Will Captain Marvel eclipse Wonder Woman?
Marvel Studio’s latest film Captain Marvel rolls back the years and takes us to a simpler time: the 90s. Set to release early next year before the highly anticipated Avengers 4, Captain Marvel focuses on the origin story of its titular character with the aim of easing the character’s transition into the next Avengers offering. The film’s trailer gives us an exciting look into what to expect from the film. It gives us a glimpse into the origins of Carol Danvers (the alter-ego of Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson), a military pilot who finds her life completely changed after her spaceship crashes on an alien planet. ...
Read Full PostCaptain Marvel may be the superhero to end all superheroes, but Shazam is the clear winner

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been on a record-breaking streak for 10 years now, and this marvellous (pun intended) train seems unstoppable. However, if you look at how many female superheroes this universe has introduced over the past decade, you’re in for a shock. Apart from Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson), the MCU does not have any other bona fide female superhero, which is quite strange. No, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) does not count in this comparison, and neither does Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Technically, Black Widow doesn’t count either, as she has never starred in her own movie and ...
Read Full PostMechanical and repetitive, ‘Tomb Raider’ is yet another failed video game adaptation

In recent years, it seems as if the question of what it takes to adapt a good movie from a video game has eluded Hollywood studio executives more than anything else. At first, it seemed as if they weren’t even trying. Films like Silent Hill, Doom and Max Payne, all releasing in the mid-2000’s, had the low-budget appeal of a direct-to-video movie, and felt more like a means to making a quick buck than faithful video game adaptations. However, when movies like Prince of Persia, Warcraft and most recently, Assassins Creed started bombing – both critically and commercially – the aforementioned question really started to emerge. After all, these were films ...
Read Full PostPakistani documentary makers are getting nominated for Emmys, but their own country does not give them any recognition

In Pakistan, documentary films are to cinema what hockey is to sports. We don’t see a lot of hockey on TV, just like we don’t get to see any documentaries screened across the country. Even if our documentaries or hockey make it big, they don’t get as much recognition as popular genres of entertainment or sports do. To me, this phenomenon seems like the proverbial case of the child who cries the most and gets the most toys. If the Oscars are anything to go by, Pakistan has a couple of them, and that too in documentary filmmaking and by the same filmmaker. Deep ...
Read Full PostWhy Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is a slap on the faces of Palestinian girls in Gaza

This past week, viewers from all across the globe flocked to their nearby cinemas to catch the first female superhero movie, Wonder Woman. People leaving the cinema published accounts of inspiration and motivation. Some even spoke of a rekindled sense of purpose and drive in their individual feminism. Yet in the same news cycle, you could also find a piece or two decrying some ban on this blockbuster placed by Lebanon and then followed by a suspension in Tunisia and Algeria. Naturally, as every ban does, it piqued the reader’s interest. After all, what would the Lebanese, Algerians or the Tunisians have against women empowerment? It made little sense until you opened the closet and ...
Read Full PostWonder Woman is just another run-of-the-mill superhero movie with hyper-feminist overtones

Another month and yet another superhero movie hits the theaters. Okay, another superheroine movie if you are hell-bent on being such a pedant. Oh and by the way,Gal Gadot, this larger-than-life female character, is a former Israel Defense Force (IDF) officer. Why is that even relevant, you might ask? Well for starters, we as a nation have this strong aversion to all things Isareli, and secondly, one of our brotherly Muslim state Lebanon has banned the screening of Wonder Woman on accounts of Gadot serving time in the Israeli military, who lest we forget are responsible for the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Okay now just to be absolutely clear, ...
Read Full PostWill DC Comics’ Justice League be the answer to Marvel’s Avengers?
One thing I can never wrap my head around is the bizarre fact that all of Zack Snyder’s DC Comics’ movie adaptations are shot in the dark. Do they not experience daytime in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)? With this slight moan out of the way, let’s turn our collective attention towards DC Comics’ answer to Marvel’s Avengers. The first full Justice League trailer just dropped and the entire internet world is in a state of meltdown. In a world where ‘The Avengers’ already exist, you’ve got to seriously up the ante if you plan on introducing a rival, and by the looks of it, this is ...
Read Full PostWill Wonder Woman turn things around for DC Comics?

Batman v Superman: From Superheroes to Super Zeros?
After years of speculation and film production, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is now finally a reality. The film portrays two of the most iconic characters in the comic book universe, delighting fans and general audience alike. The story takes place 18 months after the events of Man of Steel (2013). An enmity has ensued after billionaire Bruce Wayne from Gotham City saw his Wayne tower get destroyed during the combat between Superman and General Zod that resulted in chaos. Now Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, Batman, has decided to bring Superman to justice because he believes that Superman is ...
Read Full PostBatman v Superman and the real Dawn of Justice, I loved it!

Behold! The Dark Knight goes up against the Man of Steel! The moment all of us comic book movie nerds have been there for and it was inevitable. It was waiting to happen. And it finally comes at us with all of Zack Snyder’s visual glory. But underneath all the hype and excitement for this movie the real question is: Was it any good? Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill.Photo: Screenshot The answer is in one word. YES! Yes, yes, and a million times YES! This movie is good with a capital G. From the get-go, with the brooding tone and ...
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