I appear on “CTV News at 11:30” with anchor Andria Case to talk about the weekend’s best movies, on streaming and in theatres. We have a look at Prime Video movie “Hedda” with Tessa Thompson, the Disney+ series “Mardaugh: Murder in the Family,” Richard Linklater’s latest film “Nouvelle Vague” and the Maya Rudolph Apple TV+ series “Loot.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in with Deb Hutton on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. We talk about the history of Hollywood movies at the White House, Francis Ford Coppola’s $1 million watch and I review the decadent period piece “Hedda” and the kid-friendly monster flick “Stitch Head.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I joined CTV NewsChannel to have a look at new movies coming to theatres including the decadent period piece “Hedda,” the kid-friendly monster flick “Stitch Head,” the comedy-drama “Novelle Vague” and the political thriller “Anniversary.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Stefan Keyes to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the decadent period piece “Hedda,” the kid-friendly monster flick “Stitch Head,” the comedy-drama “Novelle Vague” and the political thriller “Anniversary.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join CP24 to talk about the decadent period piece “Hedda,” the kid-friendly monster flick “Stitch Head” and the scary Crave series “IT: Welcome to Derry.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Hedda,” a melodramatic reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1891 drama starring Tessa Thompson and now playing on Prime Video, a free-spirited woman plays the guests at a lavish party on a country estate as if they were pawns in her elaborate game of chess.
CAST: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Nina Hoss. Directed by Nia DaCosta.
REVIEW: An iconoclastic remake of Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1891 play “Hedda Gabler,” the action is transported from the original late 19th century Oslo setting to 1950s British high society.
The action in “Hedda” takes place during one eventful night at a lavish party thrown by Hedda (Tessa Thompson) and her new husband George Tesman (Tom Bateman) on their newly purchased country estate.
On the surface they appear to be a happy couple, but beneath the polished veneer of their relationship lies dissatisfaction, crippling debt and duplicity.
Drowning in debt after buying a house to impress Hedda, they invite Professor Greenwood (Finbar Lynch) to the bash in the hope he’ll give George a new, good paying academic gig.
As music blares and champagne bottles pop, the party spins out of control when the volatile Eileen Lövborg (Nina Hoss) shows up. Charismatic and brilliant, she is the author of a book exploring sexuality, up for the job George wants and, to complicate matters further, is Hedda’s ex-lover.
“A little chaos is good for the gathering,” says Hedda as the good times give way to desire, jealousy, and betrayal.
“Hedda” is a grand looking film, a document of one hedonistic night, fuelled by the title character’s manipulations. Director Nia DaCosta paints the screen with sumptuous set design and stylish period details that emphasize the decadent vibe of the evening. It’s a cliché, but the setting really is a character, silently creating a Dionysian atmosphere that goes a long way to enhance the storytelling.
This is not a period piece à la Merchant Ivory.
DaCosta, who also wrote the script, throws decorum out the window, portraying Hedda with a crueler edge than previously seen. The character has always orchestrated the lives of those around her, but a character who was once a tragic anti-heroine is now a ruthlessly aspirational, controlling character.
Thompson vividly captures Hedda’s need to “live on her own terms” with a volatile presence that expands the character with racial and queer aspects that add texture to the more than century old character. It’s lively, commanding work that stands out amid the film’s ornate style.
“Hedda” may not work for purists, but in its reinvention of the character for a new generation, it mines new aspects to a classic.
