News & Comments

Eagle Eye is a 2008 thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. The two portray a young man and a single mother ...

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The "cell phone thriller" is becoming a genre unto itself, and Eagle Eye should be considered a key example of the form. Frankly preposterous but compulsively watchable, this movie puts Shia LaBeouf in a mess of trouble instigated by a mysterious telephone voice. If he doesn't follow orders, dire things will happen--although when he does follow orders, the consequences are pretty dire, anyway. Also being blackmailed is a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) receiving similar phone calls. Why are they being jerked around by the purring female voice, and why is the road leading to Washington, D.C.? Actually, you won't have time to contemplate these questions, because director D.J. Caruso (who guided LaBeouf in Disturbia) keeps the action going at the customary breakneck pace. This is a wise move, because the real questions you'd likely be asking have to do with the plausibility of events on a minute-by-minute basis (most notably: how could Mysterious Phone Voice possibly know that the two pigeons would survive the hoops she makes them fly through, each one more death-defying than the last?). The actors tumble through this mayhem like scattering bowling pins, including Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson as government agents. Nobody has time to make much of an impression, and LaBeouf has much less room for puppydog charm than he did in Disturbia. Even that would be all right within the movie's berserk parameters, but the really irritating thing is the way the tacked-on final scenes reverse what would have been a heroic climax. No guts, no glory. --Robert Horton

Alaska - Raw Video: Russian Tanker Inches Closer to fuel-starved Nome

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by AssociatedPress

A Russian tanker is preparing to off-load more than a million gallons of diesel and gasoline to fuel-starved Nome. (Jan. 14)

Iraq - Bomb Kills at Least 53 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by AssociatedPress

A bomb killed at least 53 Shiite pilgrims near the southern port city of Basra on Saturday, an Iraqi official said. (Jan. 14)

Italy - Dozens missing from stricken Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.net/ Dozens of people are still unaccounted for after a Mediterranean cruise ship ran aground off the west coast of Italy.

Divers are searching the submerged decks of the Costa Concordia and coastguards are scouring the waters for survivors.

Reports say the three people confirmed dead are two French tourists and a Peruvian crew member.

The authorities are stressing that the number of missing has continued to come down as people's whereabouts becomes known.

Survivors described the scene as the ship hit the rocks.
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Cruise Ship Survivors: Crew Acted Too Slowly

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by AssociatedPress

Passengers aboard a cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Italy say the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate and delayed lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily. (Jan. 14)

Tunisia - Pride and despair one year after revolt

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.net/ The Arab Spring is one year old and they have been celebrating in the place where it all started - Tunisia.

People gathered in Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis where protests against the then President Ben Ali reached their climax, forcing him to flee a year ago today.

Despite Tunisia's progress since, problems remain including poverty, unemployment and corruption.

One man in the crowd said he had been suffering for the last six months and that nobody cared.

Taiwan - re-elects president Ma Ying-jeou, endorsing China policy

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.net/ Taiwan has re-elected its president, endorsing Ma Ying-jeou's push for closer ties with China.

Thousands of supporters braved pouring rain in central Taipei to celebrate his victory.

"In the next four years, cross-strait relations will be more peaceful, with greater mutual trust and the chance of conflict will be less," he told them. "I must let Taiwan have a long-lasting environment of peace and stability."

China has indicated it welcomes Ma's re-election.

Egypt - Mohamed ElBaradei has pulled out of the race to become Egyptian president

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.net/ Mohamed ElBaradei has pulled out of the race to become Egyptian president, saying the old regime is still running the country.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former head of the UN nuclear watchdog said the country was being pushed away from the aims of the revolution.

ElBaradei has strongly criticised Egypt's military rulers since Mubarak's overthrow.