Movie review: Wonder Woman reinvigorates tired superhero conventions

The story is repositioned to the trenches of World War I

“Wonder Woman! All the world’s waiting for you,” rang the theme song to the classic 1970s television show as one-time Miss World America, Lynda Carter, transformed into the star-spangled superhero. Yet while gun-toting raccoons headline today’s superhero movies, the world has waited a long time for its most famous female superhero to receive a dedicated film.

Female superheroes have been confined to sidekick roles (Black Widow is the highest profile Avenger without her own movie) or relegated to TV (where Jessica Jones and Supergirl kick ass on a weekly basis). Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is the first major female-led superhero movie - and as a hero, her antecedents reach back to the suffragettes.

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As historian Jill Lepore details in The Secret History of Wonder Woman, the formative years of Wonder Woman’s creator, psychologist William Moulton Marston, took place against the backdrop of the suffragette movement. As a freshman, he had heard Emmeline Pankhurst speak when she visited Harvard in 1911.

An advocate for women’s rights, Marston would later describe the “blood-curdling masculinity” of comic books as their “worst offence”. His remedy? To create a “feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman”. So in October 1941, All Star Comics introduced Wonder Woman, “to whom the problems and feats of men are mere child’s play”. Read more

Pop sensation Justin Bieber arrives in India

Justin Bieber is accompanied by Bollywood star Salman Khan's personal bodyguard Shera

International pop sensation Justin Bieber arrived here on Wednesday for his maiden concert in India.

The 23-year-old arrived at the Kalina airport at around 1:30 am in a chartered flight along with his crew.

The singer, who was sporting a pink hoodie, rushed out of the airport, where a group of fans had gathered to welcome him, to a waiting car which took him to his hotel in Lower Parel. He was accompanied by Bollywood star Salman Khan's personal bodyguard Shera.

His backstage crew, along with his security team, is already stationed in the hotel.

After rocking the stage in Dubai on May 6, the "Love Yourself" singer is set to perform in Mumbai on Wednesday.

A rage among the youth, especially teenagers, Bieber is touring to promote his critically-acclaimed album "Purpose".

Titled the "Purpose World Tour", around 45,000 'Beliebers' are expected to be in attendance for the Grammy- winning singer's first-ever show in India at Navi Mumbai's D Y Patil Stadium.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said 500 security personnel along with 25 officers have been deployed to ensure proper security at the stadium, with drone cameras keeping a constant watch.

Apart from local police and the singer's own security detail, Salman Khan's bodyguard Shera has also been roped in to ensure Bieber's safety. Read more

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बाबा रामदेव के साथ डांस करने में एक्टर रनवीर सिंह के छूटे पसीने, वीडियो हुआ वायरल

एक्टर रनवीर सिंह ने बाबा रामदेव को डांस करने के लिए उकसाया तो जोश में आए बाबा ने ऐसा डांस किया कि सब देखते रह गए।

दिल्ली। एक न्यूज चैनल के प्रोग्राम में जब बाबा रामदेव ने अपने योग वाले डांस का जलवा दिखाया तो साथ देने वाले फिल्म एक्टर रनवीर सिंह के पसीने छूट गए। रनवीर सिंह ने ही बाबा रामदेव को डांस करने के लिए चैलेंज दिया था। पहले तो बाबा हिचके लेकिन उसके बाद उन्होंने ऐसा डांस किया कि देखने वाले देखते रह गए। उनका डांस वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो गया है।

रनवीर सिंह ने बाबा को दिया डांस चैलेंज एजेंडा आज तक की महफिल में एक्टर रनवीर सिंह, बाबा रामदेव के मजे लेने लगे और उन पर डांस करने के लिए जोर डालने लगे। बाबा पहले तो डांस के लिए तैयार नहीं हुए। उन्होंने रनवीर को कुश्ती लड़ने के लिए कहा। लेकिन रनवीर सिंह डांस करने की ही बात करते रहे और महफिल में उन्होंने इसके लिए सबसे तालियां भी बजवा लीं। अचानक बाबा रामदेव को आया जोश जब रनवीर सिंह ने बहुत जोर डाला तो बाबा रामदेव भी बाद में पीछे नहीं हटे। रनवीर सिंह के चैलेंज को स्वीकार करते हुए मंच पर चढ़ गए। इसके बाद बाबा रामदेव ने अपनी लुंगी कमर तक बांधी और रनवीर सिंह को डांस के लिए ललकारा। बाबा रामदेव बहुत तेजी से योगासन की अलग-अलग मुद्रा में डांस करने लगे और रनवीर कपूर उनका साथ देते हुए हांफने लगे। रनवीर सिंह ने मान ली अपनी हार बाबा रामदेव ने लगभग 6 मिनट तक डांस किया। उनके साथ डांस करते हुए रनवीर सिंह के पसीने छूट गए लेकिन बाबा रामदेव को एक बूंद पसीना नहीं आया। बाबा रामदेव ने रनवीर सिंह को भोगी नहीं, योगी बनने की सलाह दी। दोनों के डांस का यह वीडियो काफी वायरल हो रहा है। इस वीडियो को एक दिन में लाखों लोग देख चुके हैं। आप भी देखिए... 

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Captain America: Civil War is MCU's best yet

With Captain America and Iron Man locking horns, the world of superheroes comes alive on screen

In March this year, critics had a field day pointing out how and why DC Comics and Warner Bros went wrong with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Less than two months later, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has hit theatres and this time there is little to complain about.

The Russo brothers (Joseph and Anthony) have taken the challenge of a superhero face-off head-on and succeeded in making an entertaining movie that completes the trilogy neatly. Take a leaf out of Marvel’s book, DC — this is how you make a clash-of-the-superheroes movie.

For the fans, the movie is a treat, with superheroes walking in and out of the frame. The very presence of so many Marvel characters meant that the movie ran the risk of being rushed and cluttered. The director duo, however, manage to keep things simple, the story and screenplay tight and the pace brisk.

In terms of screen-time, Civil War identifies Steve Rogers aka Captain America(Chris Evans) and Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) as the leads, each gaining depth in their character as the movie progresses. The rest of the cast — Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton aka Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson aka Falcon), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang aka Ant Man), Paul Bettany (Vision) and the others — come in, do their job and leave the screen.Read More

Disney's Jungle Book roars to Rs 100 crore in 10 days

Mowgli and his jungle friends are charting cinema history in India as Disney's The Jungle Book has entered the coveted Rs 100-crore club in only 10 days since its release. The film, which made its way to the Indian screens on April 8, a week ahead of its release in the US, has collected Rs 101.82 crore at the Indian box office.
It is only the second Hollywood import to do so, the first being last year's Furious 7, which collected Rs 106 crore in its lifetime in India.
Read more from our special coverage on "THE JUNGLE BOOK, DISNEY"

• Disneys on roll as Jungle Book premieres with $103.6 mn
• The Jungle Book gets over Rs 10 cr opening in India
• Disney goes gung-ho on Jungle Book as it sharpens focus on India

The Jungle Book was released in four languages in India - Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu, across formats like 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX. For the Hindi dub, the studio roped in Bollywood heavyweights like Priyanka Chopra (Ka), Nana Patekar (Sher Khan) and Irrfan Khan (Baloo), apart from recreating the famous title song of the famous Doordarshan show - Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai… The strategy paid off well, as 54 per cent of the film's total collections have come from the Indian languages.
Amrita Pandey, vice-president - studios, Disney India, says, "We are thrilled that our conviction in the movie has paid off. Right from the call to release it in India a week before (the US), to the way it has been marketed, things have worked out fine. I think this sets a precedent on treating Hollywood films in India. Of course, not every film will lend itself so seamlessly to localisation but if you pick the right film, there is a lot of scope for Hollywood films in India."

She adds that having a robust voice cast for Hindi has helped widen the audience scope, and encouraged repeat viewing of the film. "Many people who have seen the film in English want to see it a second time in Hindi. The film has a deep connect with India not only because the story is set here, but also because entire generations have grown up watching Mowgli's adventures on TV. In fact, multiplex properties that usually do not run Hindi dub prints of Hollywood movies have started multiple shows, seeing the response to the dub versions nationally," says Pandey. Read More.

Priyanka Chopra reaches 13 million Twitter followers

Actress Priyanka Chopra has reached 13 million followers on Twitter and she celebrated the milestone by leaping on the beach in Boca Raton, Florida, where she has been shooting "Baywatch" movie. 

The 33-year-old actress thanked all her fans and hoped that her "crazy ride" continues. 

Netflix in India: All you need to know about getting started

US-based streaming video service Netflix has now launched services in India. The service will allow access to TV shows and movies, along with award-winning Netflix original series and documentaries.

The service has launched with three tiers of pricing available per month – basic at Rs 500, standard at Rs 650 and premium at Rs 800.

For those already excited about the services, here is a complete beginner’s guide to Netflix:

How does free trial work?




Netflix offers new users a month of free trial before they can subscribe themselves for regular services. Users can sign up for the service on the site by creating an account for themselves. The sign up will require users to share their credit/debit card details for future usage. Once an account is created, users will gain unlimited access to movies, TV shows and documentaries, which can be live streamed using the internet.