Film: La Vie Me Va Bien (Life Suits Me Well)

Tonight, I booked for The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. But then I noticed that Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is going, later in the week - so switched my ticket to that night. The theatre is most obliging, that way, and gave me the seat next to the one I'd originally booked. Which left me free to go to a film tonight. Well, I checked the film list - and highest (that I don't think I'd hate) was La Vie Me Va Bien (Life Suits Me Well), a Moroccan film about a fellow diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease, and how his family cope with it. The trailer actually looked really good. Showing in the Ciné Lumiere. Too early to get food beforehand. Hmph.

Well, last time I was here, I had an office to go from, and did - so took the bus, and spent forever in Knightsbridge, with roadworks. This time, I was that bit further away - so took the Piccadilly Line, and got there much faster! It didn't have the aircon of the Circle Line, but I did manage to get a seat straight away when two obliging teenagers ceded theirs.

And lo, when I emerged, there was a Pret on my way! Perfect - I was a five-minute walk from the cinema, and had 25 minutes before the start time. So I ate there, taking advantage of their welcome aircon, and their slightly less dependable WiFi. First Pret I've eaten at where they served me a spoon at the counter, rather than me having to find my own. And then I trotted off to the cinema - was stuck for a while behind two elderly ladies buying a ticket for the same film I wanted, bought mine from the same courteous, bilingual bloke, and then found myself queueing behind them again in the cafe!

Oh my, service is so slow.. I know there's only one person, and to be fair, she didn't seem to be dawdling - but it's just everything seemed to take so long! One of the ladies wanted tea (I thought you couldn't take that into the cinema, seems it isn't a problem), and the water had to heat. And meantime, the server was heating a slice of quiche for someone at a table. And once the tea was finally poured into a takeaway cup, she decided she wanted a slice of cake. Which had to be carefully placed in a bag. Fully 10 minutes it was before I could ask for a glass of wine! (In plastic, to take into the cinema.) She begged me to return the plastic cup after - and fair play, gave me the little extra at the end of the bottle.

So, I missed the speech beforehand, which is a shame - this is part of the Safar Festival of Arab cinema, which runs till Sunday - till Saturday at this cinema. The film itself is in Arabic, but of course the title is French, which is also an official language of Morocco, and I guess they thought would travel better internationally. And it's one of those films you can just relax into, confident that you're in for a treat. I love it when that happens. Gorgeous sea views, lovely soundtrack..

The father of the story, who gets ill, is a real character, responsible for most of the film's comedy. And the comedy is nicely balanced with heartbreak, some really touching scenes. Throw in a couple of twists, and you have a realistic story - sure enough, the story was inspired by the illness of the director's father. But while it never shys away from the difficulty, it never dwells on it either - life must go on, and this is a most watchable film. With a somewhat open ending, not all loose ends tied up - just like life. I loved it - highly recommended.

Got the bus(es) back, there being less traffic - so got to experience the ongoing hell of Knightsbridge. And with the sweltering conditions on board, and the Arabic being spoken all around me - why, it was like being back in Morocco!

Tomorrow, back with Civilised London for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice - it's supposed to be slightly cooler, and I can tell them how my screening interview went - I have one tomorrow, with another company. This marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On Thursday, I had booked with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve? But as I say, have now backed out of that, and am headed instead to see The Southbury Child with UITCS.

On Friday, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On Saturday, I had booked with Discover London (DL) for a trip to see a cart making ceremony. Just last week, I saw a new ad from UITCS - sounded good, 9 Circles - a psychological thriller that examines the ethics of war - at the Park Theatre, with lunch beforehand in Palmyra's Kitchen, next door.  And of course Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to all three! Should be able to squeeze them in, although I won't be able to join DL for drinks after if I'm heading for lunch..

On Sunday, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting. Crikey though, with the temperatures forecast for this weekend, I'll have to be careful in the great outdoors..

On Monday, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

Next Tuesday.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Unlikely to get to a film that weekend, as I need to get my car serviced for its NCT - sooner the better, and I couldn't last weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

On the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

On the 29th, thinking about the National Theatre's River Stage 2022. This will be the first night of the Hackney Empire's Young Producers Weekend, and there'll be some dance and some music.

On the 30th, back in Greenwich with BLL - we're starting with the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum. Was originally supposed to be the Queen's House to finish, but turns out they're booked out all day for a wedding, despite not having clarified that on the website! Then in the afternoon, we're headed to Eltham Palace and Gardens. Quite the packed day - the organiser's English Heritage card expires, it seems, so he's cramming everything in while he can..

On the 31st, back with TAC for the opening night of I'm Not Myself Today: A Villainous Cabaret at the Bread and Roses in Clapham. An hour in which someone discusses with us why we all love the villain!

And on the 1st, I'm going to the Kiln Theatre for The Darkest Part of the Night. Another troublesome website - I tried for days to get it to work..!

Film: Emuthi Puthi (A Very Fishy Trip)

Last night, I booked again with Free Stuff and Free Events, for their Free Tuesday Sing-a-Long for Health and Pleasure. Online, and one where you're muted, so you don't even have anyone hear you sing! Great for the shy. But of course, I wasn't too pushed - hence I redid the film list. Now top was Emuthi Puthi, an Indian (of course!) comedy about a teenage girl who decides to run away from home, and is accompanied by her grandmother, who has this obsession with finding a magical fish. Anyway, looked ok - showing at the Ciné Lumiere. Years since I was last there, of course..

So I headed out there by bus, a bit early - thankfully, given the awful traffic in Knightsbridge! Mind you, the worst single part was trying to navigate past Grosvenor Crescent, where - for some ineffable reason - there are no traffic lights, and a stream of Audis and taxis was trying to push its way in front of us. Happily, our driver was a match for them..

Wow, this was a nostalgic trip - it's so long since I was in South Kensington! Alighted with 10 minutes to spare - which meant the bus journey took half as long again as it was supposed to - and moseyed off down to the cinema, vaguely remembering the route. I didn't remember the sign they now have pointing to the cinema - not sure whether it was there before, but it's useful! I figured out where I was going, went and bought a ticket - I hadn't needed to reserve, there was just a small audience. Checked out the café - I fancied a glass of wine, it had been a busy day. My, but service is relaxed.. at least I knew where the single screen was, and had been told the previous film wasn't finished yet - but still! Someone was in front of me, and when the lady finally finished with her, I checked that I was ok to bring wine into the screen. Yes, as long as it's not red - seems they don't allow tea or coffee either. Fine, and I bought a glass - she instructed me to leave the glass at the café door as I was leaving.

Managed to get upstairs to the screen without spilling too much of it - and was just depositing my stuff outside the screen when lo! my name was called. And wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be an old friend from Meetup, whom I hadn't seen in years! Well, it was lovely to see her again - and also handy that she had a spare seat beside her. It was a while before we got to go in, so we had a nice chat.. and she and her companion were in the row behind me in the screen. Well, that was unexpected - how nice that my plans changed!

With the lovely, pale blue upholstery, I can see why they don't allow dark drinks! Well, this film is part of the Blue Orchid Hotels London Indian Film Festival, which runs until Sunday. And so we got a brief introduction by the cinematographer for the film (pictured), who explained to us how this was very much a female-run production, mostly women behind the camera as well as on-screen. And revealed to us that the whole thing was shot on iPhones! which were provided to them by Apple. Which, of course, helped massively with their constrained budget.

Ah, this is a good one - always delighted when a punt pays off. The comic timing of this film is excellent, and they don't waste time on exposition, just straight into the Great Escape of this unlikely couple, with some flashbacks later on for context. What the granny actually wants to find is a fish to "lead her to heaven".

Not that she's picky about fish in general - she is fish-mad! As are they all, it seems, in Assam, where this is set. The film carries a strong environmental, anti-pollution message. And so I know at least one word of Assamese - "fish" translates as something that sounds like "maas". Anyway, she seems to be working from a children's story about an angel on a lake in a national park, who feeds you this fish so that you can ascend the ladder to heaven. So, this is where they're off to - the granddaughter, mind, is just tagging along; granny has promised to leave her all her money afterwards, so the granddaughter can leg it to New York, and start a new life. And the whole way, they're being tracked by the beleaguered daughter/mother, who is a police officer..

As I say, the comic timing is excellent, the characters are engaging, and some really unanticipated plot twists are dropped in. Very highly recommended - it's a truly sweet film, funny as hell, not at all twee, but with a few laudable messages as well. I'm also liking the soundtrack. Delighted I caught this! Now, my friend apparently goes there a lot, and has asked me to message her if I'm there again - well, you never know, but it isn't really close to me any more. Still, watch this space..

Catching the bus home, the next one to arrive was the #14. Which I took, considering the destination was Russell Square! Very close to home for me - despite Google Maps saying the whole trip would take me over an hour. Now, Google Maps is generally excellent, but not foolproof - when I examined its analysis closer, I discovered it would only take half an hour or so to get to Russell Square, then I'd have to wait for several minutes before taking a very roundabout bus trip to get very slightly closer to home! Rubbish - much faster to walk from Russell Square, and I made it in about 45 minutes altogether - faster than any of Google Maps' options! Still a bit late to blog, though.

Tonight, I'm finally succumbing to Anything Goes, at the Barbican. Now, I got my ticket for this from Time Out, which is the first place I saw the offer - but it turns out that any number of outlets have £25 tickets! If they're all for the same seats as Time Out, then I'd have to feel sorry for people that bought tickets for £38, which is cheaper than the original price of £45 for the seats on offer! Assuming anyone did. Anyway, with no bad seats here, you'd have to be crazy to pay more. And they helpfully emailed me the ticket link again today! 

Tomorrow, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly is doing something midweek! I'll have to skip off work early - this is for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and starts at 4.30. He is actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I'm not attending..

On Friday, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews..

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

Next Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On the 7th, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

And on the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

Film: Jeune & Jolie

Well, my luck seems to be in at last! First, I get a phone call from Viagogo promising me a full refund for the show I missed last night (yay!), then I leave it late to go to the cinema tonight, dash for the bus, and make the bus stop not ten seconds before the bus does. Phew!

Yes, Google Maps seems to think that the fastest way to get to the Institut Francais from here is by bus. Ok, fine. Cheaper than the Tube, anyway, and it would be too far to walk. So, I gratefully hopped on the bus - the film was on quite late anyway, and the bus was almost empty. And with not much traffic, we were there in no time. Google Maps seemed to think I should stay on the bus to go around the corner - maybe there was a slightly shorter walk from there - but I didn't see the point, and got off when I saw I was close. Made my way to the Institut - that's where the Ciné Lumiere is, where the film was showing tonight, and I've been there lots of times - and saw by their clock that it was one minute to showing time. Result!

They were showing that Volkswagen ad with the dogs when I went in - I love that ad. And once the couple in front of me - who hadn't been there before, they had to ask at the desk where it was - figured out where they wanted to sit, I could sit too, and enjoy it. And so to the film. Jeune & Jolie (Young & Beautiful) is the story of a 17-year-old French girl who decides to take up prostitution as a part-time job. The young star, I must say, is the image of a young (and extremely skinny) Julia Roberts. And Charlotte Rampling shows up at the end! My word, how long is it since I saw her in anything?

Well, the star may have constantly reminded me of Julia Roberts, but Pretty Woman this ain't. The prostitution scenes take place near the beginning, and it wasn't long before two women in the audience left in disgust. I can just see the protests from the anti-prostitution brigade as well - because she just seems to drift into it, her motives are never properly explained - I got the impression that sex, once she tried it, bored her and she figured she might as well get paid to do it. The message is also driven home to us that teenage romance means nothing, and teenagers are always ready to move on to the next thing. The ennui of youth, eh?

I disagree with the reviewer that said it was exploitative. Yes, we get to see nude shots of her, and quite a lot in the beginning of the film - but then her family finds out and puts a stop to it, and that's the end of it. Well, for a while - but the film takes a different tack after that. At her friends' party, the implication is that everyone is having sex, and anything goes - so implying that it's hypocritical to stigmatise prostitution (what's the difference, except you get paid?) She might have stopped being a prostitute, but still has trouble sticking to a boyfriend - she just doesn't feel strongly enough about anyone. Nothing bad happens to her as a result of what she's been doing, despite the adults' warnings. And Charlotte Rampling's function, right at the end, is to assure her that, had she been brave enough in her youth, she'd have loved to have done the same thing herself.

Yes, the anti-prostitution brigade will hate this. But doubtless, being not in English, it'll slip under the radar, mostly. I'll say this, though - that reviewer was right in saying she's borderline anorexic. I mean yes, she's lovely - but see her in a state of undress, and well, I find neither pointy shoulderblades nor a visible ribcage sexy in the least. She's the skinniest among her peers, and I do wonder whether that's a symbol of the fact that, in a way, she's more mature than they are, more canny (in charging for what they give away for nothing), supposed to be superior in some sense. She stands apart, for that reason as much as others. Or is that level of skinniness just what passes for sexy in France? Yuck. The promotion of that as a measure of beauty disturbs me far more than any prostitution in this film.

Having said that, it was a minor niggle for me as I watched the film, which is very stylish, very watchable. And you know, with something rated this highly, that there is something out of the ordinary about it.

I'm thinking of taking tomorrow night off - I have to be up early the next morning to go to the Guildford office, where we have our departmental Christmas dinner, at Loch Fyne seafood restaurant in the town. And anything I might be interested in going to is just on too late. Well, I had to stay in last night, so it won't be a complete shock to the system!

Film: Like Father, Like Son

Well, I couldn't not go to anything tonight, despite moving house, eh? ;-) Not that I'm completely moved - but I wouldn't have been able to get it all done tonight anyway. So I had planned what to go to, and that turned out to be a Japanese film, Like Father, Like Son. In the Ciné Lumiere, which I figured I could walk to from the new place.

Well, that was the plan, except of course I spent as much time as I could dragging stuff between flats, which meant I had left myself a little tight for time. So I took the Tube instead - Google Maps suggested a bus, but I didn't trust it to be faster and it said the Tube would get me there in time. I was impressed to find a direct Tube - I didn't think they did those from West Brompton into town, they certainly don't in the other direction! I noticed that the Overground platforms were closed because of the storm, which made it puzzling that there seemed to be a number of passengers stranded there..

When I got to the cinema, I was asked whether I was over 60. Huh?! She was then apologetic - she was just running through all the concessionary options and pointed out that you couldn't always tell. Well, I suppose.. Anyway, I was a little late, but still in time for the main film.

Which is the story of an affluent Japanese couple who discover that their six-year-old only son was switched at birth with another baby, and now they and the other parents have to decide whether to switch them back. It's sweet, it's heart-warming, it's beautifully shot, and it shows interesting insights into Japanese society. Such as the wives' disinclination to disagree with their husbands, the competitiveness of Japanese society, and the obsession with filming and photographing everything. Mind you, we're all getting like that.. Only problem with this film is, it's about half an hour too long. Several times, I had to resist the inclination to check my watch. Ah well.

Coming back, on my way to the Tube station, I passed a bus stop that said "towards West Brompton". On examination of the schedules, I saw that the 430 bus went straight there, and I knew I could find my way back from West Brompton Station. And fancy if there wasn't a 430 due in two minutes! And I was too tired to walk, after all the moving. So that was fortuitous..

Tomorrow is the London Dungeons! Yep, as the lady said, Hallowe'en is starting early..!

Film: Wadjda

Mmm, yes, I know. This is not the film I was supposed to be going to see tonight - but I didn't check my route until today, and Google Maps had me going by Cannon Street station. Uh-oh, I said. I know that closes early. Sure enough, they had me coming back by a longer route, and no way would I be back by midnight. Never mind, I've missed Drive often enough before - I might see it one day!

So I consulted my film list again. There was one other film at the top of the ratings, but when I checked LondonNet to see where it was on tonight, and indeed whether it was on tonight, I ran into my usual problem. When they display the new week's listings, if a film will not be showing in the coming week, it doesn't display in the list, so you can't check where it's showing for the remainder of the current week. I should have checked earlier, but so it goes. And so I came, at last, to Wadjda.

I have really been looking forward to this film. Take note: this is the first feature-length film made by a woman from Saudi Arabia. Apparently, she had to shoot the outdoor sequences in Riyadh from the back of a van with covered windows. There are so many reasons to see this film. Curiosity about what such a film will be like. Curiosity about what downtown Riyadh looks like (not attractive, IMHO. Every breeze sends sand drifting down the street.) Curiosity about what Saudi customs are really like. I haven't seen anything before that would give me much inkling about what daily life is like for these people. Curiosity about what the treatment of women will be.

The story concerns a young girl - Wadjda - who wants to buy a bike to race her friend, Abdullah. Unfortunately, girls in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to ride bikes. She's stubborn, this one, though. As we follow her story, the director doesn't miss a trick, showing us also what her mother has to go through. Things like how her teaching job is in jeopardy because she has a falling-out with her driver and, well, she isn't allowed to drive herself to work. I can tell you, I got a real shock when, after being introduced to this vibrant woman in her home, we see her leaving to go to work, and shrouded head to foot in black, only her eyes visible. There's also a shot I found quite shocking, where Wadjda has bought her mother a present of a mug with a picture of them together. Well, shall we say, it's a picture of Wadjda, with a taller figure in black behind her, everything covered but the eyes. Quite spooky.

Through the whole film, I couldn't shake the feeling that Wadjda's freedom would soon be over, that when she was a few years older she wouldn't be allowed to roam like this. And it's simply mind-boggling when one of her classmates gets into trouble for bringing photos into school (they're forbidden). They're wedding photos. From her own wedding. The kid looks about 12.

But you know, there's a spirit of hope running through the whole thing. And the symbolism of the final image made me cry. It's beautifully directed. There was some applause at the end, unusually, and I joined in. This is an absolute must-see: if you're interested in Saudi Arabia, in foreign countries in general, in women's rights.. or just want to see a film that's a cut above the rest. It's haunting, and it'll stay with me.

There was an Indian on the way back to South Ken station, but when I crossed the road to it, I noticed an unassuming restaurant next door. Turned out to be Chinese, and I decided I'd rather a Chinese. Jia is the name. The décor is minimalist, the service friendly and efficient, and the food excellent, from my one experience, although online reviews are mixed. I loved the shredded chicken with ginger and spring onion that I had for starter, but must put a health warning on the kung po - it's the hottest I've had! Still, I would recommend this place.

Another film tomorrow, methinks - but I'll have to look at the list of new releases to see exactly what!

Film: Bande a Part

On a day when it's actually too hot to be outdoors, I took myself to the Cine Lumiere in the Institut Francais to see Bande a Part, part of the Paris Seen By.. season. Mind you, it's odd that the season home page quotes a price of £8 per film, whereas I had to pay £10. But never mind..

Not a long journey, thankfully. The building was cool, but the cinema quite airless in the beginning, until - I don't know what they did, open the door, turn on a fan - but there was a nice cooling breeze. The film itself is a quirky crime comedy/drama from 1964, set in Paris, where a naïve young girl allows herself to be taken in by two crooks who have designs on the money kept in his room by her aunt's lodger. Things don't turn out happily - not for everyone, at least - but the film is stylish and cute, and very watchable. I do love that London cinemas, Cine Lumiere among them, continue to resurrect these older films. It's always interesting to watch the world that existed before my time - and something made then, as opposed to just being set then.

Going to another film - Los Olvidados - in the BFI tomorrow. Hey, it's great to be getting through my list! :-)