The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Taylor Sheridan Cast: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen Scribe of the immensely successful Sicario and Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan finally steps behind the camera with Wind River. A cold (literally) mystery starring two Avengers MVPs, Sheridan's directorial debut has its finger on the pulse of American social issues whilst simultaneously engaging the audience with its thrilling and emotional core. On the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, US Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) discovers the body of 18-year old Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Chow), a resident of the reservation. FBI special agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) arrives and enlists the help of Cory to investigate what happened to Natalie. Wind River is certainly a mystery and a whodunnit but the narrative itself does not contain a lot of twists and turns designed to keep audiences continually guessing or throw them off the scent, so to speak. The opening prologue shows us N...

Director: Aisling Walsh Cast: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke Based on the true story of Maude Lewis' life as a painter in Nova Scotia in the 1930s, Maudie  is a sweet tale of the pursuit of love and one's passion no matter what the circumstances may be. Wanting to gain a sense of independence from her carless brother and overbearing aunt, Maude (Sally Hawkins) answers and advertisement posted by loner fisherman Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke) and goes to work for him as his cleaning lady. Their relationship is initially fraught but this odd couple blossom against expectations and Maude develops a burgeoning career as an artist. A remarkably heartwarming dramatisation of one woman's life , Maudie  encapsulates many prevalent themes that are sure to resonate. In her most depressive of states, Maude turns to art, painting bold and colourful murals on the walls of the small shack that she shares with Everett. Although not well-endowed with art supplies, she does not allow this m...

Director: David Leitch Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella Wonder Woman and Atomic Blonde may both be female-led action films of 2017 but their cinematic styles could not differ more. The former is a CGI spectacle with a relentlessly optimistic protagonist and the latter a flick inclined more toward practical effects with a hardened and experienced spy front and centre. But both have proven to be excellent examples of action films done right. Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is an elite MI6 spy working for the British government and is sent to Berlin nearing the end of the Cold War on a mission to retrieve a priceless dossier. However, her assignment proves to be more dangerous and complicated than imagined as she must take down an espionage ring and contend with dubious agents. With co-director of the first John Wick entry, David Leith, at the helm of Atomic Blonde , the expectations for the action sequences were sky high. Thankfully, they exceed every conce...

Director: Matt Reeves Cast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn The almighty showdown between apes and humans has long been brewing - the Simian virus has all but decimated the human race and has advanced the apes capabilities to staggering degrees. And now the culmination of their harrowing and legendary saga has arrived with War for the Planet of the Apes, a film less concerned about the physical act of war as it explores the internal subtleties and effects of uprising than the title may suggest. After the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , war has truly been declared on the apes, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis), by the terrified humans. The apes suffer heavy losses and fuelled by a deep grief and revenge, Caesar sets out on a mythic quest to avenge his own kind. As the journey brings him face to face with the ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson), the two engage in a battle of leadership that will determine the fate of both human and ape kind. Technology and the things ...

Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Finn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Barry Kroghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy Christopher Nolan has joined a small league of directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg whose names alone attract people to flock to the cinema in their thousands. Their attachment and involvement with any project generates immense excitement and the guarantee of an audience. With this notoriety as one of the most exciting directors of our time, Nolan continues to surprise with his recent picture - a war film concerning the true story of the Dunkirk evacuation. In May 1940, the British army have been forced to retreat to the French coast, Dunkirk, as Nazis continue to overpower mainland Europe. Over 400,000 men are stranded and, with their short route home obstructed, their chances of survival are diminishing as time passes. The British writer-director primarily operates within the ...

Director: Sofia Coppola Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning Writer-director Sofia Coppola recently made history by becoming the second female director in the Cannes Film Festival's 70+ years to win the coveted Best Director gong. It's a disheartening, although not shocking, statistic but suggests that The Beguiled (an adaptation of the Thomas P. Culling novel A Painted Devil, not  a remake of Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood's 1971 film) is one of the auteur's finest pieces of work to date. After venturing beyond her advised boundaries, the young Miss Amy (Oona Laurence) stumbles across an injured Union soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell), who deserted his duties during the Civil War. Amy takes him back to her all-female Southern boarding school where Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) allows him to take refuge. McBurney's presence causes titillation and excitement as the girls and women compete for his affections but sexual tensio...

Director: Jon Watts Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey. Jr Within the relatively short period of seventeen years, audiences have been given three different iterations of the web-slinging Spider-Man. Raimi's early 2000s trilogy revolutionised the superhero genre. Marc Webb's efforts perhaps set the cause back a few steps. Jon Watts, director of  Cop Car (2015) and now Spider-Man: Homecoming  hopes to strike the former achievement. With the long-awaited collaboration between Disney Marvel and Sony finally upon us and age-appropriate casting of the titular character, the revival of the Spidey franchise has been imbued with a sensibility that's entirely unique and refreshing. After his thrilling experience with the Avengers, the teenage Peter Parker (Tom Holland) continues to live his quiet life but begins to embrace his identity as Spider-Man under the watchful eye of Tony Stark (Robert Downey. Jr). Determin...