The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Pablo Larrain Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt You know her name: Jackie Kennedy. Wife of the infamous JFK. Arguably one of the most popular and memorable First Ladies in presidential history. Revered for her impeccable sense of fashion that inspired many around the world and continues to do so today. An irrefutable icon - but what do we   know about Jackie Kennedy other than these attached labels? Enter Pablo Larrain's Jackie ; A film that explores the psyche of the First Lady beyond her stylistic choices. After the 1963 assassination of her husband John F. Kennedy, Jackie examines the life of the titular character (Natalie Portman) in the following weeks as she organises his funeral and reconciles her role as a public figure. The saying goes; Behind every great man is a great woman. And Pablo Larrain's first English language feature embodies this sentiment in artistically glorious fashion and pulls back the iconic ...

Director: Ben Affleck Cast: Ben Affleck, Brendan Gleeson, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Elle Fanning For want of a better phrase, one may have to settle for the oxymoronic ‘extremely average’ to describe Ben Affleck’s adaption of Dennis Lehane’s prohibition-era gangster novel of the same name. A seemingly auspicious movie from its promising cast and encouraging subject matter, it’s made hollow by consistently underwhelming, chiefly down to Affleck’s lead – a protagonist with total lack of character. Irish-Bostonian Joe Coughlin (Affleck) is besotted with Emma Gould (Miller), the mistress of infamous gangster Albert White. Joe’s police captain father (Gleeson) disapproves, and warns him against the potential slippery slope of crimes and misdemeanours that lingers. This relationship is what entangles Joe in unlawful activity and what ensues is the ‘tragic’ downfall of a man who sincerely believed his life would be in no way that of a wrongdoer. Perhaps a p...

Director: Kenneth Lonergan Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan has been quietly working in Hollywood for years now with critically hailed films such as You Can Count on Me and Margaret under his belt. Having been held in high regard from those in the industry, Lonergan's name has not quite travelled to the realm of public recognition. However,  Manchester by the Sea looks set to be the picture that propels the filmmaker to new heights of exposure and provide a star-making turn for Casey Affleck. Living a brooding life as a janitor in Boston, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is suddenly summoned back to his home town, Manchester in Massachusetts, by the death of his older brother. After being appointed as guardian to his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges), Lee must spend more time in his former place of residence than is comfortable for him and his grief can all but consume him. Much like Lonergan's career in Hollyw...

Director: Damien Chazelle Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend Writer/director Damien Chazelle's passion for music was abundant in his 2014 acclaimed picture Whiplash , so it's hardly a surprise that he's taken his ardour for the endeavour and created a musical. Claiming the title of the most decorated film in Golden Globes history, La La Land is an awards juggernaut that will surely extend to the Oscars. With critics and audiences alike practically salivating over it, is  La Land worth making a song and dance about? After an unconventional and antagonistic meet-cute, aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and angsty jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) eventually embark upon an idyllic relationship. However, Sebastian gets a job gigging in a successful band and the pair's bond and faith in their respective dreams are tested. An old fashioned love story crafted with the sincerest and deepest affection, Damien Chazelle has clearly poured his heart and soul into...

Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Yosuke Kabozuka, Tadanobue Asano Taxi Driver. Raging Bull. Goodfellas. Scorsese is a creator of classics and an undeniable cinematic legend. His last film, The Wolf of Wall Street, a comedy drama highlighting the ugly truth of a life of sex, drugs and excess is a far cry from his latest offering Silence, a sombre story of outlawed Christianity in Japan. These polar opposite premises have only one thing in common - their iconic director. In Scorsese we trust. In search of their missing mentor Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) travel to Japan in a time when their faith is outlawed and hence their presence forbidden. Under such testing times, the missionaries beliefs in Christianity are pushed to their extremes. Silence has been a passion project for the director for over 20 years and Scorsese's vision has now finally found its way to the big screen where...

Director: John Hamburg Cast: Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch, Megab Mullally, Griffin Gluck, Keegan-Michael Key It is easy to overlook Why Him? as gross-out, f-word littered and bathing in ribaldry - an entirely accurate deduction. Although one must not neglect to mention that these attributes, along with the momentously likable characters, the beating heart of the plot, and the bees-knees of comedy performances, make it an undeniable treat. Ned (Cranston) and family visit Stanfordian daughter Steph (Deutch) in San Jose, California, to meet her new boyfriend, Laird (Franco). However, as a conservative family man, Ned can't wrap his head around the foul-mouthed video-game tycoon's relationship with his overachieving daughter.  The start is trudging and even unfunny, but as soon as the effing-and-blinding Franco arrives - having just got a large back tattoo of Ned and family as a heartfelt surprise - we breathe a sigh of relief. He truly steers the ship and or...

Director: J.A Bayona Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson Based on the novel by Patrick Ness that broke records and hearts all over the world, A Monster Calls  faced a titanic challenge of evoking those same emotions achieved so effectively by the book. With a top-notch cast and helmed by a director whose star is on the rise, all of the ingredients are there to concoct a winning formula - does this prove to be the case? 13 year-old Conor O'Malley (Lewis McDougall) is going through a testing time;his mother (Felicity Jones) has long been suffering with cancer and he has become a punching bag for a group of bullies at school. One night, he is visited by a Monster, transforming itself from a yew tree, that tells him we will be visiting Conor every night until he has told him three tales - and demands that Conor tell him a fourth...his truth. The parallels and likeness between A Monster Calls and Guillermo Del Toro's fantasy epi...