The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Celine Sciamma Cast: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel Celine Sciamma has proven herself as a formidable voice in arthouse cinema with the likes of Water Lilies and Tomboy, both films focusing on characters in the LGBTQ community. The writer-director continues to explore this marginalised group with her fourth feature, this time venturing to 1770 and submersing us in a luscious period setting. In late 18th century France, painter Marianna (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of resistant bride to be Heloise (Haenel). Over the course of their time together, the two engage in a forbidden affair that grows into a passionate love. Sciamma delicately handles and frames the emotions of the piece's central characters, understanding that sentiments were expressed through charged glances and inferred gestures rather than through verbal means. Heloise views her impending marriage as an imminent threat to her freedom and, potentially life, as it is reveal...

Director: Bong Joon-ho Cast: Song Kong-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin After being awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes and its historical Best Picture win (among others) at the Academy Awards, Parasite has rightfully been dominating headlines. But Jong-ho's shockingly astounding masterpiece deserves to be entered and experienced as blindly as possible so audiences can discover the auteur's brilliance, twists and all, for themselves. The Kims, a poor family who struggle to make ends meet, manipulate and con their way into working for the very affluent Parks. However, their masterful deception is threatened with exposure and the Kims do everything in their power to prevent their rosy new privileges being snatched away from them. Joon-ho has explored and touched upon many prevalent subject matters in his previous, impressive body of work. Whether it be environmentalism in Okja or class in Snowpierc...

Emma Director: Autumn de Wilde Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Bill Nighy Synopsis: In 1800s England, Emma Woodhouse, a well-intentioned but self-centred, takes it upon herself to meddle in the love lives of her friends.   The film and novel's titular character exhibits many traits that would pose a challenge for any actress to play; she's clever but naive, helpful but selfish and spoilt yet adored. These dichotomies create for a very spiky role that isn't always entirely likeable but lead Anya Taylor-Joy ( The Witch, Split ) imbues all of these qualities in a winning performance. After introducing her former governess Miss Taylor to Mr Weston that led to their marrying, Emma concludes that she has a proven talent for matchmaking and decides to remedy her friends' lonely hearts. Emma befriends Harriet Smith (a fantastic Mia Goth, giving the character a timid delicacy) and makes her her pet project. She ...

Bombshell Director: Jay Roach Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Alison Janney Synopsis: Based on the true story, a group of women working at Fox News take on the company's CEO, Roger Ailes, in an effort to overthrow the toxic atmosphere and culture of sexual harassment.    Bombshell boasts stellar performances from its star-studded trio. Theron completely disappears into the role of Megyn Kelly, her voice and appearance completely unrecognisable with the help of expert prosthetics. To its credit, the film doesn't completely shy away from the less appealing aspects of Kelly's character (namely her severely questionable racial views) but neither does it dig deep enough into what makes her a figure of controversy in order to ensure that we sympathise with her and the right-wing employees at Fox. Robbie's fictional composite character, Kayla Pospisil, represents all of young, ambitious women working at the network who fall prey to Ail...

The Gentlemen Director: Guy Ritchie Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell Synopsis: American kingpin Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) is looking to sell his lucrative marijuana business. The sale draws the attention of many eager buyers who all seek to undermine Pearson, setting off a chain of blackmail and scheming.  After forays into the blockbuster realm with the critically divisive  King Arthur and Aladdin , Guy Ritchie returns to his roots with The Gentlemen , a romp of a film with strong echoes of Snatch . However, Ritchie's attempt to emulate the success of the aforementioned fails to take into account the changing times where casual racism is significantly less accepted and tolerated. The slurs and stereotypes thrown at characters such as Henry Golding's Chinese mobster "Dry Eye" and the overview of which drug lords are given the moral high-ground seems firmly cemented in their race, making the whole film app...

Honey Boy Director: Alma Ha'rel Cast: Noah Jupe, Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges Synopsis: Troubled actor Otis is sent to rehab after drunk and violent behaviour where he is forced to confront his turbulent childhood and the rocky relationship that he shared with his father.  Written by LaBeouf and inspired by the star's own experiences as a child actor, Honey Boy is an incredibly personal and intimate portrayal of a complicated father-son relationship. The film begins with 22 year-old Otis (Hedges), LaBeouf's fictional representative, crashing his car and assaulting a police officer after a night of heavy drinking. He is ordered to a rehab facility and his exposure therapy sessions encourage reflection on his past to seek the root cause of his alcohol addiction and destructive behaviour. These sessions prompt flashbacks to a decade earlier where Otis relives his youth as a 12 year-old child star. He lives in a motel complex with his emotionally turbulent and alcoholic fath...