Film: Captain Phillips

Yep, didn't ever get to that play I was going to, in the end. But that was because the second flat I was going to see last night, whose agent didn't show, rescheduled for tonight. And.. I said I'd take it!! So that was well worth the trouble. Now all that remains is for the paperwork to go through before someone steals it from under my nose. But I'm hopeful there won't be such demand - the other room, the smaller, is the one that's being advertised, and has been up for a long time. (I said I'd treat myself to the bigger room.)

So, knowing I wouldn't get to the play, I planned early in the day what I was going to do with myself, after the flat viewing was done. Film, of course. So I redid my film ratings - Captain Phillips won. It's not that much of a surprise, really - it started a lot lower, but has risen meteorically in the IMDB ratings. It's showing in the Odeon, and I remembered I still had an Odeon voucher from Amazon Local. So that was that.

I had intended to walk, but I've been doing so much of that over the last couple of days that a blister popped up en route, so I took the bus instead. And duly forgot what the closest stop was to the cinema (it's rare for me to take the bus to the Odeon Kensington). So I still had a little walk. I was early (cried off the last flat viewing, I knew I really wouldn't take it - it was more expensive, and not that much closer) so had time to kill. I treated myself to a celebratory, and very yummy, slice of chocolate and orange window cake at the Costa café attached to the cinema. Note: pay the takeaway price, which is lower, and go eat it outside and people-watch. There's usually something interesting going on - like the lady who wanted to know what time Blue Jasmine was letting out and what time The Great Beauty was letting out, because she wanted to go to one and her husband wanted to go to the other!

And so to the film. Beforehand, they showed the trailer for Gravity again - not as scary the second time round, I found. But I'm sure the film overall will get me going, when it is eventually released. The feature, "Captain Phillips", is directed by Paul Greengrass, also notable for The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and United 93. Hey, and I see he directed a tv documentary on U2! Well, he's ok in my book then.

Back to the film, which stars Tom Hanks as the Captain Phillips of the title, who was captain of a Maersk cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. Based on a true story, this is not your average action film. Filmed throughout on shaky handheld cameras that put us in the thick of the action, it's pacey, short on dialogue, and has a terrific score that heightens the tension at relevant points. But it also shows us something about the Somalis' background, and makes them real characters to us. I really felt for their ringleader, when the story came to its inevitable conclusion. Gripping stuff, and Tom Hanks is excellent, as ever. This is more intelligent than the vast majority of action films. Recommended.

Right! That's it from London for this week - back to Ireland tomorrow. Next event is Aida, on Thursday, playing at the University Concert Hall, Limerick - the same venue as last week's Cinderella. Well, I should certainly know the way - time was I used to give lectures in that same concert hall!