The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: David Yates Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller We all thought that 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2  would be our last foray into the world where flying cars and house elves exist. But J.K Rowling clearly couldn't put down the quill for long as she has expanded the wizarding world, gifting the West End with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts 1 and 2) and now the prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , which finds Brit wizard Newt Scamander abroad - and Rowling proves that she definitely hasn't lost the magic. In 1926, young wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) travels to New York City with a case full of an array of sensational creatures. A blunder leads to the escape of several of Newt's 'fantastic beasts' and he enlists the help of witch sisters Porpentina (Katerine Waterston) and Queenie (Alison Sudol) and No-Maj Jacob (Dan Fogler) to gather up the...

Director: Tom Ford Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer Fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford made his directorial debut back in 2009 with A Single Man . Given Ford's occupation, people were dubious, expecting the film to be a prime case of style over substance. Critics and audiences alike were pleasantly surprised and the film garnered acclaim and nominations from major awards ceremonies. Seven years after his roaringly successful foray into the world of film, Ford returns with the self-penned stylish thriller  Nocturnal Animals . Will this second directorial outing establish Ford as one of Hollywood's most exciting directors, or was A Single Man  a case of beginner's luck? Successful but troubled art-gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) feels disenchanted with her life and is marred by her second husband's constant travelling for business. One day she receives a manuscript from her first husband Edwa...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forrest Whitaker Hollywood has never shied away from sci-fi, but the focus often lies with the alien race taking over Earth and ensuing a panic amongst the mass population, with weaponised heavies taking the burden to rid the unwelcome visitors from our planet. However, Arrival subverts this well rehearsed trope of the genre and shows the extra-terrestrial's, well, arrival, and poses the questions: what is their purpose? Arrival tells the story of Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguist professor who is recruited by the government to decode alien language after Heptapods (aliens, basically) settle on Earth without explanation. Banks is partnered with physicist Dr. Ian Donnelly and the pair must combine their two different insights and approaches to conclude why the aliens have come to Earth. To simply preface: Arrival is the best film of the year so far. Film in 2016 has been a year riddled with blockbusters that pr...

Director: Derek Cianfrance Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz Adapted form the M. L. Stedman novel of the same name, The Light Between Oceans  has promised audiences a period piece tale of weepy and emotionally melodramatic proportions. Starring two of the finest actors working today and directed by Derek Cianfrance, a director known for his evocative style, the flick, by all accounts, is in safe and nurturing hands. After a traumatic four years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) retreats to a quiet life as a lighthouse keeper on the isolated Janus Rock. Whilst on a visit to the mainland, he begins a courtship with Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), and they soon marry and begin an idyllic life together on Janus. Their desires to start a family are dashed when Isabel tragically suffers several miscarriages; but one day, a boat inexplicably washes ashore, harbouring a dead man and a newborn baby girl. Isabel convinces a reluctant Tom...

Director: Gavin O Connor Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tembor, John Lithgow. If Ben Affleck's new flick The Accountant  teaches us anything, it's not to judge a film by its title. Yes, The Accountant isn't about an office-based 9 to 5 number cruncher, but about an autistic assassin with a flair for arithmetic. An interesting premise - but is that made evident in the film itself? Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is an autistic small-town accountant, with a seemingly mundane and quiet existence. However, this projection is a mere guise as Wolff makes his living as an accountant for hardened criminal organisations. After learning that his cover is in danger of being blown, he assumes a legitimate case at a state-of-the-art robotics company, but finds the case riddled with inconspicuous matters, and life or death action ensues. As the stakes in the financial realm rise, so does the body count as Affleck's Christian Wolff certainly ...

Director: Scott Derrickson Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong Doctor Strange, you say. Who on Earth is Doctor Strange? This character certainly doesn't have the notoriety or popularity in the zeitgeist that superheroes such as Batman or Superman do. But Marvel Disney have always displayed a talent for bringing largely unknown characters from comics to the forefront of popular culture; before 2008's smash hit Iron Man , Tony Stark or his alter ego was an unknown property. Now? He's the MCU's biggest attraction. Will Doctor Strange  be catapulted into the mainstream in such a fashion, or make a blunder at the starting line? Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a New York neurosurgeon, is a highlight intelligent but egotistical work-obsessed individual. When a catacalysmic car crash leave Strange's hands damaged beyond medical repair, Strange seeks a remedy in Kathmandu and discovers...