Benedict cumberbatch

Like cinematic malaria, ‘Zoolander 2’ drains your resistance with its fever-dream insanity.

With Season Four due to arrive next year, Sherlock and Watson return in with a Victorian-themed special, which is perhaps the most perplexing episode to date.

Michael Stuhlbarg set to join impressive ‘Doctor Strange’ cast Who would’ve thought Marvel could create such an eclectically interesting cast as they have for the one with Doctor Strange? The Wrap reports that Michael Stuhlbarg, who was just seen in Steve Jobs and Trumbo, is set to join the cast for Doctor Strange, which is …

The Imitation Game Adapted by Graham Moore, from the book by Andrew Hodges Directed by Morten Tyldum UK | USA, 2014 Secrets are power.  Whether it’s an indecipherable code controlling the fate of millions or one man’s closeted sexuality, secrets can topple the mightiest of empires.  The Imitation Game follows Alan Turing’s race to break …

To fully appreciate Peter Jackson’s last foray into Middle-Earth, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, one must understand it’s actually two separate movies. The first movie is a sour, pseudo-Shakespearean morality play that has nothing to do with Hobbits. The second movie is a heartfelt rumination about friendship and self-sacrifice. For those willing to overlook the sour for the sweet, there are great treasures to be found, as Jackson brings his trilogy to a suitably-epic conclusion.

As if Chris Pratt doesn’t have enough giant tentpole films to deal with as he rockets his way to the A-list, the Guardians of the Galaxy star is now in talks to star in an actual Western, as opposed to a Western with dinosaurs or talking raccoons. Pratt is set to join a remake of …

Today’s Week in Review takes us to the highly probable rumor mill and some potentially sensational casting. First up, The Daily Mail is reporting that Christoph Waltz is on board to be the villain in the still untitled, Sam Mendes-helmed Bond 24. The Daily Mail was also the source behind other potential Bond news regarding …

The Marvel drumbeat continues as Deadline has word that the studio has selected Benedict Cumberbatch to play Doctor Strange in their next comic adaptation. According to Deadline, negotiations are now about to begin. Doctor Strange has proved a notorious role to cast, with Joaquin Phoenix falling out of the project several months back (here was …

The mysterious and secretive figure of Alan Turing has undergone something of a political and cultural renaissance in the UK over the past few years. A young mathematic prodigy, Oxford graduate, and cryptographer par excellence, he was ushered into the ultra top secret Bletchley Park programme during the Second World War and tasked with the impossible: to break the German military codes through a captured sequencer which could potentially offer billions of responses to any clandestine communication. Socially incompetent and ruthlessly dedicated, Turing willingly threw himself into the arena of cerebral combat, along the way erecting much of the intellectual and theoretical infrastructure of the modern computing world. But as a closeted homosexual his treatment at the hands of the authorities in the post-war period should cause the great British bulldog to hang its head in shame, with he and his team’s contribution to the continuation of civilisation remaining cloaked for over half acentury due to the Official Secrets Act. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown would later make an official public apology on behalf of the British government for “the appalling way he was treated,” while the Queen granted him a posthumous pardon on Christmas Eve 2013.

The Hype Cycle is News Editor Brian Welk’s roundup of industry news, reviews and predictions of everything Oscar, boiled down into weekly power rankings of the buzziest and most likely contenders in this year’s awards season. The Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award has been one of the most reliable barometers for both Best …

  Yes, I am posting another Ice Bucket Challenge, but to be fair, I only post what I feel are the very best. Besides, it is for a good cause. Leave it to Benedict Cumberbatch to take it a step further than most folks. The 38-year-old actor teamed up with the MND Association for his …

Sherlock, Season 3, Episode 2, “The Sign of Three” Directed by Colm McCarthy Written by Steve Thompson Aired Sunday, 5th Jan 2014 on BBC1 Considering last week’s amazing episode, trying to top last week’s exciting season opener of Sherlock seems like a daunting task.  But co-creators Gatiss and Moffatt have taken a slightly different turn in the latest …

Sherlock, Season 3, Episode 1, “The Empty Hearse” Directed by Jeremy Lovering Written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt Aired Wednesday, 1st Jan 2014 on BBC1 It has been almost two years since Sherlock Holmes was seen faking his death, leaving his faithful companions John Watson and Mrs. Hudson to grieve his unfortunate passing.  In …

One of the most popular series to emerge out of British television over the past few years has been the BBC series Sherlock. A modern day re-imagining of the iconic detective, the series co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss has garnered a number of fans, despite having only six episodes over two seasons, with …

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro Directed by Peter Jackson New Zealand, United Kingdom, and USA, 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is, no doubt, an improvement over The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, though perhaps because it is the second of three …

Though the big-name film festivals may have finished for the year–with Sundance rearing its head in only six weeks or so–there are still festivals running around the country. Take, for example, the Filmstock Film Festival, now in its fifth year, and catering specifically to the Four Corners states–Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. The festival …

“Most good stories start at the beginning,” intones a journalist during The Fifth Estate, a bold statement to make in a film that starts very near the end. The story of how WikiLeaks, and its enigmatic Australian founder Julian Assange, rose to worldwide prominence and notoriety over the last 5 years, is not without merit, but this adaptation fails to reach the same height of earned importance.

Welcome to our “12 Years a Slave” Reviews. Review #1 12 Years a Slave Written by John Ridley Directed by Steve McQueen USA, 2013 With Hunger and Shame, Steve McQueen crafted two highly divergent, yet equally distinctive character studies of men whose respective physical existences are defined by extremity. Hunger’s Bobby Sands stays true to his political convictions in …

In almost everything, there is subtext, intentional or not. In the ‘not’ category is the significant black cloud coming with the silver lining of three massive developments in movieland this year. Firstly, after months of feverish speculation, J.J. Abrams was chosen as the man to helm the return of Star Wars to the big screen; he confirmed his worthiness for the role with the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, a mega-hit blockbuster action adventure putting the highly rated Star Trek 2009 into the shadows; almost in an attempt to draw attention away from Disney and Spielberg’s protégé, James Cameron announced that the most successful film of all time, his film Avatar, would indeed have the three sequels he had long discussed, thankfully with different screen writers covering the wordy bits. Cue much jubilation from fandom; the silver lining. The malignant black cloud, the subtext, was the continued throes of the science-fiction genre as it is starved to death.

The closing moments of the 2009 reboot of Star Trek saw a revival of its source material’s famous slogan regarding the ongoing mission of the Enterprise:

Elementary – Pilot episode Directed by Michael Cuesta Written by Rob Doherty Aired on Thursday, September 27th 2012, 10/9c on CBS. Now, it is going to be a good year or so before the much-anticipated third series of Sherlock returns to UK TV screens.  As much as fans cannot wait to see how Cumberbatch’s Holmes marks his return, …

  In February, news of an upmost upsetting nature came to light. Barely a month after the second season of Sherlock finished on UK screens, CBS revealed their intention to do a version of the show – Elementary – but based in New York. I’m going to be honest. Quite frankly, the idea may not …

Season 2, Episode 3: “The Reichenbach Fall” Written by Steve Thompson Directed by Toby Haynes Aired Sunday January 15th, 2012 at 9pm GMT on BBC 1 We knew that this day would come.  We’ve been looking forward to it for long enough.  So how do you end a brilliant second season of our favourite consulting …