Talk: Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London

Today, reliable London Social Detours (LSD) had another talk. This time, it was one hosted by the host's historian friend, which made a nice change - and it was about "Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London"!

I logged in far before time, just to be sure.. it was a couple of minutes before start time when we were all let in, and after a short delay to let others join, off we went.

I do like a discussion about the plague.. you don't hear as much about it as about the Great Fire. And it was interesting that she didn't restrict herself to 1665, but went back to its origins some hundreds of years before. Which led to an interesting discussion about trade routes:

I'm afraid I kind of nodded off during the final section, about the Great Fire, though! Never mind. The talk afterwards was predictably disease-centric, plenty of talk about Covid, and an intriguing suggestion from someone that we should bring back the wearing of the birdlike masks that plague doctors used to use, with the long beaks - that'd ensure a two-metre distance! Someone also mentioned that California had a recent outbreak - gee, I missed that..

On Saturday, I'll be back to film again. Hee-hee. I did actually try to catch up with some of my backlog today - with a woeful lack of stuff on tv before the talk, I tried to watch The Syrian Bride (new to Sands Films), which is a bit shorter than The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on Amazon Prime. Predictably, I didn't even get that watched.. in fact, in over an hour and a half, I managed to watch exactly 41 minutes and 34 seconds of the showing (counting about 5.5 minutes of introduction), what with continual buffering, and having to refresh the page several times when it hung. I live in hope of finishing it - I am enjoying it. Also in the backlog, of course, is Snowden - and after that, I'm thinking of watching Time. Both also on Amazon Prime.

And next Sunday - would you believe it, Up in the Cheap Seats finally has something at a time I can manage! It's another read play - this time, it's Time Stands Still, starring Laura Linney. And again, it's from TodayTix, with a minimum donation of $5. Delighted I can join them for something, for once. And it's just too bad that LSD also announced today that they were going to do another history talk the same day - they could choose Saturday, for once!

Musical: Fiver

Now, this evening, Up in the Cheap Seats are doing a couple of things - one is a musical called Fiver, about the journey of a five-pound note. Livestreamed from Southwark Playhouse, so you have to watch it at set times. Ran yesterday, running today. I love a musical, and the story sounded interesting.. of course, I can't do it in the evening, but there was a matinee today, which I booked for. Full price, for once, and my ongoing discount didn't apply, but I'm delighted to help the theatre.

I was glad to hear they've followed the Old Vic's lead, and included audience sounds while you wait. Really adds to the realism. Only thing is, the recording keeps looping, and there's a slight pause before each restart. And as you listen over and over, you do start to recognise segments. Still, it helps.

Runs for just over two hours, including an interval - and as it's live, they encourage you to tweet them, so they can read the tweets in the interval. (In today's, animals watching the show featured heavily.) Five performers adopt different characters, as different vignettes are performed, and the fiver serves to show us snapshots of people's lives.

Clever lyrics, catchy music, beautifully performed, and quite uplifting. No set or scenery whatsoever, so you can concentrate on words and music. The performance I watched happened to be subtitled - not completely accurately, so I'm guessing they ad-libbed a bit. (Ironic, given the lack of subtitles on The Warren, which I watched just before!) And I really enjoyed it. A real pick-me-up, on a cold and dark November day. One more show of this, this evening - and more showing, and to come. Check them out! You can also donate. Great little theatre, one we really need to keep alive.

And tomorrow, reliable London Social Detours has another talk. This time, it's one hosted by the host's historian friend, which makes a nice change - and it's about "Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London"! 

Film: The Warren

Well, I finally got a film watched. Predictably, the short - The Warren, a short film on Reel Palestine. Figured I'd have time for that much, at least! I still have a backlog of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on Amazon Prime: The Syrian Bride, new to Sands Films: and Snowden, also on Amazon Prime. The last of which I'm most interested in - so naturally, it comes last of the four!

A small amount of buffering didn't cause too much trouble. This is an atmospheric piece about the Israeli army, creeping around a Palestinian refugee camp at dead of night, looking for insurgents during the second intifada. I was a few minutes in before anyone spoke, at which time I realised there are no subtitles! Happily, although it'd be nice to know what people are saying, it doesn't prevent you following the plot.

It has a decent amount of suspense. Can't say much more about an 11-minute piece without giving too much away, but suffice to say that the Israeli army don't come out of this squeaky clean. The ending is truly unexpected, and will give you pause for thought. Recommended!

Now, this evening, Up in the Cheap Seats are doing a couple of things - one is a musical called Fiver, about the journey of a five-pound note through the city. Livestreamed from Southwark Playhouse, so you have to watch it at set times. Ran yesterday, running today. I love a musical, and the story sounds interesting.. of course, I can't do it in the evening, but there is a matinee today, which I've booked for. Full price, for once, and my ongoing discount doesn't apply, but I'm delighted to help the theatre. I've logged in and am waiting for the start, at time of writing - glad to hear they've followed the Old Vic's lead, and included audience sounds while you wait. Really adds to the realism. Only thing is, the recording keeps looping, and there's a slight pause before each restart. And as you listen over and over, you do start to recognise segments. Still, it helps.

And tomorrow, reliable London Social Detours has another talk. This time, it's one hosted by the host's historian friend, which makes a nice change - and it's about "Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London"! 

Talk: Who's Who in Tudor England - Elizabeth's Fixers: Hatton - Gresham & Dr. John Dee!

I'm taking this week off, yay! And Monday and Tuesday were supposed to be film - but tv got in the way. I'll try to catch up. Anyway, yesterday's event was one I had to sign up for, so I actually ended up doing it - London Social Detours (LSD) does a talk every Wednesday afternoon, and as I have the week off, I got to go, for once! This was "Who's Who in Tudor England - Elizabeth's Fixers: Hatton - Gresham & Dr. John Dee!"

Minor panic ensued when the Meetup site wouldn't work - now, the link was for Zoom, but the problem was getting it! I hadn't bothered to copy it to my calendar - luckily, the app was (partly) working - it hasn't displayed notifications for ages, even when you ask it to - and I got the link from that, and typed it carefully into my laptop. Not something I fancy doing often - but it worked, and I joined the chorus of people telling the organiser about the problem, which had apparently just started 15 minutes before the meeting. Meetup later blamed it on AWS.

Anyway, most people seemed to have managed it, and we proceeded. Have to say, I wasn't terribly interested - she seemed to be reading straight from her go-to book about the Tudors, referenced in the title of the talk. Which would be fine, except she hadn't read ahead (said she didn't want to spoil the surprise for herself), and so was equally agog at every little factoid, described in a terribly sensationalist manner. Frankly, the long descriptions of the business of government nearly put me to sleep (again). Decent slideshow, though. I did perk up a bit when the talk got around to John Dee - who, after all, was an occultist, alchemist, and kind of jack-of-all trades. But then there wasn't enough about him. Hey-ho, she's running the same talk tomorrow (Friday), if you're interested - on account of the technical difficulties. And she might remember the correct pronunciations for that one.

The chat afterwards was five-star though - we covered the usual topics: Covid, Brexit - and then on to Scottish independence, and she HAD to ask me, the only non-Brit on the call, what I thought about it. So, you know, I happened to mention that Scotland had voted against Brexit - cue a (small) rant from the pro-Brexit person on the call, about how people shouldn't say that Scotland had voted against it, it was an all-UK vote, and that kind of thing annoyed her. And, by the way - she said - that independence referendum should have been all-UK as well, as it affected them all! Cue a tirade of voices against her. Ah, they say you should never bring politics to a discussion, but it does make things more interesting..

You never know, I might get back to film tomorrow. I now have a backlog of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on Amazon Prime: The Syrian Bride, new to Sands Films: The Warren, a short film on Reel Palestine: and Snowden, also on Amazon Prime. The last of which I'm most interested in - so naturally, it comes last of the four!

On Saturday evening, Up in the Cheap Seats are doing a couple of things - one is a musical called Fiver, about the journey of a five-pound note through the city. Livestreamed from Southwark Playhouse, so you have to watch it at set times over the next two days. I love a musical, and the story sounds interesting.. of course, I can't do it in the evening, but there is a matinee that day, which I've booked for. Full price, for once, and my ongoing discount doesn't apply, but I'm delighted to help the theatre.

And on Sunday, reliable LSD has another talk. This time, it's one hosted by the host's historian friend, which makes a nice change - and it's about "Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London"!

Talk: Spies, Lies & Espionage

So, just now was my first Meetup of the month! London Social Detours, naturally, with a virtual themed tour "Spies, Lies & Espionage". Decently interesting, although this isn't a special interest of mine.. we got a nice slideshow to match some script she was reading:

(That's the interior of Brompton Oratory, apparently a favoured venue for spy meetups!)

She also showed us a short interview clip with an uncovered spy. I've heard lots of spy stuff about London before, but the talk was well-delivered.. still, with the sky darkening, I found myself falling asleep, as usual. Her delivery is just so monotonous - and I wasn't the only one, as I discovered during the chat afterwards, when I saw a couple fast asleep, heads on each other's shoulders, who'd forgotten to turn off their camera!

The chat itself was heavily given over to spy stuff.. one told us how she'd undergone security checks for work, and still had a high level of security clearance. Couldn't tell us exactly what it was she was doing, of course! The American on the call sounded as though she'd have to choose between spending Thanksgiving alone, or with relatives who weren't as careful about Covid as she is herself. And for whatever reason, everyone dropped off quicker than usual. And so I have my evening to myself. Good to have a window on the world, though.

I'm taking this week off, yay! And tomorrow's film will probably be The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, being next alphabetically at this level in my list!

Film: La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil

I owed myself another film for yesterday; of the next on my list, La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil was next alphabetically, and having no particular preference, I went for that. Courtesy of Sands Films, it has the added advantage of being short.

It was too late last night really, so I just watched it now. As I say, conveniently short enough to fit into a gap in the tv schedule. And it's a charming little thing, under an hour long - even with all the speechifying of the director of the film club! This seems to have been one of the first they released after lockdown, and he spends some time pondering that. If you're not interested in that part, he starts to talk about the film at about 9:45, and the film proper starts around 12 minutes in.

Set on the busy streets of Dakar, the film tells the story of a little girl who pretty much lives on the streets - we don't get to see where she actually sleeps, she's just out all the time. Most of the beggars we see have some kind of disability, as does she - one of her legs is in a brace, and seems pretty useless. She uses crutches to get around. Similarly, her grandmother - apparently her only family - is blind. But you know, there isn't a moment of pity in this film - seeing the brash boys that sell newspapers, she decides that's the job for her, and indeed, she makes a real go of it! Highly recommended, as a gentle peek into the day-to-day life of poor Africans.

And in under an hour, my first Meetup of the month! London Social Detours, naturally, with a virtual themed tour "Spies, Lies & Espionage".

Film: Eddie the Eagle & Play: Emilia

Tuesday was my birthday, and I had every intention of taking the time to see something. And that day, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Emilia - a recording of a past show, its run is now extended to the 2nd. And they're still taking bookings - for the minimal fee of £1! So I booked that as well. Gee, it feels great to have things booked again!

But hey, the week turned out to be hectic, which can happen - in the event, I only started watching it today. And then, I wasn't half an hour in when it crashed - and since the television had improved in the meantime, I watched that instead.

Tonight's film on tv was one on my list - imminent, in fact! So this was a handy way to get to see it. Eddie the Eagle is the true story of what you might call one of England's eccentrics, Michael Edwards, who decided - with little training, but a heap of enthusiasm - to enter the Olympic ski-jumping event. The UK had never entered the event before, and he became quite the celebrity -setting, by definition, new UK Olympic records.

He's played by the excellent Taron Egerton, with Hugh Jackman as an ex-champion who takes pity on him and trains him, and Christopher Walken as Hugh Jackman's ex-mentor, now a sports commentator. And wow, what an uplifting film! Really, the story of an enthusiast, with little talent apart from a passionate interest, and absolutely no support, is a dead cert. If you read about him, you might discover that his gear was borrowed from other teams. His father was dead set against it, until he proved himself. And as for the UK Olympic Committee, who changed the requirements after he'd qualified under the old rules - just to stop him getting in - well, when did anyone ever expect the UK establishment to act fair? Never has before.. (he stymied them by meeting the new, more stringent requirements). Highly recommended.

Afterwards, I returned to Emilia. Didn't watch much more of it, though. In common with at least some of the group that watched it on Tuesday - according to the comments - I didn't like it much, and didn't think it was going to improve. It's a Shakespeare's Globe production, which doesn't do much to recommend them.. Three actors portray her (in an all-female production), but forty minutes in, the youngest is still doing the job, although already pregnant by then. Perhaps they switch to the next when she gives birth.

Anyway, that's not my problem - my problem has more to do with the sketchy sound (I recommend the link with captions), and the generally shrieky production. They must have got hoarse, yelling at each other and completely overacting throughout - and neither was I fond of the twerking that constitutes courtly dance. When we were introduced to the rather camp Shakespeare, I bailed (the story is based on Emilia Bassano, rumoured to be the "dark lady" that he wrote about, which is what sparked my interest). Nice outfit she had on - that's the best I can find to say about it.

I owe myself another film for today - Emilia was supposed to be a birthday extra! Of the next on my list, La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil is next alphabetically, and having no particular preference, I'll probably go for that. Courtesy of Sands Films, it has the added advantage of being short. Not tonight though - it's gone too late.

And tomorrow, my first Meetup of the month! London Social Detours, naturally, with a virtual themed tour "Spies, Lies & Espionage".

Concert: The Telling

Tonight, something popped up that I just couldn't ignore - Wimbledon Music Festival, running for the next week, had an online concert based on the life of a medieval nun, Hidegard of Bingen - half music, half story. Early music - I couldn't resist! The link will remain available for another week, but I watched tonight anyway. I booked with one of my cheap tickets sites (CT) - no cheaper, but it does fulfil my requirement to book something with them. Such requirements could be hard, this year! If you fancy watching it, the password is telLingWIMF202004.

So, there's a singer, a harpist, and an actor (in the veil) playing Hildegard herself. It takes place in a church - denuded of its seating, it's just like it would have been in medieval times, and very atmospheric. Performances of the works of the woman herself are interspersed with brief performances describing her life, in words that it is imagined she might have used. And wow, it's intense - placing her in a convent at the age of eight turns out to have been rather a good idea, as she went on to have visions, accredited by the Pope, and compose a huge volume of music. As well as founding a couple of monasteries. I adored it, of course - I always love this kind of music. Not sure the cat was as impressed - but hey, aren't cats supposed to be ministers of the Devil?

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I have every intention of taking the time to see something. And that day, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching Emilia - a recording of a past show, it's available for eight more days after. And they're still taking bookings - for the minimal fee of £1! So I've booked that as well. Gee, it feels great to have things booked again!

Film: A Street Cat Named Bob & Play: Boston Marriage

On Saturday, I planned to head back to whatever was left on the Raindance film festival site. But wouldn't you know it, there wasn't anything - not for those outside the UK, anyway; I believe the shorts are available until the 2nd for those in the UK. Anyway, it took me all my available time that day to check that! So it wasn't until yesterday that I got a film seen - and it was back to trusty Amazon Prime, for the first time in a while, and top of my list was A Street Cat Named Bob.

The true story of a junkie on the streets of London, whose life is turned around by a ginger tom - this is a lovely, heartwarming story, without being schmaltzy. And aww, definitely one for cat lovers - that cat is gorgeous, with his lovely, big green eyes. V nostalgic for me too, as his busking patch is around Covent Garden.. I can't count all the rainy and sunny days I've been around there, weekday and weekend. I had great fun, recognising both buildings and bus routes. Very much enjoyed this. Showing (in Ireland anyway) until the 27th.

Now, with the UK locked down again, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is looking into online offerings again - and it's from them that I got my next idea! I couldn't make their time though, so watched on my own. Yesterday, the choice was a reading of Boston Marriage, streamed from the USA by TodayTix - available for about the next eight hours. Sadly, as the actual show is over, it won't accept new bookings! Just as well I booked before the show started. Mind you, as I've now watched it, you could always try my link.. password is EmeraldNecklace.

And I do recommend it! Socially distanced, with each of the three actors in a different location, it's seamlessly edited - no awkward pauses; if you turn your face away, you can imagine that they're acting as normal, in the same room. It's a comedy of manners, involving two snooty society ladies and the put-upon Scottish maid of one of them, who provides a perfect comedy foil. Madcap antics abound, but it's the conversation that sparkles here. True, the snooty accents are a bit irritating - but I'm glad I stuck with it. Highly recommended.

Tonight, something popped up that I just couldn't ignore - Wimbledon Music Festival is running an online concert based on the life of a medieval nun, Hidegard of Bingen - half music, half story. Early music - I couldn't resist! The link will remain available for another week, but I might log on tonight anyway. I booked with one of my cheap tickets sites - no cheaper, but it does fulfil my requirement to book something with them. Such requirements could be hard, this year!

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I have every intention of taking the time to see something. And that day, UITCS is watching Emilia - a recording of a past show, it's available till a week after Tuesday. And they're still taking bookings - for the minimal fee of £1! So I've booked that as well. Gee, it feels great to have things booked again!

Film: The Leisure Seeker & Paranormal Investigation in Loftus Hall

Gee, but I've had a busy week! And so, 'tis only now that I get to tell you about The Leisure Seeker, which was finally shown on telly on Wednesday. I say "finally" because it was supposed to screen a couple of weeks ago - postponed for a Covid update. Bah humbug. Anyway, they finally got around to it this week.

Basically, it's the story of an elderly American couple - Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland (neither, ironically, American) - who escape their humdrum lives to go on a road trip in their rusty old rv ("The Leisure Seeker", as per the title). As you might expect, the (grown-up) kids are annoyed at this unanticipated disruption to their schedule, and much hilarity ensues as they get lost, fall foul of the police, etc.

This film goes much deeper than a simple, madcap road trip, though, as we gradually learn how sick each of them is, how this is their last hurrah before inevitable decline, and how they have a particular destination - Hemingway's house - in mind. He was an English teacher, you see, has a passion for Hemingway, and always wanted to see his house. Well, this is their last chance. Those kids of theirs would never let them..

It's a delight. The funny bits are hilarious, the sad bits are poignant, and as they go on their way, everyone they share a little of their story with is charmed by them. She plays a blinder at deadpan comedy, while he's great at acting cute - or clueless, as he mostly is; dementia is his problem, you see. It's really watchable, America has never looked better - and the ending is really touching. I tell you this, though - after seeing the touristy chaos of the Hemingway house, I don't think I'd ever bother going there! I'm sure its original owner would have hated the noisy, nosy crowds.

And so to tonight - and in honour of Friday 13th, Paranormal Researchers Ireland did another ghostly session in Loftus Hall. Only advertised it yesterday - and I felt obliged to sign up, having missed the one on Hallowe'en. You join these on the "Afterdark" section of Loftus Hall's website, and this one cost €4.99. I signed up this evening - once I navigated their fiddly application form; the session streamed, apparently, from 9 to 12, but I was (as usual) watching telly with my mother, and couldn't get to watch properly until 11.45..

Happily, I got to see a good bit, as they didn't actually finish until 12.30. Interestingly, I found it better on my phone - the various camera shots were small enough that about three fitted on the screen, which allowed for a greater breadth of viewing, and reception was better. And I tell you this, it's fascinating - spooky to start with, the house is in complete darkness; they have torches and the cameras have night vision. I was only thrilled to see extensive orb activity on the staircase - seriously, it was like rush hour. Meantime, in the control room, they were telling those watching to note down anything they saw or heard, with a timestamp.

They include a separate video from the control room, on Facebook, which covers the last hour - and I was gutted that it was just before I started watching that someone saw a dark figure! You can't really see much on this video - you are looking directly at the wall of video screens, but they're too small - but it's interesting to listen to, as they chat to the girl who's been sent alone to the haunted room (ghost bait). The actual camera footage from the hall is being kept streaming to subscribers for 24 hours - and sure enough, watching for a while after, I saw tons more orb activity and heard some banging from the audio of the haunted room. Spooky stuff, indeed.. I see the hall is up for sale, hope the new owners keep up the haunted house aspect.

Tomorrow, back to whatever's left on the Raindance film festival site.

Now, with the UK locked down again, Up in the Cheap Seats is looking into online offerings again - and it's from them that I got my next two ideas! I can't make their times though, so will watch on my own. On Sunday, the choice is a reading of Boston Marriage, streamed from the USA by TodayTix - available until Monday @8pm EST. Sadly, as the actual show is over, it won't accept new bookings! Just as well I booked before the show started.

Tuesday is my birthday, and I have every intention of taking the time to see something. And that day, they're watching Emilia - a recording of a past show, it's available till a week after Tuesday. And they're still taking bookings - for the minimal fee of £1! So I've booked that as well. Gee, it feels great to have things booked again!

Musical: From Here to Eternity

Yesterday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching From Here to Eternity: The Musical on YouTube's The Shows Must Go On channel. As usual, they were running too late for me - but hey, I could watch it independently. Wow, it's months since I watched that channel! About time I got back to it

And I'm so glad I did. The music is really catchy (lyrics by Tim Rice), and I'd forgotten how much I missed watching a musical. The frequent musical numbers do drag out the story - but it's worth staying with it, the ending is quite moving. Just a shame I couldn't have joined the group and chatted about it. Also a shame that it's already unavailable..

For Saturday, back to film. And gee, Raindance kept its site up! So I'll have a look then and see what's still available..

Film: The Parrot Lady

So, I logged onto the Raindance site today, the last day of showing. Scrolling along the featured films at the top, the first I came to that was still available was The Parrot Lady, a short animated film based on the true story of a homeless lady with pet parrots. So I watched it. And it's a touching little piece, one of these that says a lot with few words. Nicely animated, too - a pleasant way to spend a few minutes. Recommended - only problem is, the site is only live until midnight tonight (GMT), i.e. for under seven hours from time of writing. So, hurry up and watch some - as I say, there are plenty of shorts you can fit in!

I, however, found more to watch on tv today, and am now about to join my mother for another night's telly (yawn). So I'm unlikely to see any more from Raindance. Tomorrow, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching From Here to Eternity: The Musical on YouTube's The Shows Must Go On channel. As usual, they're running too late for me - but hey, I can watch it earlier, right? Wow, it's months since I watched that channel! About time I got back to it.

Bram Stoker Festival & Storytelling: El Día de los Muertos

So! Later on Sunday night, I returned to the Bram Stoker Festival, where I listened to the fourth podcast in Fangs. Coming with a warning that they would be discussing real-life vampires, it was really interesting. And I finished off with a short comedy film, The Early House, which I was keen on seeing. Still available on YouTube, it's a charming piece, set in Dublin, where a pub attracts a sinister clientele.. and I'm delighted to see that, while some attractions have expired, some are still available. Including both of the above. Recommended..

Well, I spent too much time trying to catch up with as much as possible (not knowing what was going to remain available), and got too tired to blog that night. Yesterday evening, wooo.. the Crick Crack Club celebrated the Day of the Dead with a livestreamed show featuring just about everybody! I booked my ticket weeks ago.. it was listed as Tuesday on the site, which was a misprint. I think it was broadcast from Bristol. They just sent me my Zoom link on Saturday.

My mother watched it with me - well, endured it from the side while doing puzzles. After all, it was that or spend the evening alone. To be fair, she kept the irritated sighing to a minimum. And gee, surprise, they were a little late starting.. in the end, there were (at the max) 170 of us on the call, which is a record for me. Ben Haggarty's wife, Kate Norgate, who was hosting the call, invited us to post where we were watching from, and wow, it was cool to see what an international audience we were! We'd also been asked to make shrines, and it was interesting to see what some had produced. The Haggartys had three accounts, so they could have three cameras - one on him, one for her, and one for their shrine!

Ben acted as MC, as usual (that's him, above) - he also opened the second half, with a story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. And what a smorgasbord we had - spoiled for choice, with Jan Blake giving the first story, followed by Dan Morden, who told more stories than anyone else, the irrepressible Clare Murphy, TUUP (going under the name of Godfrey Duncan for the call, and he'd brought his drum), and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson, all in the first half. The second half saw everyone except Jan offer something - towards the end, we also had Tim Ralphs, who played an hilarious song to the tune of his ukelele.

With more storytellers participating than I could think of that didn't, what a wealth of styles and content! All had a deathly theme - some were absolutely hilarious, although my mother didn't appreciate some of the more morbid references. :-) I had a ball - but it left me really nostalgic for seeing these story weavers in the flesh. Delighted that their event was so successful - and I do hope they run more. It mightn't be the same for them, to perform without an audience, but wow, I got so much from it.

Had to be up early for Tesco, so didn't get my blog done last night. Back to film for Saturday - the Raindance Festival ends that day, and I still have a ton of films to watch from it..

Films: In the Shadow It Waits & Poltergeist (2015), & Bram Stoker Festival

Raindance is an annual film festival in London, which this year has gone partly online. What's available seems to be in the short film categories, and is free. Anyway, I registered for the mailing list, and got an email yesterday about a livestreamed horror film - started late because of technical difficulties, running as I was writing. Don't worry, I didn't miss much!

The film is called In the Shadows It Waits, and is Australian. And honestly, it comes across as a pretty bog-standard story - in these socially distant times, the perfect way to shoot a horror film is via a group of people on a video call. In the Q+A afterwards, the director revealed that they tried Zoom, which just didn't work - I didn't catch what he said they did use. Anyway, as you'd expect, each in turn has bad things happen to them onscreen, as the others watch in horror and try to figure out what to do. What's different about this one is that every performance is live! So they're reliving this, every time.

Well, it is a decent premise - and the poor reception gave the film a creepy quality, as I often couldn't see what was going on. But really - isn't it a bit gimmicky, to redo it every time? And there were points where I could have done with more explanation. Still, it passed the creepiness factor - just. I wouldn't recommend paying to see it, though. Check the festival out.. runs till Saturday. So far, that's all I've had the chance to watch from it!

Later last night - past the witching hour, so technically no longer Hallowe'en - tv showed Poltergeist (2015). I was intrigued, and decided to watch - albeit with some trepidation, as I really like the original. I was greatly reassured to see the credit for Ghost House Pictures - they don't tend to produce classics, but they have a good feel for horror, and what they produce tends to be decent. Sure enough, Sam Raimi is co-producer. Sam Rockwell plays the dad, and Jane Adams is the head of the paranormal research unit that they consult for help.

Well, you might call this the updated version - the plot is the same, pretty much, but when they're moving in, the teenage daughter is concerned about the nearby electricity pylons, and the first we see of the son, he's playing a zombie attack computer game. Kinda hokey, starting with a closeup of that and zooming out to show it's just a game, but we'll forgive them. And the medium they end up bringing in has (a) his own tv show and (b) one of the worst stage-Irish accents I've ever heard. Which is pretty unforgivable, as his dad was Richard Harris! Tsk.

So - other differences have the house wired for electricity to an unusual extent, which seems to be meant to suggest that this amplifies paranormal energy. Can't remember hearing that theory before - anyway. The younger kids no longer share a room - I guess modern audiences would find that shocking, as they're of different genders. The mother not only stays at home, she's also a writer - albeit unproductive, and I doubt the events of the film do anything to help with that. There's less goo. Ooh, and this time, we get to see inside the "portal", which is interesting.

To be honest, it's a less well-crafted film - the original, directed by Spielberg, has a poignant message that's glossed over here, and parts are a bit flippant. But I found myself decently scared by it - in fact, I'd find it hard to choose between it and Eternal for the scary event of the weekend! It kind of cuts to the chase. However, I do have to question how - in the final scene - they're looking at another house to move to. I mean, he's been made redundant, they're short on cash - seriously, did their house insurance on the last place cover destruction by supernatural forces?!

I never did get to check back in with the paranormal researchers - it was that or the film, and I figured the latter would probably scare me more! Never mind, I don't begrudge them the €9.99..

To finish the night, I returned to the Bram Stoker Festival, where I watched Stoker on Stoker, a documentary about Bram Stoker by his great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker. Nice chap - I met him on a Spooky London walk, once. Now, this is an interesting documentary - I just wish I'd been able to watch the half hour of it in roughly half an hour! No, it took more than three times that - I had such terrible buffering issues that, even after switching to the lowest possible resolution, I had to refresh the page and restart the video twice! Nightmare.

Today, I listened to the first three podcasts in Fangs, on the same site. Very interesting documentaries about Dracula's influence on modern culture. Will check out some more now - I have to get this site finished with soon, as it closes tomorrow!

And after all that, tomorrow evening, wooo.. the Crick Crack Club is celebrating the Day of the Dead with a livestreamed show featuring just about everybody! I booked my ticket weeks ago.. it's listed as Tuesday on the site, which is a misprint. I think it's being broadcast from Bristol. They just sent me my Zoom link yesterday.