The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Rupert Goold Cast: Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Michael Gambon Encapsulating the life and truth of a famous figure is a daunting challenge or prospect for any film-maker, which is why recent biopics have selected a concentrated and defining time period to explore. Judy opts for this increasingly popular approach and focuses on the final few years of Judy Garland's life.  Finding herself in a financial crisis, beloved actress and singer Judy Garland (Zellweger) agrees to perform a run of sell-out concerts in London, 1968. During her time there, she enters a whirlwind romance with her fifth-husband, battles with her ex over custody of their children, re-engages with fans, forges new friendships and reminisces over her turbulent past. Similarly to early 2019's Stan & Ollie, the screenplay for Judy frames its protagonist in the final years of her career as she performs night after night in a series of concerts to her U.K audience. However, her s...

Director: Quentin Tarantino Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern One of the few remaining auteurs of our time who can simultaneously guarantee audience satisfaction and critical approval, Tarantino has expressed many times that his next feature (his tenth) will be his last. As he approaches his cinematic swan song, the director is clearly experiencing a sense of nostalgia and has penned a love letter to the industry in the daring and dazzling Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood . Los Angeles, 1969 - the Golden Age of Hollywood. TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) both individually struggle to adapt to the shift that their industry has undertaken over the course of their respective careers. Meanwhile, Sharon Tate's (Robbie) star is on the rise as she graces the silver screen in a slew of hit films. Tarantino has always attracted a high-calibre cast but for  On...

Director:  Andy Muschietti Cast:  Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgard It is back. Two years after the phenomenal success of It (Chapter One), adapted from the first half of the Stephen King novel of the same name that became the highest grossing horror film of all time, the second instalment of the two-parter hits our screens. Having defeated the maniacal clown Pennywise (Skarsgard) in the summer of 1989, the Losers' Club disbanded and went their separate ways, leaving the traumatic experience and Derry behind them. 27 years later, Pennywise resurfaces and Mike Hanlon (Mustafa) calls the rest of the gang to take a united stand against the shape-shifting terror and end his reign once and for all. Armed with an already petrifying reputation, Pennywise exacerbated the fear of clowns that permeated the zeitgeist, upheld by Bill Skarsgard's defining performance as the iconic horror antagonist. Until ...