The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Celine Sciamma Cast: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel Celine Sciamma has proven herself as a formidable voice in arthouse cinema with the likes of Water Lilies and Tomboy, both films focusing on characters in the LGBTQ community. The writer-director continues to explore this marginalised group with her fourth feature, this time venturing to 1770 and submersing us in a luscious period setting. In late 18th century France, painter Marianna (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of resistant bride to be Heloise (Haenel). Over the course of their time together, the two engage in a forbidden affair that grows into a passionate love. Sciamma delicately handles and frames the emotions of the piece's central characters, understanding that sentiments were expressed through charged glances and inferred gestures rather than through verbal means. Heloise views her impending marriage as an imminent threat to her freedom and, potentially life, as it is reveal...

Director: Bong Joon-ho Cast: Song Kong-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin After being awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes and its historical Best Picture win (among others) at the Academy Awards, Parasite has rightfully been dominating headlines. But Jong-ho's shockingly astounding masterpiece deserves to be entered and experienced as blindly as possible so audiences can discover the auteur's brilliance, twists and all, for themselves. The Kims, a poor family who struggle to make ends meet, manipulate and con their way into working for the very affluent Parks. However, their masterful deception is threatened with exposure and the Kims do everything in their power to prevent their rosy new privileges being snatched away from them. Joon-ho has explored and touched upon many prevalent subject matters in his previous, impressive body of work. Whether it be environmentalism in Okja or class in Snowpierc...

Emma Director: Autumn de Wilde Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Bill Nighy Synopsis: In 1800s England, Emma Woodhouse, a well-intentioned but self-centred, takes it upon herself to meddle in the love lives of her friends.   The film and novel's titular character exhibits many traits that would pose a challenge for any actress to play; she's clever but naive, helpful but selfish and spoilt yet adored. These dichotomies create for a very spiky role that isn't always entirely likeable but lead Anya Taylor-Joy ( The Witch, Split ) imbues all of these qualities in a winning performance. After introducing her former governess Miss Taylor to Mr Weston that led to their marrying, Emma concludes that she has a proven talent for matchmaking and decides to remedy her friends' lonely hearts. Emma befriends Harriet Smith (a fantastic Mia Goth, giving the character a timid delicacy) and makes her her pet project. She ...