Films: The Mountain Between Us, Fences, & The Book of Henry

Well, lots of films on telly this week! I just didn't have time to blog about them, with one thing and another.

First up was on Wednesday. They generally do have a "midweek" film on Wednesdays - dunno why they didn't, last week. This week's was The Mountain Between Us, in which Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are both en route (separately) to Denver, in winter, in bad weather - only to discover that their flight has been cancelled. Both with urgent appointments, they join up to charter a small plane, piloted by Beau Bridges. So, off they pop - with his dog - only for the pilot to have a stroke en route. And they crash, quite tidily, onto a mountain ledge in the middle of nowhere, and have to make their way to civilization.

Oh dear. Now, first off, I've been on a plane that size - and let me assure you, you can't hear each other over the engine noise without a set of headphones and a mic. But there they are, casually chatting. Kudos to the pilot who, in the middle of a stroke, manages to land the plane on the only flat bit of the mountain range. And, as mentioned in a review on the IMDB page - I'd like whatever that bouncy dog was on! The humans are starving, rationed to one almond per day - nothing in sight for the dog to eat, but not a bother on him, he's bounding through the snow all the way through.

So, essentially it's a survival picture - or at least, starts that way. As a survival film, I've seen much better. The dog is obviously there for the aww factor - he doesn't do anything clever that I can recall. And our human survivors start out bickering, and all of a sudden, I see them making out. FFS. Honestly didn't see that coming, and to be honest, I didn't detect any chemistry between them. Possibly the least realistic bit of the whole film. And as for the last scene.. jeez. Basically, don't bother, you can do better.

Fences, last night, was much better, with Denzel Washington playing a regular Joe in America in the 50s, making ends meet, and dealing with various life events as they happen. Based on a play, and my only quibble is that it's maybe a bit wordy. But the acting is excellent, the scenarios completely believable.

Best of all for me though, was tonight's The Book of Henry, where Naomi Watts is a single mom with a precocious, 11-year-old son, Henry, who keeps a kind of diary, which she uses to act against her next-door neighbour, whom Henry has discovered is abusing his stepdaughter. It's actually a really charming film, Henry and his brother in particular are hilarious, and it's all quite sweet. Highly recommended.

I was very excited about tomorrow - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott..

And then he went to hospital., Apparently, it's neither life-threatening nor covid-related, but it's enough for him to have to postpone the show till next week. Well, it could be worse. Meantime, that gives me time to join Up in the Cheap Seats tomorrow - they're watching The White Crow, on Amazon. Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes, it's the story of Nureyev's defection to the West. And with buffering issues, I really must try to start watching a bit earlier, to be able to join the Zoom call afterwards..

Musical: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

Today wasn't showing anything on Meetup that appealed - so I thought I might catch up with something that Up in the Cheap Seats watched on Friday. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is available for free on YouTube - and is, indeed, a musical.

Ah jeez, I liked musicals till I saw this! Honestly, I had to bail (very) early - I was so sick of it. To be fair, the singing is excellent-  but oh, the inanity of the characters when they're not singing. The guy of the title is the most sane person in it. And dear Lord, where did they get the crowd?! Doesn't take much to make them laugh. Great numbers - but dumb, dumb, dumb. Uch. Watchable if that's your thing - it isn't mine. Much rather be watching The Fall - which is getting more and more interesting, in Season 3.

Very excited about Saturday though - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott..

Film: Mountains of the Moon

Well well - it's been a while since a film was shown on telly that I hadn't seen! and wanted to. Tonight, the only one I hadn't seen was Mountains of the Moon. Now, this is one of those that it turned out I had actually seen - long enough ago that I didn't remember it at all. So that's ok.

I'm a sucker for films about exploration, and this is about Burton and Speke, who set off in search of the source of the Nile. A few familiar faces here - Burton is played by Patrick Bergin, his girlfriend (whom he marries when he gets back) is the ever-excellent Fiona Shaw, Richard E. Grant is a friend of Speke's, back in London. We also have John Savident. Bernard Hill shows up as Dr. Livingstone, a contemporary of Burton and Speke, who compares travel scars with Burton.

It's an enjoyable watch - more enjoyable, evidently, than it would have been to live through, what with all the setbacks they encounter: injuries, thefts, intrusive locals. Definitely one for those with an interest in exploration, mind. And it's sickening to see how things soured when they got back, and had a very public falling-out, over what seems to have been a misunderstanding. Hey-ho.. interesting to consider what it must have been like in those days, when people simply didn't know what was in the empty places on the maps, and there was such a race, with so many people seeking the same goals..

Tomorrow's not showing anything on Meetup that appeals - so I thought I might catch up with something that Up in the Cheap Seats watched yesterday. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is available for free on YouTube - and is, indeed, a musical.

Very excited about next Saturday though - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott..

Film: Hope Dances

Today - well, you won't believe it, I was to attend a Meetup. Finally, they had something I could attend! First in six weeks. Up in the Cheap Seats were watching Hope Dances, again on Amazon Prime - and this time, it's available in Ireland. All right then.. It's not very highly rated, but I'm starved of talking to people from the outside world! so, happy to join.

And wouldn't you know it - buffering issues caused a severe delay. I knew I'd be late joining the call afterwards, but thought maybe I could duck out of the film before the end - I wasn't too enamoured of the start. And then it started to get interesting.. so I decided to stick with it. Which, sadly, meant I missed the call. Jeez, I really don't have any luck with Meetup these days, do I?!

So anyway, this is a film about (gee) a little girl called Hope, who, eh, dances. Well, ok. Thing is, it's billed as a film about how she's torn between her mother's ballet ambitions for her, and her father's softball ambitions for her (yes, it's American). She's got great potential for each, you see, and loves each - and each parent thinks that their focus is the right one for her. Naturally, as she progresses in each, they start to get in each other's way, and she has to choose - and naturally, given the title, you can guess that she chooses ballet.

In fact, only the first half of the film deals with this conflict - after that, it's ballet all the way. And the film improves mightily for it. The bit with the warring parents really didn't work for me - there's actually no dramatic tension, as everybody's just so darn nice to each other. I much preferred it once her focus fastened on ballet, and some real tensions appeared - injury, high standards demanded of her, competitiveness among classmates, stage fright.. Perhaps the marketers thought it'd be more palatable to sell it with a mention of softball, rather than portraying it as a straightforward ballet film.

But I ended up unexpectedly enjoying it. The ballet sequences are lovely, and as they're performing The Nutcracker, there's plenty from that - and a beautiful ballet it is. So, one for ballet fans, I think. One thing bothered me - nary a mention was there of school, or homework.. I mean, the kid is 11! She can't have left school by the time she takes all this up - and yet all her time is taken up with ballet classes (or softball), or rehearsals, or goofing off with her friends - what, no maths homework? Weird. Minor quibble though, and I did enjoy it.

Tomorrow's not showing anything on Meetup that appeals - so I thought I might catch up with something that the same group watched yesterday. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is available for free on YouTube - and is, indeed, a musical.

Very excited about next Saturday though - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott..

Film: Persuasion (2007) & Series: The Fall (S1 Eps. 4 - 6 & S2)

First thing today was a version of Persuasion, the early Sunday matinée. Based on the Jane Austen novel, the perfect romantic drama of etiquette for a Sunday afternoon. And although I missed a lot of the middle - had to run yet another errand for my mother - I have to say that I found it very enjoyable. With plenty of close-ups, it's a marvellous character study, as two people obviously meant for each other keep managing to miss each other, what with the wide range of friends and relations that keep getting in the way. Misunderstandings play their part as well, of course, until we finally come to the ending, where our heroine has to dash from pillar to post through Bath, just to find the man who's looking for her anyway. Recommended - unless, of course, you really hate that sort of thing.

And so, back to The Fall, with some glee. Binge-watched it, and am now up to the end of Season 2. In Season 2, BTW, Sean McGinley plays the paedophilic priest that was in charge of one of the care homes that Jamie Dornan attended, growing up. Gives the police some evidence of this future killer's violent nature. And I am delighted to say that yes, as the net closes in around him, our interest continues to be piqued. Roll on Season 3.. assuming it's licensed here!

On Saturday - well, you won't believe it, I'm attending a Meetup. Finally, they have something I can attend! First in six weeks. Up in the Cheap Seats are watching Hope Dances, again on Amazon Prime - and this time, it's available in Ireland. All right then.. It's not very highly rated, but I'm starved of talking to people from the outside world! so, happy to join.

Series: The Fall (S1 Ep 1-3)

Same-o situation for this weekend as for last. Funnily enough, highest on my film list now is Fleabag! (which I've already finished a season of, on Amazon Prime Video). I tried to start Season 2 - and would you credit it, it's not licensed here! Bah humbug. I ended up having to buy a dvd boxset of both seasons - it's being delivered from Germany. I couldn't bear not to see the rest - won't be delivered for a couple of weeks or so, though. (Just got word that it's been posted, at least.) Next up - on the same platform - is The Fall. About which I heard good things.

So, I just watched the first three episodes. Gillian Anderson is a detective, sent from the Met to investigate an unsolved murder in Belfast - only to discover it seems to be one of a series. As she acclimatises to life in this grey city - where she discovers, after the murder of a colleague, that she must go armed - the action switches between her (and the other PSNI officers) and the killer. Who, we discover, is mild-mannered bereavement counsellor Jamie Dornan - who seems to have something against professional women in their early thirties. With long, dark hair. Simon Delaney was the officer in charge of the investigation that Gillian Anderson was initially sent to review.

Mmm yes, I'll keep watching this - three seasons to get through. It's a cut above your average cop drama - the camera rests for longer on the actors, we get longer to process their feelings: which makes it less about the action, and more about reactions. In addition, I love the angle that Gillian takes the standard position (as stated openly in Episode 3) usually adopted by the man; sees someone she fancies, tells him where to find her, has a one-night stand. Not blinked at in a man - but to have a woman do it bucks the trend. As opposed to, say, Jamie Dornan, the New Age man - cares for the bereaved, happy to look after the kids for his hard-working wife.. love how the programme plays with stereotypes.

More of the same tomorrow. I see he stays in it through the whole three seasons - it'll be interesting to see whether they can sustain interest in the story! I also wonder, with all the topless shots of him, and suggestion that he derives sexual satisfaction from the murders, whether this wasn't the inspiration for his casting in Fifty Shades of Grey..?

Next Saturday - well, you won't believe it, I'm attending a Meetup. Finally, they have something I can attend! Up in the Cheap Seats are watching Hope Dances, again on Amazon Prime - and this time, it's available in Ireland. All right then..

Play: The Deep Blue Sea

Oh dearie me. Well, I suppose the tv schedules can't always be good.. nothing really worth watching, after the main evening news. So I headed for something that Up in the Cheap Seats were watching on Friday - The Deep Blue Sea, presented by the National Theatre.

So, this is written by Terence Rattigan. Set in 1952, it's the story of a woman (played by Helen McRory), who left her stable, dependable, respectable, and adoring husband a year ago, it transpires. I guess things had got too safe. Instead, she hooked up with a dashing and exciting pilot, with whom she's now living in rather more modest circumstances. However, things aren't all rosy - when we meet her, she's passed out in the sitting room, where her neighbours find her; lucky the door wasn't locked, as she was trying to gas herself - and might have succeeded, if not for forgetting to put money in the gas meter!

What follows is the most marvellous character study. It's revealed that she has a talent for art that was never realised - this was a time, of course, when her best course of action was to marry well. We also get a real insight into her boyfriend's character, thanks to a wonderful performance of his drunken reaction as he vents to his friend about this vexing suicide note she left, and spends most of his time whining about how it'd make him look if she'd succeeded! A grown-up with a child's reactions, he also resents her for tying him down. In complete contrast, of course, is her still-adoring husband, who is telephoned by a neighbour who doesn't know whom else to call. Always smartly dressed (and sober), he rushes straight over - and makes obvious how much better her life would be with him. So she has a few options.. but which will she choose?

This really hit close to home - I used to be involved with someone very, very like her boyfriend. And it is quite devastating to see desperate she is to keep him. Sharply scripted, it gives each character enough space to develop, while allowing for some real verbal tennis among her and the men in her life. Absolutely marvellous, one of the best things I've seen in ages. Highly recommended. Quick though - they only leave these shows on for a week, and have a new one every Thursday..

Same-o situation for Saturday as for this past weekend. Funnily enough, highest on my film list now is Fleabag! (which I've already finished a season of, on Amazon Prime Video). I tried to start Season 2 - and would you credit it, it's not licensed here! Bah humbug. I ended up having to buy a dvd boxset of both seasons - it's being delivered from Germany. I couldn't bear not to see the rest - won't be delivered for a couple of weeks or so, though. Next up - on the same platform - is The Fall. About which I hear good things.

Film: Trip Along Exodus

Today, with Meetup full of live meetings again, I decided on film again. For a change, I was thinking of heading to Reel Palestine, which is supposed to be streaming a very highly rated short film called My Neighbourhood. But wouldn't you know it, when I tested the link, it wasn't working! Never fear, there's a wealth of films out there.. instead, I decided to watch Trip Along Exodus, also available on that site - or, indeed, on YouTube! It's a documentary about the late Elias Shoufani, a council member of the PLO.

No dry documentary, this - it was made by his elder daughter, a poet, and is divided into sections, each punctuated with a snatch of poetry, some music - and the photos and video footage that appear throughout. It's kind of linear, but has no problem in jumping around in time a little. Never fear, it's not confusing - just sit back and absorb the atmosphere. The music and images give a real insight into life in the Middle East, and make this an entertaining watch.

By 'eck, he was a character! This was filmed a couple of years before his death, but he is sharp as a tack - and age gives him licence to diss all comers: although a remark towards the end of the film suggests that he was always an argumentative sort. In his day, he was regarded as the foremost authority on the Middle East. He had a PhD from Princeton, lived in the States for a while (on an Israeli passport, which was the only one he could get - as soon as he got a green card, he dispensed with the Israeli passport, for obvious reasons). Met his first wife there - it didn't last long, unfortunately, as he became more closely involved in politics, and couldn't see a role for her in the revolution.

He frequently lets rip. He left the States because they were assisting Israel to fight the Palestinians, but is also scathing about Palestinian patriotism - as he says, he's not a farmer, he has no interest in land unless as in the concept of a motherland: nationhood. So he has no time for attachment to place - indeed, he lived in several different countries, and eventually ended his days in Syria. He says, mind you, that the greatest problem is Islamic fundamentalism, and that the association of religion with politics just leads to backward thinking, and regression. Which leads him nicely onto a lengthy dismissal of Arafat, who, he says, had a "fossilised brain", and could only consider the political situation in terms of religion. Not that things in the PLO improved after his tenure: no, he says, after that, it was run by Arafat's cronies - a bunch of highwaymen and thugs.

Very much worth watching, it's also a fascinating insight into the situation in Palestine in the late 20th century. Recommended.

Same-o situation for Saturday. Funnily enough, highest on my film list now is Fleabag! (which I've already finished a season of, on Amazon Prime Video). But I'm hoping to be finished Season 2 by then, and that's all she wrote, as they say. Couldn't wait to watch it. Assuming that I am finished with that, next up - on the same platform - is The Fall. About which I hear good things.

Films: Suite Francaise & The Lodgers

Saturdays in particular tend to be full of film on the telly, and tonight I had a double-bill. After the main evening news was Suite Francaise, which I'd definitely heard of, and wasn't sure whether I'd seen - a quick look at the trailer confirmed that I hadn't (probably). So I watched it.

It's set in a small French town during German occupation. So they do that thing where all the French is spoken in English, with English accents for the French people and the main German character (so we can relate more), and a German accent for the only other German to speak English (who plays the villain). The German is spoken as German, and subtitled.

Michelle Williams is a young bride whose husband has gone off to war, and unfortunately left her all alone on a large estate with his mother, Kristen Scott Thomas - everyone's idea of the mother-in-law from hell. Margot Robbie is a villager. Things liven up considerably when the war appears suddenly on their doorstep - the place is flooded with refugees, and German soldiers are billetted with the locals - the officers go to the posher accommodation, so the estate - naturally - gets a very genteel chap. Who plays the piano, and turns out to have been a composer before the war started; being from a military background, he reluctantly signed up.

Well, as you can imagine, the young deserted wife falls for him pretty quickly. And it doesn't matter that they're both married - we learn that he hardly had a chance to be married before he was off to fight, and as for her.. She admits that she got married because her dying father wanted to see her settled (and her mother-in-law is under no illusion that the estate had something to do with it). So she's not really that invested - and when she finds out that her husband was having an affair before the marriage, which continued into it.. (spoiler).. Well!

It's kind of ho-hum. Kristen Scott Thomas is by far the best actor in it - it's a shame she couldn't have had the affair! The two involved really don't have the charisma to carry it off, and the story is predictable. Well, except for the fanciful ending - which I looked up online. I'd probably have stayed to the end, to be fair - except that I figured I'd rather be watching the film that started on another channel just before this one ended.

This second film was The Lodgers - and despite its much lower IMDB rating, I was right - I much preferred this. It's a horror - which would explain the low rating. Really, I do not know what people's problem is - unless, maybe, they resent being scared. Hmm. Anyway, it's set in an Irish village in 1920 - a tricky time, with the First World War not long over, and the Irish War of Independence in full swing. As a local lad finds out, when he returns from WWI, where he fought in the British army, to find himself branded a traitor. Very unfair, of course - Ireland was under British rule at the time, and not everyone was a dyed-in-the-wool republican. But fairness was hard to find. Deirdre O' Kane plays his mother, the local shopkeeper.

Anyhoo, he's quite incidental to the story. No, it mostly centres on the Big House. Which, incidentally, is represented in this film by the real-life Loftus Hall - which is rather cool, as it's billing itself strongly as Ireland's most haunted house! and a damn spooky place it is. Yes, you can go on actual haunted house tours there. Anyway, in this film, it's inhabited by twins - a boy and girl - the last representatives of the family. And, as in real life, it's in a shocking state of repair - the wallpaper and plaster are peeling, all the walls seem mouldy - the main gate looks quite rickety, and the grounds around it seem quite overgrown. In real life, I believe they've tidied up the gardens considerably.

They're an odd pair - well, he certainly is. And the film's events are kicked off by their 18th birthday. He's agoraphobic, can't leave the house, and she's always the one to go to the shop for groceries - in a very atmospheric long, black, hooded cloak. She tends not to be able to pay for them, mind - always relying on credit. Which is related to the visit they get from the family lawyer (David Bradley, looking suitably creepy), who's there to tell them the money has run out. Ah, but they can't let him in, as they have to live by a few rules:

• They must be in bed by midnight
• They must not let a stranger cross the threshold
• They must stay together

This is all related to a family curse, you see. And if they break the rules, a couple of naked boogeymen that live under a trapdoor in the front hall will come for them. They tend to come out at night, and are accompanied by water seeping from under the trapdoor.. water that, curiously, falls upwards, staining the ceiling above. A detail I haven't seen before, in horror. Water features prominently in the film, but you'll have to stick with it to figure out why.

The whole thing is fabulously gothic - the gloomy atmosphere, the squalid decor, the paleness of - well, everyone (but then, it is Ireland).. Everybody pretty much wears black and white, the girl-twin has that fab long, black cloak, and always wears white underneath.. The story turns out to be rather sordid, which fits a gothic theme, and she plays the classic gothic heroine, doomed and waiting for salvation. In the form of that ex-soldier, whose mother (wisely) disapproves of the whole thing.

I read one negative review on the IMDB page, from someone who tends to like horror - but I think he was expecting something more conventional. Me, I think this is highly innovative, beautifully done - and it's great to see good Irish horror. More of the same, please!

Tomorrow, with Meetup full of live meetings again, I'm thinking film again. For a change, I was thinking of heading to Reel Palestine, which is supposed to be streaming a very highly rated short film called My Neighbourhood. But wouldn't you know it, I just tested the link and it isn't working! Never fear, there's a wealth of films out there.. instead, I can watch Trip Along Exodus, also available on that site - or, indeed, on YouTube! It's a documentary about the late Elias Shoufani, head of the PLO.

Film: Belonging - The Truth Behind the Headlines

For today, would you believe, Up in the Cheap Seats were watching something on Amazon Prime Video - which I have a year's subscription to, with the new telecom contract we took out! Hadn't bothered with it till now, but I just activated it. But wouldn't you know it, what the group were watching isn't on the list in Ireland. Rats. Never mind, there's plenty I can watch.. and top-rated in my list at the moment (and available in Ireland) was Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines, an exposé of the collusion between successive UK governments and big business, and how it erodes our human rights. So I watched that.

Investigative journalism at its best, this, as it interviews union reps involved in three separate strikes, in three different industries over the years - print, the Royal Mail, and a strike at a power plant in Scotland. And over the three, it's a disgrace to see the scare tactics that the companies and police resorted to:

• For print, Rupert Murdoch devised a policy of firing people when they were on strike, or on holiday, or on a Friday or at the weekend. All so they couldn't complain so easily. No wonder his fellow Australians described him as "a snake". All with the collusion of government - Thatcher denied meeting him, but the film shows memos that prove she did. As he also met with Blair, and Cameron. I loved the brief mention of how most of the confidential information of the abortive Leveson inquiry is available online.. Includes plenty of photos of police brutality at peaceful protests.
• An interesting anecdote in the Royal Mail strike describes how management told one of the union members he couldn't take photos - he said he wasn't, he was filming. When they asked why, he said "Evidence".
• The strike at Grangemouth in Scotland saw an absolute hate campaign staged against the union leader, Stevie Deans. The Labour party, of which he was a member, falsely accused him of vote-rigging - his name was blackened on the media and in parliament, and police requisitioned his private files from his daughter. He's now of the opinion that the company engineered the whole scandal, and his daughter says that while she still believes in trade unions, she no longer believes in politics.

The film starts by reminding us - correctly - that, without trade unions, we wouldn't have sick pay, holiday allowances, workers' rights in general. So - why is it that all we hear about them is bad? As stated in the tagline, this isn't a film that tells you how to think - it just asks you to think again. Why did Thatcher lie about meeting Murdoch, for instance..? And why don't police tend to follow guidelines on crowd management? An interesting segment informs us that the official advice, for example, is to use a truncheon on the arms and legs. Yeah right - when have we seen that? Isn't it always on the head? Eye witness accounts are frightening.

And honestly, it's no surprise that no police were prosecuted for these incidents - when it's general policy, they get left alone. Just as no-one was ever punished for what they did in Northern Ireland, nor ever will be - or soldiers carrying out abuse of civilians on foreign assignments, to take another example - the establishment protects its own. And a colluding press carries on the song about "our brave boys" or some such - who can do no wrong. It's disgusting, and it's an insult to those who really do a good job.

Instead, we see constant headlines belittling the common people, who are labelled "troublemakers", "yobs" or worse. As someone remarks towards the end of the film, anyone who fights for workers' rights is labelled a terrorist, and if you're out of a job, you're labelled as a skiver, a layabout. As the saying goes, believe half of what you see, and none of what you read. Particularly from the rags sold on British newsstands.

The film ends with footage of a Thatcher report, where she revealed plans to privatise both

the NHS and education. Another government memo remarks how more profit can be derived from a "compliant" workforce. As usual, trust no-one in power..

A very thorough insight into recent events, this is a film that should make you angry. Recommended to hang around for the closing credits - there's a song, and many of the grim-faced people featured during the film finally crack a smile. I don't know what can be done with a parliament that's actively at war with its people, and a cooperative press - but every little helps, and this is an excellent start.

As for Fleabag, also available on Amazon Prime - I've just finished the first season, and am absolutely loving it. And also seriously looking forward to Season Two, featuring Andrew Scott..

Tomorrow, with Meetup full of live meetings again, I'm thinking film again. For a change, I'm thinking of heading to Reel Palestine, which is streaming a very highly rated short film called My Neighbourhood.

Film: Scent of Murder

Having seen what was showing on most tv channels, late tonight, I found myself watching Scent of Murder. It's about a dog handler who works for a private detective agency, and ends up tracking a serial killer of little children.

So yes, that's where they get the "scent" of the title. And as you might imagine, it was made for tv.. and it's quite watchable. Not very suspenseful, really, and not terribly engaging - but inoffensive to watch. Doing something else at the same time is recommended, though - I think I'd have gone slowly out of my mind if I'd had to concentrate on it for any extended period. But the dogs are cute.

For tomorrow, would you believe, Up in the Cheap Seats are watching something on Amazon Prime Video - which I have a year's subscription to, with the new telecom contract we took out! Hadn't bothered with it till now, but I just activated it. But wouldn't you know it, what the group are watching isn't on the list in Ireland. Rats. Never mind, there's plenty I can watch.. and top-rated in my list at the moment (and available in Ireland) is Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines, an exposé of the collusion between UK governments and business, and how it erodes our human rights. As for Fleabag, also available on Amazon Prime - I'm nearly at the end of the first season, and absolutely loving it.

Film: The Snowman

Tonight's midweek movie on RTÉ was The Snowman - a thriller, set in snowy parts, and starring Michael Fassbender. Which I hadn't seen - and so I made it my business to watch it.

It's set in an apparently permanently snowy Norway - the action switches between Oslo and Bergen. He's a hard-drinking detective in Oslo - he's renowned for his work on murder cases, but with Norway's low crime rate, he's a bit under-used. His ex is Charlotte Gainsbourg - looking, I must say, a lot better than she has in the various Lars von Trier films I've seen her in! But then, she's treated a bit better in this film than in those..

Anyway, his life brightens up considerably when women start to go missing - all married with kids, and in each case, a snowman is built outside the house as a calling card. Turns out they have a serial killer on their hands. Looking deeper into things, he discovers a similar case, some years back, up in Bergen - led by another hard-drinking detective, Val Kilmer. Toby Jones worked with him at the time. J. K. Simmons turns up as a businessman with seedy connections.. Also stars Adrian Dunbar.. but for the life of me, I can't remember what he was doing in it.

So, it looks gorgeous. Some fantastic scenery - spectacular bridges, and the gorgeous panorama from above Bergen. Indoor shots are brilliantly lit by reflected light from the snow outside, during the day. And it's a decent thriller, you know. It's just - puzzling. I mean, you can guess from the beginning what the motive is; it's just trying to follow the thread of the story that's rather difficult - I had to look it up online myself to clarify some things, and discovered that no, it wasn't just a lapse of attention on my part. You really can't follow everything from the script. I recommend either giving up entirely on following the plot - or having a copy of the Wikipedia article beside you, so you can follow along in the middle. Really helps.

For Saturday, would you believe, Up in the Cheap Seats are watching something on Amazon Prime Video - which I have a year's subscription to, with the new telecom contract we took out! Hadn't bothered with it till now, but I just activated it. But wouldn't you know it, what the group are watching isn't on the list in Ireland. Rats. Never mind, there's plenty I can watch.. and top-rated in my list at the moment (and available in Ireland) is Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines, an exposé of the collusion between UK governments and business, and how it erodes our human rights. As for Fleabag, also available on Amazon Prime - I'm three episodes in, and absolutely loving it.

As for my Mubi subscription, it was due to end today - so I clicked to cancel. Wouldn't you know it, they were so upset to see me go.. they gave me another free month! Well, all righty then..

Play: Les Blancs

On Friday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Les Blancs, streamed by the National Theatre. Unable to make it that day, I thought I might watch it today instead.. and so I did, finally.

Why, oh why, does everything have to be so long? Does everyone want a magnum opus? I remember when I was doing my PhD, my supervisor remarked that it was better to have a long one, it looked more impressive - a short one could pass, but it'd be more difficult. More, more, more - and it seems the same is true for playwrights. At least, for productions staged in venues that consider themselves bastions of culture. Like the National. This one is 2.5 hours, I noted, sighing, as I started.. mind you, that does include a 1.5 minute interval, during which we are encouraged to donate to various charities. Don't get me wrong, I completely approve of that.

The action takes place in an unspecified African country that has been colonised by Britain, and centres on a local mission. The local major keeps popping by - an insurgency is brewing, and he's attempting to keep order. As well as the kindly folk who run the place, we have the native house servants, the old, blind, white lady who's spent most of her life in Africa, loves the people, and is beloved by them - and a white American journalist, who's staying for a while to get the feel of the place for what he's writing. Nearby, we meet a local family - the father has just died, the mother died a while ago, the younger son works at the mission - and the older son has just returned from abroad, complete with European wife, and a baby. Whom we never do meet.

The journalist, of course, is there for exposition - he's never been to Africa before, and needs everything explained to him. And everyone fits into pretty standard roles - the mission folk are there to help, the major is predictably racist and reactionary. The chap back from abroad, in his suit, is full of exciting new ideas. But in this Africa, nothing is as it seems..

It's a very atmospheric piece - the set revolves to give us either the mission perspective, or the native one: and the drums set up a rhythmic background. Which we learn not to be entirely comfortable with, as rebellion is brewing. But, sweet Lord, it's long! Never mind cutting half an hour out - I think they could quite comfortably have lost a whole hour of this without even disturbing the narrative! Especially given that everyone, at least initially, conforms to type..

It's not till near the end that things hot up, as the doctor explains to the journalist what's really going on, in an incendiary speech fuelled by Scotch. And he has some very interesting things to say, about the patronising nature of colonialism, the way the locals are kept down - and the necessary consequences of that. One man's terrorist, as they say, is another's freedom fighter - and shortly afterwards, the action explodes quite shockingly, proving his point.

So, my recommendation would be - watch the second half, it eventually gets gripping: and if you skip the first half, you'll still understand everything, but won't have to wade through so much waffle. Showing until 7pm BST on the 29th.

For Saturday, would you believe, they same group are watching something on Amazon Prime Video - which I have a year's subscription to, with the new telecom contract we took out! Hadn't bothered with it till now, but I just activated it - my free Mubi subscription will have ended by then anyway, and I don't think it's worth my paying for. But wouldn't you know it, what the group are watching isn't on the list in Ireland. Rats. Never mind, there's plenty I can watch.. and top-rated in my list at the moment (and available in Ireland) is Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines, an exposé of the collusion between UK governments and business, and how it erodes our human rights. Ooh, and for another day, guess what they also have, which I've only seen snippets of..? Fleabag..

Films: It's Complicated & Vertical Limit

Tonight was another night heavily laden with films, on telly.. and there were a couple, back to back, that I was interested in. So I watched them.

First up was It's Complicated - a romcom. I never usually get to see these, as they're not very highly rated - the rating for this one isn't too bad, mind, and since I was still living in Ireland when it was released, I have to wonder what else I was doing at the time. Anyway, it's written and directed by Nancy Meyers, known for this kind of film.

Meryl Streep is a lady of a certain age, long-divorced, who meets her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) for the first time in ages when the family gets together for their son's graduation. Well, she's feeling more confident in herself, finally, and lo, the two end up starting an affair. This would be complicated enough - if only in explaining it to their grown-up kids! - without the fact that he's remarried by now, to Lake Bell, with a son, Emjay Anthony, and Meryl has started seeing her architect (Steve Martin, whose business partner is Robert Curtis Brown); she's finally found the strength to move on and remodel the house.

To add to the fun, her and her ex's daughter (Zoe Kazan)'s fiancé, John Krasinski, happens to see her and her ex together and is the first to realise something is going on! Caitlin Fitzgerald is their younger daughter. Rita Wilson, Mary Kay Place, and Alexandra Wentworth show up as Meryl's gal-pals, and Bruce Altman and Nora Dunn have one scene as a couple who are longtime friends of the family. Lots of people, then, that I vaguely recognise from one thing or another..

Recommended! Not as complicated as the title suggests, it's quite simply fun to watch, frequently hilarious, quite believable, and excellently acted by the principals. My only quibble was what a small part Steve Martin has - I'm a big fan.

And so to something completely different. Vertical Limit has Chris O' Donnell and Robin Tunney as siblings who are keen on mountain climbing, egged on by their mountaineering father, Stuart Wilson. And they all go climbing together, in a picturesque desert, at the start of the film. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that something traumatic occurs, which estranges the siblings for a few years.

Fast-forward a few years then, and she's a mountain guide on K2. Chris bumps into her for what appears to be the first time in ages, when he's in the area as part of his job as a photographer for National Geographic. He hangs around base camp for a while - she's got an exciting gig coming up, leading a billionaire (Bill Paxton) to the top. All ascents are made on the Pakistani side, where they have cooperation from the army - the local colonel is Roshan Seth. Scott Glen is base camp's resident weirdo - long-haired and bearded, he also has no toes (obviously lost them climbing on the mountain). Ben Mendelsohn plays one of a pair of wisecracking brothers, also excellent climbers. Izabella Scorupco is a cute nurse that works at base camp, and is the focus of much male attention.

So, all is good - until Scott appears as a Cassandra figure, predicting bad weather on the mountain, in direct contradiction of the scientific analysis. Nah, says the billionaire, of course I wouldn't put people in danger, but really, we're good. Well, we all know what's going to happen here, don't we? K2 is, in fact, known for its bad weather - apparently, it's the main reason it's so difficult to climb. That, and that all approaches are so exposed. And sure enough, the team gets into trouble - in the death zone. And sure enough, Chris is the only one willing to take a rescue team up there - and all the aforementioned climbers tag along.

It's a very fast-moving film - high on adrenaline, it hardly lets you process what's already happened, as it moves to the next thing. Which is fine. And apart from iffy SFX on the first incident, in the desert, I found the various accidents absolutely terrifying, without exception. Lordy, you wouldn't get me up there.. Scott's backstory is surprisingly moving, and the billionaire turns out to be as sneaky as you'd expect. Grr. Anyway, highly recommended, if you have the stomach for the (literal) cliffhangers.. As I watched, I realised I had seen this before, but what the hey, I couldn't remember what happened, so that was fine.

On Friday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Les Blancs, streamed by the National Theatre. Unable to make it that day, I thought I might watch it tomorrow instead..

Dance: Celtic Tiger

Today, there still isn't anything I can make on Meetup. But yesterday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Les Blancs, streamed by the National Theatre. Unable to make it yesterday, I thought I might watch it today instead..

And then, another bunch of people from the same group advertised a watching of Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger, this evening on The Shows Must Go On. Ok sure, his shows are always worth watching - I'm surprised though, I thought the channel was exclusively for Andrew Lloyd Webber's stuff! As usual these days, they were to start watching too late for me - so I watched it on my own.The ads on YouTube were slightly annoying - but it's available at a couple of other links on Time Out and Playbill.

Ah, Michael Flatley. He won the Guinness World Record for number of taps per second, you know (still holds the record as the highest paid dancer ever), and was the first American to win a title at the World Irish Dancing Championships. (Irish parents, you see, and I guess they instilled in him a passion for things Irish.) Turns out he's also an award-winning flautist - so I suppose, when he seems to play in the show, he probably is actually playing!

The show was filmed live, outdoors in Birmingham in 2005 - he's retired since, with aches and pains all over, as you'd expect from the torture they inflict on themselves. And it has all the glitz, glam, and razamataz that you'd expect from this flamboyant performer. Starts with the standard, militaristic drumming of lines of dancers - it's almost 10 minutes before there's any accompanying music.

At the start, they're in warrior clothing - the girls at the front dressed like Amazons, he himself flounces on in a stylised gladiator costume. We're then taken on a whistle-stop tour of Irish history, a video montage at the rear displaying attractive aerial shots of Ireland.. we get dancers that represent nature - bird and flower costumes - and a very nationalistic bit where Irish-dancing British soldiers (in stylised uniforms) set fire to a cottage, spewing out a huge number of scraggly-looking Irish in rags, hollow-eyed. Michael is the saintly and persecuted priest. Fast-forward a bit, and the same soldiers are having a pow-wow with some more confident-looking Irish guys, as Michael Flatley reads a bit of the Proclamation of the Republic. A few musical interludes are interspersed - FYI, the song "Four Green Fields" refers to the four provinces of Ireland, "in bondage to foreigners". This was a good performance - I could have done without listening to the other singers.

So far, so coherent. The rest of the show, however, seems to be an excuse to throw all sorts into the mix - different styles of dance, different costumes - under the guise that Ireland is now careering into the modern world. And there's a helluva lot of dancing before they finally leave - at which point I was slightly relieved, if only for consideration of their poor joints!

I have to agree with the comments under the video - I've seen better. It does veer towards tackiness - and in one particularly questionable sequence, a prim Aer Lingus stewardess (in very non-regulation specs) has her head turned by a dashing pilot (guess who?), and is inspired to - ahem - strip off, down to a stars n stripes bikini (leaves the heels on, though). As someone pointed out in the comments, this was before the #MeToo movement!

Ah well, on balance it's enjoyable, if flawed. And he's done an awful lot for the popularisation of Irish dance. I've seen a few shows like this, and I always enjoy them - but this isn't the best I've seen. Anyway, if you want to check it out, it's on until 7pm tomorrow (BST).

And for tomorrow? Again, nothing I can actually make on Meetup - might get to see Les Blancs, after all.