Film: The Double

On a wet, miserable day like this, the best thing you could do was to go to the cinema. The nearest place that The Double is showing is the Odeon Kensington, which is walking distance from work, and closer to there than to home. So the plan was to head straight from work for a meal nearby and from there to the cinema. However, someone in the office had a birthday, and the birthday treats kept coming all day - so by evening, the last thing I wanted was a big meal! But I headed up that way early anyway.

I decided to buy a ticket first, and was delighted to discover that the member discount has been reinstated! 25% off - if you buy in the cinema, at least. And I even managed the convoluted process of making sure my membership card had points added. Then I wandered off down Kensington High Street, coming to a halt at Hotel Chocolat, which I see has a chocolate café now as well. I didn't intend to buy on this occasion, but got some ideas, and was again delighted to find that it's open till 7 every evening except Sundays, and till 8 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. That'll make Easter shopping easier!

When I went to take my seat at the cinema, as usual there was nobody to take my ticket. So I wandered up without having it looked at, and was not stopped. When I got to the screen, I went in, but it hadn't been cleaned yet, so I wandered out again, where I ran into the person that must have been the manager. Sure enough, she was also the cleaning crew.. she soon came out, brandishing some rubbish, which she popped in the nearest bin, and then she left. So I and another confused person made our unauthorised way in. Just as well we hadn't been sitting inside for longer - it was boiling hot.

And so to the film. The Double is based on a story by Dostoyevsky. It concerns an office clerk - here, by the name of Simon James, and played by Jesse Eisenberg. He's an awful doormat - constantly apologising, constantly in bad luck. This part of the film actually made me regret I'd come - I'm not mad about Jesse Eisenberg anyway, and this was just frustrating. He's had the same job for seven years, but few of his coworkers even recognise him. He fancies Mia Wasikowska, but can never get up the nerve to even speak to her. He has a great mind, and great ideas, but can't get anyone to listen to him. And his id card is corrupted, and the security guard never, ever recognises him, and makes him sign in every day as a visitor.

Enter the new employee - James Simon, a dead ringer for Simon James. Except this guy has confidence and charm, is soon popular, and catches the eye of management. Everyone loves him, and it's not long before he befriends Simon James and promises to teach him some life skills. But all is not as it seems - soon, he has Simon James doing his work for him, while he takes the credit, and takes Mia Wasikowska from under his nose. What is the embattled, hard-done-by Simon James to do?

The film really picked up when James Simon came along (see? Even I preferred him!), and it is a delight to see the same actor play such wildly differing personalities. He must have had great fun with it himself. Chris O' Dowd has one very funny scene as a nurse, Sally Hawkins plays the receptionist, Wallace Shawn plays Simon James' (and James Simon's) boss, James Fox is the company CEO. Paddy Considine is the nurse at the nursing home where Simon James' mother lives.

All-in-all, it's a strange film. But then, it's a strange story! I bought a sandwich on the way home, and was glad I hadn't had a big meal..

The next two nights' films are booked because they were more than half sold out when I checked. Tomorrow is In Bloom, at the British Film Institute - 6.15, so a rapid departure from work. It's a coming-of-age story set in a newly independent Georgia, and the trailer looks excellent. On Wednesday, I'm heading, for the first time, to The Electric Cinema, in Notting Hill, where the seating is in armchairs, separated by little tables with lamps on them. The film in question is The Wind, a silent film with Lillian Gish, which will have live musical accompaniment. The catch is the price - this is not a cheap cinema, and the ticket cost me over twice what I paid tonight! Well, never mind - it's an experience, and still cheaper than a play.

Speaking of which.. for Thursday, I came up with a production of Hedda Gabler, by Ibsen. I've seen it before, and don't usually repeat myself, but this production has something else going for it - it's in a stately home, Fulham Palace, somewhere I haven't been. It's not that far away, either. Interestingly, when I checked their website for booking information, I could find no mention at all of the production! There still isn't - very remiss! I got in touch, and they emailed me the link - http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hedda-at-fulham-palace-apr-10-11-12-tickets-9521708687?aff=eorg. So I booked a ticket. You would think they'd advertise it a bit better, though! And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend..