Another horrendous week finished with a late Friday afternoon work meeting that ran on, and on.. I dashed from there to the airport. En route, I had time to eat at Panopolis, as the food outlet that does steak slices in Liverpool Street is now known. Ah, how many steak slices I've had here - and how many have burned my mouth! Not this time.. perhaps they've been criticised for it, and taken it a bit to heart - but that section of the food counter wasn't heated at all, and my steak slice was actually cold! Ick - frankly, I doubt I'l be back.
Meantime, I arrived at the airport in decent time - but was so tired, flustered and distracted.. that I left my bag on the train.. Only realised as I was waiting for the lift, and had a moment to think. Dashed back - I couldn't quite remember where exactly I'd been sitting, but knew it was a bit back. Mercifully, I saw a woman with her head stuck out the train door - and recognised her as someone who'd been getting on as I was getting off. As soon as she saw me, she said, "bag?", I said yes, and phew, I got it back. Bless her, she'd decided just to hang onto it for a minute and see whether I came back, before she handed it in. That would've been so awkward - I could still have travelled, as I was calculating to myself, but I'd have had no way of paying for anything. And heaven forbid someone unscrupulous had found it - I'd have lost my cash, cards, driving license.. no, she did me the most marvellous favour.
Anyway, I was back to Ireland for the weekend again - and into a world of heat. Lordy, since when did Ireland get so much hotter than London?! Easily eight degrees hotter - non-coat weather, in fact! and a culture shock, as I ditched my usual wardrobe in favour of whatever I could find at my mother's that was light. Plenty of films on I'd have liked to see - and all in the evening, when I couldn't! Whoopee. I got to do a big shop for my mother instead.
Last night's flight back to London was delayed - funny how the Ryanair surveys (which they persist in sending me) now always inform me that I've already taken it! - and so was the infamous #205 to take me the last leg home, and me stood in a cold wind for nearly an hour waiting for it! So it was after half past midnight when I got in - to discover that I had an 8am meeting. Followed by a meeting this evening, again - they're really pushing to get everything done this week. So I was slogging away all day - managed to grab an hour's sleep in between meetings - and was really ready for an evening off. The Lucas Arms was like a comforting blanket - even if I did, this evening, get one of the few staff members who, although he recognised me, couldn't quite remember what my usual was. Never mind, I did! And I was well fed, and sat beside a table of what sounded like cosmology / astronomy PhD students! So, that was an interesting conversation to eavesdrop on.. The pub was a little busy, and my food took a little time, and a lot of eating - so, although I could have taken the bus, I was on the Tube.
These two days, I was thinking of film. The film listings weren't helping my decision much, though - so I consulted my local cinema, which was happy to tell me that it was showing Return to Seoul today, which seemed the best of the fare; The Blue Caftan doesn't seem to be showing this week. It's the story of a young French girl, returning to seek her roots in Korea. Looks engaging. But when the new listings finally came out, top of the list was Beau Is Afraid. Funnily enough, it comes under the headings of comedy, drama, and horror! The title role is taken by the ever-watchable Joaquin Phoenix, who plays an anxiety-ridden man who, following his mother's death, decides to travel back home. Now, the Hideout (Horror, SciFi, & Fantasy) group that I'm a member of went to see this recently, and raved about it - when pushed, someone said what he liked was the surreal settings, and very black comedy.. nearest showing to me was the Picturehouse Central. Definitely worth a look.
Stairs, stairs, stairs.. on the Underground, exiting to street level, and at the cinema. When I finally found it - I get turned around very easily on Piccadilly Circus. Anyway, I really thought I'd expire by the end of all that. I had plenty of time to recover, though - the ushers seemed in no hurry to take our orders, and I thought I'd never get through. I did ultimately arrive in the theatre during the trailers, and settled into my comfy seat. Saw an interesting trailer for Talk to Me, another of these horror films with teenagers playing around with summoning spirits - to ill effect, of course. Interestingly, in association with A24, as is tonight's film..
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. This started - and continued - so promisingly. I love watching Joaquin Phoenix, and this is quirky, surreal - completely over the top. Perhaps I should have paid attention to the 3-hour running time.. you see, it all starts with such promise, as he plays an anxiety-ridden man, heading home. A journey fraught with dangers, as it turns out - the film's genius is in taking common anxieties - and making them come true, in scenarios that we often have trouble distinguishing as fact or fiction. Yes, they are really out to get you. Yes, your worst nightmares will come true. It's so audacious in the directions it leads him that it's hilarious..
And then it just goes on and on, becoming very obviously Freudian, and beating the story to death. Long before the end, I was trying to glimpse the time on my watch - and I was glad to get out, at last. Yes, good - but at least an hour too long. Hey-ho, at least I finally got to see it..
Tomorrow, my local cinema's excellent doc house is showing Tina, a documentary about the phenomenon that was the late Tina Turner! but then, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) advertised How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, at Southwark Playhouse. Happily, the organiser informed us that tickets are available from CT - so I got one of those!
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