The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Tate Taylor Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Alison Janney. When it was announced that The Girl on the Train, the novel that rocked the world, was going to be made into a future film, enthusiastic fans jumped aboard the mystery-thriller express. News of acclaimed actress Emily Blunt portraying Rachel, the book's questionable but fascinating protagonist? Well consider me a part of the procession! However, the revelation that the film's setting would be moved from London to New York meant disgruntled passengers exited the hype train at the next station. With an already tumultuous relationship with audiences, does  The Girl on the Train  prove itself to be worth the price of the ticket? And more importantly - how long will this train metaphor last? Alcoholic divorcee Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train into Manhattan everyday, staring out of the window and fantasising about the life of a couple whose ...

Director : John Dower Cast : Louis Theroux Criticising Louis Theroux is not something that comes naturally or feels welcome to the humble reviewer. With his quintessentially British, quietly polite inquiries, he tends to ask the questions at the forefront of the viewer’s mind. Oftentimes unsettling his subjects with his interrogation of the most well-mannered kind, his programmes are frequently amusing and profound, but always engaging. Thus it is painful to express the ubiquitous disappointment that was present in the cinema at the special screening of My Scientology Movie . In the Question and Answer session following this showing of the film, Theroux was asked what it was that he could bring to the topic to give a fresh approach or shed new light. Notoriously difficult to infiltrate, the ‘religion’ of Scientology has been explored numerous times before. There was a definite lack of coverage of new ground. From various previous exposés of the enigmatic so-called ‘cult’, su...

Director: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan Starring: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead During a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show , Daniel Radcliffe described Swiss Army Man as an amalgamation between the Farrelly brothers and Terrence Malick - two filmmakers whose works barely exist in the same realm. Naturally, this consensus of the film piqued my interest; just how wacky is Swiss Army Man ?   Wonderfully so. Stranded on a desert island with the possibility of rescue diminishing, Hank (Paul Dano) is moments away from committing suicide when a body washes upon the shore. Calling him Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) and discovering that he harnesses astonishing powers, Hank uses his abilities to survive in the wilderness and the two form an inseparable bond that defies all comprehension. Swiss Army Man, without a doubt, is one of the most singularly unique cinema-going experiences that you are likely to ever have. Consider this an astonishing feat as the...

Director: Colm McCarthy Cast: Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, Paddy Considine, Sennia Nanua  The Girl with All the Gifts is a penetrating dystopian drama whose plot maintains optimum tension throughout yet unravels seductively, little by little. After a pandemic of cataclysmic proportions, humankind is spilt into two; the ‘hungries’ and the ‘friendlies’ – you can do the maths regarding which are blood-thirsty zombies and which are not. However, a beacon of hope arises in the form of a group of children of the ‘hungry’ persuasion, but with the bonuses of emotion and speech. One particular hybrid child outshines the rest on account of her pragmatic sensibilities and ostensible willingness to suppress her undead urges. A capital example of the storytelling mantra ‘show, don’t tell’, this film gives wads of narrative explanation gradually, and satisfyingly, giving just enough information to tease the audience. We’re introduced to Melanie, the titular gift-possessing girl, wh...

Director: Woody Allen. Cast:  Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll. During the latter period of Woody Allen's career, it's fair to assess that the quality of his work has received its share of criticism as well as praise. However, no one can refute his work ethic as Allen continues his pattern of annual film releases, gracing 2016 with his 47th (!) picture Cafe Society . Is Cafe Society one of his more warmly received outings in recent years, or will it become a forgettable entry in his expansive filmography? Well, the verdict lies somewhere in between. In the 1930's, Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) departs his family home in New York where he's reluctant to join his gangster brother (Corey Stoll) in his nightclub ventures and heads to Hollywood. After securing a job with his Uncle Phil (Steve Carell), Bobby falls for his Uncle's assistant Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) - but she's seeing someone else. Cafe Soc...

Director: Morten Tyldum Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburn Space. Jennifer Lawrence. Chris Pratt. Those utterances alone are enough to get any film fan excited for a movie release.Yes, Passengers  stars two of Hollywood's most popular leading actors; one an Academy Award darling and the other a recent titan in the realm of franchises with roles in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Whilst the pairing of these powerhouses has attracted enthusiastic attention, Lawrence's and Pratt's pay packages for the picture that has been widely covered in the media has somewhat overshadowed the integrity of the film. Nevertheless, this could not diminish the hype and titillation surrounding the project, and with the Christmas release steadily edging closer, fans were anxious (myself included) for the trailer to drop. Now that it finally has, was it worth the wait? The trailer's first forty seconds establish a futuristic setting ...

Director: David Mackenzie Cast : Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham Hell or High Water is an exemplary model of arresting cinematography working concurrently with expert story-telling and character development. Also enlivened by charismatic performances and pithy dialogue, it is a unique and chucklesome heist-cum-western-movie that provides a hog-killin’ time from start to finish. Toby (Pine) and Tanner (Foster) Howard are two disparate brothers whose mother has recently died. Atwixt them, they execute a series of bank robberies – masterminded by Toby - in order to pay off the debt on their mother’s ranch to prevent foreclosure.  Meanwhile, Marcus Hamilton (Bridges) is the Texas Ranger a hair’s breadth away from retirement, but opts to carry out the ‘one last job’; investigating these thefts (but, have no fear, this does not play out formulaically as one can easily imagine). With trusty partner Alberto Parker (Birmingham), he sets out on a cat and mou...