I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Friday, December 13, 2013
Katrina drama is Paul Walker’s finest hour
Price: Rp 3.000,-
Entertainment
LOS ANGELES — An ingeniously simple setup is cunningly exploited for maximum suspense in “Hours,” a slow-building, consistently engrossing drama set during and immediately after the devastation wrought on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Making a most impressive debut as feature helmer, scripter Eric Heisserer graduates from savvy genre fare (“Final Destination 5”) to more mainstream moviemaking with this intense tale of a father’s desperate efforts to keep his prematurely born daughter alive in a hospital abandoned after power is knocked out by flooding. with his daughter until help arrives. It’s a long wait. Through effective use of actual newscasts from the period, “Hours” underscores a brutal irony — Katrina actually missed New Orleans, but the levee breaks caused flooding in 80% of the city — while establishing the full measure of the threat facing Nolan and his newborn. When the power cuts off and backup generators fail, he must repeatedly crank a backup battery that works, at best, for three minutes between crankings, while scavenging for food and supplies throughout the hospital. At one point, his spirits are lifted by the seemingly miraculous appearance of a rescue dog. But then other, far less welcome visitors arrive. A few supporting players (including Kerry Cahill as a sympathetic nurse) are used fleetingly but effectively, and Gen-
esis Rodriguez makes a strong impression with limited screen time in flashbacks. For the most part, though, “Hours” is practically a one-man show, with Walker alone on-camera for lengthy stretches as Nolan passes time talking to his baby, or himself, and dashing hither and yon between battery-cranks while on beat-the-clock explorations and supply runs. The new father pushes himself to the point of exhaustion and beyond in ways that will ring true, and perhaps profoundly unsettle, simpatico parents watching the pic. Walker gracefully balances the drama on his shoulders. His character’s situation seems all the more dire as Heisserer shrewdly amps up the tension with Benjamin Wallfisch’s propulsive musical score, Jaron Presant’s nimble lensing and Sam Bauer’s sharp editing.
A wide-open field hopes for Golden Globes invites
Associated Press Writer
Will the Golden Globes nominations bring focus to an awards season that’s so far been blurry? The best-picture contenders are many, with early honors being given by various groups to the space odyssey “Gravity,” the slave epic “12 Years a Slave,” the futuristic romance “Her,” the con-artist caper “American Hustle” and the folk tale “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Also in the mix: the finance world comedy “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the Somali pirate tale “Captain Phillips,” the HIV drama “Dallas Buyers Club,” the father-son road trip “Nebraska,” the making-of “Mary Poppins” story “Saving Mr. Banks,” the Civil rights history “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “August: Osage County,” the starry adaptation of Tracy Letts’ prize-winning play. Perhaps we’ll get more clarity on the season when the nominations for the 71st annual Golden Globes are announced Thursday morning in Beverly Hills, Calif., by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana and Aziz Ansari will be on hand to read
AP Photo/Fox Searchlight, Jaap Buitendijk
the results. Since the Globes divide many of their categories in two, between drama and comedy or musical, there’s a lot of room for all of the above movies — even if some films will have to contort themselves to slide into one category or the other. This year’s comedy competition could be the strongest field ever for the Globes. Though usually an easier pathway to a nomination, the group potentially includes David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” Martin Scorsese’s
This image released by Fox Searchlight shows Chiwetel Ejiofor, center, in a scene from “12 Years A Slave.” The Golden Globes nominations will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 12.
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” Spike Jonze’s “Her” and the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Bur clarity isn’t always provided by the Golden Globes. The awards and their boozy telecast are known for a desire to attract stars, even if their films aren’t quite up to snuff. (It will be a long time before the HFPA lives down its nominations for Johnny Depp’s “The Tourist.”) This year’s ceremony on Jan. 12 will again be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
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Friday, December 13, 2013
Bali Police deploy 2/3 personnel, entrances of Bali guarded
Thailand’s selfexiled ex-PM may never return home
Dortmund leave it late, Milan limp into last 16
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A giant christmas tree is displayed in front of a ferris wheel, on a plaza decorated for Christmas in Nice, southeastern France, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Several Christmas decorations are displayed in the centre of Nice city. Indonesian police warned Thursday that Islamic extremists may be planning to target worshippers at Christmas and New Year celebrations in the capital Jakarta and other parts of the country.
Associated Press Writer
The late Paul Walker (“Fast & Furious”) capably and compellingly rises to the demands of the role of Nolan Hayes, a loving husband who races his pregnant wife Abigail to a New Orleans hospital when she goes into labor unexpectedly. Onscreen titles announce the extent of the couple’s wrong-place/wrong-time hospital arrival: the early hours of Aug. 29, 2005, just as gale-force winds caused by Katrina relentlessly pummel the Crescent City. Abigail dies during childbirth, but the stunned Nolan has little time to mourn. His newborn child is placed in a ventilator, where, a doctor explains, she must remain for at least 48 hours. Unfortunately, when the city’s levee system fails, floodwaters force the evacuation of the hospital. Worse still, the ventilator cannot be moved, so Nolan must remain behind
WEATHER FORECAST 23 - 32 Dps
AP Photo/Pantelion Films, Skip Bolen
This photo released by Pantelion Films shows Paul Walker in a scene from the film, “Hours,” directed by Eric Heisserer. The Pantelion Films release is in theaters on Dec. 13, 2013.
Indonesia warns of Christmas terror attack threat
Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - Indonesian police warned Thursday that Islamic extremists may be planning to target worshippers at Christmas and New Year celebrations in the capital Jakarta and other parts of the country. National police chief Sutarman said there were indications that militants were heading to areas they wished to target, and may be assembling bombs. “The terrorists have cells everywhere and they are active. We are continuing to pursue them,” Sutarman, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told reporters in Jakarta. He did not give details about any of the suspected terror groups. Indonesia’s small Christian minority has come under increasing pressure in recent years from Islamic hardliners, who have forced the closure of churches and protested
outside places of worship. However the minority has not been targeted by a terror attack -- a bombing or a shooting -- since 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked a church in Solo, Central Java province. Most such terror attacks in recent times have been lowlevel and targeted police. Since 2000, when improvised bombs disguised as Christmas gifts delivered to churches and clergymen killed 19 people and injured scores more across Indonesia, police have gone on high alert at the festive season. But officials rarely give such specific warnings as that
AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau
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issued on Thursday. Sutarman said that as well as the capital, militants were thought to be targeting central Sulawesi island, parts of which are known as a terror hotbed, and other regions which he declined to name. “We call on people to stay calm as police will ensure security for those celebrating Christmas and New Year,” he said. He added that police were monitoring the suspected terror cells and would only move against them when their plans were thought to be at an advanced stage. Indonesia has waged a crackdown on Islamic militant networks over the past decade after attacks on Western targets, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. The crackdown has succeeded in dismantling groups seen as a major threat although small terror cells still exist.