And then I got an email, during the day, to say it'd been cancelled, due to unforeseen circumstances! Cue me looking for an alternative for yesterday evening. Film it was - I needed to redo the film list, but happily they'd told me early enough.. and there were few enough new offerings, as we come into summer.. and I had nothing urgent at work.. so the list got redone in good time. I rejected a couple of offerings at the top - McQueen is about the fashion designer, and I have no interest in either fashion or him, so that was out. The next choice was an Indian film - Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, which is the story of the Indian nuclear tests in 1998, which attracted international condemnation and sanctions. Unfortunately, the trailer seemed to indicate a patriotic, in-your-face, we-fooled-you attitude to the thing, which is not how I would look at it. So that was out.
Of the films showing last night, the next was another Indian film, Raazi - which I considered seeing last week, except that the nearest it was on was in Stratford, and too late. Well, last night it was scheduled earlier, so I said ok, and off I went. More expensive to book, with the booking fee, and it wasn't selling out, so I didn't.
Our weather is up and down like a roller coaster - it was freezing yesterday, which was handy on the two packed buses I had to take. I was lucky to get a seat. I was also lucky I started off early - it took nearly an hour and a half. Interesting getting to Stratford by bus, though - I usually take Overground or Tube, for speed. This way, I could see what the area is like - and it's a bit weird, all open spaces, dotted with really modern buildings. As you get closer to Stratford, the bus stop names get weirder, too - "Here East"..? Anyway, I got off at the shopping centre, and didn't have much trouble finding the cinema - figuring, correctly, that I had to go upstairs for it.
Never been here before - it was a pity I didn't have more time to explore. The cinema's ground floor has automatic ticket machines, but after trying several, I hadn't managed to get one of them to work - so upstairs to the tills it was. Turned out to be a good thing, as while I was getting my ticket, I noticed bottles of wine on the shelf! So I got myself a wine, too, which was reasonably priced and not at all bad. And as I settled into my comfy, leather seat, I remarked to myself again how much more comfortable your average cinema is than your average theatre..
Raazi stars the ever-watchable Alia Bhatt, in a story based on real-life events, as portrayed in the book Calling Sehmat (names were changed). She plays a young girl, whose father works for the Indian intelligence service. Finding himself dying of cancer at the moment when relations between India and Pakistan are at a low point and he's needed more than ever, he recruits his daughter, a college student, to spy for India by marrying the youngest son of his good friend, who's high in the Pakistani military.
So, the dutiful daughter, she marries this guy she doesn't know, and goes off to spy on her in-laws (of course, they all live together, as would be the norm to this day). It's a really interesting take on a spy story - we're so used to the slickness of James Bond, but here's a naive girl, who's received basic training before heading off, but is inexperienced, and lacking most of his fancy gadgets; she could really have done with a pocket camera, for instance, for those important files that are left lying around her father-in-law's study. And what is to happen when she starts to feel something for her rather dishy husband? Torn between duty to her country and to her new family, she has to make hard choices.
As I say, she's always watchable - although I agree with a review I've read, which found her performance self-conscious. I got so sick of her collapsing, gasping, in relief every time she narrowly evaded discovery. And the feminist in me was appalled by what, I guess, was standard practice in 1971, when this is set - and might still be, for all I know. For goodness' sake, can Indian husbands do nothing for themselves? There she was at mealtimes, feeding him every morsel on his plate. Buttering his toast for breakfast, I kid you not. Following him around like a lapdog as he got ready for work, handing him his bag, his wallet, his belt. Vexing.
Don't get me wrong though, I did enjoy the film. Despite the requisite 15-minute intermission. And once I got the driver to notice me and let me on, I got the bus home pretty swiftly, ignoring Google Maps' instructions about where to change - it pays to check the map, sometimes the system doesn't use common sense. Still too late to blog, in the end. Tonight, London Literary Walks is taking us to A Circus School and Shakespeare's Dark Lady. And it's warmed up a bit.
Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - at the Bridge Theatre this time, for My Name is Lucy Barton, starring Laura Linney. I got the very last £15 seat!
On Friday, would you credit it, I'm back with London Dramatic Arts! to see Monogamy, at the Park Theatre. Well, it sounds interesting - and they've sold their allocation for this showing, so we're free to buy our own (gee). My good God, it's August since I was last with them..
On Saturday, Funzing is advertising an ice skating display in aid of the victims of Grenfell. Via Funzing UK. The usual 10% discount applies.
On Sunday, Let's Do This is headed to the World Illustration Awards exhibition at Somerset House.
On Monday, I'm headed to storytelling by Crick Crack again, finally.. I haven't been able to make any of their more recent ones. It's in Soho Theatre, and it's Sally Pomme Clayton, with Crow. Blood. Snow. Oh my God, it's been ages. Naturally, you'd never know from their Meetup group that it's happening at all. Our boss was supposed to be in London that week, so I decided to leave the rest of the week free, for now.
Then he pinged us, last week, to say it'll actually be the week after. Cue me booking things frantically for the week that was now free - happily, I did well. On Tuesday, something very interesting - Up in the Cheap Seats is off to Whist, at Sadler's Wells. Now, turns out that this is an immersive, VR experience! Definitely different.
Next Wednesday, London Literary Walks is off on Pop the Weasel, and I'm delighted to be able to accompany them.
On the 21st, back to Sands Films for Fete de la Musique - Belcirque is performing, and they do sound quirky. Then it's Ireland again at the weekend.
On the 25th, I'm indulging myself with a premium seat to see Andrew Scott perform the one-man show, Seawall, written especially for him. It's at the Old Vic, two weeks only.
On the 26th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, at Sadler's Wells. It's the Nederlands Dans Theater again - I remember good things about them from before. As I say, the boss is now in the office that week - well, he'll just have to manage without me, those two nights. I'm keeping the rest of the week, and the weekend, free, just in case. Hey, I do have to move that week as well, so could probably do with the time! Balance of the deposit finally paid, thankfully - oh, and the agents inspected my current flat, and emailed us all to say it's "very dirty". Not that it's had any effect on my filthy flatmates - it was worse again this morning.
And on the 2nd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, at the Gielgud Theatre for Imperium I - Conspirator. The first part of a double-bill, but viewable independently, it is told from the point of view of Cicero's secretary, as he watches how his master's work is used to bring about an end to the Roman Republic. I should probably have booked the second part at the same time - there's a discount for that - but well, my schedule is generally so packed..!
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