Tom Hiddleston posts first look at ‘High Rise’ character: Dragonfly bait?

dragonfly bait

Back in the good old days, Tom Hiddleston used to tweet with some frequency, and he used to post a lot of photos. For the most part, he’s used his Twitter to promote his films and his UNICEF work, but after Thor 2: All About Loki came out, Tommy has been tweeting a lot less. I hope that changes. I miss his twee-ness on Twitter. I miss his selfies and his random thoughts about music and Shakespeare. Anyway, Tom is in Belfast now, working on High Rise. And he’s starting to tweet more often now. He posted the above photo yesterday with the message: “The usual suspects. #HighRise @mr_wheatley @Laurie_Rose @TheRealLukevans.” Wheatley is the director, and that’s Luke Evans in the back with the 1970s p0rnstache. CB just told me that she thinks Luke is hot, just FYI. I think Luke looks a lot like Josh Brolin with the ‘stache.

As for Hiddles… he looks really good here. I guess that’s why he posted it to HIS Twitter. I wonder… with all of this facial hair, can Tommy even grow a beard? I’ve seen him with a goatee (he looks really good and not so boyish with a goatee), but never a full beard.

As for High Rise, Tommy is playing “Dr. Robert Laing, an instructor at a local medical school, who becomes embroiled in the suddenly tribal environment of the block.” Luke Evans plays documentary producer Richard Wilder. People say that Luke Evans is gay and he used to be “out” but he came back to the closet so he could be a bigger star. I’m not sure if I believe that, but sure. Cue your Luke-on-Tommy fan fiction now.

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Photos courtesy of WENN, Twitter.

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198 Responses to “Tom Hiddleston posts first look at ‘High Rise’ character: Dragonfly bait?”

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  1. T.Fanty says:

    Hot damn, Hiddles is bringing it today. I SO would. Right before I got my ass kicked by Miss Jane.

    To bring a little high rise and Shakey together in honor of our boy: I would hit it like Lady Macbeth hit the floor at the bottom of the turret.

    • sigh((s)) says:

      I will gladly take my @ss kicking by both you and Jane to get in line for your Hiddles crumbs. He’s so pretty it hurts.

    • EscapedConvent says:

      Who could appreciate that more than Tommy?

      • T.Fanty says:

        I know. I was going to offer to scale his High Rise, but that seemed crass. If I invoke Shakespeare, I can be a total slutbag and retain my classiness, right?

    • j.eyre says:

      @ss-kicked and hair shorn there, Gruoch, so you might as well hang out at the end of your curtain tie a while longer.

      But since we are being imperial – I would hit it so hard, who ever pulled him out of me would be king of England.

      • Lindy79 says:

        *bows*

        The comment of the day award goes to…

      • sigh((s)) says:

        Wow.
        :0

      • ncboudicca says:

        Dear God. LMFAO.

      • T.Fanty says:

        Oh my, that’s vivid.

        I might try though, so forgive me if I stand on your head while I do.

      • Abby_J says:

        I don’t even think I have any need to answer the question after that. You errr…nailed it.

      • jammypants says:

        *dead*

      • Lilacflowers says:

        This sounds like it might be painful for my beautiful Tommy. If you hurt him, he can’t come out to play any more

      • Ginger says:

        Impressive!!!

      • Moochiemom says:

        Epic. Love it.

      • I Choose Me says:

        Gotdamn! And I thought I had it bad for Hiddles. I bow to your verbiage madam. I’ll be remembering that comment for awhile.

      • Anne tommy says:

        Telling it like it is…I’m getting a noise in my head when I read the comment about pulling, kind of a squelch followed by a pop…

      • Anne tommy says:

        Telling it like it is…I’m getting a noise in my head when I read the comment, kind of a squelch followed by a pop…

      • 'P'enny says:

        Good God! love it @J.Eyre, a line like that is not worthy of Ms Bronte’s ears.

        Since i own a really good nail puller, that doesn’t damage the head or if it’s a’phillips type screw head it won’t destroy the thread for reuse. I shall be popping around shortly to take that said crown. I shall be known as Queen Hiddles of England.

      • Lady Macbeth (Hiddles F.) says:

        ‘P’enny

        Stealing the crown? it is mine!!
        Macbeeeeethhh… someone is stealing the crown again!!! *is it ever possible that he is always drowning himself in Scottish whisky…*

      • icerose says:

        Back from a day in London to find all this twhiddleston love. And we know he, Luke and Sienna get to frolic in their undies,
        I must say Luke Evans is beginning to grow on me. Any one who can who can go down the Tom Selleck Magnum moustache look is a brave soul.

      • Josa says:

        Comments in this thread is glorious.

    • Roberta says:

      Fanty, coming out of lurk mode to give thanks for your glorious return.

      Was about to shout spoiler, then realised I should know the plot of Macbeth by now.

      Miss Eyre, comment of the month I think.

    • Lady Macbeth (Hiddles F.) says:

      @T.Fanty

      When did I end up on the floor at the bottom of the turret?

      First… I want my Hiddles share and I came back from the bottom of the turret to get it!!

    • Lisa says:

      Oh yeah, he is fine. I just watched that movie in which he plays a vampire…frikken hawt!

  2. mel says:

    I thought Luke Evans being gay was common knowledge? Doesn’t matter, I will continue my Zeus loin-cloth fantasies.

    • M.A.F. says:

      I thought it was common knowledge as well.

    • Lizzie says:

      Didn’t Ian McKellan out Luke Evans in an interview last year? Along with Lee Pace and Richard Armitage apparently.

      • M.A.F. says:

        Yeah but Evans was already out then went back into the closet when which Fast & Furious movie he was in was about to come out (no pun intended).

      • Wilma says:

        Luke Evans spoke extensively on being an out gay man in several interviews a couple of years ago. You can probably find the interview with The Advocate easily.

      • Poe says:

        That interview was discredited many times.

        I believe Luke is bisexual, the original interview he did was in his 20s, the experimental age. Lee Pace and Richard Armitsge have both had girlfriends.

    • jammypants says:

      Still hot. I still would despite that fact.

    • silken_floss says:

      OH. MY. GAWD. I just saw Immortals last night for the first time and all I could was drool all down my shirt when I saw Luke E. as Zeus. Yowza!! Gay or not, that’s some hot toddy right there #YUMMY YUMMY

  3. Lindy79 says:

    You all know I’m more of a *whispers* fan of the Cumberdong but DAYUM he looks good here!!

    Have at it ladies!

    • jammypants says:

      I love all these nicknames. Cumberdong (or you can just say cucumber!) and Hiddlesconda.

  4. flosky says:

    A really close friend of mine has been cast in this film and by all accounts Hiddleston is a major babe. Really friendly and personable

  5. M.A.F. says:

    I don’t think he can grow a full beard. I’ve seen photos of him where he a fuller goatee and there is some facial hair creeping up the sides but that is it.

    As for his Twitter, I don’t mind the lack of involvement. He broke down that 4th wall too fast & the crazies came out in full.

  6. shaboo says:

    Evans is definitely gay, it’s a shame he felt the need to lie about it. He could have worked the whole glass closet thing like Lee Pace.

    Tom looks really good here!

    Old Evans interview.
    http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v2QEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA55&ots=ryIXRPJTFQ&dq=luke+evans+gay&pg=PA55&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=true

    • bella says:

      Shaboo:
      I think very odd is that nobody in media seems to remember any of this.
      Luke even made a statement about to be engaged with some female friend but I believe that he realized that the whole thing wouldn’t end very well and never said anything else about it. And nobody asked him about it as well.
      He always wanted fame badly and his PR team do everything to put him in every event they can.
      I have a great admiration for actors like Tom, Ben, Lee, Richard and Fassbender ( just to name a few) because they don’t do this kind of thing. They let their work speaks for them. And all of them are handsome, hot and sexy too.

  7. ava says:

    Looking good Tom! This movie is going to be great. Will Tom have three movies going at once in 2015?

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Looks that way. Maybe four if he does a small one early next winter. Dancing at the thought of the Tommy Blitz. And we also have his return to SDCC as the undisputed God of Hall H.

      • Dara says:

        Didn’t someone suggest that Hall H be known forevermore as Hall Hiddleston?

        I pity anyone that tries to outdo that particular appearance, at least until it fades a little in the collective memory of the nerd-verse.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        I don’t think anyone is going to try for quite a while. Nobody came close to trying any kind of performance in any of the movie forums this year. As Feige said, he knew it would take a certain type of training to pull it off and not every actor has that type of background. His promised return next year at the Legendary panel will be pandemonium. Feige will probably find something for him to do at the Marvel panel too.

      • icerose says:

        I love the idea of Tom. Jim Beaver and Del Toro having a love in in Hall H next year.I am also hoping High Rise will make it to Cannes, So it could be a big year for Tom.

      • Camil says:

        @icerose

        I hope so. He has worked a lot during this year with interesting directors and great casts. Tom deserves more recognition and of course more roles 😀

    • 'P'enny says:

      I think high rise/ toward the light could be on festival circuit like OLLA for a year& I won’t be happy at thT at all.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Nor would I. Although OLLA has made it to one of our local repertory theaters so I’m hoping they put it into a semi-regular rotation. Nothing like seeing films on a large screen where they belong.

      • icerose says:

        @P’enny nore than likely although I would like to see High Rise selected for Cannes which could help it’s profile.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I can see Toward the Light being at Cannes and possibly High Rise. Both should be at TIFF & BFI. Sundance might be a possibility for High Rise.

        OLLA did make it to a local theater by me & there were quite a few people at my screening so I have no doubt that I would be able to find these movies at least one theater.

  8. bella says:

    Luke gave an interview years ago about being a happy gay man. When he started to do blockbusters, he went back to the closet because he wanted to be a lead man and he knew how Hollywood still has prejudice about gay people.

  9. Leaflet says:

    I would totally hit the faux ginger and afterwards drive straight to Fassy’s place and get another good banging. I prefer ginger with my tea. Matter of fact, it’s the only way I take it. 😉

  10. J says:

    He looks like vintage Ralph Fiennes in the header photo.

  11. Camil says:

    Oh my god, Tom looks so handsome that I wanna cry LOL. I like Luke Evans’ appearance he looks like my uncle when he was a teenager in the 70’s , same hairstyle and mustache. Groovy

  12. Froop says:

    How come Tom doesn’t have any stupid facial hair? I’m disappointed. I suppose there isn’t enough space in the film for two sets of sideburns. Poor Luke got the shit end of the stick.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      If they are true to the novel, Luke’s character will spend the last third of the film with his privates on display. He may want to hide behind that facial hair.

      • Froop says:

        Is he Mr Salmon en Croute? Hairy salmon en croute. Shudder.

        I need to re-read the book.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Froop, several of them go bare so it is possible that description applies to all of them. The “en croute” may refer to “the sock.”

      • M.A.F. says:

        @Froop-Evans was at SDCC when that was Twitted. I’m guessing it was an extra she was talking about.

        @Lilac-you mean to tell me the main characters go bare at some point in the book?! Oh, how I pray that Evans and Hiddleston have at least one naked scene together. They can just stand there, facing the camera, not talking.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @M.A.F. Tom’s character nude-sunbathes, as we all repeatedly discuss. Luke’s character spends the last third of the novel clothed but with his pants open and his parts proudly on display but the two men aren’t naked together at any time. Irons’s character does some naughty things as well.

    • lunchcoma says:

      He might not be able to grow it in stylish 70s ways. The goatee we’ve seen him with wouldn’t really work with the period. Also possible they just thought that a doctor would be more conservatively groomed than a documentary producer. (I imagine we’ll at least see stubble by the end of the picture, though…)

      • Lilacflowers says:

        I suspect the stubble has come and gone and they may have filmed out of sequence. He was slightly furry in the picture he took at the music festival he attended right before filming began

    • ava says:

      @froop No I it thought she was talking about an extra on the film. Making a joke.

    • icerose says:

      @Froop it is set England in the seventies. Tom is playing a doctor/lecturer so I think his dress would be more upper class, conservative.Luke is a camera man wanna be documentary director so more arty/trendy, Must come the end of the film if it is given an adult certificate the focus will not be on his hair,
      Just came back from the Donmar Theatre front row with a totally nude naked scene with two attractive young men and the height of the seats make it all about eyeballing the balls.

      • Dara says:

        My Night with Reg? Was Julian Ovenden one of the chaps in question? Gracious…

        I think he might be on the verge of making my Posh British Actors I Adore list. I barely noticed him in Downtown Abbey, but then I started seeing the promo work he did when that season aired here in the states and found he’s charming…and hot. Married with children, but still smokin’ hot. Not quite tall enough to be a shoo-in for my list, but the fact that he can sing might give him the edge he needs to get there.

      • icerose says:

        @Dara yes he was and for the record definitely uncut.It was a morning after scene, I was very impressed with his multidimensional performance. He was very laid back and witty but his pain came over loud and clear, It was a about a group of gay friends in the early days of aides.
        Just checked his CV and he was an Eton scholarship boy followed by Oxford. The Eton take over continues

      • Dara says:

        @icerose – I saw that as well. His father was the Queen’s vicar (is that the right term?) for a while – in an interview with the Telegraph a few years ago Julian mentions his parents being at Balmoral the week of Diana’s death, fascinating stuff. His dad sounds like a trip – more liberal and open-mined than I expected. I’m not a regular church-goer, but I might make an exception if he were giving the sermon.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Julien Ovenden, Lady Mary’s newest love interest on Downton Abbey?

  13. Ginger says:

    Oh my a little Tommy in the morning…yrs please!

  14. koko says:

    Luke looks more 70’s to me, Tom just looks like Tom. Yum.

  15. TotallyBiased says:

    You know it’s a truly epic selfie when it inspires such a magnificent return-to-form of t.fanty and the Jane. I’ve laid in two stocks of popcorn…one for the potential of this thread (I see Kais caught our notes after her Hiddlebomb yesterday) and the other for watching Tumblr’s Dom!Tom stans spontaneously combust!

    • Innie Outie says:

      He’s totally looking very dom here, isn’t he? 😛

    • Lilacflowers says:

      They both seem to have forgotten that they shoved him out a window at Thornfield several months ago in some sort of hysteria over another British actor.

      • icerose says:

        We all have fickle hearts when it comes to Tom and British actors

      • TotallyBiased says:

        Fickle? Speak for yourself, frigid flora!!!
        I am ever loyal and (do I even need to say it?) ever totally biased. 😉

      • T.Fanty says:

        In Miss Jane’s defense, that was probably just me. It sounds like the kind of shallow harlotry I’m capable of.

        Plus, it depends who the other british actor was. If it’s Toby Stephens (aka The Only Coriolanus That Matters), then I threw them all out. If it was Cumby (aka The Poor Man’s Toby), I might have just gently lowered Tom down, so he isn’t too bruised when I want to let him back in.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @T.Fanty, it was the latter and Tom was shoved hastily out an upper floor window, much as Colin Firth had suffered a week or so earlier. They were both caught before hitting the ground and have been lovingly tended, with Mark Strong standing guard to be sure no additional harm comes their way.

      • icerose says:

        @TotallyBiased I am totally loyal when it counts as well but I was giving the window throwers a little wiggle room.
        Love the frigid flora. Visions a shape shifting flower siren having it off with Loki in Jotunheim

      • icerose says:

        @TFanty I watched Alan Howard parade his Coriolanus last week. Great voice but it was his Aufidius that caught my eye. His passion for Caius was breath taking.
        Not to worry re Tom. He has inexhaustible,bounce and like the lovely Tigger was up and running in seconds spreading his ebullience, and benevolence across the kingdom.

  16. Dani says:

    Tommy’s best look is with a goatee a la Henry V. He’s never looked better than that.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Tommy’s best look is when he is satisfying my every intimate need and desire; at which time his facial hair is irrelevant

      • fairyvexed says:

        …..or not visible.

      • 'P'enny says:

        @lilacflowers mmm facial hair is influential in pleasure or pain, depending if it’s soft or rough LOL where I live there is a lot men growing beards like there are in the 70’s. I think tom may get a stick on beard or worse a stick on chest rug. 😛

      • Lady Macbeth (Hiddles F.) says:

        @lilacflowers

        LOL!! +1,000!!

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @fairyvexed, very true about that not visible part. I do have many needs.
        @’p’enny, I’m extremely susceptible to beard burn just about everywhere. It has to be very soft and I suspect his is not. But of course, he would be unbelievably apologetic and would try to make amends for any chafing by performing all sorts of lovely tricks.

        @Lady Macbeth, as I said on yesterday’s thread, it is so very good to be bad to the bone.

      • icerose says:

        Toms best look is acting up a storm in anything which includes a naked Tom, Judging from some twitter posts we may get a lot of shirtless Tom as well.

      • Lady Macbeth (Hiddles F.) says:

        @lilacflowers

        “as I said on yesterday’s thread, it is so very good to be bad to the bone”

        I totally agree with that 😉

      • Catherine says:

        @Lilacflowers, how old are you?

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @Catherine. I’m an adult. Why do you ask?

    • joe spider says:

      The correct answer Lilacflowers was “old enough” 🙂

  17. Innie Outie says:

    A perfect, austere-looking and super-sexy Hiddles to accompany my perfect beach vaycay!

  18. Miss Jupitero says:

    Looks lovely! I was expecting a Leisure suit though and maybe a turtleneck.

    What is a leisure suit anyway? Would it involve polyester or colours only need can identify perhaps?

    • EscapedConvent says:

      Oh, it’s a shame the leisure suit ever went out of fashion. Yes, I believe the leisure suit always involves polyester—100% involvement. And to be at its most elegant, it needs a nice white patent faux leather belt.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Yes, and no structure in the shoulders of the jacket. White shoes to match the belt – he’s been wearing those apparently – and colors that defy description. Lots of burnt orange, rust, olive green, salmon (that keeps popping up, doesn’t it) and bizarre blues.

      • icerose says:

        Wealthy Brits never wore polyester leisure suits that was left to the yobs and lower classes. Flared trousers, big collars on suits,jump suits for the more fashion conscious and safari type jackets for casual. Tom has a great neck for a turtleneck.
        But it does depend how bizarre Wheatley plans to go,

  19. joe spider says:

    Don’t you just love those photos of him in evening dress?

    • 'P'enny says:

      yes, that Alexander McQueen suit is the best i’ve seen him in. It fitted his body like a glove, contemporary and smooth. He really spruced up very very well that evening. That was a fine evening in April…’ sighs’. I do wonder when we will get to see him again looking so smart. [mind you i also am wondering when we will see him in green leather again]

      anyways, I think he looks so super-fab at Oliviers because it came on the heels of those Toronto pap picks where he rocked that bubble coat and looked fresh faced. Then he kind of went down hill a bit since then, working that blue-tshirt too much and looking rather tired off-set. [understandbly – of course considering the crazy hours they were doing.]

      It’s good to see a selfie ‘again’ where he looks a bit fuller in the face again and seemingly playing character to the camera.

      although i am a real fan of the pic of the egg, top post.

      • joe spider says:

        Ageing quite well isn’t he 😉

      • 'P'enny says:

        like a fine wine – but too good for a cellar, needs to be smelled, drunk slowly and carefully, like a fine bouquet.

        oh dear, ‘help’ i have hiddles-bug badly tonight, d@$n him in his new black v-t shirt and blue hoodie and Mr Whippy wet hair.

      • icerose says:

        He had a good evening look at Cannes when he wore the skull and bone tie

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Let us all savor a close-up, shall we? http://www.monstersandcritics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Tom-Hiddleston-LMK-112973.jpg

      And ‘p’enny, every time you refer to him as “Mr. Whippy” and wet, I get really impure thoughts.

  20. Leah says:

    Love the wide lapels on the suit. Luke Evans hair is something to behold. Takes me back to simpler times when people looked ridiculous.

    • joe spider says:

      I wish I could remember who he reminds me of in that photo.

      • 'P'enny says:

        burt reynolds?

      • joe spider says:

        Oh heck I’ve just remembered: Jaws in the James Bond movie!!!

        Sorry Luke.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @joe spider. Thanks. I am never going to get that image out of my mind and will probably laugh hysterically in the theater when I see the film every single time he is on screen.

      • joe spider says:

        Sorry about that Lilacflowers – it had been bugging me since I saw the tweet. Now I’ve projected it onto you.

      • TotallyBiased says:

        You aren’t the only one, joe…thatwas my instant reaction to that pic as well!

      • icerose says:

        @Joe Spider you have it -I was thinking a long haired Tom Selleck but Jaws works so much better.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Now I’m going to be humming “The Spy Who Loved Me” all night and probably when I see the movie. Perhaps this is a positive sign for the possible next James Bond?

      • joe spider says:

        I really don’t want Tom to be the next James Bond – that franchise is running out of steam and I wouldn’t want him to be the one remembered as having “killed” it.

        Not that he wouldn’t be great in that type of role.

      • 'P'enny says:

        JAWS!!! sharknado 70’s style.

        Jaws was cool in Moonraker where he fell in love with that girl and pigtails.

  21. 'P'enny says:

    EDIT i am loving Twitter tonight, And tom has been spotted walking topless and! also just in his underwear with Luke and Sienna near the trailer. Pls tell me this is just a joke? i want photos twitter girl!

    Tom has been out again and being v nice [he really doesn’t have anything better to do, does he? bless] anyway, one fan is getting annoyed because Sienna M keeps blowing them off and won’t come out. James Purefoy waved from the car and that was it. Luke Evans came out last night [think Tom pushed him out with a promise of a karaoke night in a gay club] and no sign what’s so ever of my comedy darling Reece. And, where are the rest of the cast? seriously, are they are sneaking them in and out, during this very very fast paced film set. Can’t believe they wrap in two weeks.

  22. joe spider says:

    Check out Tom’s latest internet busting tweet!

  23. Altariel says:

    Ugh, hate to say it….this pic is off the charts cool, but I don’t care for how Tom looks, like sun is in his eyes and he looks hard. And yet, Luke Evans is rocking the 70’s camp!

  24. Maria of MD says:

    He looks good there, like he escaped from the set of Mad Men.

  25. Kate2 says:

    He looks great, hot and adorable as usual. Movie should be interesting.

    I hope his activity on Twitter does not mean he’s ramping up again. Down with personal tweets! No no no!! Although his response to that young lady was sweet. Who knows what it was about. It seems she met him on set and asked him to pose for her or something. That’s my guess.

    Wonder if there have been any JA sightings….

  26. J says:

    Not a fan of that pic at all with the way his face looks, tux ones are nice!

    he’s prob wading back into the interaction pool now so he’s all set for PR blitzes next year. I know some people are meh on his PR team but I think it’s clever the way he orchestrates and manipulates and some the credit goes to them too

  27. Kate2 says:

    He looks hot and adorable as usual.

    I hope he doesn’t go back to tweeting like he used to. I’ve stated in the past that he needs to stay under the radar like the other British crumpets. Keep it about the work, hot stuff.

    I wonder if JA has been sighted on set, tee hee…

    • 'P'enny says:

      are you JA bombing? LOL! stoooooop it. ‘finger wag’

      she has gone very quiet and besides Benny is getting all the secret girlfriend chatter at the moment.

      oooh I “benny-bombed.”

  28. joe spider says:

    Hey folks, brace yourselves, Tom has been spotted in a NEW hoodie and BLACK tee!!!! 😆

    https://twitter.com/I_Love_Depp/status/497511059331502080

    • Froop says:

      I love that the security guy is in there too.

    • Innie Outie says:

      All his recent pics from the HR set are friggin’ hot. As if i weren’t feeling hot already here on my beach! *fans herself*

      Also – Faisal! *melllts*

  29. icerose says:

    Cumberbomb coming up. I just got a front row ticket to Benny’s Hamlet. Now I can see for myself what kind of a Hamlet he is.

    • joe spider says:

      Lucky you icerose – when are you going? And of course a review will be mandatory!

      • icerose says:

        @joe spider
        August 15th so it should have bedded in by then and before the press night I think which I prefer as I will have no preconceptions

        @Innie Outie Plenty of seats left on the Barbican sight in the circle areas when the booking goes public on Monday but the stalls have are pretty much sold out.
        I got mine through a ticket agency which had done a deal for tickets with the Barbican on behalf of its members. I did not know until I received an email this morning they had done it. Glad I did not join the Barbican now you get good deals on lots of shows with ATG tickets. There was not even a cue and they were selling very slowly.
        I always planned to go but was not prepared to join the Barbican so would have settled for a circle seat. I may be overwhelmed by his performance, I was not a Fassy admirer but his performance in 12Years really won me over, But then again ???? frigid flora may be find that Benny just cannot melt her frozen heart.

      • Innie Outie says:

        @icerose, i think you and i probably have a similar issue with Ben – his physicality. I empathise with his characters, i think he can wonderfully convey emotional depth of his characters, their complexity etc etc, but i cannot get over his physicality. And not only his looks – those aren’t all that important, i am not particularly fussed about Fassbender’s or Hardy’s looks, either – it’s the manner in which he moves and holds himself, like the whole physical aspect of his expression.

      • icerose says:

        @Innie Outie Yes one of the main difficulties I have with him is a certain rigidity in the physicality of his performances and in interviews, I think this works well in Sherlock but at other times it limits the dramatic quality within the character he is playing, The other issue is that although he gets offered very good parts with great dialogue and makes the most of them his work but has a tendency to be predictable. His performances have depth but lack that something that make me go wow and often it is that wow bit that gives the character that extra bit of humanity or tragedy.
        What I love about Tom is that he takes on characters that are poles apart and you never quite know what to expect next. His Coriolanus was just not what I was expecting when he returned to the stage and Shakespeare but it was a performance you will always remember. They is why Tom Ben, Whishaw, David Dawson (Duchess of Malfi, Hollow Crown), Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Strong are so watchable because they bring to most of their performances and underlying energy/passion which lights up the stage or screen. And I do think that great passion in a performance also requires a physicality which is both fluid and incalculable. I think there is for me a link between being physically open and emotionally loose.

      • isis says:

        Can you sign up now for an ATG membership to get tickets? I’ve bought tickets from ATG but am not a member.

      • icerose says:

        @isis I think you have to be a member before the offer comes up but your best bet is to phone them and check, If you live outside the UK I will do it for you. But if you can join as them first if they have tickets left. They are usually really helpful.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @innieoutie and frigid flora (love it!), I too find a certain stiffness and lack of warmth and too much similarity in his movie portrayals. Yes, I think he has talent but he has yet to show me a spark or passion. Fassbender, who also holds no physical attraction for me, has played characters who are icy cold but it is the type of deep freeze that burns with underlying passion. I want to see what he’ll do next. Mark Strong can do so much just with a lift of an eyebrow. Whishaw intrigues me; he can go from impish to heart-breakingly sad. Tom fascinates me – he is so limber both in physicality, in his voice, and the different characters he chooses to play. While watching DBS, I kept wondering to myself “who is that guy? where have I seen him before?” It made sense when I realized he was also the guy in War Horse AND Midnight in Paris, but then, wait a minute, THAT’S Loki?????

        So, I do hope he pleasantly surprises you and lives up to the hype with Hamlet. (I’m spoiled for life on Hamlet – I saw Rylance’s performance when very young.)

      • icerose says:

        @Lilacflowers You saw Rylence as Hamlet I am so jealous!! I have always wanted to see his Richard 11 as well and Whishaw’s Hamlet but I am seeing Maxine Peake’s Hamlet in September which in many ways excites me more that Benny’s.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @icerose, he was mesmerizing. He played the part as a bipolar, stuck mostly in a manic phase. I would love to see the Maxine Peake Hamlet. When I worked @ Boston Public Library, I was in a room named for Charlotte Cushman, who was an early theater force in Boston and there was a painting of her dressed as Hamlet. It always intrigued me. I like to see Shakespeare pushed.

    • Innie Outie says:

      Pfft @icerose, i’m sure you’ve done that only to annoy Cumby fangirls who never managed to buy a ticket and also to later come to CB and bash on his Hamlet 😛

    • 'P'enny says:

      well done! looking forward to youre review.

    • M.A.F. says:

      Congrats!

    • jammypants says:

      oh my! enjoy yourself!

  30. joe spider says:

    Irish Tom if you listen carefully:

    http://instagram.com/p/rcKhw5R_BA/

    • Innie Outie says:

      He’s looking soooo good i find it harder and harder to wait for when his current films are finally released! I do hope Wheatley proves to be as efficient with High Rise as he usually is and we’ll get at least some glimpses of it by next spring.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Very sweet!

  31. joe spider says:

    And the biggest Cumberbomb in history,
    keep going down quite a while after the Tom part to a little over halfway down

    http://britsunited.blogspot.co.uk/

    hahaha

    • 'P'enny says:

      the most exciting thing about that link is, i had no idea how many millions cast their vote in Radio Times TV thing. But, more than anything as much as i love Hiddles and Benny i am really glad that David Tennant won. Because looooong before those two, there was David and his lovely ruffly hair and a fan-girl army of millions. I bet David is drinking a ton of champagne celebrating.

      but really, what all David, Benny and Tom fans have in common?
      2 out 3 are the same person. We all love a geek with a big heart, a funny smile, floppy hair and charm to fall to floor over.

      see for me… it was Colin [1996…] then David [all of the noughts really…] and then Benny… [2011…] and now Hiddles, until at least Thor 3. [2017] There have been other pretenders to the Crown of Fantasy, even David Duchovny and Aragorn got a shot for while.. eek.

      i want to round them all up and take them to bed 😀

      i drove home tonight and there is a sign on the motorway, roadwords till Summer 2017!! no joke. i thought, by the time i stop driving in this traffic jam each night Thor 3 will be nearly out! FFS.

      scary thought .

      • joe spider says:

        But did you scroll down to babybatch?

      • 'P'enny says:

        i’m sorry? who?

        i got lost in Colin Firth in white shirt being Mr Darcy.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Haven’t we all gotten lost in Colin Firth in a white shirt being Mr. Darcy?

      • Lilacflowers says:

        I got momentarily stuck on Sean Bean as Sharpe, had fun with younger Colin and current Colin in various white shirts, smiled at High Rise and flew right past that baby to Loki and Thor. Because Loki and Thor.

    • joe spider says:

      God that blog moves fast!!! You have to scroll down to 6th August to see pics of Ben’s parents and him as a baby!

      Thanks for the headsup on Loki and Thor – I hadn’t scrolled down that far!

      • Lilacflowers says:

        The Loki and Thor stuff is just speculation about the plot of Thor 3, taking things the two of them have said about the Thor mythology out of context.

      • Innie Outie says:

        As much as i would love to believe that Thor and Loki stuff, i am with Lilacflowers on it: it’s just speculation, unfortunately. Out of all phase 1&2 Marvel films i have watched, only Winter Soldier kinda sorta lived up to my expectations in terms of plot and, mm, audacity? daring?

        Basically, i enjoy Marvel characters – but not Marvel plots =( I want to believe that Thor 3 will combine Chris and Tom’s chemistry and talents with a thrilling storyline – but i will not be surprised if it doesn’t.

      • 'P'enny says:

        @innie

        keep an eye on Chris Yost’s twitter feed, he posted a post-it note of Thor 3 about two weeks ago. i think now Chris has finished his comic stuff [something about robots, well over my head] he’s now putting his ideas together with Craig Kyle, his funny writing partner who loves Hiddles on the docu’s on the Thor 3 DVDs. I will never forget Kyle talking about Tom’s audition video and praising his acting talents, ‘calling him a finely tuned machine…’ or something like that.

        so we should all drop hints through twitter to Yost, that only a good Tom/Chris story is acceptable. He replies to people’s posts. too. Plus he’s just had a baby, so he will be in a nice soppy happy ending type mood. [maybe, late nights can have impact on creativity.]

        i think with them two in charge of the writing and no one else sticking their oar in, i have high hopes.

  32. Dara says:

    I’ve been trying for weeks (hmm, maybe months at this point) to make my way through High Rise. I enjoy a good dystopian or post-apocalyptic thriller as much as the next girl (ok, maybe more than most) but this one has been a slog. It’s bleak and disturbing and how it will ever get translated to film is beyond me. It’s either going to be hailed as a brave, unflinching commentary on the fragility of modern society or it will join the long list of films booed at Cannes.

    • icerose says:

      @Dara Have you seen any Wheatley films, A Field in England was pretty off the wall but mesmerising. He has deft and unusual take on violence.So yes it will be interesting to see what turns up. Much of the novel is narrated in retrospect manner so how much we will actually see of the worst bits will be interesting. I read the novel in a day and could not put it down but agree that translating it into film will be difficult and potentially disastrous in the wrong hands.
      But in its favour at least it is not another dystopian drama about rebels versus big brother rulers. It is a far more subtle look at human nature in confinement and destructive spiral. There are no heroes/heroines but out of the chaos you see some fantastic character developments.
      Have you seen Empire of the Sun which contrasts so beautifully the responses to a suffocating and threatening detention, The long suffering Brits lead by the accepting doctor, the American who sets himself up as at all costs as the acquirer and the myriad of reactions in between. Ballard seems to me to see people under distress very clearly without apportioning blame or morality to any individual and I find it very refreshing.
      So yes a brave choice of film for both the director and the actors which has the potential to be great or fall flat on it’s face but that is true of most films which do not follow a typical true formula

      • Dara says:

        @icerose – I haven’t seen any of Wheatley’s work, but A Field in England is available on Amazon Video so I might give it a try.

        I enjoy Ballard’s writing style – it seems very straightforward, even minimal on the surface, but that simplicity has a clarity that cuts right to the core of the story. The prose is beautiful in its own way – there are some lines in this novel that I will remember forever. And yes it’s an easy, short read.

        So I guess my problem with the novel is the premise itself – Ballard makes it very clear that there were no external factors that forced the residents to act the way the ultimately do. It’s a choice they all make, the issues with the building’s functions are an excuse, a trigger – not the root cause. That kind of intentional, meaningless barbarism is just not my thing. And yes, there are no heroes or heroines – or maybe the heroes are the residents that left the building when they had the chance.

        It’s an interesting story with a talented director and I can see why the project attracted the cast it did – lots of action and the characters are fascinating, a lot of good stuff for an actor to sink their teeth into. Just not sure that at the end of the day it will be something I want to watch.

      • Innie Outie says:

        @Dara: it might actually turn out that Wheatley is not your kind of director then. Try A Field in England and also Kill List to see his style, his vision. His films are more about experience, the journey – and not the destination. And his journeys are often cruel and violent, and there is no respite.

      • icerose says:

        @InnieOutie and @Dara I think High Rise is also very much about the journey which explains the appeal for Wheatley.In many ways it is about extending every day life into an extreme scenario.
        If you read up on the psychology of groups they often consist studies of people with variable roles and predictive responses which I find fascinating. I think what Ballard does is takes basic human responses and extend the characters and the behaviour into a larger scenario. On one level High Rise is the class structure taken to extremes through individual and group responses to very minor events , And the truth is that people often make decisions on an unconscious level and rationalise them afterwards. I think his writing was very much bound up with his war time experiences and his exploration as to why humans behave like they do. You only have to watch some of the more OTT twitter responses to see how small events grow out of proportion.

      • Dara says:

        Finally made it to the end, which was about what I expected. Funny – I didn’t care for the story at all, but part of me wants to read it again and focus on the prose this time, it was wonderfully written.

        I read the book on Kindle (which has changed my reading life in so many ways) and Amazon did the usual “what others have also read” suggestion list. Was it other Ballard works, perhaps similar books in the same vein – 1984, Lord of the Flies, etc.? Nope – it was Coriolanus and 5 different versions of what I think is glorified Loki fan-fiction. My favorite title was, “For a Good Time, Call Loki” – I kid you not. FFS… I guess I should be happy Coriolanus even made the list, but maybe the fangirls could show a little ambition and download the Complete eff-ing Works of Shakespeare while they’re at it.

        OK – rant over, sorry if I offended anyone’s taste in reading material but sometimes I do wonder if, as a society, we’ve set the literary bar too low.

      • Dara says:

        And yes, I realize it’s hypocritical of me to scoff. After all, I only read High Rise to begin with because I heard Tom had been cast in the movie. But I’ll say this – I may be a fangirl, but I’m pretty sure I won’t froth at the mouth over every project he does just because he’s a part of it. Following an actor and their projects is a great way to explore things you may not normally hear about, but you’ve got to filter that through your own personal taste.

      • icerose says:

        @Dara I agree. Many of the actors I follow/have followed have taken me down so many interesting roots but Tom does it in spades.