Premium Rush
''Premium Rush'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by David Koepp and written by Koepp and John Kamps. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, and Jamie Chung. It follows a bicycle messenger chased around New York City by a corrupt police officer who wants an envelope the messenger has. It was released on August 24, 2012 by Columbia Pictures. Plot Wilee is a disenchanted Columbia Law School graduate who has put off taking the bar exam because he could not bear to enter the humdrum life of the legal profession. He finds meaning and purpose in being employed as a thrill-seeking New York City bicycle messenger, despite arguments with his girlfriend and fellow bike messenger, Vanessa, who insists that he should make something of himself. Even his choice of bike is unconventional; steel frame, fixed gear, no brakes. Vanessa's roommate, Nima, has asked Vanessa to move out for a personal reason she does not disclose. Vanessa is in the proces ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Koepp
David Koepp (; born June 9, 1963) is an American filmmaker. Koepp is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.3 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres: thriller, science fiction, comedy, action, drama, crime, superhero, horror, adventure, and fantasy. Some of the best-known films he has written include the sci-fi adventure films ''Jurassic Park'' (1993), '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997), and ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' (2008); the crime film ''Carlito's Way'' (1993); the action spy films '' Mission: Impossible'' (1996) and '' Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'' (2014); the superhero film ''Spider-Man'' (2002); the sci-fi disaster film '' War of the Worlds'' (2005) and the mystery thriller ''Angels & Demons'' (2009). Koepp has directed seven feature films over the course of his career: '' The Trigger Effect'' (1996), '' St ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hawaladar
Hawala or hewala ( ar, حِوالة , meaning ''transfer'' or sometimes ''trust''), also known as in Persian, and or in Somali, is a popular and informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money brokers (known as ''hawaladars''). They operate outside of, or parallel to, traditional banking, financial channels and remittance systems. The system requires a minimum of two hawaladars that take care of the "transaction" without the movement of cash or telegraphic transfer. While hawaladars are spread throughout the world, they are primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Hawala follows Islamic traditions but its use is not limited to Muslims. Origins The hawala system originated in India. Hawala as a legal concept came to be described as early as 1327, according to Schramm and Taube, though the actual practice has existed since the 8th century between Indian, Arab and Musl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Anthony Chisholm (actor)
Anthony Chisholm (April 9, 1943 – October 16, 2020) was an American actor. Career He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a play, for his role of Elder Joseph Barlow in August Wilson's ''Radio Golf''. He also performed on Broadway in August Wilson's ''Gem of the Ocean'' in the role of "Solly Two Kings", and ''Two Trains Running'' in the role of "Wolf". He is a winner of both the Drama Desk Award and the Obie Award for August Wilson's ''Jitney'', which enjoyed a ten-month run in New York City. He is also the recipient of the NAACP Theatre Award, the AUDELCO Award, the Ovation Award, and the I.R.N.E. Award. He also received nominations for the Drama Desk Awards (2), Drama League Award (1), Joseph Jefferson Award (4), Ovation Award (4), NAACP Theatre Awards (2), and AUDELCO Award (2). He performed internationally in the hit Vietnam play, ''Tracers'', at The Seymour Center, Sydney, Australia; the Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Australia; The Royal Co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brian Koppelman
Brian William Koppelman (born April 27, 1966) is an American showrunner. Koppelman is the co-writer of ''Ocean's Thirteen'' and ''Rounders'', the producer for films including '' The Illusionist'' and '' The Lucky Ones'', the director for films including '' Solitary Man'' and the documentary ''This Is What They Want'' for ESPN as part of their ''30 for 30'' series, and the co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Showtime's '' Billions'' and ''Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.'' Early life and education Koppelman was born on April 27, 1966 in Roslyn Harbor, New York, the son of Brenda "Bunny" Koppelman and Charles Koppelman. Koppelman is Jewish. His father was a producer and media executive. Koppelman holds degrees from Tufts University and Fordham University School of Law. Career He first started managing local Long Island bands as a teenager. He would also book bands at a local nightclub. Through booking acts, he came into contact with Eddie Murphy and helped arrang ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Henry O
Henry O (; born July 7, 1927) is a former Chinese-American actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of ''Red Scarf Girl''. O was born in Shanghai in 1927 and attended British and American missionary schools in China. He worked as a stage actor in China before switching to film work after moving to the United States. During the Cultural Revolution he was falsely accused of counter-revolutionary crimes and was detained and forced to do hard labor by the Chinese government. Personal life O and his family left China and settled in the United States in the 1980s to take care of his daughter Ji-yun's children. Henry O is his stage named and is derived from O. Henry. O resides in San Francisco area and is married to Ying Chen. They have three children including Jiang Ji-yong, Jiang Ji-yun and author Ji-li Jiang. O is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Filmography Most of O's credits after 1983 are after his arrival to the United States. Television * ''Marco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ashley Austin Morris
Ashley Austin Morris (born Ashley Morris, ) is an American comedian, playwright, and stage, television, and film actress. She is best known for her role as Francine Carruthers in the revival of the PBS Kids children's series ''The Electric Company'', which ran from 2009 to 2011. Career Morris was born in San Antonio, Texas. After finishing high school, she joined a comedy troupe called "Viva La Vulva!" and contributed to the group's writing and sketch comedy. The following year, she enrolled at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and co-starred in a production called ''Be Good, Daniel'', a short comedy romance. She also wrote ''Libido Limbo'', a play about Lady M, Nora, Blanche, and Medea being trapped in purgatory and being saved by Hillary Clinton, which was a finalist at Atlanta's Young Playwrights Festival. Morris moved to New York City after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and landed roles in off-Broadway productions ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aasif Mandvi
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other television work includes the HBO comedy series '' The Brink'' and the CBS/ Paramount+ psychological drama ''Evil''. His film roles include playing Mr. Aziz in '' Spider-Man 2'' and Commander Zhao in '' The Last Airbender'', and his stage work includes appearing on Broadway as Ali Hakim in '' Oklahoma!''. Early life Mandvi was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, to a Dawoodi Bohra Muslim family. His family moved to England, settling, when he was a year old, in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford. His father, Hakim, who had originally come to work in textiles research at Bradford University, later ran a corner shop, while his mother, Fatima, was a nurse. Mandvi attended the independent Woodhouse Grove School, and he identifies himself as a "working- ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wolé Parks
Wolé Parks (born July 27, 1982) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Dallas Griffin in the CBS daytime soap opera ''As the World Turns'', and as Sam Alexander in the Lifetime comedy-drama series ''Devious Maids''. He appeared in the 8th season of ''The Vampire Diaries'', playing the role of 'Cade' and portrays John Henry Irons in ''Superman & Lois''. Early life and education Parks was born in New York City, to a Belizean mother named Lilith Parks and a Tanzanian father whom he did not meet until adulthood. He is a graduate of New York University with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts and a B.A. in Mathematics. Career He first joined the cast of the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' on November 14, 2007 taking over the role of Dallas Griffin. Parks guest-starred in ''Law & Order'', its spin-off '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''Gossip Girl'', as well as starring in the sixth season of MTV's anthology series '' Undressed''. In film, Parks was seen alongside Kevin B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Flash Mob
A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Flash mobs may be organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. The term, coined in 2003, is generally not applied to events and performances organized for the purposes of politics (such as protests), commercial advertisement, publicity stunts that involve public relation firms, or paid professionals. In these cases of a planned purpose for the social activity in question, the term smart mobs is often applied instead. The term " flash rob" or "flash mob robberies", a reference to the way flash mobs assemble, has been used to describe a number of robberies and assaults perpetrated suddenly by groups of teenage youth. Bill Wasik, originator of the first flash mobs, and a number of other commentators have questioned or objected to the usage of "flash m ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown () is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100,000 people, Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.* * * * * Manhattan's Chinatown is also one of the oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves. The Manhattan Chinatown is one of nine Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City, as well as one of twelve in the New York metropolitan area, which contains the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, comprising an estimated 893,697 uniracial individuals as of 2017. Historically, Chinatown was primarily populated by Cantonese speakers. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, large numbers of Fuzhounese-speaking immigrants also arrived and formed a sub-neighborhood annexed to the eastern portion of Chinatown east of The Bowery, which has beco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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New York Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in the United States. The NYPD headquarters is at 1 Police Plaza, located on Park Row in Lower Manhattan near City Hall. The NYPD's regulations are compiled in title 38 of the '' New York City Rules''. The NYC Transit Police and NYC Housing Authority Police Department were fully integrated into the NYPD in 1995. Dedicated units of the NYPD include the Emergency Service Unit, K9, harbor patrol, highway patrol, air support, bomb squad, counter-terrorism, criminal intelligence, anti-organized crime, narcotics, mounted patrol, public transportation, and public housing units. The NYPD employs over 50,000 people, including more than 35,000 uniformed officers. According to the official CompStat database, the NYPD responded to nearly ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Problem Gambling
Problem gambling or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to ''DSM-5'' if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is a common disorder associated with social and family costs. The ''DSM-5'' has re-classified the condition as an addictive disorder, with those affected exhibiting many similarities to those with substance addictions. The term ''gambling addiction'' has long been used in the recovery movement. Pathological gambling was long considered by the American Psychiatric Association to be an impulse-control disorder rather than an addiction. However, data suggest a closer relationship between pathological gambling and substance use disorders than exists between PG and obsessive-compulsive disorder, mainly because the behaviors in problem gambling and most primary substance use disorders (i.e., those not resulting from a desire to "self-medicate" fo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |