The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Morten Tyldum Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne After years stuck in developmental hell, Passengers  seemed destined for greatness after the necessary components started to fall into place. Morton Tyldum, Academy Award nominated director of The Imitation Game  was brought on board to helm the space flick. Two of Hollywood's hottest talents, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, were cast as the leads. For this long awaited project, the stars had aligned in cosmic fashion, but does this impressive alchemy translate into an out-of-this-world cinematic experience, or does it plummet to the Earth with a thud? Aboard the Avalon, 5,000 passengers in suspended animation/hyper sleep make the journey to the planet Homestead II to create a new colony. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, passengers Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) and Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) are awoken - 90 years too soon. Resigned to the knowledge that they won't ...

Director: Gareth Edwards Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Forrest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelshon, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen The producers of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have described the deviations away from the episodic formula and foray into spin-offs, with Rogue One , being the first as an experiment. Testing the waters to see whether or not audiences would react positively to a narrative not revolving around the Skywalker lineage, if you will. It's safe to say that the producers of the picture have executed one of the most successful so called "experiments" in Hollywood's history and showcases that Lucas Film continues to go from strength to strength. Leading into the events that occur in Star Wars: A New Hope , Rogue One  tells the story of how the revels came into the possession of the Death Star plans. An eclectic group of freedom fighters, led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), band together to find Jyn's father, Galen (Mads...

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner The Edge of Seventeen may sound like a corny title for a film thats genre is so often riddled with the same old tropes (y'know, the thoroughly liable but misunderstood heroine, the cohort of bullies intent on making her life hell, the impossibly dreamy guy who falls in love with our underdog heroine...), but Kelly Fremon Craig's directorial debut avoids all of the above cliches and produces one of the smartest and most thoughtful 'teen films' in years. Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is an awkward, socially inept and quick-witted high school student whose singular and difficult attitude means she has only one friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Nadine's world plummets around her when Krista begins to date her brother Darian (Blake Jenner), with whom Nadine has always had a contentious relationship with. Nadine feels discarded. Alone. And she descen...

Director: David Yates Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller We all thought that 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2  would be our last foray into the world where flying cars and house elves exist. But J.K Rowling clearly couldn't put down the quill for long as she has expanded the wizarding world, gifting the West End with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts 1 and 2) and now the prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , which finds Brit wizard Newt Scamander abroad - and Rowling proves that she definitely hasn't lost the magic. In 1926, young wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) travels to New York City with a case full of an array of sensational creatures. A blunder leads to the escape of several of Newt's 'fantastic beasts' and he enlists the help of witch sisters Porpentina (Katerine Waterston) and Queenie (Alison Sudol) and No-Maj Jacob (Dan Fogler) to gather up the...

Director: Tom Ford Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer Fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford made his directorial debut back in 2009 with A Single Man . Given Ford's occupation, people were dubious, expecting the film to be a prime case of style over substance. Critics and audiences alike were pleasantly surprised and the film garnered acclaim and nominations from major awards ceremonies. Seven years after his roaringly successful foray into the world of film, Ford returns with the self-penned stylish thriller  Nocturnal Animals . Will this second directorial outing establish Ford as one of Hollywood's most exciting directors, or was A Single Man  a case of beginner's luck? Successful but troubled art-gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) feels disenchanted with her life and is marred by her second husband's constant travelling for business. One day she receives a manuscript from her first husband Edwa...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forrest Whitaker Hollywood has never shied away from sci-fi, but the focus often lies with the alien race taking over Earth and ensuing a panic amongst the mass population, with weaponised heavies taking the burden to rid the unwelcome visitors from our planet. However, Arrival subverts this well rehearsed trope of the genre and shows the extra-terrestrial's, well, arrival, and poses the questions: what is their purpose? Arrival tells the story of Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguist professor who is recruited by the government to decode alien language after Heptapods (aliens, basically) settle on Earth without explanation. Banks is partnered with physicist Dr. Ian Donnelly and the pair must combine their two different insights and approaches to conclude why the aliens have come to Earth. To simply preface: Arrival is the best film of the year so far. Film in 2016 has been a year riddled with blockbusters that pr...

Director: Derek Cianfrance Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz Adapted form the M. L. Stedman novel of the same name, The Light Between Oceans  has promised audiences a period piece tale of weepy and emotionally melodramatic proportions. Starring two of the finest actors working today and directed by Derek Cianfrance, a director known for his evocative style, the flick, by all accounts, is in safe and nurturing hands. After a traumatic four years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) retreats to a quiet life as a lighthouse keeper on the isolated Janus Rock. Whilst on a visit to the mainland, he begins a courtship with Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), and they soon marry and begin an idyllic life together on Janus. Their desires to start a family are dashed when Isabel tragically suffers several miscarriages; but one day, a boat inexplicably washes ashore, harbouring a dead man and a newborn baby girl. Isabel convinces a reluctant Tom...