Someone in the office has a birthday at the weekend, so we celebrated early, with lunch at Eat Aroi Thai. I had no idea where it was, so followed the crowd, and it turned out to be not that far from the office. And we were sat at the high, large central table. Décor is quite sparse - grey walls, bamboo lampshades: as someone remarked, advertising street food means they can get away with that.
They have an odd way of dealing with large groups - they took our orders individually, started preparing them immediately, and brought them individually, as soon as they were ready. Which meant that some of us were eating before others had even ordered! Anyway, I couldn't resist the Massaman lamb, which was advertised as "rated the world's tastiest curry". Well, it was nice, but I wouldn't describe it as exceptional. The lemonade I had with it was very refreshing though - a better choice than the chrysanthemum juice that someone else had, which she described as "weird". Someone in the group who's allergic to MSG had checked in advance, and been told that they don't use it - but when her dish arrived, she didn't have time to taste it before the server took it back, to be replaced with one that was DEFINITELY safe. At the end, individual bills were brought in little, individual dishes, in which our change was also returned.
I took myself off to the cinema tonight - and top of the list was The Man Who Saved the World, a documentary about the Soviet officer who refused to give the counterattack order when the missile detection system malfunctioned and told them that they were under attack. Showing only at the Curzon Bloomsbury, which used to be the Renoir, and whose Bertha Dochouse is, as advertised, the only screen in London entirely dedicated to documentaries.
It's a long time since I've been there, although I remembered it was quick and easy to get to from Russell Square. I did check, just to be sure - turn right when you leave the station, cross the road and head up the steps. I vaguely remembered that the cinema is to the right on the upper level, but Streetview didn't extend that far.
I spent a bit too much time playing Yatzy for Windows, and arrived a little late. But the great thing about (regular) cinemas is they don't mind that. I was a bit confused when I arrived at that upper level - as I say, it's been a while and a lot of new shops have cropped up to confuse the landscape. But as you go further along, there's a helpful signpost - still to the Renoir - pointing to the right.
I bought my ticket and followed the steps down to the basement, passing a second bar on the way (there's one at the entrance too). I do wonder whether they're planning to carpet the stairs - it looks as though a stair carpet has been removed, and they look a little bare. Anyway, when you finally get to the basement, it's all subdued lighting, yet another bar, and tv screens. Plenty of mixing areas here. I wasn't sure of my directions from here - they've changed the layout a bit, and I think added some screens - so it helps to know to go to the left, follow the corridor to the end and it's up a short flight of steps. As the girl who tore my ticket told me.
It had just started when I got there. I debated about where to sit - it was pretty full - and finally decided the front row wasn't too close to the screen, and had the advantage that I didn't have to push past anyone. I took a free seat at the end - and got a pleasant surprise when the seat adjusted its angle to whatever position I wanted to sit in! So they've installed Pullman seats here now, as in the other Curzons. Lovely - and the Dochouse is cheaper than regular Curzon prices, so this is the cheapest way to get this luxury. All I needed now was something to put my feet up on.
It's a fascinating film, focusing quite intimately on the man at the centre of the story. We see his trip to America, where he receives an award at the UN, and visits Robert de Niro and Matt Damon - and Kevin Costner, who invites him to come visit. The entire film, however, is interspersed with reconstructions of his past. Most of the reconstructions, of course, concentrate on the pivotal events of that night, when he had to decide whether to retaliate against an apparent, deadly threat. This works really well for the film, as we get to relive dramatic scenes from the Cold War, including tv footage of Reagan mouthing off, and Soviet troops marching. Wow, those were serious times - brings back some memories.
Anyhoo, I'd noticed a podium in front of the screen, with a laptop on it - and a mic on the floor beside it. Sure enough, after the film (stay for the credits, they include more footage), a couple of DocHouse staff came down and desperately tried to get Skype to work on the laptop. It wouldn't log them in, of course. Finally it did, and they called the film's producer for a very interesting Q+A. As he remarked, they really should have made a film about the making of the film, there were so many issues. And as he spoke, the background spun quite mesmerizingly behind him - he must have been holding the laptop and turning around in a circle! As the Dochouse person remarked at the end, it was the most mobile Skype conversation she'd been a part of.
On my way back, it was a good thing I knew where the station was, because the sign wasn't lit. Neither was the platform indicator working. But a train arrived eventually, and I got home. In other news, one of our ex-colleagues was at lunch who's also a member of Hard Façade - and had finally brought the tickets with him! So I got my ticket for their gig tomorrow night at Surya. 'Bout time they played on a night I can go!
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