If Guy Ritchie went to Hong Kong to direct an episode of Heroes, the result might not be far off Push.
As it is, Paul McGuigan - of Gangster No 1 and Lucky Number Slevin fame - is in the director's chair. He brings us a story of normal people who possess abnormal powers thanks to a sinister government experiment carried out in the post-war years to create deadly human weapons.
This is all explained in Dakota Fanning's rambling voice-over during the opening credits. It's just as well, since what follows is a deeply confusing story about one set of disgruntled youths fighting another for reasons that are often unclear.
Cassie (Fanning) is a "watcher", which means she can see the future. Nick (Chris Evans) is a "mover", which means he can move things using his brain. And Kira (Camilla Belle) is a "pusher", which means she can get into people's heads.
While Cassie frantically scribbles her psychic snapshots on a notepad, Nick is shifting dice an inch to the right to ensure maximum winnings and Kira is convincing people of things that didn't happen. She is also the first of her kind to survive a deadly injection, and has escaped from hospital with a syringe of the venom.
Division, an organisation peopled by suited everythugs, is after her. Cassie and Nick must track down Kira and her briefcase, which contains the syringe, before Division does. Otherwise, as Cassie artfully shows Nick on her pad (picture two heads with tongues lolling out): "We die."
A triad gang, each with their own powers - including the piece de resistance, a scream so loud it can kill - are equally intent on stopping them.
So that's the set-up: opposing teams with various superhuman skills are all after the briefcase.
The mists of confusion begin to swirl as we move from one Crouching Tiger-style fight scene to another. There is also some hiding in a noodle shop and talk of unhappy childhoods (the characters' parents were also endowed with such advanced powers that Division had to step in).
What exactly they are doing wiping each other's memories, sending guns floating across the room to stick against each other's temples and predicting what the other gangs will do in retaliation is not always clear. But it certainly looks good. And using the humdrum of Hong Kong as the setting was a clever move: we are often so busy looking at the dazzling forest of skyscrapers and grimy floating markets that we don't actually care what's happening. The interior shots are equally slick, with each room a designer's kitsch dream of dragons and 1960s prints.
In fact, the film's visual flair could have almost been enough to save it, if only the casting had been better. Why, for instance, is the 28-year-old Evans attempting to play a 16-year-old? Is Hollywood not bursting at the seams with young bucks just right for a renegade superhuman role? And while Fanning may have been perfect for the wide-eyed innocence of Charlotte's Web and The Secret Life of Bees, her miniskirted 13-year-old with dyed-red hair and streetwise attitude only serves to prove the difficulties child actors face in navigating the choppy seas of teendom. And Belle, who as Kira only has to look inscrutably pale and wan (her allegiance is unclear, you see), is woefully underused.
For all its style and swagger, Push is something of a hat without the rabbit. The story has promise but is poorly executed. And the cast is too bland to make us care whether or not they end up with their tongues lolling out of their mouths. In fact, the whole experience would be improved immeasurably if you hit the mute button. Then you won't have to listen to our Chinese friend's glass-shattering screams.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Company%20Profile
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'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
FORSPOKEN
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Company%20of%20Heroes%203
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Star%20Wars%20Jedi%3A%20Survivor
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Starfield
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THURSDAY'S FIXTURES
4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors
6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils
8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
