The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Guy Ritchie Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrad Even before the film's release, Aladdin had attracted a lot of negative attention, including but not limited to; the choice of director, Smith's appearance as the Genie and the seemingly lacklustre musical numbers. Is all of the early furore justified or has the film fallen victim to unfair scrutiny? After charming street urchin Aladdin (Massoud) is sent into the Cave of Wonders to retrieve a coveted oil lamp, he unleashes a powerful and wise-cracking Genie (Smith). Becoming the Genie's master and being granted three wishes, Aladdin sets out to win the heart of Princess Jasmine (Scott), the beautiful and independent daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. Beloved by all, the 1992 Aladdin shines brightly in people's minds for many reasons, but the element that we arguably all remember most fondly is Robin Williams' iconic performance as the Genie. Having crafted one of D...

Director: Nisha Ganatra Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow After its crowd-pleasing debut at the Sundance Film Festival where it sold for an astounding $13 million to Amazon, Late Night makes its way to cinemas and co-stars Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling (also the film's scribe) seem intent on giving comedy a rewrite. Pioneering talk show host Katherine Newbury (Thompson) learns that her show's ratings are plummeting and she is in danger of being replaced. In an effort to revitalise both the show and her image, Katherine impulsively hires Molly (Kaling) into the all white male writer's room who unexpectedly turns her world upside down. As someone who has had years of experience as a comedy writer in Hollywood, Kaling clearly has a lot to say about the dynamics of the industry, using all of her grievances and observations about its exclusivity as material in her debut feature length script. The film addresses the vast gender and racial imbal...

Director: Dexter Fletcher Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard The recent trend of adapting the lives of some of the most iconic musicians started with Bohemian Rhapsody,  which eventually became an Academy Award winning film and the highest grossing drama of all time. From Freddie Mercury to Elton John, Rocketman doesn't quite break the biopic narrative mould but its innovation shines through in its captivating musical sequences and eye-popping visuals. After years of drink and drug abuse, a middle-aged Elton John (Egerton) checks himself into rehab where he recalls his journey from being a shy boy with a dysfunctional family to one of the world's most audacious rock stars. Much has been made of the film's reluctance to sugarcoat Elton's days of hard drug-taking and heavy drinking and it successfully offers an unfiltered glimpse into the ugly, lonely side of hedonism that can so often appear appealing. Elton's abuse of drug an...