I had - pardon my French - the shittiest day at work today. So I was glad I'd decided on a comedy! Joint top of my film list (in terms of IMDB ratings) were The Last Sparks of Sundown, and The Wrecking Crew - but the latter was only on in East Dulwich, so The Last Sparks of Sundown, in the Prince Charles, won the day.
Having to stand on the Tube.. and push my way through crowds on Leicester Square.. didn't improve my mood. Nor did the habitually crowded lobby of the cinema. (BTW, don't think about booking a ticket here unless you have to - the ticket collection machines are unreliable.) The staff all stood behind the counter, most with nothing to do, and all affecting the standard waiter stare - you know, the one where they look anywhere but at you, lest you might make them do something. I finally caught the eye of one, pushed through to him and got a ticket. Membership would be worthwhile here if I came more often - they give a substantial members' discount.
There are only two screens here - one upstairs, one downstairs. This is showing upstairs, but first I had to wait behind two ladies with nothing better to do than block the entire stairway with their conversation. They turned out to be part of a large group, henceforth known as The Morons. The Morons occupied the entire back two rows of this screen, it transpired - there are only five or so. I made sure to sit well away from them, down the front. Nonetheless, it was impossible to escape their chattering completely - it continued well after the opening credits. Perhaps they were expecting more ads, who can say. Well, at least the seats were comfortable - they have leather seats as standard in both screens. And they recline! for much less than the exorbitant rates charged at the Curzon.
This is a quirky comedy about two hapless American brothers who inherit a large country house in England. One of them is delighted, as he is, of course, in debt to an unsavoury character, and sees this as his Get Out of Jail Free card. So off these unusual characters pop to England for a couple of weeks to get the place sold. They meet more odd characters, and much inane mayhem ensues.
This is much better, however, than several comedy stereotypes I could name. For instance, there's standard, smutty comedy - the stuff of most current comedy releases. Which shall be nameless - I'm pleasantly comfortable, reclining at home after dinner, and in no mood to piss myself off again. I'm no prude, but it's puerile and I'm sick of it. This film is a world away from that. Neither does it conform to the stereotype of the madcap British comedy - no, it's much cleverer than that. Guess what? The people who made this actually have a good sense of humour!
If I had to describe it, I'd say it's kind of Coen brothers. Has that same kind of highly developed state of ridiculousness. Doesn't fall into any clichés. The actors are funny, the storylines pleasantly daft, and I loved it. Not quite as good as Coen brothers, but if you like that sort of thing, you should like this, and I recommend it. Showing at the Prince Charles for the next two days only, at 6.30. We applauded at the end - go see.
Tomorrow, I'm back to Meetup for the first time in over a week! Well, kinda. See, the London Dramatic Arts group is off to see Hay Fever, a comedy by Noel Coward and starring Felicity Kendal, at the Duke of York's theatre. Great! I love Noel Coward. However, this group has a habit of booking seats near the stage - which it gets at a discount, but still, not the cheapest.. I, on the other hand, managed to get a great deal with LoveTheatre, which has a special offer - valid only on shows till Friday, I think - which got me a seat in the rear stalls at 47% off. This made it absolutely the cheapest I could get, and the seat looked ok, so I booked it. Contacted the group to say I already had a ticket, and they were nice enough to put me on their list and arrange to meet beforehand. Terrific - when I met them before, the discussion was lively and knowledgeable..
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