Benedict Cumberbatch — Blog

Predicting the 2022 Oscars

Aren offers his predictions for the 2022 Oscars, as well as his personal picks for each category.

FeaturesAren BergstromMarch 25, 2022Belfast, CODA, Don't Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Garfield, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Being the Ricardos, Tick Tick Boom, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Lost Daughter, Parallel Mothers, Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Ciaran Hinds, Troy Kotsur, Jesse Plemons, J. K. Simmons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jessie Buckley, Ariana DeBose, Judi Dench, Kirsten Dunst, Aunjanue Ellis, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Steven Spielberg, The Worst Person in the World, Cruella, Cyrano, No Time to Die, Free Guy, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Coming 2 America, House of Guci, House of Gucci, Encanto, Ascension, Attica, Flee, Summer of Soul, Writing with Fire, The Hand of God, Lunana A Yak in the Classroom, Luca, The Mitchells vs The Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon

Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home is fun as a movie, but troubling as a statement about where Hollywood is headed.

Roundtable: The Power of the Dog (2021)

The Brothers dig into Jane Campion’s Western, examining its depictions of the American West, exploration of masculinity, and the meaning of the title.

RoundtablesAnton BergstromJanuary 21, 2022The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion, Thomas Savage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Genevieve Lemon, Keith Carradine, Frances ConroyComment

1917 (2019) Is Slick and Relentless, But Unconvincing as a Study of War

1917 can only seem incredibly real and immersive for generations far removed from the actual horrors of 1914–1918.

Review: The Mauritanian (2021)

The story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi and his 14 year imprisonment is affecting, but Kevin McDonald’s film doesn’t quite do it justice.

Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAnders BergstromMarch 19, 2021The Mauritanian, Kevin McDonald, Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, War on Terror, drama, true storyComment

Review: 1917 (2019)

Sam Mendes’s one-shot WWI epic is a stunning technical achievement, but its central gimmick limits its overall effect.

Reviews, The Current: In Theatres, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromJanuary 13, 20201917, Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Clarie Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch Comment

Table Talk: Doctor Strange (2016)

Anders and Aren discuss the merits of the latest film in the MCU.

RoundtablesAren BergstromNovember 15, 2016Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Benjamin Bratt, C- Robert Cargill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange, Jon Spaihts, Mads Mikkelsen, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, Scott Adkins, Scott Derrickson, Tilda SwintonComment

Review: Black Mass (2015)

The film never attempts to comprehend Bulger's humanity.

Roundtable: TIFF 14 Post-Festival: Reflections on Five Years at TIFF

Is the world's biggest film festival in the process of losing what makes it special?

The Festival Circuit, RoundtablesAnders BergstromSeptember 23, 2014Benedict Cumberbatch, celebrity culture, film festival, Hayao Miyazaki, roundtable, The Look of Silence, TIFF, TIFF14Comment

Review: 12 Years a Slave (2013)

A monumental film full of stunning technique and emotion.

TIFF13: The Fifth Estate (2013)

An inconsistent and ungainly misfire of a film.

Reviews, The Festival CircuitAnders BergstromSeptember 8, 2013Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Condon, Daniel Brühl, drama, Julian Assange, political, The Fifth Estate, TIFF13, WikileaksComment

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) [Spoilers]

Anders offers another, spoiler-filled, take on Star Trek Into Darkness.

Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAnders BergstromMay 25, 2013action, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, J- J- Abrams, science fiction, Star Trek, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary Quinto Comment

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) [non-spoilers]

J.J. Abrams' latest sci-fi blockbuster is fast and exciting.

Reviews, The Current: In Theatres, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromMay 23, 2013action, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, J- J- Abrams, science fiction, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary QuintoComment