Had an interview (well, an informal chat) yesterday! Unfortunately, only a couple of nights ago I finally booked something for yesterday - and wouldn't you know it, it was Walking the Lambeth Walk, which clashed with the interview! Even more annoying, I booked it with TAC to get it cheaper, and therefore had to pay in advance - and it's non-refundable. Nuts.
Well, they're desperate to hire someone, I have to say - NOT, I stress, because they hired me! But she only scheduled 20 minutes - and then only used up 10 of them. And most of it was her telling me what she'd found wrong with other people in the job - none of which, I assured her, I'd do! By yesterday evening, the recuiter was back to me, to tell me I had the job. :-) So, all those companies that kept me hanging - for weeks - can go take a running jump.. And I'm keeping them hanging, too.
Yesterday evening, the outlook was pretty bleak for things to do on Meetup - looked like Soho Comedy Factory again, really! Now, they do have a Meetup group, with no need to buy a ticket - but their attendance was booked up. Still, when I went before, nobody asked me for a ticket, or whom I was with.. Thought I might schlep along there.
Ate in O' Neill's beforehand - well, I fancied something nice and easy. And as I was eating - well, I just didn't feel like heading to the crowded environs of The Blue Posts. Just then - like a sign - a bus passed.. with a sign on the side.. advertising.. Smile. 😀 Well, that was all I needed. You know, when I used to attend pub Meetups with a group called Spooky London Pubs - since defunct - I once met a young man who gave me a business card. He was in this "serendipity" group - as he described it, they'd meet and then spontaneously decide what to do, which side street to go down.. I never did go, but I think he'd have approved of this. Well, I had now decided on horror - and gee, the highest rated horror film on my list was, indeed, Smile! which was showing in the Vue Islington in a couple of hours. I booked it - seeming to remember that's cheaper than paying when you show up, in this chain. Anyway, the Vue Islington is nice and cheap, as they go, too..
Really, really slow quques at the concession stands. It was quite full, as it happened - I, handily, found a seat with a spare seat beside it, so I wasn't sitting right beside anyone. And Lordy, that girl two seats away, who never turned off her phone, but kept looking at it and messaging on it throughout. Seriously guys, this is an addiction you need to quit - not least because the screen is so distracting to those of us trying to concentrate on the film! Plus, you're spoiling the experience for yourselves. As pointed out during the "turn your phone off" ad before the feature started. During which ad, she was, of course, messaging someone. Interestingly, she took a screenshot of the censor's certificate, and shared it with someone.. I guess she doesn't get to many horrors.
Now, I didn't need to research this, apart from the rating - I had a pretty good idea what I was dealing with. I watch a lot of short horror films on YouTube - it's a great way to pass a few minutes - and the "grinning man" (it's usually a man) is a common trope. Basically, someone with a rictus grin, and some kind of evil intent - looking manic, they are never good news. And so it proves in this film, with an unfortunate psychiatrist, who has a patient kill herself in front of her - with a rictus grin on her face - and seems haunted by it ever after.
I have to say, this is a genuinely good horror film. I was actually jumpy on the way home - hell, it's a long time since that happened to me. They succeed in creating a truly creepy atmosphere - yes, initially by means of maybe too many jump scares, but they do the job. It's damn creepy, when you catch sight of somebody, grinning manically for no apparent reason - especially if their attention is fixed on you. Simple, huh? Combine that with a sinister soundtrack, dizzying, upside-down camerawork - reminiscent of another excellent horror, Midsommar (which I notice also had the jangly music) - and a very effective transformation of the lead character, from the calm and collected doctor, to someone who looks truly like she is a danger to herself and others. And you have a horror film that started with a high rating (for a horror film) and has since climbed in ratings. Not that it's to everyone's taste, for sure - the initially verbal crowd got very quiet as the film progressed, and I overheard one guy remark to his companion that "that was twisted". In rather a shocked voice. Well, it is an R.. So, in short, highly recommended to those who appreciate the genre.
Last night, was busy reworking the film list - and too tired to blog when that was finished. Today, was thinking film again. A few Indian films at the top - which, of course, I'm very wary of. I rejected one romance - but had trouble deciding on the next on the list, Dhokha. This is a thriller, in which a cop's wife is taken hostage by a terrorist. Has a twist, though - she's got mental health issues. Something along the lines of - which reality should we believe? So, thought I might give that a whirl - would have to traipse all the way up to Wood Green again, is the only thing.
Having spent so long on the list, I'd forgotten that others might have things on - and when I looked, I decided I'd rather accompany Up in the Cheap Seats to The Prince, at Southwark Playhouse. Happily, I still had credit left on my PAYG subscription! So I booked that, late last night.
Got to bed really late, then was woken too early by a series of messages from people requiring me to sign things, send them copies of things, fill out forms - I was at it for hours, by which time it was time for me to get up! I've been wrecked, all day. Now, for this theatre, I really should have headed to Mercato Metropolitano for food - it's just across from the theatre. But, tired as I was, I just couldn't face it - traipsing from stall to stall for food, a different stall for wine, then searching for a seat. No, I fancied something easier, so just went back to O' Neill's. Where I ordered from the table and had everything brought to me, and got to watch Sky News tell us how dreadful the UK economy is.
When I was finished, I headed straight to the theatre - was the first of our group there. They're requiring paper tickets, unusually - problems with people getting in without a ticket, perhaps? We weren't sat together:
A minimalist stage, divided into black and white squares - two raised platforms, which turned out to house boxes. We are plunged into Henry IV Part I, the King complaining that his ne-er-do-well son and heir, Prince Hal, is no match for the splendid, warrior son of the Earl of Northumberland, Harry "Hotspur" Percy. Into the scene, enter two incongruous characters - dressed in modern clothes, speaking in a modern way - as the play continues, it transpires that they have been trapped in this alternate dimension, full of Shakespearian characters. One of the newcomers is newly arrived, so we get exposition when the one who's been there longer explains everything. However, the newcomer isn't just content to observe - she has a tendency to get involved. Which leads to climactic consequences for all concerned!
The writer, in fact, plays Hotspur, here. The casting is a bit gender-blind, but for once it works, with people making a real effort to resemble the gender they're supposed to convey. Oh, and it's packed with actual Shakespearian dialogue - which, it seems, left my companions a bit cold! Me, I love a bit of Shakespeare - I also loved the way that the modern characters weave around and through the story, and comment on it after a scene! Oh, and spoiler - you also get a bit of Hamlet, the writer playing the title character. I swear, she only does it to get to perform that soliloquy!
So, as I say, I thought it was excellent - inventive, and with plenty of Shakespearian dialogue. I've always felt a bit funny about standing ovations - are you applauding the actors, or the playwright? No such problems here, as she takes her bows with the others, then individually! Runs till the 8th - very highly recommended!
Back to Ireland tomorrow - and the weekend's film, as of now, is looking like one I'd never even heard of until recently, when someone was talking about it! Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a comedy about a 50s cleaning lady (Lesley Manville), who dreams of owning a Dior dress - so, off she goes to Paris for it! Based on a book, it seems - and from the trailer, it looks like the absolutely charming story of a middle-aged lady who finally gets the chance to fulfil a few of her dreams! Showing in Ennis, again.
On Monday, I'd booked with 50-50 Trivia again for the afternoon - and have now had to cancel, because of the job, which starts next week! Rescheduled from the day of the Queen's funeral. Then Ivan is supposed to be back, and has suggested going for a drink in the evening - I have to check with him on Sunday, when I'm back from Ireland, though.
On Tuesday, I "provisionally" booked with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners again - this time, for Down and Out in Clerkenwell, ironically very near to where I live. Again, I had to cancel this because, as he says, I'll have gone from "provisional" to "professional"!
That evening, at any rate, I'm with the 45+s again - this time for a classical concert, at St. John's, Smith Square. OMG it's years since I was last there - and they have discounted tickets!
And on Wednesday, I've "provisionally" booked for the Soho Comedy Factory again.. We shall see.
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