Ant-Man: Scurrying to Join a Superhero Infestation

July 24, 2015

Jul 24: I wish I could assure you that no insects were harmed in the writing of this review, but that would be a lie.

antmanThe ants who are regular summer visitors to my kitchen have lately been sending scouts into the study. One just crawled across my laptop screen, and as I crushed its tiny body between my thumb and forefinger, an alarming thought crossed my mind: They know what I'm up to. Ants are highly intelligent creatures (at least collectively), and are famous for their determination and commitment. Here I was, about to pass judgment on one of their rare forays into popular culture, and here they were, checking up on me.

But to what end? Were they sniffing out bad press in advance, or trying to warn an honest journalist that their species was terribly misrepresented by Ant-Man? In my thoughtless, murderous haste, I hadn't bothered to ask, or to check my victim for a Marvel logo tattooed on its thorax.

So someone else will have to tackle the hot topic of "What Ant-Man Gets Wrong About Ants." Directed by the comedy specialist Peyton Reed (Bring It On, The Break-Up, Yes Man) from a script credited to Edgar Wright, Adam McKay, Joe Cornish and Paul Rudd (who stars), this film is a passable piece of drone work from the ever-expanding Marvel-Disney colony. It provides obligatory, intermittently amusing links to other corporate properties, serving essentially as a sidebar to the Avengers franchise. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, last year's off-brand Marvel hit, Ant-Man dabbles in the bright, playful colors of the superhero spectrum, reveling in moments of cartoonish whimsy and smirky humor.

It's an origin story, which is too bad, but at least relieves a reviewer of tedious explanatory duties. The background is that a brilliant scientist, Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, a fine goateed curmudgeon), has developed a secret particle that makes objects shrink. His onetime protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll, a fine bald villain) wants to perfect the invention and put it to nefarious use. A hapless ex-con named Scott Lang (Rudd) gets mixed up with the scientist and his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), and the next thing you know...

But look at the time! Spoiler alert. OMG and LOL - not so much of the first (unless you are still astonished by the sight of guys in mechanical suits punching each other), but a decent dose of the second. This is mostly thanks to David Dastmalchian, Michael Pena and the rapper TI, who play Scott's buddies with cantankerous Three Stooges energy. Judy Greer and Bobby Cannavale show up as Scott's former wife and her new husband - stepfather to Scott's adorable daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson) - but for fans of these wonderful actors, the main satisfaction will come from the knowledge that they earned some money. (The continued marginalization of the brilliant Greer in expensive studio movies, however, has become a national scandal. Someone needs to convene a task force.)

And Rudd? Well, it's funny. What I mean is that he isn't very funny, which is strange, given his track record in ensemble comedies. He's a pleasant enough hero, registering confusion, amazement and irritation when circumstances require them, but his special charisma gets lost in the suit and drowned out in the hectic noise of the plot.

Ants are not known for individualism, which makes them, in some ways, a less promising platform for superheroism than spiders or bats. When Scott summons swarms of six-legged allies, the effect is underwhelming. But Reed does exploit two important (if obvious) ant characteristics: strength and tininess. Scott's Ant-Man suit allows him to change size instantly, which adds novelty to some of the fight scenes (notably one with Falcon, an Avenger played by Anthony Mackie).

The most ingenious sequence comes near the end, during a climactic battle between two miniaturized dudes, which toggles between their perspective and that of normal-size people. What appears to the combatants to be a noisy, screen-filling, no-holds-barred struggle looks, at human scale, like a minor disturbance in a room full of toys. Perhaps this is a metaphor: Trapped inside this big movie is a small one, trying to get out.

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News Network
May 25,2020

New Delhi, May 25: Sending out good wishes on the auspicious of Eid, actor Sara Ali Khan on Sunday shared a priceless childhood throwback picture, along with her picture from the current days.

The 'Simmba' star put out the cute picture on Instagram where she is seen clad in a pink hijab, while on the other hand, the second picture features the younger Sara as she is seen sporting a black dupatta while she tries to imitate the younger self.

Along with the picture, she wrote," Eid Mubarak," and urged people to stay safe by staying at home and urged them to stay positive amid the COVID-19 outbreak with "#staysafe #stayhome #staypositive."

The post on the photo-sharing platform garnered more than one lakh likes within an hour of being posted.

Lately, the 'Kedarnath' star has been keeping her fans updated on her quarantine activities by sharing pictures and videos of her quarantine activities.

Earlier, Sara took a trip down the memory lane and reminisced her graduation day by sharing throwback pictures from the ceremony.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Los Angeles, Apr 8: American folk legend John Prine has passed away due to the coronavirus complications. He was 73.

Prine, whose coronavirus diagnosis was revealed on March 17, died on Tuesday, his publicist told Variety.

His wife and manager, Fiona, had on April 3 posted on Twitter that Prine was severely ill after being admitted into intensive care unit of a hospital.

In a career spanning over half a century, Prine churned out heartfelt and unforgettable songs like Angel From Montgomery, Sweet Revenge and In Spite of Ourselves .

He was regarded as one of the greatest by many of his peers including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler and many other music legends.

Born on October 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois, the singer-songwritter emerged on the Chicago folk scene in the late 1960s, when he was discovered by country star Kris Kristofferson.

He is still remembered for his 1971 anti-war track Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore , which came at the height of the Vietnam War and is still relevant to many till date.

In recent years, he had taken a step back from music but came back in 2018 with the album The Tree of Forgiveness . It was his first LP in 13 years.

Prine was a winner of two Grammy award for best contemporary folk albums -- The Missing Years (1991) and Fair & Square (2005). He was an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and also bestowed with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The news of his demise sent shockwaves across the music industry, with stars like Bruce Springsteen, Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler and others paying their tributes to the legend.

Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were "New Dylans" together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the lovliest guy in the world. A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family, Springsteen wrote in a post on Twitter.

While Musgraves posted, Heartbroken.

Raitt, who recorded Angel from Montgomery in the 1970s, said he is feeling crushed after learning about Prine's demise.

Words can't even come close. I'm crushed by the loss of my dear friend, John. My heart and love go out to Fiona and all the family. For all of us whose hearts are breaking, we will keep singing his songs and holding him near, he wrote.

Midler shared a news link about Prine, saying, He's gone.

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Hoping her cinematic voice can help bring about lasting change in how society perceives acid attack survivors, actor Deepika Padukone says her latest film Chhapaak should ideally be so impactful that there won't be need for another story on acid violence.

After all, cinema is in itself such a powerful medium, Deepika told news agency ahead of the release of the film, which is based on the life of acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal.

The idea behind the social drama is to invoke empathy and understanding rather than paint women who have undergone the ordeal as victims, the actor, who has also produced the film, said in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

"Beyond the gruesomeness, the violence and all of that, there is a story of the human spirit and hope. That's why we're telling the story," she said.

Deepika, 33, said it was a story that spoke to her and she felt pride in attaching herself to the project.

Chhapaak, directed by Meghna Gulzar and featuring Vikrant Massey, is the second mainstream film to focus on the subject after 2019 Malayalam movie Uyare starring Parvathy Thiruvothu.

"I hope we won't have to constantly tell stories on acid attack survivors for us to see change. I hope with our film we begin to see that change for ourselves as a society and for acid attack survivors.

"If we don't, then we've done something wrong as a society. Cinema in itself is such a powerful medium that hopefully just through this one film we will hopefully be able to see that kind of change and impact," Deepika said.

The actor said there was not much planning behind the decision to back the film financially.

"Sometimes certain films need a little more hand holding, a little more love and support. I felt like I would be adding a little more value as a producer.

"This is a film I'm very proud of, not just from the script point of view but even in terms of the story and its message," she said.

The film, which releases on January 10, will be Deepika's first release in two years and comes after her marriage to frequent co-star Ranveer Singh.

The actor said she used the time to creatively replenish herself.

"It was about finding a film worthy of putting out there. It's not that work at my end had stopped. I was constantly looking for scripts that challenged and excited me.

"I would look at it as time for creative fertility. It's important to nurture yourself. The work that goes on behind the scenes... most often we're constantly on a film set, but whether it's meeting with writers and directors, looking for scripts... That is also part of the creative process and that's what I've been doing."

The title Chhapaak instantly evokes the image of acid being splattered, and Deepika said the director wanted a word for the film's name that could also lend itself to a song.

"I think she said 'chhapaak', which is the sound of a splash, is something that could adapt or lend itself beautifully to a song. Perhaps, it also has to do with fluidity. So on one hand, liquid is known to take different forms, a liquid such as this (acid) can change someone's life forever," she said.

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