bed are more likely to be about sleeping than sex.
Really the problems stretch back to that first disastrous dinner. Though you keep looking for a familial bond, the people gathered around the table never felt related. The only Cahill who is at home in his skin is Shepard's aging warrior, and he's just not around enough to save things.
"Nobody gets hurt . . . no bad guys, just good guys," Matt Dillon's scheming security guard tells a recruit in "Armored," a solid heist flick elevated by its ensemble cast and the visual eye of Hungarian-born director Nimrod Antal ("Kontroll").
Naturally, in the best B-movie tradition, the guard's assessment of things doesn't work out quite as planned. People get hurt and some of the good guys aren't so good after all when a $42-million payday enters the picture. You'd think more than one of these guys would have the presence to ask: What's a little money between friends?
The comrades in question are six stubble-sporting tough guys working for Los Angeles-based Eagle Shield Security. Dillon is Cochrane, the man with the plan and godfather to Hackett (Columbus Short), a decorated young vet just back from Iraq and facing foreclosure on his dilapidated home.
Cochrane tells Hackett about a bunch of armored car guards who faked a heist and kept the cash. In his mind, the only mistake they made was not taking enough. Cochrane and his crew members -- played by Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich and Amaury Nolasco -- don't plan on coming up short, but they need Hackett on board.
The particulars of their plan are a little fuzzy, but first-time screenwriter James V. Simpson's screenplay contains a couple of satisfying surprises, as well as a refreshing appreciation for honorable people trying to do the right thing, something of a rarity for this genre. (There's also a nice nod to "Hill Street Blues," delivered by Fred Ward's security supervisor.)
Antal rightly won praise for his creative camera work in his 2005 comic thriller "Kontroll," but his disciplined approach works well here too. Antal's sophomore effort, "Vacancy," showed he had a knack for making the most out of tight spaces and, since much of "Armored" takes place inside its thick-plated trucks, he's the right man for the material.
"Armored" won't win any prizes, but it does offer comforting evidence that there's still room for a well-crafted B movie among CG-laden spectacles. Only Robert Zemeckis' Scrooge could cry humbug at this movie's modest pleasures.
The Tiger Woods scandal has ballooned and this time there's a 4th alleged mistress. Like the other alleged mistresses, mistress #4 has ties to the night scene. Unlike the other alleged mistresses, however, this one is close to home.
#4 is from Orlando, pretty close to Tiger Woods' back yard. She alleges to have begun an affair with Tiger Woods in 2004, and that the affair lasted at least 2 years. She's lawyered up, and expects to hold a press conference with her lawyer "soon".
Ever since Jaimee Grubbs, a former reality TV show contestant, came forward with alleged voice mails and text messages, the Tiger Woods scandal has been getting messier and messier. It is rumored that the first alleged mistress received between $1 million and $3 million to keep from telling her story. Vivid Entertainment, known mostly for porn, has offered $1 million to any woman who is willing to tell her 'Tiger Tale.'
If you do the simple math, you will see that the fourth alleged mistress had an affair with tiger for at least 1 year of his marriage to Elin Nordegren.
The Tiger Woods affair has already cost the golfer millions. According to various reports, his wife will receive at least $75 million after 7 years of marriage, up from $20 million after 10 years. In addition, Elin Nordegren Woods will allegedly receive a lump sum payment of $5 million.
This financial package is in addition to any "hush money" that we may or may not know about. There could possibly be many, many women that have stepped forward and received money without even making the media's radar from the Tiger Woods camp. This, we will never know.
Tiger Woods 4th mistress adds another twist to the tale that people all over Memphis are talking about. People feel sorry for Tiger's family, and wonder how many more secrets will be aired.
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12/06/2009 08:23:00 PM
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It seems Sony Ericsson is having the fourth quarter from hell as news comes in that its high-end Xperia X2, due to be a Vodafone exclusive in the UK, has been delayed and will miss its Q4 launch slot.
This follows the recent news that the Sony Ericsson Satio was withdrawn from Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U shop shelves due to "issues" and the Sony Ericsson Aino is suffering from a buggy touchscreen.
As many of you will know, the Xperia X2 is the successor to Sony Ericsson's X1 and offers a 3.2-inch display, as well as QWERTY keyboard, a panel-based interface, an 8-megapixel camera and will offer Windows Mobile 6.5.
The Vodafone website is now listing the X2 as due in January, meaning the handset will miss the crucial Christmas sales period, instead hitting the shelves when we're at our most skint.
In addition, the Android-based Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is due in February 2010, leaving a dangerously small gap for the X2 to make its mark as the latest and greatest Xperia release.
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12/06/2009 08:20:00 PM
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Harpreet
Sony is offering an exclusive limited edition model of the Reader Pocket Edition, created for fans of romance fiction.
The Mills & Boon Reader Pocket Edition comes pre-loaded with three eBooks - exclusive to the model - as well as a voucher for ten further Mills & Boon eBook downloads.
Jwala Gutta is an Indian Badminton Player, and is considered to be one of the best Women’s Doubles Badminton Players India has ever seen. Partnering along with Shruti Kurien, she makes one of the most deadly Doubles pair on the Indian Badminton court.
Early Life & Introduction to Badminton She was born on the 7th of September 1983 at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh to Mr. Kranti, a Telugu man and Mrs. Yelan, a Chinese woman. Jwala, the elder among the two sisters, received her education at Hyderabad, and began playing the game of Badminton at quite an early age.
National Badminton At the age of 10 years she began her training under Mr. S.M. Arif, a well known Badminton Coach who has been honored with the Dronacharya Award. The first title that she won was the Mini National Badminton Championship for the girls under 13 years of age, held at Thrissur, Kerala. In the year 2000, Jwala won the Junior National Badminton Championship when she was 17 years of age. The same year she won both the Women’s Doubles Junior National Championship and Senior National Badminton Championship in partnership with Shruti Kurien. This was a partnership that was there to stay for a long time. She further won the Women’s Doubles National title for 7 more years in a row, since the year 2002 till the year 2008, in partnership with Shruti Kurien. Jwala partnered with Pullela Gopichand to win the Mixed Doubles National Badminton Championship 2003. In the year 2005 she teemed up with V.Diju and won the Mixed Doubles title for the second time. Further, the Jwala Gutta – V.Diju pair also won the Mixed Doubles National title again in the year 2007 and 2008. Jwala Gutta is one of the most successful Doubles Badminton players of India and her long record of success proves it.
International Badminton She made her foray at the International Badminton scenario in the year 2002 when she played at the Uber Cup tournament. She entered the Pre-Quarter Final round of the India Asia Satellite tournament 2002, and couldn’t fare better in Singles event of any other tournament for some time. In the year 2004, Jwala entered the Semi Final round of the Indian Asian Satellite tournament. In both the Sri Lanka International tournament 2006 and India Satellite tournament 2006 she reached the Quarter Final round where she lost to other opponents.
Performance in Women’s Doubles In the doubles event though, her performance has been better as entered the Semi Final round of her second International Doubles tournament, the India Asia Satellite tournament 2002. She also reached the Semi Final round of the Indian Asian Satellite tournament 2004, and finished Runner Up at the LE VOLANT D’OR Tournament, known as TOULOUSE Open in the year 2004. Further, she reached the Final Rounds of the Scottish International tournament 2004 and 40th Portuguese Badminton Championship 2004. In the year 2006 she won the Sri Lanka International Satellite tournament while in the year 2007 she won the Cyprus Badminton International tournament. The same year, she also won at the Pakistan International Challenge tournament and the Indian International Challenge tournament. Apart from these achievements, Jwala won the Nepal International Series tournament 2008 and Yonex Dutch Open Grand Prix 2008 in the Women’s Doubles category.
Performance in Mixed Doubles In the Mixed Doubles category too, Jwala has shown her excellence as she has grabbed the titles in the Jakarta Satellite tournament and Welsh International tournament in the year 2005, Sri Lanka International Satellite tournament, Cyprus Badminton International tournament and Indian International Challenge tournament in the year 2007, and Nepal International Series tournament, Bitburger Open Grand Prix tournament and KLRC Bulgaria Open Grand Prix tournament in the year 2008.
Personal Life During her Badminton career, Jwala Gutta fell in love with fellow Badminton Player Chetan Anand, who has been the Junior National Badminton Champion in the year 1999, and Senior National Badminton Champion in the year 2003 and 2007, and has been honored with an Arjuna Award. The couple got married on the 17th of July 2005
Role reversal as Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott line up
KEVIN Rudd has a reputation for donning hard hats on construction sites, while Tony Abbott's staunch Catholicism has earned him the nickname of "Mad Monk".
But yesterday, in the first open hostilities between the two, it was Mr Abbott who visited a coalmine in the NSW Hunter Valley vowing to save thousands of jobs threatened by an emissions trading scheme, while the Prime Minister returned fire from the forecourt of St John's Anglican Church in Canberra.
In a direct appeal to Labor's working-class constituency, the newly elected Opposition Leader selected the Bloomfield open-cut coalmine at East Maitland as a backdrop to warn that 16,000 jobs could be lost in the Hunter should the ETS come into effect.
"You only have to listen to the coalmining unions to understand there's a lot of unhappiness among Labor people with Mr Rudd's rushed emissions tax, which is going to put tens of thousands of jobs at risk around Australia and about 16,000 jobs at risk here in the Hunter," Mr Abbott warned.
"The last thing we want to do is jeopardise the competitiveness of Australia's export industries, on which all of us ultimately depend."
With Mr Rudd shelving plans to fly early to the Copenhagen summit next week after US President Barack Obama indicated he would not arrive until later in the talks, Mr Abbott challenged the Prime Minister to a series of debates on climate change. "The problem is, Mr Rudd has explained his emissions tax more to Barack Obama than he has to the Australian people," he said.
In what promises to be an increasingly bitter contest between the two men, the Liberal leader
took aim at critics who seek to define him by his Catholicism, and swiped at Kevin Rudd's new prime ministerial tradition of holding "press sermons" outside church most Sundays.
Describing Mr Rudd as sounding "more like a public servant in a seminar than a retail politician", Mr Abbott said his personal faith was a private matter, and asked why journalists did not grill Mr Rudd on his religious beliefs.
Responding to a pointed question from the Nine Network's Laurie Oakes about whether or not he believed in evolution, Mr Abbott said his faith was "not out there in the political marketplace".
"I don't do doorsteps in front of church, Laurie," Mr Abbott said.
"I mean, if there's one person who's put religion front and centre in the public square, to use his phrase, it's Kevin Rudd.
"So please, next time Kevin's here, grill him on evolution and all these other subjects."
As if to prove the point, down in Canberra, Mr Rudd emerged from morning service at St John's Anglican Church in Reid to issue a rebuke to Mr Abbott on climate change policy.
"Despite our differences, Mr Howard had a policy on climate change, as did Mr Turnbull. It was called an emissions trading scheme. I have a policy on climate change. It's called an emissions trading scheme," Mr Rudd said.
"I'd suggest the current Leader of the Opposition calms down, puts in the hard yards and actually develops a policy on climate change."
Mr Abbott has vowed that he will take neither an ETS nor a carbon tax to the next election.
And that policy, raw as it is, found plenty of support with the manager of the Bloomfield mine, John Richards. Mr Richards said the miners who would be most affected by an ETS would be those in "gassy underground mines".
"Open-cut miners will also be hurt, but to a lesser extent," he said. "If the ETS goes ahead, it will impose a direct increase of $1.40 to $2 per tonne dependent on our production costs."
Reliance Mobile ODI Championship ICC ODI Cricket Teams Rankings and Ratings
Rankings
Cricket Teams
Matches
Points
Rating
1
ICC Cricket Australia Team
38
4907
129
2
ICC Cricket India Team
36
4443
123
3
ICC Cricket South Africa Team
21
2550
121
4
ICC Cricket New Zealand Team
24
2630
110
5
ICC Cricket Pakistan Team
27
2952
109
6
ICC Cricket England Team
30
3193
106
7
ICC Cricket Sri Lanka Team
31
3298
106
8
ICC Cricket West Indies Team
21
1589
76
9
ICC Cricket Bangladesh Team
28
1548
55
10
ICC Cricket Zimbabwe Team
30
791
26
11
ICC Cricket Ireland Team
6
152
25
12
ICC Cricket Kenya Team
14
28
2
ICC Twenty20 Rankings, Twenty20 Ratings, Twenty20 Team Rankings 2009
Ranking
ICC Twenty20 Cricket Teams
Twenty20 Matches
ICC (20 20) Points
ICC Twenty20 Cricket Ratings
1
ICC Cricket South Africa Team
19
3866
220
2
ICC Cricket Pakistan Team
17
3630
218
3
ICC Cricket India Team
13
2603
214
4
ICC Cricket Sri Lanka Team
13
2738
207
5
ICC Cricket West Indies Team
11
1969
206
6
ICC Cricket Australia Team
22
4780
206
7
ICC Cricket England Team
17
3102
205
8
ICC Cricket New Zealand Team
23
4275
194
9
ICC Cricket Bangladesh Team
12
2078
148
10
ICC Cricket Zimbabwe Team
6
1106
138
11
ICC Cricket Canada Team
4
590
74
12
ICC Cricket Kenya Team
4
421
53
13
ICC Cricket Netherlands Team
2
350
44
14
ICC Cricket Scotland Team
3
310
39
15
ICC Cricket Ireland Team
1
227
28
The Reliance Mobile ICC Cricket Rankings are the authorized guide to the qualified merit of cricket batsmen, cricket bowlers and cricket all rounders in Test cricket matches and one day international cricket.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has connected with Reliance Mobile to generate and endorse the ICC Test Championship Rankings, the ICC One Day International Championship Rankings and the ICC Player Rankings.
The ICC cricket Player Rankings are a broadly followed method of rankings for international cricket players based on their latest show in cricket matches. The present sponsor is Reliance Mobile who has signed a agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) that will end until 2015.
ICC cricket ratings were developed at the proposal of Ted Dexter in 1987. The purpose was to generate an enhanced signal of cricket players' present rank in the cricket sport than is endowing with by comparing cricket players averages. Cricket players Career averages are stand on a player's entire cricket career and do not build any stipend for cricket match circumstances or the power of the opponent, whereas the cricket ratings are biased in the direction of current form and relation for cricket match environment and the worth of the opponent using numerical dealings.
Originally the ICC cricket rankings or ratings were for Test cricket only, but separate One Day International cricket ratings or rankings were established in 1998. Together sets of cricket rankings of cricket ratings have not been determined back to the begin of those forms of the cricket game.
International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Ranking and Cricket Ratings, Cricket Team Rankings and Ratings, Cricket Player Rankings and Ratings.
Related ICC Cricket Rankings and Cricket Ratings are: icc cricket ranking, icc cricket, cricket ranking, icc world ranking, icc ranking test, odi ranking, icc team ranking, world cricket ranking, India icc ranking.
Denmark’s Joachim Fisher Nielsen (L) and Christinna Pedersen celebrates after winning the final match against India’s V. Diju (R) and Jwala Gutta during World Super Series badminton tournament in Johor Baru, December 6, 2009.
Legendary actress Bina Rai, who charmed Indian audiences with her performances in 'Anarkali' and 'Taj Mahal' and won a Filmfare award for 'Ghunghat', died of a heart attack in her Mumbai home Sunday. She was 78.
Bina was married to actor Prem Nath, who was well-known filmmaker Raj Kapoor's brother-in-law. She is survived by two sons - Prem Kishan and Kailash Nath.
'Her funeral will take place in Banganga (in South Mumbai) Monday at around 4 p.m. We are waiting for my brother Prem Kishen. He is on his way back from abroad,' Kailash, also known as Monty, told IANS.
Bina, who went on a hunger strike to convince her parents to allow her to act in movies, entered Bollywood with director Kishore Sahu's film 'Kali Ghata' in 1951. Later she featured in movies like 'Vallah Kya Baat Hai' (1962), 'Bandi' (1957), 'Changez Khan' (1957), 'Durgesh Nandini' (1956), 'Marine Drive' (1955) and 'Aurat' (1953).
But she is still remembered for her roles in 'Anarkali' (1953) and Taj Mahal' (1963). Her last film was L.V. Prasad's 'Daadi Maa' that was released in 1966.
Her son Prem Krishen, who had tried his luck in Hindi films with 'Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaye', is a successful TV producer and has made hit serials like 'Gul Gulshan Gulfam' and 'Junoon'.
Bina's granddaughter Akanksha too entered films with 'Yeh Mohabbat Hai', but the film didn;t work at the box office and she decided to bow out.
Her grandson Sidharth, however, is a successful TV director. He wielded the megaphone for the hit TV serial 'Sanjivani'.
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8/01/2009 04:40:00 AM
Posted by
Harpreet
Symbolism of Yellow Rose Yellow Rose was chosen as the official flower for Friendship Day festival because it symbolizes joy, friendship, delight, promise of a new beginning, "remember me", and "I care". Florists say, a yellow rose with red tip stands for friendship and falling in love.
Tradition of Gifting Yellow Rose on Friendship Day Popularity of yellow rose as a Friendship Day flower has grown up tremendously over the years. Every year on Friendship Day florists do extensive marketing for the promotion of Yellow Rose as a friendship flower. The idea seems to have caught up with youth as they exchange bouquets of Yellow Roses with all their friends. Tradition of exchanging single buds of yellow rose is also quite popular amongst youth across the world. No wonder, price of yellow rose escalates sharply on Friendship Day.
In the present technologically advanced age, people find it convenient to order flowers online especially for friends staying in other cities.
Origin of Yellow Roses It is said that yellow wild roses were discovered growing in the Middle East somewhere in the 18th Century. These wild roses from Afghanistan and Southwest Asia blossomed in colors from pale yellow to deep sulphur. When these pretty looking yellow roses were brought back to Europe they caused a sensation. Soon they were planted and the first attempts at hybridization with yellow roses took place. However, The yellow rose species were not capable of resistance to a dreadful fungal disease called blackspot. Besides, some of them emitted a very foul scent. But with time and patience, the hybridizes began turning out some lovely creations. Today, Yellow roses have come a long way since that first introduction. They demonstrate tremendous vigor both as shrubs and climbers and come in a variety of flower form from single to densely petal packed doubles in many glorious shades of pale lemon creams, deep golds, true yellows, buff yellows, peach yellows and coppery yellows. In addition, the rather undesirable scent characteristics prevalent in the original species roses have been bred out and replaced by more pleasing perfumes!
1 comments
8/01/2009 04:19:00 AM
Posted by
Harpreet
Friendship Day Poem
I thank and praise god for every memory of yours You are stalwart and sunshine in the valley of life May god continues to strengthen you with might May He lights your path in every alley or night And bless you with grace that is never ceasing. Be my friend Ash (only in this life, because in our next life you know better what I want you to be) I love you forever Ashwini From Neeraj Gupta