The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Roger Michell Cast: Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger, Iain Glen Adapted from Daphne du Maurier's 1957 novel of the same name, My Cousin Rachel  is a mystery romance laced with intrigue but Michell's iteration of the classic text injects a healthy (or potentially lethal) dose of gothic sensibility. After trailing to Italy, young Englishman Philip (Sam Claflin) discovers that his dear cousin Ambrose has died. He swears revenge on Ambrose's widow Rachel (Rachel Weisz), blaming her for his cousin's demise. However, when Philip meets Rachel, he is quickly entranced by her and he is soon hopelessly in love - but is Rachel harbouring deceit? The success of My Cousin Rachel largely depends upon the effectiveness of the portrayal of the eponymous character and Weisz's performance is utterly compelling and carefully controlled. She is charming and wonderfully charismatic who enchants everyone she encounters. But for a woman of her time, she's ...

Director: Patty Jenkins Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Connie Nielsen She's an icon. Everyone knows her moniker. But it's taken 76 years for Wonder Woman to make her solo debut on the silver screen. In that time, both Batman and Superman have undergone eight different portrayals on film and television each and now finally , the third point in the DC trinity is getting her turn. Princess Diana (Gal Gadot), who grows up on the Amazon island of Themyscira, is a compassionate but fearsome warrior who has been sheltered by her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) her whole life. However, when American pilot and spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes offshore the island and has to be saved by Diana, he informs her of World War 1 and she desires to leave her home and end the war to save mankind. Gadot's Wonder Woman was most certainly the highlight of 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice , a film that was overwhelmed by it...