Film: Crows Are White

For tonight, decided on film again - the listings site was typically slow last week, but had some info for this week. But given my experience last Tuesday - when it hadn't even included listings for my local cinema - I checked what was on there today as well. And lo, I came up with some not yet listed at all at that stage on the listings site.. highest rated was a documentary - Crows are White tells the story of a rather unusual Buddhist monk, who'd rather listen to heavy metal than birdsong..

Nicely, since it's on at my local cinema, I could walk. Happy not to be headed on a long trip - the weather is miserable. And I passed the recycle bins - and I always have something to dump there. And could have shopped, except for once I didn't need to. And I didn't even have an evening meeting - it got cancelled, because the only ones on the team who could make it had already been dragged into a ridiculously early morning meeting, which proved pointless in the end. Never mind, it left my evening free - and I headed off in time to eat beforehand. Which was in GBK, natch - where the lady behind the counter recognised me, and now we're on first-name terms. I've decided to switch to fries instead of onion rings, BTW - they're less heavy, and they almost never have onion rings anyway.

And to so the cinema, where it turned out I still had a free film coming to me! Gee - I wasn't going to argue. A few seats were booked, but I could sit pretty much where I liked. And, just nicely settled before the film started, I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to turn off my phone! Naturally, it beeped, just as the film was starting - oops, especially considering that the film crew making this documentary were, shortly afterwards, unceremoniously ejected from the Buddhist temple they were trying to film, when the filmmaker's phone went off during a particularly solemn ritual..! I felt his pain.

The heavy-metal-loving monk is pretty much the only one who will talk to our filmmaker. He's a good hook to advertise the film on - but really, of course, it's about much more. Our filmmaker himself was born in Saudi Arabia - when the Gulf War broke out, his parents took him to, of all places, Cavan! Which he loved - until he started to grow up, and question his parents' strong Muslim faith - he took himself to the States, where he now apparently lives, and fell in love: with a non-Muslim girl! O dear. Terrified to tell his parents about her, he schlepped off to make a documentary about monks instead. But this is as much about his own inner spiritual journey.

It's hilarious - the more serious monks won't give him the time of day, so he follows this lowly monk around, who didn't really want to be here at all, but had to come back and take care of the family temple. He learned his English while studying in New Zealand, and now he just wants to move back there and be a sheep farmer. But none of them can give our filmmaker the answer he wants, of how to tell his parents about his non-Muslim girlfriend.. Funny and touching in equal measure, this is a surreal look at religion and the weird things it makes us do. (The title, by the way, is something a senior monk came out with during a training course - the point being, no matter what rubbish he uttered, the students were supposed to agree.) Lovely film, engaging, most enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Tomorrow, heading to Comedy in your Eye, at the Camden Eye. Tickets from Design my Night, including a free drink.

On Thursday - my first Crick Crack Club (CCC) event of the year! Online, but never mind - it's Nick Hennessy, at the Story Museum, performing The Kalevala. I think I remember hearing that he's the only non-Finnish person ever to win their competition to recite this! So, really looking forward to it.

Then, of course, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.. film is looking like A Man Called Otto, which suits just fine! Based on the Swedish comedy, A Man Called Ove, it stars Tom Hanks as an old grump whose wife has just died, but who meets his match in the fiesty young family that moves in next door. And, interestingly, its IMDB rating just keeps rising.. Showing in Ennis, handily.

On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Art of Illusion, at Hampstead Theatre. Award-winning, it seems..

Next Tuesday, I'm headed to Chicago Blues Explosion in the January Blues Festival at the 100 Club. Just a shame their early bird tickets were sold out.

On the 18th, with TAC for a classical concert at King's Place (nice and close). This is the Kirckman Society for young artists, presenting Connaught Brass.

On the 19th, Ken's Green Walks for Health (aka Ken's Events, to those of us who know it from before) is off to see the Winter Lights at Canary Wharf. Now, I wouldn't go with them in a fit - but there's nothing to stop me seeing the lights myself for free, eh? I don't see the point in paying Ken £5 to lead a group around..

On the 20th (a Friday, unusually), back with Watkin's Bookshop for a book launch. This is Fifty Forgotten Books by R. B. Russell. Occult theme, as usual. Let's see whether I can avoid falling asleep this time!

On the 21st, back at King's Place - this time it's the CCC, with Stories in the Dark. Told in darkness, by the sound of it - sounds divine!

On the 22nd, back with Cultureseekers for the Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt exhibition at the British Museum. Assuming it's not curtailed due to transport strikes - there is a warning on the museum website that galleries might have to close early!

On the 23rd, I've finally booked for Best of Enemies at the Noel Coward Theatre. This play concerns a series of debates on US television between liberal writer Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley in 1968 - the interesting twist here, given the time and place we're talking about, is to cast William Buckley as black! Had my own seat review on Seatplan to guide me in picking a seat - this is one of those restricted view/legroom theatres. And despite all the theatre offers flooding my inbox, I found the cheapest tickets for this on the official website! Mind you, what with See Tickets doing the selling, I found myself with a second, unexplained, booking fee..

For the next week or so, it's all UITCS! On the 24th, for some reason, I hadn't seen their advertised event to see Orlando, based on the book by Virginia Woolf, and showing at the Garrick. For this, however, I found the cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT).

On the 25th, we're off to see John Bishop at the Leicester Square Theatre. Love him, so I booked as soon as I saw this advertised - one of the few things for this month that I booked last month! Not that it seems to be selling out..

On the 26th, we're off to The Vaults Festival - specifically, The Welsh Lxdies, a bilingual show about the women of Wales. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 30th, we're heading to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from OLT.

On the 31st, with a group I haven't joined in a Very Long Time - I'm back with London Dramatic Art, from whom I've got a front-row ticket for Sylvia, at The Old Vic; this is the story of Sylvia Pankhurst, and stars the excellent Beverley Knight. Completely sold out - this was my only way to get a ticket!

On the 1st, back with the Horror Book Club - Lordy, that means I need to read a book! :-) I suppose I can use my flights for that. This time, it's The Ballad of Black Tom, based on the Lovecraft story, The Horror at Red Hook, but told from the perspective of a black man. Which means I should really read that, too.. Nice, I'd like to get back to some Lovecraft! In the Prince of Wales, Covent Garden again. Question is, will the kitchen be open..?

On the 2nd, I'm on my own for My Son's a Queer (but what can you do?), a musical at the Ambassadors Theatre.

On the 3rd, my first meeting of the year with London Classical Music and Theatre Group! We're off to Wigmore Hall, to listen to the Hagen Quartet play Mozart. They're Austrian, so that's appropriate.. I just need to remember not to drink the ultra-expensive sauvignon blanc!

On the 4th, well, Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners are back to Greenwich again. Now, I have been there with him before.. not sure how "new" this one will be, but hey, it was a great day last time!

On the 5th, nothing on Meetup appeals massively at the moment - I might go for a walk along the Ken's Events route, if I feel like it! (on my own). Or Over 40 Living the Life has just advertised a walk along the New River.. I'll have to see, as I have to pay to sign up (refunds given to those who then come). And I might well change my mind..

On the 6th, my first actual event with that group. We're off to How Not to Drown at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - the first event of theirs for which I couldn't get a cheaper ticket! So I decided, if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them. True story of an unaccompanied, 11-year-old asylum seeker.

On the 7th, excited to be headed to see Derren Brown in Showman, at the Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue. Cheapest tickets with OLT again.

On the 8th, off to The Lehman Trilogy, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Based on the true story of the bank that collapsed. Got the last £39.50 ticket!

On the 9th, back with UITCS for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. And then I'm back to Ireland again.

And on the 13th of next month, I'm headed to Allegiance, starring George Takei in a musical based on the true story of his time in an American internment camp during the Second World War. Showing at the Charing Cross Theatre.