Death is not the end! From the new robot Walt Disney to Mountainhead, movies are fuelled by immortality

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Transhumanism has long propelled films from Metropolis to The Matrix. But Jesse Armstrong’s billionaire satire isn’t sci-fi fantasy. Nor is the ‘robotic Grampa’ Disney’s granddaughter so despises For years, the world’s most perfect urban myth was this: Walt Disney’s body was cryogenically frozen at the moment of death, waiting for technology to advance enough to bring him back to life. Started by a National Spotlite reporter who claimed to have sneaked into a hospital in 1967, only to be confronted by the sight of Disney suspended in a cryogenic cylinder, the myth prevailed because it was such a good fit. Disney – and therefore Walt Disney himself – was the smiling face of rigidly controlled joy, radiating a message of mandatory fun that is magical when you are a child and increasingly sinister as you age. This policy (essentially “enjoy yourself or else”) suits the idea of cryogenic preservation. After all, if you have the ego to successfully enforce a blanket emotion as a company m...
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Kevin Spacey is back at Cannes. Not many people seem to care

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The actor received a lifetime achievement award from the Better World Fund at an event with little fanfare and few recognisable guests

Kevin Spacey’s Cannes comeback is a discreet, low-key affair. The promenade is home to a gaggle of evening sunbathers while the steps to the beach club contain neither fans nor protesters. It is what is known in the trade as a soft relaunch.

Spacey is guest of honour at the Better World Fund’s gala dinner, where he is receiving a lifetime achievement award for “excellence in film and television”. It marks a return to the limelight for the two-time Oscar-winner, whose career stalled after allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by more than 30 men. This is the actor’s first visit to Cannes since 2016, one year before the #MeToo movement began.

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