Went to some effort last night to get this week's film list done, and at the end I noticed that a lot of films had achieved very high scores (so far) - so high that only the 8s and 9s are in contention this week! Two films tied for the top place and a score of 9, but the other was Haider, an Indian adaptation of Hamlet. I'm sure it's very good, but I've always had a problem with the character, and I guessed, from the trailer, that the same would be true of this film. So I decided to go to Pek Yakinda instead, a Turkish comedy about a guy trying to win back his estranged wife by making a film (turns out she's an actor, see, looking for work, and he's a dvd pirate turned would-be film producer and trying to prove he's on the straight and narrow now).
When I checked it today, it had slipped in IMDB ratings - but only slightly, to 8.9. This left it joint top with The Imitation Game, the new biopic of codebreaker Alan Turing, played by the omnipresent Benedict Cumberbatch, with Keira Knightly as his fiancée. Also stars Matthew Goode and Charles Dance. And I'll be very happy to go see it. Thing is, though, it's only previewing this week, and only on Thursday afternoon, when I'll be at work, and Wednesday evening, when I've already booked to see Pitcairn, at the Globe again - a drama about what happened when Fletcher Christian was left in charge. (Got a fantastic deal on that from the Globe website, using the code PCDWRITE, which gave me any seat I wanted for £10. They give these offers occasionally.) Must remember to take my camera that evening - the view as you exit onto Bankside in the dark is stupendous!
Anyhoo. So, The Imitation Game is off my film list this week, and I was back to Pek Yakinda. The nearest place it's showing is Cineworld Wood Green, which, although a long way away, is easy enough to get to - Piccadilly Line to Wood Green, hang a left and walk for a few minutes, past the Vue (they're well served for cinemas there). I would've booked online, but they've now introduced a booking fee, so I decided to get my ticket in the cinema. That meant printing out the voucher. Unfortunately, the first sheet of paper I used was crumpled and the code they need to scan didn't come out right - it required a second run. And the faulty colour cartridge in my seldom-used printer made the code appear rather green. Ah well, better than depending on iffy smartphone coverage, and being able to find the email when I need it, and enlarge it enough to scan..
I was unlucky with the Tube - I decided to take the Tube to Earl's Court, where I had to catch the Piccadilly line, rather than walk. Unfortunately, Chelsea was playing today, as I discovered - and the match must just have ended, because the trains pulling into West Brompton were as crammed as anything you'd see at rush hour. (Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge, is near the next station along, Fulham Broadway.) I had to let the first train go by, there wasn't room. For the next, I made for the back of the train, since the front hadn't done me any good the last time - there was space at the very last door, and I was off at last! and glad to be changing at the next stop. The Piccadilly line was a bit better, and I even got a seat at the next stop after that. The crowds dissipated, finally, at Kings Cross St Pancras.
We eventually rolled into Wood Green, and I found my way without trouble. Damn chilly day though - we're definitely into autumn! I spent longer queueing at the chaotic concession counters - the box office was closed, and that's where you had to get your ticket - than I had walking there. Good job I was early - must have been at least 10 minutes. After an anxious moment, she got the code to scan and I got my ticket - annoyingly, the monitors don't swivel, so she couldn't show me the seat availability as I was choosing mine - I just asked her for an aisle seat in the middle. The screen wasn't ready when I asked, so I moseyed over to the pick n mix, where the queue wasn't as bad. Ages since I've had pick n mix - had forgotten how pricey they are! Ah well, I got the film for free.
Some seats had been prebooked - not many. Anyway, she'd given me a seat in Row G - the stairs start at Row C, so I had to climb a bit, but with frequent wide steps, I was fairly ok. Another horror film trailer to start - again, 'tis the season! The Babadook - sounds half decent. I took my seat and started to pig out on pick n mix.
The film? It's good! Maybe not 8.9 standard - on reflection, I think I'd give it a 7.6 or so. It has a gentle humour - gentler than some foreign comedies, and with a rockin' soundtrack. The characters are sympathetic, and I did really enjoy it. Recommended if you come across it, but don't go out of your way.
I had an uncomfortable journey back, with indigestion partly attributable to pick n mix overindulgence..
Rigoletto tomorrow, in the Royal Opera House. Things left to do: trace my route back to Leicester Square for afterwards - Covent Garden station is exit-only until December.
No comments:
Post a Comment