Tom Hiddleston could be one of our greatest actors, but he isn’t quite — yet. “If you want to know who I am, it’s all in the work,” Hiddleston insists, quoting Alan Rickman. In fact, that might be what’s holding him back.
Essays
Cafe Society mocks and embraces backwards gender politics
Like the queasily dated Whatever Works — a film Allen wrote in the 1970s — Cafe Society insists on archaic gender politics.
Mid-week at HotDocs: The Legacy of Frida Kahlo isn’t really about Kahlo
Tadasuke Kotani’s Legacy of Frida Kahlo is a pedestrian documentary about Japanese photographer Miyako Ishiuchi’s visit to the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico.
Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise is vacant
Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise is probably easier to like if you haven’t read J.G. Ballard’s novel: you won’t know it’s missing 95% of his ideas. Wheatley’s film can barely offer more than views of Tom Hiddleston’s glorious torso. In Simran Hans’ apt words, High-Rise is willfully “anti-intellectual”.
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You delves into the life of the renegade 70s television producer
In the new documentary, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Norman Lear is heralded as the saviour of television. Directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing successfully celebrate Lear’s life but the film lacks deeper analysis.
Review: April and the Extraordinary World is a wonder
April and the Extraordinary World is an immersive science fiction narrative, but it’s also a thoughtful reflection on our own world.