Film: The War You Don't See

For today, the best option was another Sands Films offering. Their latest showing was The War You Don't See, a documentary on war propaganda, written and co-directed by John Pilger. Right down my alley. The intro starts nearly nine minutes in (they should learn to crop the film), when we find out that it's a co-production with the London Socialist Film Co-op, who also give an intro - from a political perspective. The film itself starts after about 15 minutes.

Once upon a time, bards were employed by the local chieftains to sing their praises. If it wasn't flattering to their boss, it didn't get heard. And all through history, the story has been written by the victors. Hey, I can't even watch Shakespeare's Henry V, it's so damn jingoistic! So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that, as mentioned in this film, Lloyd George got chummy with the editor of The Guardian during the First World War. As he remarked, if the people knew what was really happening in the war, they'd call an immediate end to it..

An interesting slideshow shows the increasing percentage of civilian casualties throughout international conflicts - 10% during WW1, 50% for WW2 (where we're also reminded that Japan surrendered BEFORE the atomic bombs were dropped), 70% for Vietnam - 90% of casualties were "collateral damage" during the Iraq War, which was still dragging on when this was made. 

Frankly, it's infuriating - so much so that I had to post to Facebook before the film was even over, I was so enraged! Scene after scene shows Pilger challenging executives at the BBC and ITV, whose heels are so firmly dug in that they're immovable - Pilger's face at one point is priceless, as he's at a loss to find a response to what he's just been told!

"Our duty is to report what government spokespeople tell us. Then the public decides."

Pilger: "But that's not really fair on the public, is it? They're not getting the full story."

"Neither are we. We have to wait for someone with the time and energy to analyse it afterwards."

Oh for goodness' sake, if all that the news media is good for is parroting what the powers-that-be tell them, what use are they?! And of course, "embedded" journalists will never say anything that goes against the agenda of the people they're embedded with - as one explained, if you don't toe the party line, you'll be denied access. If you play along, they still dictate where you go, and when - and what you see. In some cases, they also tell you what you're allowed to write. Fox News, while briefly mentioned, is dismissed as "cartoonish" - which is fair comment, demonstrated by the example "news" article where the reporter spends her time asking the helicopter pilot to show her how he steers..

We also get to hear from journalists who tell us how events were stage-managed for the press - like the enthusiastic reception for US troops entering Baghdad. And there's a worrying report on how endangered non-Western journalists are if reporting against the Israeli military - we see footage of the Israelis shooting at a cameraman. 21 years old; he lost both legs in that attack. Not to mention the deliberate US bombing of the Arabic Al-Jazeerah offices in Kabul - they were kind enough to ring first, to warn them to get out. Oh, and I remember the Israeli attack on the aid convoy to Gaza, and how the footage they released had been doctored - they killed several people, that day.

Never fear, there's one ray of hope - Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, is also interviewed, and provides the highpoint when he describes how, despite being hounded by the US, he has no problem with the UK - the Official Secrets Act apparently prohibits retention or destruction of the information.. but he's perfectly free to publish it! :-D

Remember - believe none of what you read, and half of what you see. Or indeed, believe nothing until it's been officially denied. The reasons for going to war in Iraq were totally spurious, and this misinformation has happened over and over again. Even just this week - mind you, on a different topic: the journalist regularly interviewed on This Morning - speaking about Harry and Meghan winning their court case against the Daily Mail - totally defended the newspaper's position! Well, she would, she works for them. What made me laugh though was when (not for the first time) she came out with the daft phrase "we have standards in this country". Her implication was that this was an example of British journalistic standards ensuring that when "someone gets it wrong", they get "rapped on the knuckles". Yeah, not really - this was an example of people being wronged, and having the money to go after the perpetrators. Not everyone is able to do that - so, for every court case won against them, I do wonder how many times they get away with it.. (As usual, the presenters didn't challenge her - not in their job description, I guess.)

On Saturday - wow, at last, Meetup is running things early enough in the day for me again! Up in the Cheap Seats is watching a couple of contemporary dance shows by Grupo Corpo - Bach and Lecuona, each streaming on Vimeo and available to rent for 48 hours for £3.95. So I've signed up - will rent closer to the time, and we'll be chatting about them on Saturday. Phew, it'll be great to see these folks again, it's been ages!

Series: Undone, Episode 8

Well, tonight I said it was about time I got back to Undone, on Amazon Prime. This is an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

It's quite cool animation - rotoscoping is used, which is the tracing of live-action video, to give a more realistic effect. The acting is good, the lead character personable - and the plot is pleasantly weird. I'm guessing it's all a dramatisation of the mind of someone with schizophrenia, but it's very clever, and there is a plot involving her dad's death, which he's tasked her with solving. She learns to distort reality by shifting back and forth through time..

And so, tonight, I finally got back to Episode 8. Where, wow, things really hit the proverbial! Some questions are answered, more are raised - and it ends on a real cliffhanger; as you'd expect, she's starting to wonder whether this is actually all in her head, and then she sees something..

So, I was well ready to continue the story. And wouldn't you know it, this is - of course - the last episode in the season. And - you've guessed it - the next season ISN'T FILMED YET! Ugh. I am going to have so much to catch up on, towards the end of the year, with all these different series..

For tomorrow, the best is looking like another Sands Films offering. Their latest showing was The War You Don't See, a documentary on war propaganda, written and co-directed by John Pilger. Right down my alley.

And next Saturday - wow, at last, Meetup is running things early enough in the day for me again! Up in the Cheap Seats is watching a couple of contemporary dance shows by Grupo Corpo - Bach and Lecuona, each streaming on Vimeo and available to rent for 48 hours for £3.95. So I've signed up - will rent closer to the time, and we'll be chatting about them next Saturday. Phew, it'll be great to see these folks again, it's been ages!

Play: Angels in America (Part 1: Millennium Approaches)

Today, Up in the Cheap Seats watched Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I could make - they started early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production.. Curiously, priced at £6.66. Coincidence..?

I was right to be dubious - hardly anything merits a 3.5 hour running time. So it proved - and the first 40 minutes or so was really ho-hum. I stayed with it though, because there were some really good scenes. Predictably though, it definitely didn't need as much time as it was given, and much of it droned on. You know, they ran this as a tv series, once - and I think that's the perfect format for it. Bite-sized pieces, so you don't lose interest over the course of this epic story, and enough flashes of interesting plot to keep you coming back. It's the story of a group of, as they say, unrelated but interconnected stories, revolving around AIDS in 1985, at which time it was a death sentence. Poignant, but we get to know all the characters much better than we need to. Really, this should NEVER have been made into a play. (At least they build in a two-minute break, every hour - and actually, the running time is only three hours, the last half hour is credits.) Skip it - the group is watching the second half next Sunday, but I think I'll pass..

And so, I'm looking at returning to Undone, on Amazon Prime, next chance I get. This is an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

It's quite cool animation - rotoscoping is used, which is the tracing of live-action video, to give a more realistic effect. The acting is good, the lead character personable - and the plot is pleasantly weird. I'm guessing it's all a dramatisation of the mind of someone with schizophrenia, but it's very clever, and there is a plot involving her dad's murder, which he's tasked her with solving. She learns to distort reality by shifting back and forth through time..

Film: Song for a Raggy Boy

Ah, bless the telly, it provided me with another film. Tonight, the late film was Song for a Raggy Boy. Set in 1939, it stars Aidan Quinn as an English teacher, recently returned home to Ireland from fighting (on the wrong side) in the Spanish Civil War. Of course, at the time, schools in Ireland were almost exclusively run by the Catholic Church, which took a dim view of the left-leaning Republicans - and so he finds it rather impossible to get work. The only job he can come up with is in a reform school for boys. What he finds there, however, horrifies him as much as anything he experienced in the war..

Based on a book of the same name, this is apparently based on true events at Daingean Reformatory - and makes for shocking viewing. From the sadism of the corporal punishment meted out by Brother John (Iain Glenn) to sexual abuse, the sheer misery of the boys is horrible. Little education is provided, and it's up to the lay teacher to inject a bit of humanity into their bleak existences. Well, he's used to fighting for what he believes is right. It's infuriating to know that this kind of thing was widespread, for a long time - and this is a timely reshowing of the film, given the recent conviction of a former teacher for child abuse. (I should point out that he's not a member of a religious order, though.) Stirring stuff - and you really feel for the youngsters, who look so small and frail. Oh, and it turns out I had seen it before - but couldn't remember how it turned out, so that was ok.

Tomorrow, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I can make - they're starting early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production.. Curiously, priced at £6.66. Coincidence..?

Play: Hymn

Today - well, Up in the Cheap Seats watched Hymn last night. Of course, I couldn't make that time, so watched on my own. It's live-streamed from the Almeida, last day today, so the only show I could make was today's matinée. And I'm glad I took the organiser's advice to book early, as the last one sold out - this one did, too! (As I learned from last week's Graham Norton Show, where one of the stars of the play was a guest. And proved himself an excellent dancer.)

I logged into the Almeida website early, where the livestream of Hymn actually starts an hour beforehand - but the performance doesn't start immediately. Anyway, in the meantime, they show a couple of background videos. It's shocking to hear how even a sell-out show only provides 40% of what they need to keep running - alongside box office receipts and a grant, they must raise £2 million every year in donations! Crazy - especially for a theatre that produces such excellent material.

Sadly, I don't count this play among such material. A Q+A afterwards at least explained to me, to some extent, what I should have got from the play - the story, basically, starts with a funeral, which is the meeting point for two men that subsequently form a close bond. The next 90 minutes consists of a series of chats that they have, in which they discuss their lives. And there's some very nice singing.

I guess I could have found something interesting in such a play - but I didn't. Not much of their life experience resonated with me, nothing really happens with the plot. I fell asleep, I think - didn't miss anything. Even the Q+A, which at least had more content, wasn't interesting enough to distract me from doing other things. I'm sure there are people that will gush about this - it is well written and well acted - but it left me completely cold. Oh well, I needed a nap.

Tomorrow, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I can make - they're starting early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production.. Curiously, priced at £6.66. Coincidence..?

Series: Undone (Season 1, Episode 7)

Today - well, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) watched Hymn last night. Of course, I couldn't make that time, so will be watching on my own. It's live-streamed from the Almeida, last day today, so the only show I could make is today's matinée. And I'm glad I took the organiser's advice to book early, as the last one sold out - this one did, too! (As I learned from last week's Graham Norton Show, where one of the stars of the play was a guest. And proved himself an excellent dancer.)

But first - the only decent tv was a repeat, and I did just have time to watch another episode of Undone, on Amazon Prime. This is an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

It's quite cool animation - rotoscoping is used, which is the tracing of live-action video, to give a more realistic effect. The acting is good, the lead character personable - and the plot is pleasantly weird. I'm guessing it's all a dramatisation of the mind of someone with schizophrenia, but it's very clever, and there is a plot involving her dad's murder, which he's tasked her with solving. She learns to distort reality by shifting back and forth through time, and in this episode, I don't fancy her sister's chances of having a trouble-free wedding day, with all the weirdness that's going on..

Meantime, I logged into the Almeida website, where the livestream of Hymn has actually started - but the performance doesn't start till 3. Anyway, in the meantime, they're showing a couple of background videos. It's shocking to hear how even a sell-out show only provides 40% of what they need to keep running - alongside box office receipts and a grant, they must raise £2 million every year in donations! Crazy - especially for a theatre that produces such excellent material.

And tomorrow, UITCS is watching Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I can make - they're starting early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production..

Film: Me Before You

At last! Again, tv finally provided me with a film I hadn't seen, wanted to see, and had time to see. At least, I thought I hadn't seen it. Well, I said I'd give it a shot - it was Me Before You, in which Emilia Clarke takes a job as carer for a young paralyzed man, forming the proverbial unlikely bond, and tries to get him to change his mind about killing himself. Charles Dance plays his father, Joanna Lumley shows up in a rather excellent cameo at his girlfriend's wedding! (Yes, she abandoned him for his best friend.) Apparently she's the bride's godmother.

I thought Emilia Clarke was familiar, for some reason - turns out, of course, the reason is Game of Thrones! I never watched it. Funny how it's wormed its way into all our consciousnesses. Anyway, stick with the initial scenes, where she grins incessantly - it might be annoying, but she does it less later on, and it does contrast nicely with the maudlin demeanour of her patient. The dialogue is unusual enough that you can tell it's based on a book - and gee, it turns out to be rather a sweet, if stereotypical, story! with him teaching her as much as she manages to teach him. Quite compelling - and the chemistry between the leads is great. One of the most watchable films I've seen in ages, in fact - and very moving, as the story reaches its climax. Highly recommended.

Tomorrow - well, Up in the Cheap Seats watched Hymn tonight. Of course, I couldn't make that time, so will be watching on my own. It's live-streamed from the Almeida, until tomorrow, so the only show I can make is tomorrow's matinée. And I'm glad I took the organiser's advice to book early, as the last one sold out - this one did, too! (As I learned from last week's Graham Norton Show, where one of the stars of the play was a guest. And proved himself an excellent dancer.)

And on Sunday, the same group is watching Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I can make - they're starting early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production..

Storytelling: This Thing Called Love, Series: Undone (Season 1, Episodes 4-6), & Film: Sabrina (1954)

So, an empty desert of tv yesterday afternoon was saved by a video call with Helen! We spent longer than intended - and more than compensated for my late start, Zoom playing up again and not wanting to log me in. I was, frankly, amazed when it did, finally and unexpectedly, work. Finicky thing. Anyway, we had a good, long old natter, briefly interrupted by a spat between two of her pussycats in the background - and spent some considerable time dreaming about travel. Anywhere would be good, for us both. Gee, but it was good to have a good, long chat again - it's been a long time. Delighted we did that - I see so few people, these days.

Yesterday evening - the Crick Crack Club was back! with a show for Valentine's Day, entitled This Thing Called Love, where a bunch of performers entertained us with stories appropriate to the weekend's theme! Great - it's been months since I had any storytelling. Happily, as usual it started late, which coincided perfectly with the National Lottery draw, which my mother would never miss.. When she asked me how long it'd go on for, I estimated two hours, and to be fair, she stayed quite schtum, over the side, for about that long. Unfortunately, they overran massively, and when she asked me near the end what time they'd be done, I couldn't tell her! So the end of the performance had a backdrop of loud sighing, punctuated by the odd sarcastic remark.

But I pretty much managed to enjoy it, although the cat didn't much like it either.. proved great for putting her to sleep though, apart from when anyone was singing, which got her distressed. She really doesn't like singing.

We'd been told the waiting room opened 15 minutes early, so as soon as possible I logged in, just not to have to think about it while cooking my dinner and pandering to Puss.

And when they did start, it took them a while to get going - as I say, that worked out well for me. Plenty of people forgot to mute themselves - even while our host was speaking - which was mildly annoying, but a decently low number, given that almost 250 people were on the call! My, that's more than you could fit into a live venue..

Our MC was, as usual, Ben Haggarty, dressed in black as usual, who was laudably unphased by the random noise coming through as he first introduced the show, then launched into the first story of the night, about the creation of man, who was immediately bored. So he thought up a game of hide and seek, in which the various feelings, currently roaming free through Paradise, participated. Love hid in a rosebush, and at the end, when Madness was poking around looking for Love, with a pitchfork, he accidentally put out his eyes! Which is why Love is blind, and led by Madness (who promised to see him home..)

And so, on to the others, most of whom presented in both (unequal) halves. Nell Phoenix had an animal-based story, as usual..

Followed by the irrepressible TUUP! A touch of drumming accompanied his performances, and he had an animal-based story for the first, and a tale of the love affair between Salt and Pepper for the second! He's such a larger-than-life character, even my uninterested mother was inspired to comment when she heard him.

Next we had Xanthe Gresham, whom I don't think I've heard before - her first story was Iranian, and centred on a love affair in a beautiful garden, while her second was about the creation of Adonis, in Greek mythology. (This is the one that featured the singing to which the cat objected.. would really have benefitted from having a live musician, had that been possible!)

The incomparable Jan Blake, huddled in a shawl for warmth, started her first story with a song - this was followed by a rather disturbing tale, of another kind of love..

The genial Tim Ralphs took us to the interval, with a tune that was a mixture of folk song and pop. 

After a brief interval, most treated us to another performance - with Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson appearing for the first time tonight! Always entertaining, tonight she had rather a saucy tale - and most vividly told! She was quite an act for Tim to follow, for his second performance..

It was also lovely to read in the chat where everyone was from - and the comments that followed each storyteller. I still prefer it live - but this is a most acceptable alternative. And by the end, the cat had dozed off:

Roll on the next one.

Well, last weekend saw another Amazon Prime weekly email. And on foot of that, I'm currently watching Undone, an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

In bed, it turned out that the episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? that I was going to watch was a repeat of one I'd already seen. So, back to Undone for another couple of episodes. It's quite cool animation - rotoscoping is used, which is the tracing of live-action video, to give a more realistic effect. The acting is good, the lead character personable - and the plot is pleasantly weird. I'm guessing it's all a dramatisation of the mind of someone with schizophrenia, but it's very clever, and there is a plot involving her dad's murder, which he's tasked her with solving. She learns to distort reality by shifting back and forth through time, and the plot progresses nicely in these episodes.

Yep, interesting enough to stick with. I like her, she's sarcastic enough to make it interesting, as they all are.  Kevin Bigley, who was in the excellent Upload, shows up here in just one scene.. Anyway, the internet was bad last night, so I couldn't do the blog. Watched a bit more of the series today.

And then I turned back to the telly, where they were showing the 1954 version of Sabrina, in which the daughter of the chauffeur at a posh estate (Sabrina, played by Audrey Hepburn) falls for the younger son of the estate owner (William Holden). A playboy, he's not interested in her until she travels to Paris and comes back all sophisticated. But wouldn't you know it, his older brother (Humphrey Bogart) has started to notice her too..

Well, I have to say, it's simply charming! (And she has a perfect French accent). Honestly, she's always watchable. It's not a bit twee, and not very dated. I am curious as to how Harrison Ford acquitted himself in the remake, though, which I never did see. Good to catch a film on tv, that I haven't seen, for once!

And on Saturday - well, Up in the Cheap Seats are viewing Hymn the day before. Of course, I can't make that time, so will be watching on my own. It's live-streamed from the Almeida, from Wednesday to Saturday, so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. And I'm glad I took the organiser's advice to book early, as the last one sold out - this one has too, now! (As I learned from last night's Graham Norton Show, where one of the stars of the play was a guest. And proved himself an excellent dancer.)

Series: Undone (Season 1, Episodes 1-3)

Well, yesterday saw another Amazon Prime email - I guess they're weekly, never paid attention before. And so it is that my plan for today was to try Undone, an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

And with lots of sport on tv this afternoon, off I went, and got three episodes under my belt. It's quite cool animation - rotoscoping is used, which is the tracing of live-action video, to give a more realistic effect. The acting is good, the lead character personable - and the plot is getting slowly weirder. Starts with her life pretty much falling apart - in her own head, anyway; to the external observer, it would seem to be going pretty ok. Well, she ends up in this car crash, and starts seeing her dead father. By Episode 3, he's telling her that there was something suspicious about his death, and she should investigate. Turns out he was also a professor of theoretical physics, with a particular interest in time travel, so it seems she can hop back and forth in time, with him as a guide.

Yep, interesting enough to stick with. I like her, she's sarcastic enough to make it interesting, and the plot could get more interesting yet. I love the skewing of time - you could write a thesis on all the weirdness, like when she runs into herself in a hospital corridor. (Later on, we see the same scene from the perspective of the "other her".) Ooh, and in a flashback to Upload - Kevin Bigley, who in that was the hero's pal in the afterlife, shows up here as the hero's brother-in-law-to-be.

And on Saturday - the Crick Crack Club is back! with a show for Valentine's Day, entitled This Thing Called Love, where a bunch of performers will entertain us with stories appropriate to the weekend's theme! Great - it's been months since I had any storytelling. I guess, for the start of it, I'll just have to split my attention with the National Lottery draw, which my mother would never miss..

Swinging 60s Experience, Series: Upload (Season 1 - Episodes 9 & 10), & Film: Le Notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria)

This lunchtime, I had Meetup, for once! The first in over a month.. I finally joined 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, for a Swinging 60s Experience - a Live Online Interactive Tour in a Psychedelic Minibus! Also running with their sister group, Carpe Diem. Their last event that I attended was terrifically organised, and I was sure this one would be, too - it's great to see a group running something during the daytime at the weekend, again!

I was ever so slightly late in joining - but he hadn't started off yet. And, of course, the advantage of this over a regular tour was that you could join at any point! as a couple of people did. Now, this is a real tour bus that travels the streets of London - apparently attracts attention, brightly painted as it is. And the advantage of doing it this way, from the guide's point of view - is that he can pack more people in! We had 18 on the call - and I doubt he could have squashed that many into his minibus. So, it's good to see someone doing well from the pandemic.

He travels through West London, stopping at sundry points of interest - musicians' houses, mainly. He did stop at The Troubadour - which I know from when I lived out that way, been there a few times. Unfortunately, it looked quite desolate, shut down as it is. And he finishes at the Albert Hall, which I do know quite well..

To be honest, I wasn't massively interested in who lived where, or ate where, or partied where. But the photos he shared from the 60s were cool - and mainly, what I got from it was a chance to be driven through the streets of London, which hasn't happened for a very long time. Looked as grey there as here, but still brought a wave of nostalgia - I could just imagine myself going on a trip like this, on a grey weekend afternoon, and while I was still on it, plotting where to go afterwards for a nice meal. Plenty of options, around West London - hope they're still there when I get another chance! Sadly, no chat afterwards..

Well now, tv today was truly woeful - nothing on for hours after my tour ended. So I turned to the old reliable. I got another advertising email from Amazon Prime last weekend, which had some interesting options. So I've been watching Upload, a comedy sci-fi series about a world, not too far in the future, where people's memories, personalities etc. can be uploaded to a program they subscribe to, so that they can have - essentially - the afterlife of their choice, which they can experience as themselves, in simulated bodies.

To recap, we follow the story of a young man (Robbie Amell, doing a good impression of a young Tom Cruise), whose life is cut tragically short in a freak accident. However, he doesn't die straight away - and his high-maintenance, upper-crust girlfriend has a pretty high-class subscription to the upload service, where all her family plan to spend the afterlife. So she badgers him into being uploaded, on her subscription, so they can (eventually) spend the afterlife together, in genteel luxury.

Anyway, I've been dying to get a chance to continue with the story. So off I went and watched more of that - the rest of Season 1, in fact. And it's simultaneously clever, engaging, and absolutely hilarious. In the last two episodes of the season, we learn a little more about our hero's past, following an upgrade to the system, which restores some of his memories, which were mysteriously wiped during upload. The plot definitely thickens - and wow, you want to see what happens when he decides to break free from his girlfriend's influence, and downgrade to a prepaid plan. :-) True, you can't do very much online without using bandwidth..

After that, I had yet more time to kill - and wouldn't you know it, Season 2 hasn't been released yet! In fact, it only started filming last month.. Damn! Plenty of speculation about who's going to be kept on, and where the story is going to go. But (sob) it'll be the latter half of the year, at the earliest, before I get an update! Nuts.. Will definitely keep an eye on that one.

And so, finally, it was back to Sands Films, who've had some good offerings lately. To end the afternoon, I watched Le Notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria), a Fellini film from the 50s, about a fiesty prostitute in Rome, played by his wife, who has a hopeful heart, but never seems to be able to find true love.

For once, there's no lead-in - the video begins straight away with the mc's introduction! Lasts about 12 minutes. And demonstrating Fellini's typical energy, this is a compelling and unexpected film to watch, as she wins our hearts with her truly poignant portrayal. A right mixture of blokes she meets.. few of which encounters do her any good at all. Enjoyed it. And there's another brief chat with the mc at the end..

While I was watching the film, yet another Amazon Prime email! And so it is that my plan for tomorrow is to try Undone, an animated series about a young woman who, after a car crash, experiences a weird new reality.. Animation, of course, makes it a lot easier for the creators to realise their vision, here.

And next Saturday - the Crick Crack Club is back! with a show for Valentine's Day, entitled This Thing Called Love, where a bunch of performers will entertain us with stories appropriate to the weekend's theme! Great - it's been months since I had any storytelling..

Series: Upload (Season 1, Episodes 7 & 8)

I got another advertising email from Amazon Prime at the weekend. And they had some interesting options. So I had a peek at Upload, a comedy sci-fi series about a world, not too far in the future, where people's memories, personalities etc. can be uploaded to a program they subscribe to, so that they can have - essentially - the afterlife of their choice, which they can experience as themselves, in simulated bodies.

To recap, we follow the story of a young man (Robbie Amell, doing a good impression of a young Tom Cruise), whose life is cut tragically short in a freak accident. However, he doesn't die straight away - and his high-maintenance, upper-crust girlfriend has a pretty high-class subscription to the upload service, where all her family plan to spend the afterlife. So she badgers him into being uploaded, on her subscription, so they can (eventually) spend the afterlife together, in genteel luxury.

Anyway, I've been dying to get a chance to continue with the story. So when tv let me down again tonight.. off I went, and squeezed in two more episodes. (Gee, a lot of episodes per season! but then, they are only about half an hour each.)

Our hero's relationship with his "angel" (customer service agent) is growing.. and in Episode 7, he gets to meet her dad, whom she's trying to persuade to sign up to the upload service. His trial of the environment is.. interesting. More interesting still is Episode 8, where he decides to explore other options, so has his mom request the hard drive he lives on, which she takes to another upload agency. I mean, the ideas are simple enough - but the way they're portrayed is so inventive! Meanwhile, some sinister goings-on in the background are quite confusing.. I do hope they're explained, pretty soon.

I'd have watched more - but tomorrow lunchtime - Meetup, for once! The first in over a month.. I'm finally joining 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, for a Swinging 60s Experience - a Live Online Interactive Tour in a Psychedelic Minibus! Also running with their sister group, Carpe Diem. Their last event that I attended was terrifically organised, and I'm sure this one will be, too - it's great to see a group running something during the daytime at the weekend, again!

Series: Upload (Season 1, Episode 6)

I got another advertising email from Amazon Prime at the weekend. And they had some interesting options. So I had a peek at Upload, a comedy sci-fi series about a world, not too far in the future, where people's memories, personalities etc. can be uploaded to a program they subscribe to, so that they can have - essentially - the afterlife of their choice, which they can experience as themselves, in simulated bodies.

To recap, we follow the story of a young man (Robbie Amell, doing a good impression of a young Tom Cruise), whose life is cut tragically short in a freak accident. However, he doesn't die straight away - and his high-maintenance, upper-crust girlfriend has a pretty high-class subscription to the upload service, where all her family plan to spend the afterlife. So she badgers him into being uploaded, on her subscription, so they can (eventually) spend the afterlife together, in genteel luxury.

Anyway, I've been dying to get a chance to continue with the story. And tonight, a break in decent programming gave me that very excuse! In Episode 6, our hero's relationship with his "angel" (customer care agent) grows.. and we get a peek at his girlfriend's family. And jeez, having a family like that, you can see how she turned out like she did! With respect to the mystery surrounding his untimely death, we notice that his erstwhile business partner seems rather reluctant to speak to him.. Dying to get on with the story.

On Saturday - Meetup, for once! The first in over a month.. I'm finally joining 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, for a Swinging 60s Experience - a Live Online Interactive Tour in a Psychedelic Minibus! Also running with their sister group, Carpe Diem. Their last event that I attended was terrifically organised, and I'm sure this one will be, too - it's great to see a group running something during the daytime at the weekend, again!

Film: Tully

Unusually, I got to watch a film on tv tonight - there simply wasn't anything else on that was watchable. And handily enough, that film was Tully, which I'd heard of but never seen, about a frazzled mum (Charlize Theron), who's overwhelmed until the arrival of the night nanny, the eponymous Tully. And I did get to see it, despite the twin distractions of mother and cat..

I have to say, the start of the film would put you off kids for life. One of the kids has special needs - he keeps bursting into tantrums - and she's on the verge of having another. The little trials of everyday life really get to her - she screams at her son's principal, the house is a mess, she's perpetually exhausted. And then, one night, the night nanny arrives..

And it's a transformation. She's soothing, she knows exactly what to do, she even cleans the house, and bakes. Very mindful, you could say - very nice film to watch, in fact. Theron also produces, and I do get the impression that this is rather autobiographical. Recommended - even if there weren't a very interesting twist at the end!

On Saturday - Meetup, for once! The first in over a month.. I'm finally joining 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, for a Swinging 60s Experience - a Live Online Interactive Tour in a Psychedelic Minibus! Also running with their sister group, Carpe Diem. Their last event that I attended was terrifically organised, and I'm sure this one will be, too - it's great to see a group running something during the daytime at the weekend, again!