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Welcome to 2016, superhero movie year. We've already seen Deadpool and the horrible "Martha v Martha -dawn of "WHY DID YO...

Welcome to 2016, superhero movie year. We've already seen Deadpool and the horrible "Martha v Martha -dawn of "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?"

Following the events of the sadly inferior "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015), Steve Rogers as Captain America (Chris Evans) leads a new team of superheroes in pursuit of a minor villain leftover from "The Winter Soldier", only to sustain a large number of civilian casualties. It's the final straw for the governments of the world, says long-absent Marvel player General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt). Now a superhero registration act is in order, rendering all enhanced individuals legally beholden to the United Nations and impotent to act without democratic approval. Humbled by the weight of failure from previous films, Tony Stark as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is in favour of the proposal. Rogers, ruffled by his intimate experience of governmental corruption from previous films, is suspicious, but might have agreed to compromise if not for the involvement of his life-long friend turned Soviet sleeper assassin, Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier (Sebastian Staan). Barnes has been framed for a terrorist bombing in South Africa and Rogers is alone in defending his innocence. With the help of a mystery malefactor (Daniel Stuhl), the rift between heroes grows into civil war.

Damn, this movie pushed the boundaries in terms of superhero films. Where in 2008 Nolan took the dark knight to another level in terms of story. Joss Whedon took action to another level in the Avengers in 2012 then.. came something completely unexpected; Captain America; Winter Soldier. The Russo Brothers combined action and great story telling to make one of the most cool/relatable/amazing action superhero movie of the latest years. The story itself is an amazing action thriller with a ton of intrigue and psychological issues. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this clever and this deep. I did expect it to be exciting and it certainly delivers on that. Each new character and each hold over Avenger character works in to the story perfectly. Everything about this movie is a joy to watch. The cast is perfect and everyone is used exceptionally well. This IS the best sequel the genre has ever seen and I know tat's saying a lot. It could be Marvel's best effort ever.

We get a couple of new heroes – Spider-Man and the Black Panther – and they are both just about perfect translations from comic book to film. This Brit they have playing Peter Parker is probably my favorite Spidey yet, even though he's only on screen for maybe 15 minutes. He's exactly as Spidey should be: a nervous kid who handles his anxiety by being a nonstop motormouth during his battles. And the Panther is just so cool. Ant-Man plays a big part in that huge battle I mentioned, getting some of the best moments during the fight. The Scarlet Witch is a true surprise. I didn't think she would play this large of a role. But really, this movie is Cap's, Bucky's, and Tony's story. What helps make it so great is how Marvel has built up their saga over multiple movies – we're already familiar with and invested in these characters.

Ellie Goulding is headlining a slew of music festivals this summer and she kicked off her tour de force at Coachella with an amazing set....

Ellie Goulding is headlining a slew of music festivals this summer and she kicked off her tour de force at Coachella with an amazing set. Taking the main stage on day 1 as the second to last in the lineup, Goulding gave a crowd-pleasing performance filled with all her best hits. From her dance-friendly electronica-inspired tracks "Burn" and "Anything Could Happen," to the Fifty Shades of Grey favorite "Love Me Like You Do," the set list was seriously lit, inspiring the crowd to chant the singer's name with enthusiasm.

Rihanna took the stage during Calvin Harris's headlining performance to surprise the crowd with their mega-hit We Found Love. And wore ripped jeans, a cropped tee and a fringed jacket.

The buzz that Kesha could come out on stage during Zedd's set was absolutely true. And she ruled every last second of the four minutes she was up on the Outdoor Stage. Kesha appeared and sang the title track to Zedd's last album, True Colors.

It's a good thing that Sia performed in the warning hours of Sunday night (Apr. 17) at Coachella, because the singer-songwriter effectively shut down one of the biggest festivals in the world with her live show. During the hour-long performance, Sia ceded the majority of the main stage to a collection of dancers, who performed routines that were also previously taped and simultaneously aired on the monitors in high definition. And a special shout-out must be given to Maddie Ziegler, she starred in a half-dozen performances during Sia's Coachella set, some with other dancers, some solo; in all of them, her choreography was top-notch, her facial expressions were piercing and her presence was mesmerizing. Sia's Coachella performance tapped into a sincerely moving amount of emotion by earnestly committing to an aesthetic and containing the ambition to see it through. It was a challenge to every other festival performer content with playing the hits: Do better, dream better, tell the audience a story.

Headlining the prestigious outdoor stage at the same time as Harris was Australia’s own Flume, aka Harley Streeten. It is his second time at the iconic festival, and representing his popularity in the US the crowd sang along to his hit Never Be Like You, featuring singer Kai.

Chvrches and Bat for Lashes were two bands that were outstanding. Perhaps it was not such a huge surprise that Chvrches put on a great show, but the surprising thing is the energy that they have display throughout the course of their set. The lead singer, Lauren Mayberry, gallops around the stage as if she is a dog marking her territory and her band mates equally match her with their own enthusiasm. This excitement was most prevalent in the songs “Never Ending Circles” and “Leave a Trace.” As for Bat for Lashes, it was an ethereal experience. She slowly approached the microphone while her sheer, blue dress floated gently behind her. She began singing “Lilies” and the serenity of her voice overwhelmed the crowd. She then transitioned into “What’s a Girl To Do” and the small crowd on hand cheered in approval.

G-Eazy paused his electric Coachella set to share an adorable fact: His mother was in attendance. The rapper brought his mom to the festival for her birthday, and made his audience wish her a very happy b-day.

M83 closed its invigorating, '80s-leaning afternoon performance with "Go!" featuring Mai Lan, bringing live instrumentation to the electro-inspired single from the group's latest, Junk.

Orphaned Mowgli ( Neel Sethi ) is once found in the jungle by the black panther Bagheera ( Ben Kingsley ) and raised by a pack of wolve...

Orphaned Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is once found in the jungle by the black panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) and raised by a pack of wolves led by Akela (Giancarlo Eposito) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o) who nurtures him as if he was hers, aptly referring Mowgli as her "man-cub". When the fearsome tiger Shere Kahn (Idris Elba) learns of Mowgli's existence, he threatens his life, emphasizing that a man-cub becomes a man; and man is forbidden to co-exist with the animals. Fearing for the safety of the pack, Mowgli decides to leave his family and is escorted by Bagheera to return him to the "man-village." Across the jungle's increasingly inhospitable terrain, Mowgli encounters the hypnotizing python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), the honey-obsessed bear Baloo (Bill Murray) and the overgrown orangutan King Louie (Christoper Walken) who wants to possess the "red flower" (us humans call it 'fire') to advance himself to the top spot of the jungle's evolutionary ladder.

The cast is terrific as expected, and that is to say nothing of the faultless animal renditions that manages to succeed in the ever-troubling issue of having their lips move. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera gives a shockingly resemblance to the original voice, while the cast of the wolves give great comfort. Bill Murray as Baloo – Its Bill Murray. C'Mon! Christopher Walken as King Louie is about as ridiculously cool as you expect it to be. Scarlett Johansen is barely in the movie, but her voice of Ka fits the seducing aspect of both the character and her masculine-drawing pop-culture image. Idris Elba as Shere Kahn is chillingly formidable with his guttural threats. Giancarlo Eposito's Akela and Lupita Nyong'o's Raksha supplies the fierce patriarch and protective maternal vibe that each of their character wolves need. And his first feature appearance, Neel Sethi as young Mowgli is tasked to sell the wonder and hold the humanity of this tale. Considering that he is basically working with puppets and green screen for the entire film, he makes everything believable – the beauty and danger of the jungle, his kinetic and charismatic performance and his on screen connection with the animals. Of course, this will not be successful without Jon Favreau's direction.

This film checks off the list as being the best visual experience since AVATAR, with the best CG animals since LIFE OF PIE, and easily the best source material adaptation out of a billion of them since LORD OF THE RINGS. Had it not been for frequent detours in tone, it may be perfect, but just as good as is. The visual effects team really delivered an outstanding job worthy of an Oscar nod. The kids will enjoy and the adults will be stunned. Go and see it

What News Guys?

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Review The Jungle Book

Songs of The Month (April 2016)

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