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

Brad Pitt in Mumbai to attend War Machine screening, meets Shah Rukh Khan

The 53-year-old actor plays a US General posted in Afghanistan

Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt is in India to promote his latest film, the Netflix satire "War Machine".

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will be moderating a special chat session here with Pitt, in which the two actors will discuss the project.

In the movie, the 53-year-old actor plays a US General posted in Afghanistan.

Directed by David Michod, of "Animal Kingdom" fame, the Netflix Original film is inspired by the book "The Operators: The Wild & Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan" by late journalist Michael Hastings.

An investment in the range of $60 million also makes it Netflix's biggest-budget feature to date.

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Surprise! Brad Pitt in India to promote 'War Machine'

Pitt's character is loosely based on General Stanley A McChrystal, a retired United States Army general best-known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, US Forces Afghanistan.

Hastings's blistering profile on McChrystal led to his firing by Obama.

Pitt's company Plan B is also one of the producers of the film.

The first big-budget Hollywood movie on Netflix will be released on May 26.

Her parents were busy, so a 12-yr-old Delhi girl flew alone to see Bieber

According to her relatives, Akshita Rajpal is a trained dancer who only dances to Bieber's music

This is one die-hard fan even popstar Justin Bieber would be proud of.

A 12-year old New Delhi schoolgirl, Akshita Rajpal, who's an obsessive fan of the singing legend, flew down here on Tuesday alone to mark her presence at her idol's maiden live concert in India - at Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.

Akshita is a Class 8 student of Amity International School in the national capital and has virtually spent sleepless nights ever since the Bieber concert was finalised last month, revealed a family member.

Her parents had bought three Platinum tickets for entry to the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, but had to cancel their travel plans at the last minute on Tuesday.

Not disheartened, Akshita flew down alone and handed over the two extra tickets to a couple of family friends to attend the biggest musical event of 2017 in the city.

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A child model, she has created a booklet on the life, lyrics and everything she loves about the 23-year old Bieber, her uncle Sumit Kaushik said.

"In fact, she is a trained professional dancer who dances only to Bieber tunes and has excelled in academics and extracurricular like music, martial arts, modeling and acting, besides of course, being a fulltime crazy fan of Bieber and his music," Kaushik told IANS.

Having played a small role in the recent romantic ghost comedy, "Phillauri", starring Anoushka Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh, Akshita has also modelled for brands like SBI General Insurance, Kodak, Birla SunLife, Fortis, etc, said Kaushik. Read more

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... 

I would like to play Baba Ramdev in biopic: jokes Ranveer

Lara Dutta Launch New Range Of Good knight Repellent

Lara Dutta who was present in Mumbai along with her hubby Mahesh Bhupathi launched a new range of Goodnight out of home repellents.

See more pics : Click here.

Priyanka Chopra among world's highest paid TV actresses

Priyanka Chopra among world's highest paid TV actresses

Priyanka Chopra has become the first Indian star to enter the Forbes list of highest paid television actresses in the world, after starring on American series "Quantico".

Priyanka ranks eighth in the coveted list, which has retained American actress Sofia Vergara at the first position fifth year in a row.

The 44-year-old Colombian-American actress brought home a whooping $43 million before management fees and taxes, but not all came from her hit TV show "Modern Family".

Vergara has an impressive array of endorsement deals as well as her line of products.

Priyanka, meanwhile, has earned $11 million. She made her international acting debut last year with ABC's "Quantico" and now is gearing up for its second season.

Back home, the 34-year-old actress has starred in two Bollywood films in the past one year -- "Bajirao Mastani" and "Jai Gangaajal"-- and will make her Hollywood film debut with "Baywatch" alongside Hollywood heavy-hitters including Dwayne Johnson, the world's highest-paid actor.(more)

Kabali film review: Weapon of mass attraction Edit

The expectations from Kabali are as high as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the setting for almost 80% of the movie, not least because it's a Rajinikanth movie. The reasons are varied: the audience need a taste of the Rajinikanth of yore, not a do-gooder Samaritan (Lingaa) or a CGI generated version of a warrior Prince (Kochadaiiyaan). Thalaivar fanatics just wanted him to have fun, which was rarely the case ever since Sivaji. The teasers of Kabalisuggested Rajinikanth is back to his glory days of Basha, Padayappa and Pedarayudu.
 
You wanted badass, you get industrial levels of badass in this Pa Ranjith movie. His previous film Madras had a delightful off-kilter sensibility. Sadly, here he spends too much time deifying his larger-than-life protagonist. And that makes the movie a giant 150-minute slog.
 
It opens with the erstwhile gangster getting released from a Malaysian prison after spending 25 years there. As soon as he steps out, he's apprised of how his rival gang (consisting of Kishore and Winston Chao) has grown from strength to strength and has turned the city into a teeming hub of drug abuse and prostitution.
 
Kabali starts cleaning up right away, while getting reunited with his daughter and wife along the way. You have to be punch drunk on Rajini mania to sit through the movie without dozing off or trying to play Pokemon GO at the cinema itself. The only saving grace is the man himself. The wizened visage hasn't lost a bit of its grace and infectious scowl.(more)

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.

Fan to release in 3,000 screens in India

After 3.5 years, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is back with the studio largely responsible for his rise to stardom — Yash Raj Films (YRF), for the April 15 release Fan. Before this, Khan starred in YRF founder Yash Chopra’s swansong directorial venture Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012 which went on to make more than Rs 100 crore at the box office.

Times have changed now however, and a Rs 100 crore collection figure is no longer a recipe or assurance of profitability. In this case, the movie will need to cross the double century mark, since the cost of production and marketing is around Rs 105 crore. In order to make profits, Fan will need to make more than Rs 210 crore.

Releasing in 3000 screens in India and 700 screens abroad, analysts believe that the film can make around Rs 8 to 20 crore on the first day, it being a bank holiday and summer vacation time at schools and colleges. However collections from the second day will depend on word of mouth and social media response. If all goes to plan, the film should be able to make around Rs 55-60 crore in the first weekend say trade pundits.

Suniel Wadhwa, independent distributor and box office analyst says, “SRK-YRF are teaming up forFan after Jab Tak Hain Jaan directed by Yash Chopra. Fan is the fourth film under banner of YRF which is being directed by Maneesh Sharma. The teaser and main trailer have attracted the audience and looks promising as it has already created a buzz among moviegoers and diehard SRK fans.” This will beShah Rukh Khan first thriller after Don 2 which released in 2011. Fans and audiences in general seem to be looking forward to seeing King Khan in a role that is not only romantic and/or slapstick.

Shaaminder Malik, an independent distributor and trade analyst for North India, however is sceptical of the film’s chances. “Being the solo release on a festival weekend, the film will get a decent opening. But beyond that, it is tricky. Barring one song, the music hasn’t really taken off. With The Jungle Book doing so well, the content offering of Fan will have to be very good to draw more audiences. Let’s wait and see how it goes.”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. 

Dilip Kumar turns 93, to have a quiet birthday

As he turns 93 today, legendary actor Dilip Kumar will have a quiet birthday celebration as a mark of solidarity towards the victims of the Chennai deluge. 

“We will have a quiet birthday this year with family only. He is saddened by the tragedy in Chennai. It’s a big tragedy and we don’t think it is right to celebrate anything,” Kumar’s wife Saira Bano told PTI. 

Even otherwise, Saira is not in favour of having a bash on the thespian’s birthday, as she feels that whenever his special day is celebrated, the veteran actor falls sick. 

“I think whenever we celebrate his birthday, he falls sick. I feel there is an evil eye, as soon after after the celebrations he has health issues,” she said. 

Dilip Kumar made his debut as an actor in the film “Jwar Bhata” in 1944 which was produced by Bombay Talkies. 

In a career spanning over six decades, he starred in films of a variety of genres, such as the romantic “Andaz” (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic “Devdas” (1955), the comical “Azaad” (1955), the historical “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) and the social “Ganga Jamuna” (1961). 

The ‘tragedy king of Bollywood’ also did films like “Kranti” (1981), “Shakti” (1982), “Karma” (1986) and “Saudagar” (1991) and others. His last film was “Qila” (1998). 

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan award in 1991,the Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1994 and the Padma Vibhushan this year for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

The Pakistan government also honoured him with its highest civilian honour - Nishan-e-Imtiaz - in 1997.