Film: Respect

Next up for a film for today was Respect, the Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson. Forest Whitaker plays her father, a Baptist minister who got her started singing in church. Mary J. Blige plays Dinah Washington, a family friend. I heard good things, I heard she sings a blinder - so, was looking forward to that. I wanted to go to the earliest showing, at 2.20pm in the Omniplex - booked, because they prefer that, and made my way in. Just as well I left in time, with the traffic.

Only one usher on duty, who said he'd scan my ticket, and was most solicitous about making sure I knew where I was going (didn't ask for my Covid cert, mind!). Only one other person in the screen. And ooh, lovely Pullman seats.. A few ads, and we were into the main feature. In short, the woman had a hard enough private life, but a stunning musical talent.. the film, as reported, isn't terrific. It glosses over an awful lot of her life, involving sexual abuse when she was a kid, which is shown briefly. We don't see much of her relationship with her children, we don't see a lot of the motivation behind her later addiction to alcohol, which is just dropped suddenly into the plot.

But the music is terrific. Apparently, Aretha handpicked Jennifer Hudson to play her, and indeed, she does a marvellous job. The performances are worth sitting through the film for. And gee, they finish with her "Amazing Grace" concert, a documentary she shot while recording her Gospel album.. I saw that film over two years ago, imagine. So, highly recommended for the music. And do stay for the credits - they are played over her performance at the Kennedy Center Awards! Terrific to hear the woman herself, after all the imitation.

Well now, that exhausts the repertoire of decent films in the area that I haven't seen. Which left me with nothing to do tomorrow - so, isn't it a good job that my friend who wanted to catch up with me over dinner got in touch this evening, and suggested doing it tomorrow! He works in Galway, suggested Ennis as convenient to me, and on his way - but he doesn't know the place at all. So it occurred to me that the area of Roslevan is close to the motorway, has decent restaurants, and avoids him having to go into the town centre! And they have a Chinese restaurant, Jade Cottage, that was excellent the last time I went there - which was years ago.. so I booked, and it'll be great to get back (and to see him, of course). I had to book by phone, but I have to say, it was one of my easier experiences - the phone was answered on the second ring, and the woman on the other end was comprehensible. So, cool - looking forward to that.

I fly back on Thursday evening - and on Friday, it's back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), to an opera by Handel, called Amadigi. Playing at the Hackney Empire.

With so little choice on Meetup at the moment, the next four nights for me are with one of my cheap ticket groups (TAC), at £3.60 a pop. Well, it's good to get back with them before they decide I no longer want to be a member! Saturday sounds interesting - it's Ophelia Thinks Harder (a reworking of Hamlet) at the Bridewell Theatre.

Sunday is Love Goddess: The Rita Hayworth Cabaret, at the Canal Cafe Theatre. I believe we have to buy membership on the door, for another £1.50.

Monday is the World Doctors Orchestra, at the Barbican. Yes, apparently with actual doctors. Curiously, they're to send me a promo code to use to get my own ticket - no sign of it yet. I've emailed - hopefully, they're more polite than they were before, when I contacted them to alert them that a show had been cancelled, so I was due a refund..

Next Tuesday is Fritz & Matlock, at the Pleasance - they caught my eye by advertising it as a reworking of Waiting for Godot..

Wednesday of next week, I've signed up for a Free 3 Mile City of London on Screen - Guided Walk & Post Event Social, with Invigorate. It's a tour of film locations, most of which I might know already, but hey. This is a newly minted group, made from one that I used to be a member of, before. And it'll be my first guided walk, post-lockdown! The organiser of this group also organised one of the last events I went to, pre-lockdown..

Thursday of next week, I've promised to keep free so I can go for drinks with my boss and her team again. Happens weekly.

Friday of next week, back with TAC for Lately, at the Lion & Unicorn. Then I'm back to Ireland again - on Saturday again, as I was unable to get a Friday flight! Working from home the following Monday, and flying back to London that evening.

On the 12th, I found a curious thing on Meetup - it seems that Watkins Bookshop has its own Meetup group, where it advertises events, and that day there's a talk by Stephen Skinner, about Aleister Crowley's Four Books of Magick. Ok, sounds interesting to me - I signed up.

On the 13th, back at last with Civilised London! We're off for what promises to be another excellent meal, this time at the Korean restaurant, The Petite Corée. Meeting beforehand in The Railway pub.

On the 14th, back at last with London European Club! Happily, they're going to what I'd be going to anyway.. the Crick Crack Club is performing The Women Who Gave No F*cks, at Rich Mix. Fantastic when the club decide to come..

On the 15th, woo! A couple of weeks ago, UITCS was off to 2:22 - A Ghost Story, but I was meeting an ex-colleague for drinks that night and couldn't go. Well, I got a ticket for the 15th - second-last night of the run! Unfortunately, cheapest available were £65, and no availability with cheap ticket sellers - ah well, I decided I really wanted to see it (great reviews helped), so I booked. Had great fun trying to decide which of the few remaining seats at that price was the best.. Showing at the Noel Coward Theatre.

And on the 16th, my first outing with another new group - Bucket List London is off to Kenwood House, and I said I'd join them. You don't have to book, but it guarantees availability- tickets for free from English Heritage, via See Tickets.