Film tonight - and I thought I might finally get to see The Blue Caftan! It's Moroccan, and again showing at what is still, for now, my local cinema. Although, checking the listings again, I found a new one - A Crack in the Mountain is a documentary about Hang So'n Doong, the largest cave in the world, which is in Vietnam. Looked gorgeous - but it was only on in the Curzon Wimbledon, at 5.40, which I'd never have made in time if I stayed at work as long as I should! However, it is on their Home Cinema.. which would also save the fare..
So that's what I did. And it was so so good to have time to myself, for most of today, to do what I needed, or wanted! I wouldn't have been ready to head out to Wimbledon for 5.40, certainly - so, when I was good and ready, I took myself down to GBK, and was well fed. I needed shopping down that way, anyway, which I did on the way back. And I was happy, for once, just to settle down, in the comfort of my room, with my laptop and the curtains drawn. I hadn't tried Home Cinema before, but it was easy - although it took two goes to get it working. But tech can be temperamental that way.
It's a spectacular cave, for sure - one scene has the co-founder of the Save So'n Doong movement giving a Ted Talk, with slides. And we get plenty of opportunities to see inside. Apparently, they do let about 1,000 people in per year, on organised treks - what the government is proposing is to increase this, by means of a cable car, which would ferry people in at a much higher rate. The environmentalists are worried that this level of mass tourism will ruin the cave - which has happened in other areas of Vietnam, which is apparently riddled with spectacular caves.
Spectacular scenery, then - and the film also provides an interesting history of postwar Vietnam, describing how poor the area used to be before the advent of tourism. As they say, though, it's small-scale tourism that will really benefit the locals, not mass tourism, with corporate backing. Interestingly, they describe it as being like Kathmandu in the early days, naive and friendly.. Definitely, the film makes this sound like an interesting place to explore. Mind you, the narrator had a soft voice - predictably, I was asleep by the end. Well, it's been a helluva week!
Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. Plenty of films on I'd like to see - and all in the evening, when I can't! Whoopee. Monday and Tuesday, I'm also 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's showing Return to Seoul on Monday, which seemed the best of the fare that day; The Blue Caftan doesn't seem to be showing next week. It's the story of a young French girl, returning to seek her roots in Korea. Looks engaging. But the new listings are finally out! and now, it's 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 is the Picturehouse Central. Definitely worth a look.
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