Film: Starred Up

I was impressed when I saw the trailer for Starred Up, so I was fine with going to see it when it came top of my film list, in terms of IMDB ratings. Mind you, I was surprised to see that cinemas only seem to be showing it late at night - I don't normally see that for films released as lately as this - certainly not for films this good. Anyway, two Vue cinemas locally were showing it at around 10, which, given the running time, and adding time for ads, meant I wouldn't be home by midnight - which is my cutoff when I have work the next day. So I went with Wandsworth, which was showing it at 9.05.

This meant I was going to a Cineworld, which meant there was a discount for booking. As I left the house, I was regretting it, given that it was a cold, wet, miserable evening. Never mind.. at least the bus stop was sheltered, and I didn't have to wait too long for the bus. I had all day to do what I needed to, so ended up getting the bus before the one I needed to. Well, it's good not to have to rush for a change!

I was the first person into the screen.. picked a prime seat, and sat back. Well, it was a prime seat until nearly the start of the film.. I hadn't noticed, but the cinema had really filled up, and when a couple came in and saw how full it was, they decided that the best place for them to sit was beside me. Which is fine. Except that he, who sat in the seat beside mine, had a big box of popcorn. A special place in Hell should be reserved for whoever decided that popcorn would be a good cinema snack. So, for the beginning of the film, whenever there was a quiet bit, I could hear munching. And when he wasn't munching, he was rustling around in the box, collecting another fistful. And when he FINALLY finished - and believe me, he got to the bottom of that box - he started on his drink. Except only the dregs were left - you could hear it. And I swear, he spent a full 10 minutes slurping, and stirring the ice around with his straw, and slurping again.. I suspect he was letting the ice melt and drinking that. Well, you'd have to say he got value from his "meal". And then his companion started on the sweet bag. And when he was completely finished, he must needs splay his legs so he was taking up half my legroom. Just as well I was on the aisle..

And so to the film. Starred Up is a prison drama, based on the experiences of the screenwriter as a prison therapist. The phrase refers to young offenders who are so violent that they are transferred to an adult prison. In this film, the star is the aforementioned violent young offender, who thinks he's all that, until he's transferred to the prison where his father is a lifer. This is really the writer's baby, and apparently he was consulted for accuracy on every single scene.

I didn't recognise most of the actors, apart from Rupert Friend, who plays the prison therapist, a version of the writer himself. There's also Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the young offender's father. David Ajala, and Anthony Welsh and Mark Asante, whom I know from The Bill, play fellow inmates. So, faces that you vaguely recognise from somewhere.

So, why should you shell out cash to see a gritty prison drama full of people you barely recognise? Because it is that good. The writer won the Best British Newcomer award at the London Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Screenplay at the British Independent Film Awards. They're saying it's the best prison film since Scum - I can't vouch for that, I didn't see Scum. But what I know about prison dramas, and similar, that I have seen, is that too often they're either unremittingly dreary and depressing - things designed to make you suffer - or they're unbearably schmaltzy, with a rose-tinted view. This is neither. It's tough - o my, it's tough! There was one scene that even made the guy beside me stop eating his popcorn, hand halfway to his mouth (and I don't blame him). And you won't believe the use they put a toothbrush to. But with it all, you're rooting for the very guys that the guards are afraid of, that are locked behind cell doors and barred gates.

This is a quality piece of filmmaking. Go see.

For tomorrow, I'm thinking of The Double, which is a comedy with Jesse Eisenberg slowly driven insane by the appearance of his doppelganger at work. Doesn't help that his double is so much better at everything than he is! Mia Wasikowska is the girl he's always fancied, but never had the courage to speak to, and Chris O' Dowd, who's appearing in more and more things these days, is the nurse. Based on a story by Dostoyevsky. Honestly, I'm not mad about Jesse Eisenberg, but this is rated very highly, and could be interesting. The closest place it's on is the Odeon Kensington, so I'll head up there after work, grab something to eat, and go straight to the film, rather than trekking all the way home and back again.

On Tuesday, I've booked to see In Bloom, a Georgian film, set in the heady days following independence, that looks terrific. That's in the British Film Institute. And on Wednesday, I've booked to see The Wind, a silent film, starring Lillian Gish, that will be accompanied by someone playing the piano. That'll be interesting - not the piano-playing, I've seen that before - but it'll be my first time in the Electric Cinema. Located in Notting Hill, it bills itself as "the classiest cinema in London". It's certainly the most expensive, from what I've seen - a ticket midweek is £18! Now, that's for an armchair. Literally, if you look at the pictures, they don't have regular, tip seating. They have armchairs. With small tables between, with little lamps on them. If you're with someone, you can book a sofa, which seats two, in either the front or back row. Well, it'll be an experience..!