When a movie opens with its lead eating a neighbourhood dog amidst the post-apocalyptic ruins of a destroyed apartment building you know you’re in for an unconventional time. When that movie stars mainstream (anti-)hero Tom Hiddleston (best known as Loki from Thor) then it’s also bound to inspire strong reactions from mixed crowds, as it did at TIFF this year when it prompted walkouts during its premiere. (more…)
Listen Up Philip (2014)
Dir: Alex Ross Perry
Jason Schwartzman’s title character in Listen Up Philip could easily be mistaken for a grown-up Max Fischer from Rushmore if you squint hard enough. To make the leap you’d first have to acknowledge that somewhere along the line Max’s enthusiasm and extracurricular achievements curdled into the arrogance and cold elitism of the titular character here. The connective tissue between those two roles is Schwartzman and his ineffable presence, both put to good to use in writer/director Alex Ross Perry’s literary-minded and caustically funny character study Listen Up Philip. (more…)
Glen On Film 