Film: Beau Is Afraid

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!

On Wednesday, back with the same group for Bleak Expectations, a Dickens-based comedy, with a different star every week, showing at the Criterion. I think we're getting Julian Clary.. I ended up going up a price band here, the cheap tickets all seemed so restricted!

And on Thursday, back with North London Friends, for the first time in, oh, ages.. we're off to The Park, to see The Shape of Things. Different people from last time, these are some I knew before.

Film: Midsommar

Tonight, I was thinking film - but not being enthused about what was coming up, I booked a cheap ticket to Remember, at the Cockpit, instead. But hey, you know, we were chatting about it last night.. and when I checked the ratings, whaddya know but Midsommar finally came out on top! I've had my eye on this for ages - it's rare for a horror film to stay so highly rated for so long. Written and directed by Ari Aster, the same guy as Hereditary, it promised to be extremely well-made - the director's cut is showing in Picturehouse Central. A straightforward enough story, it has a group of American pals - and one very reluctant girlfriend - travelling to Sweden for a rare midsummer festival. We might know where this is going - but how would they get there?

Me, I got there a little late - but then, it was a very early start time. 6pm is a little tricky for me to make, but I pretty much managed it. Then I had to queue for a ticket - it hadn't been booking out, so I didn't book in advance. And don't you just hate it when - having finished with the person in front of you - the person behind the till just stares into the middle distance, anywhere but at you.. somebody should teach some of the staff here about customer service. Anyway, she did eventually get me to choose a seat - and gee, all of a sudden they were almost sold out! Well, apart from the front row. So I chose one of the two remaining seats in the second row, and off I went - arriving just in time for the trailers. Including a good one for Ad Astra. Well, we shall see. I settled back in my comfy seat, and it wasn't long before the film started.

Now, this isn't at all a typical horror film - he's a very interesting film-maker, and I'd describe this more as a psychedelic trip. The director's cut is about half an hour longer than the main release, which allows him to fit in longer shots, and linger more. I really appreciated that - I'm glad I saw the longer version. Because it's seriously trippy; the camera work is incredible - just as I was constantly looking for colour in Pain and Glory, here I found myself constantly looking for the surreal. Upside-down camera angles: backgrounds that keep swimming, like a mirage: things that really shouldn't be moving, but just do.

It starts with the most perfectly crafted exposition of why our heroine is in a rather damaged state. I really admire a story told in minimalist fashion - and her personal trauma is told practically without words, but with the most striking images.. anyway, to cut a long story a bit shorter, this is what persuades her rather reluctant boyfriend (who doesn't seem to want either the trouble of the relationship or the trouble of ending it) to invite her on this junket he's on with the lads. One of their group of college friends is Swedish, see, and has invited them all to a midsummer festival in his hometown - one has a valid reason for going, as he wants to do a thesis based around this stuff; the others are just planning a holiday. When she finds out, he's kind of obliged to ask her to come too. (No, of course you're not cramping our style!)

Welcome to the most friggin' surreal midsummer festival you're likely to come across. The drugs start early - which gives the director full license to have the landscape swimming in the background. The locals are all dressed for the occasion, in white - the foreigners, in darker colours, really stand out. A lot of untranslated Swedish is spoken, with the odd person speaking English for the benefit of the visitors. All very friendly - and all taken very seriously by the locals, with the mood lightened periodically, with perfect timing, by one of the Americans in particular.

It doesn't take long for the visitors to start to get a bit freaked by some of the more extreme customs of the community. And as they start breaking some of the rules - well, what you might expect to happen, does. As someone remarked, instead of jump scares, what you have here is a long, slow approach, where you can see the horror crawling towards you. You have plenty of time to anticipate it. And when it finally happens, it's no less shocking for having been predictable! Having said that, it didn't turn out quite as I was expecting..

The director himself has said that this is his take on a break-up film. The couple at the centre of the film are obviously not right for each other.. and with her being a psychology student, and practising on him, you get some classic arguments between them, her trying to get him to emote, and him wishing she'd just stop talking. This caused much mirth in the room I was sitting in - one woman in our row nearly fell off her seat with laughing. Gotta say, it's the most interesting break-up solution I think I've ever seen.

Not recommended, doubtless, by relationship counsellors. Neither do I think it's a great ad for the Swedish tourist board, despite the pretty scenery. But my goodness, what a film! It's a while since I walked out of a film still so engrossed that I expected to be walking into the film as I left the cinema. And, by the way, feeling like I'd been on a trip! (of the chemical variety). Highly recommended. Contains nudity.

Tomorrow, back with the London European Club for a Scottish ceilidh! It's at Cecil Sharpe House. I had to cancel the last one of these I booked for, so hopefully I make this one!

On Saturday, London Dramatic Arts is off to see Two Ladies, with Zoe Wanamaker, at the Bridge Theatre. So am I - for half the price! (shh..) Going on my own, and will be avoiding them, as she takes umbrage at that sort of thing.

On Sunday, back with The Embers Collective - they haven't yet revealed the venue for Mischief on the Marshes! They did say, when I asked, that they'd tell me midweek..

On Monday, finally going to see Waitress, which I had to cancel earlier in the year. It's at the Adelphi.

On Tuesday, some comedy, with Shappi Khorsandi, at Soho Theatre.

On Wednesday, back with Civilised London (CL) for a Lebanese meal at Al Waha, meeting beforehand at the Prince Alfred. Then I'm back to Ireland for a long weekend.

On the 23rd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - again, it'll have been nearly three weeks since I was last with them! The occasion is a production of Giselle, by the English National Ballet, at Sadler's Wells.

On the 24th, back with North London Friends, to Donmar Warehouse, for Appropriate.

On the 25th, the Crick Crack Club is back! Tricksters & Fools is at Rich Mix - it's another in Crick Crack's Archetypes series, and stars Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, Tim Ralphs, TUUP, and Nell Phoenix.

On the 26th, UITCS is back with Groan Ups, at the Vaudeville.

On the 27th, Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff is at Our Lady of Kibeho, at the Theatre Royal Stratford. Ahah, I knew I'd booked something else with them!

And on the 28th, I booked for the matinee of Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. at the Royal Court. And then CL organised an outing to see London Concertante perform the Four Seasons at Southwark Cathedral. What the hey, I figure I can make both! It's ages since I heard it, in fact.. and it'll be a nostalgic trip for me, as my very first Meetup with the Man with the Hat was to listen to Concertante in Southwark Cathedral. He's much missed.

Film: Capernaum

Last night, I was supposed to be back on my first proper Meetup for two weeks, as I was to meet Up in the Cheap Seats again, for Cougar, at the Orange Tree. Got one of the last four seats on the lower level.

And then we kind of got drinking in the office.. and stayed drinking.. and that was that. :-) Didn't really want to schlep all the way out to Richmond in this weather anyway. (Boy, was I drunk by the end - I am in a team with someone who can drink like a fish!) Far was I from feeling like blogging once that was done - I eventually escaped to home, and bed.

Anyway. Today was supposed to be film. All week, I'd had an idea what film I'd go to see - Velvet Buzzsaw looked really interesting: a horror film that started out at 9/10 on IMDB! Set in the art world, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, John Malkovich, and Toni Collette, so seemed set fair to retain a high rating. And the trailer looks clever. Plus, it could fall a great deal in ratings before I'd decide not to see it - the next on my list was Capernaum, at 8.2!

..And then Velvet Buzzsaw was generally released, yesterday - and by the end of the day, it had plummeted to 6.3!! (Now down to 6, at time of writing, I note.) Hey-ho, goes to show. So instead, I decided to head for Capernaum - currently the closest place showing it (in preview) is Picturehouse Central, and as they were already half sold out, I booked. For the matinee, which was happily later than the only showing of Velvet Buzzsaw. 

And I even managed to drag myself out in good time for it! After a very crowded bus trip, where I had to stand, I had a short walk from where the bus dropped me - Google Maps hadn't been aware that the Soho Street stop is closed, but the next one down did me just as well. And as I wove my way through the crowds on the streets - and then through the crowds at the cinema - I remarked to myself how I keep forgetting how very crowded London is at the weekends!

The screen wasn't quite open, it seemed - they have a fast turnaround here. So I queued for chocolate, and a packet of Minstrels served as brunch. And by the time I got back, there was a change of usher - and the new one said, sure I could go in! There were a few people in situ when I got up there - I do wonder whether the other one had quite known which screen I was talking about..

Nice, comfy seat I sank into - and with lovely, high headrests. Anyhoo, it wasn't long before we got going. Capernaum is yet another Oscar-nominated offering - for Best Foreign Language film. (That makes three of those I've seen, now.) Set in the slums of the Lebanon, it follows the story of a charismatic and street-smart little boy: in real life a Syrian refugee, it seems. And it also transpires that the lives of the film's characters were plenty familiar to the actors playing them.

The entire film takes place in the slums, following this little boy around and seeing what his life is like. You wouldn't believe the ingenuity of trying to survive in this environment. What about getting prescription drugs, mashing up the pills and mixing them with water to formulate a drinkable drug, which can be sold by the shot? or the cleverness of smuggling it into prison, by washing clothes in the water and taking them in for the prisoners, who can then wring the chemicals out of them and sell the product on the prison black market?

The camera is almost always on the little fellow's level - but he's so grown up (he has to be) that you tend to forget that he's just a kid. Except for the odd moment, when for example he asks to be let go to school in the mornings, that he can still work his job in the afternoons - only to have the idea dismissed out of hand by his parents, who need the money he brings in, for their ever-growing brood. Speaking of which, the basic plot of the film is that he's brought them to court - he wants to sue them for having conceived him, because his mother is pregnant yet again, and he doesn't want then to bring any more children into the world!

Seeing what he endures - and not only him, but those around him - you can see his point. It's horrendous - and yet the lot of millions of people around the world. With plenty of closeups, and lingering, silent shots, we really get to know the characters, so it's suitably devastating when bad things happen to them. Very moving, and very focused on the children - I just have one quibble with it, which is that it's overlong in the middle. The ending will tug at your heartstrings though, definitely. Currently previewing at selected cinemas, and recommended.

On the way back, I stopped off at Tesco - where I availed of one of the many discounts on chocolate! (Deprived January, stopping people buying it?) I notice they seem to have built a second shelter at bus stop V, closer to the actual stop, BTW - which is wise; people were missing buses by standing at the other one, further down. And it's nice to get finished early - particularly as I'm on early again tomorrow! I'm finally back with Spooky London, for a talk on Dracula Meets Jack the Ripper (with Dacre Stoker). Apparently, Dacre is the great grandnephew of the famous Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula - and the premise is that Jack the Ripper was his inspiration! I've missed lots of interesting events with this group - delighted to be back with them, should be fun.

Back to film on Monday - not Oscar-nominated, for once! With a choice between Burning and If Beale Street Could Talk, I went for the former - fancying the ominous soundtrack on the trailer. Happily, it's in the Vue Islington, which I can walk to! and nice and early - and, as of now, I don't have an evening meeting that day.. I booked, which is always cheaper with Vue.

That's my last film for a while. On Tuesday, my very first Meetup with the London Chamber Music group, finally. Well, they usually clash with something else! Delighted to make it at last. We're off to a concert in Wigmore Hall, and the organiser personally messaged me to let me know what he'd be wearing, and where he'd be, and expressed his hope that we'd meet.

The next three events are with Up in the Cheap Seats! Great chance to catch up with people. On Wednesday, I'm going with them to The American Clock by Arthur Miller, at the Old Vic. I see London Dramatic Arts is also going, and sitting in the stalls - I guess we won't be mixing much.

On Thursday, to Aspects of Love, at Southwark Playhouse. Based on an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. And on the event organiser's recommendation, I bought a subscription to the theatre, which entitles me to five tickets, and has no time limit - used the first for this, which made it very good value! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 11th, I'm with the group again, for another Arthur Miller play - this time, it's The Price, at Wyndham's. Oh, and for two of these, I could have used my Seatplan vouchers, which arrived last week. If I'd had them with me. Never mind - I hadn't been expecting to book so much so soon, but they don't expire anyway.

And on the 12th, Let's Do This is off to Tango Fire at the Peacock. They booked a box, so had a very limited number of seats, and I wasn't in time for theirs - but I got my own ticket, and have agreed to meet them for a drink afterwards.

Film: Free Solo

Today was film, and top of the list came Free Solo, a documentary about Alex Honnold, who likes to go mountaineering. On his own (but on this occasion, with a film crew). With no safety equipment. Yeah. The trailer has incredible cinematography. Happily, it's on closer than the last film I saw - this one is in Picturehouse Central. Which, ironically, I was staring at as I waited for a bus last night. They have three showings daily, but with a late meeting I had to go to the last one - and funnily enough, it was the latest of the week, with the last showing getting progressively earlier as the week goes on. Figures. At least being the last of the day meant I got to see it in the big screen!

So, I stayed late in the office - and what with work, and the distractions of the nonsense at Westminster, whose news was breaking as I passed time waiting to leave, I cut it a bit fine for the cinema. Of course, it doesn't matter so much with mainstream films, which have ads beforehand. Still, I was glad to make the bus that Google Maps informed me would get me there in time - which I only did because a young lady ran across the road to catch it and held it up! bless her. I was certainly in no fit state to run for it - ah well, I guess fitness comes slowly as winter passes. Eventually.

I bought my ticket at the cinema - there was certainly no rush on them - and only had to go up to the first floor of screens, as it was in Screen 1. Which is pretty massive. I've been here before, but it's been a while - I'd forgotten they have pullman seats! V nice. I had a reserved seat, but preferred to go in the row behind - and with so few there, no-one was arguing. Shortly after I took my seat, the trailers began, and after 20 minutes of those, we were into the main feature.

I'll cut to the chase. This is the scariest, most exhilarating, best-shot film I've seen in I don't know how long. Yes, the cinematography is phenomenal - shots are taken that point straight up the sheer, vertical, 3000ft wall of El Capitan, which he free solo-ed for the film (and was the first ever to do it). Impressive indeed - but not as arresting as the shots that point straight down. I've seen a few promotional films for it on YouTube, where they explain that they got cameramen who were also climbers - so yes, they positioned themselves on the narrowest of ledges, hung themselves from ropes to get the shots. Used drone shots too. Mind you, he was rather disturbed - not at the thought of falling to his death so much as at the thought of doing it in front of other people: so for the actual, final ascent, they put remote cameras in places they'd chosen in advance, so he was at a bit of a remove.

May I reiterate that he had no safety equipment? So, no ropes. He climbed up like Spiderman, his only aid a pouch of chalk that he carried on his belt, using it on his hands periodically to increase his grip. Typically, when you see someone in this position in a film, they're about to fall to their death! The different parts of the climb are explained to us, along with their attendant difficulties - particularly disturbing is the coverage of one sheer rock wall that is described as being like glass, with no real footholds or handholds. He seemed to wear special, flexible shoes for the climb, which I guess was as close as he could come to going barefoot, while protecting the skin on his feet. As he describes it, you just look for "dimples" in the rock, tiny changes in the surface - that's your foothold or handhold. He'd climbed this several times with ropes, so he did at least know the surface.

I can't do the film any more justice, so I'll just say that the coverage of the climb is phenomenal. It's also fun to see the guys watching from the ground with long-distance lenses - one an experienced free-soloer, who eventually couldn't watch any more, the suspense was so great! We in the audience agreed - every single one of us was swearing by the end, and personally I could barely watch some sequences. Real peep-through-the-fingers stuff. I also gripped my armrests a lot..

We get a lot of footage about people who have died doing this, and who were known to Alex. And lo, he has a girlfriend! who's not mad about his pastime. We get a little about his parents, his father who's passed away, and whom he thinks would have encouraged him, and his mother, who seems to have been the catalyst for his drive to succeed. Prepare for some brutally honest interviews here. (Nothing mentioned about the sister we can see in photographs.) He also runs a non-profit, the Honnold Foundation, which promotes solar energy in the developing world. It does make for a well balanced film - not everything takes place on the side of a mountain. Really, I can't recommend this highly enough - it's a terrible shame it doesn't seem to be attracting more attention.

Was lucky with buses on the way back, with hardly any waiting time. And tomorrow, back with Let's Do This for the first time this year, as we head to a Georgian restaurant for dinner. Georgia, the country..

Film: Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football

Today, I booked with Walking in London, and Katie of Look Up London! Delighted she has a new walk - Smithfield & Clerkenwell: Guts & Glory. It's actually cheaper on her own site than on Funzing - unless you're getting one of those common 10% discounts! However, just on Friday she messaged to say she had to cancel, unfortunately, due to family commitments. (Well, I had to cancel for myself, actually.) So that film list came in handy! Top for today was Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football. Based on the true story of a Brazilian footballer who, through faking injury and frequently changing clubs, managed to live the footballer lifestyle without ever playing a match..! I wouldn't normally go for a football film, but the trailer looked really good.. it was on in my local Vue. Woucher actually has a voucher for Vue - five tickets for £20 - but they have a time limit, and I can't guarantee using them by then, so I won't bother.

Last night, when I checked, nobody had booked any seats for this, so I figured I was safe enough to leave it - even if there isn't a booking fee, I do like to leave my plans open when I can. I did a last-minute check today: no, nothing better had come up: yes, it still had the same high IMDB rating: so I finally checked the cinema website. Ehh - tried to, that is. It put me in a queue! I tried again - same thing. I Googled it - seems that, with the drizzly day we had today, the whole nation suddenly decided to go to the cinema, causing backlogs on both the Odeon and Vue websites! Half an hour later, when it finally let me in - sure enough, my showing was sold out. It's not a widely known film, but given its limited release, and that it was only showing today, I guess football fans in the know would be there..

I checked where else it was showing, and happily the next nearest - Picturehouse Central - had eight seats left. Out of a total capacity of 65 - you can check these things. So I booked! Same time as the showing at the Vue, but now it was going to take me longer to get there - still, I had time to shop, cook, and eat, before heading out. Of my bus options, one had me taking the bus from the stop right down the road, for the first time! It took no time to come, either. Changing in Angel, my second bus passed as I made my way to the stop - but again, another was along shortly; they were prompt, today.

Funnily enough, it wasn't until the driver announced he was terminating early that I remembered about the bike ride today. Handily enough, he was terminating at my stop anyway - poor fellow had to repeat himself several times, with the message that passengers for Victoria would be better off taking the Tube, as the bus was going to take an hour and 20 minutes, what with road closures. Me, I got off and walked a very short distance to the cinema, where I curiously checked whether I could still buy a ticket for the show. Sure enough, sold out. I took a seat in the downstairs bar to read some of the book I'm currently eagerly devouring, on Kindle on my phone. So handy.

When it got to half an hour beforehand, I went upstairs to the entrance to the screens - I wanted to be there promptly, this showing having unreserved seating. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet - I took a seat in the bar at that level, where I illegally finished a packet of M&Ms I'd brought in myself. When I'd finished them, and read some more of my book, I moseyed over again - 10 minutes before showtime now. Still not open! I decided to hang around the entrance at this stage, in the company of pretty much everyone else who'd bought a ticket for the screening.. we never found out what the problem was, but it was well past start time when we were let in.

I needed to go to the loo, but decided that it'd be wiser to wait until afterwards, now. Got a decent seat - and gee, wouldn't you know it, although it was quite full, there were still empty seats. The lights were already down by the time they let us in, and the ads playing - I guess they forgot to delay the projector start.

The film starts off jokily, much like the trailer - lots of shots of gorgeous beaches, sunbathers, and actors playing the footballers' younger selves, complete with 80s fashions. Yes, think mullets, sunglasses, and Speedos - and all to a Samba soundtrack. Scenes of carnival, shots of people who knew the film's subject back in the day, falling over themselves laughing as they describe his audacity. We're told how he started in Ajaccio, then used that as an entry to Rio football clubs, where he started to feign injury, family tragedy and well, anything he could think of to avoid actually playing. People had no internet back then to check the facts.. still, they got suspicious, and he mightn't have got away with it for as long as he did if not for his spectacular ability to get girls to keep the teams entertained. So, blind eyes were turned.

Speaking of ruses, it's funny how his impersonation of Renato Gaúcho, whom he resembled and dressed like, got him into so many clubs, and so many women's beds. Nonetheless, Renato was, and apparently remains, a good friend. Interestingly, towards the end, the cracks start to appear in Kaiser's story - and you're left wondering whether you can believe a single word he says. As the film makers explain, it was their job to sort out the facts among all the lies.. but concede that still, nobody holds it against him. Truly a great conman.

Tomorrow, I'm taking myself to the Proms, at the Albert Hall, for the first time in ages. This one is An Alpine Symphony.

On Tuesday, I'm finally back with North London Friends, for Give My Regards to Broadway, Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Completely sold out now, I believe.

On Wednesday - London Literary Walks is taking a break! That was the day I was originally looking at films for - but what was coming top was Teefa in Trouble. A Bollywood film - fine: except when I watched the trailer, the jokes weren't quite as funny to me as I think they were to the makers, and there was a bit too much exaggerated action - think slo-mo, and people balancing motorbikes on their fingertips. And 2.5 hours of all that was, I thought, a bit much - so no thanks. Which left Sanju again. Not so much.. so I then thought about heading, with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), to Julie, again at the National. Huh! Only tickets left were £50, when I checked! I then checked again.. they had two tickets for £26! Then they were gone, but they had £44 tickets.. think thy might be sold out now. Anyway, I've booked for a Heroism & Villainy Walking Tour (with Real Magic!), via Walking in London.

On Thursday, I was also booked with them - for The Summer Ghost Walk. I've been with this guide before - found him very good. And then.. Ryanair announced another bloody strike!! Yes, for the next day. Yes, when I was to go to Ireland for the weekend. So now I'm flying on Thursday, instead - happily, it was Funzing, so I'll get a refund. And they've even refunded me the credits that I used to book it! And I retain the record of bookings that'll earn me more credits. And at least I found out earlier this time, so booked an alternative flight earlier, so it was a bit cheaper.

On the 6th, Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group is off to Westferry Circus again, for The Importance of Being Earnest. I RSVPed for that.. but then London Dramatic Arts announced that they were off to see One for Sorrow, at the Royal Court. They cleverly left the announcement until the theatre had sold out for that day - I guess there's an offer. So they were the only place I could get a ticket, and I did - probably at a slightly higher price than the theatre charged. Anyway, better than sitting on the grass, in the heat.

On the 7th, UITCS is off to When Midnight Strikes, Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

On the 8th, London Literary Walks is back with Brook Green - another area near where I used to live! Actually, the first medical practice that I registered with, in London. Nice nurse - one very narky doctor.

On the 9th, UITCS is back to the Camden Fringe, with How to Be a Londoner in an Hour, at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. Then I'm down to Helen's for the weekend, for a party..

And on the 13th, back with Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group, back to Westferry Circus.. this time it's for A Woman of No Importance.

Film: Nothing Like a Dame

Now, we're into the Early May Bank Holiday (whee!) - and I saw an interesting trip, advertised by Carpe Diem, for a long weekend in Bulgaria. So I applied for a place - only to be told that there'd only been six, which were now gone. When I pointed out that the Meetup page advertised 12 places, and that some were shown as still available, they removed the event entirely. And so it happened that I stayed in town this weekend.


For today, I thought of a film.. and what was being thrown up sounded good! Nothing Like a Dame is a portrait of four acting dames and lifelong friends: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright are interviewed about their separate lives, and their friendship. And it looked like fun. Nearest showing to me was in Picturehouse Central.

Had an early night, and a leisurely start today - just as well, in quite oppressive heat! As usual, I got all nostalgic as the bus got to the West End - I really miss living there. It was a relief to get off the stuffy bus - and I was right beside the cinema. They should make it a bit more obvious, I've always thought, that none of the cinema's business goes on on the ground floor - you have to climb the stairs (which I can now take in my stride, if I am left panting afterwards), where there's a concession stand and ticket desks - or you can buy your ticket at a machine downstairs. There's a ticket check, and then it's upstairs again to the screens - by escalator, this time. I was right up on the top floor.

Oh, how deliciously cool it was - I knew I was right to come to the cinema today! A sentiment I was later to see echoed on my way home:

Lovely, chenille seat covers too, and comfy seats with good back support. I can't say I was too impressed with the ice cream I'd bought, £3.70 for a tiny tub that tasted no more of chocolate than of the cardboard it was packaged in - never mind, it's not like I'll be making a habit of it.

Some things I'd expected of this film, some came as a surprise - somehow, I'd missed the fact (or maybe forgotten it) that Joan Plowright is now blind! Gosh, that isn't even on her Wikipedia page. I'd also forgotten that she was married to the late Sir Laurence Olivier - her friends had quite a bit to say about him. Including Maggie Smith, who described how he kept belting her when she played opposite him in Othello - said he knocked her out once! There's method acting for you.

Oh yes, this is a film jam-packed with anecdotes - the combined reminiscences of four acting greats, over decades on stage and screen. One thing I'd expected was that Maggie Smith would be the wicked one - and she is a genius at turning a comic phrase. Judi Dench, mind you, has a feisty spirit of her own, and had the most hilarious story about how a hornet stung her on her bum last summer. She was attended by a 17-year-old paramedic, she said, who opened with "What's our name?" "Judi," she replied testily. "And do we have a carer?" At which point she lost it, replying with, "Oh fuck off, I've just finished six weeks of The Winter's Tale at the Garrick!"

The audience were in stitches throughout - most unusual for a documentary. And this is an absolute must-see for anyone who loves the theatre - or film. The stories span four lifetimes, and the old footage of them is priceless, including Judi in a York Mystery Play, back in 1952. Incorrigible characters, their personalities light up the screen - I'm not surprised the IMDB rating for this actually rose three points from yesterday. Go see, go see.

Afterwards, not fancying the dubious standards of Chinatown, I took myself instead to Garfunkel's - had to sit inside, with all the outside tables taken, but never mind. Had my dependable usual, and was absolutely stuffed - and so home, via another overheated bus. I pity the drivers.

Tomorrow, we're all back to work, and Meetup is back to something approaching normal activity! I'm headed, with Henning and the London European Club, to a talk on the Catalan crisis, at the LSE - tickets were allocated by ballot, but even those of us who got them aren't guaranteed entry, as they oversell and it's first come first served.

On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for Red, at Wyndham's. Terrible time I had, booking this - I accidentally let my old billing address (I've moved since my last booking with them) go through on the form, the payment was rejected, and I couldn't get back into the page to edit my address! Neither could I start a new booking - everything I tried gave me an error message. Dreadful site. I finally e-mailed them, and they said to ring back during working hours and they'd amend my booking, or if they hadn't heard from me after one working day, they'd cancel it. Not fancying paying for a premium-rate call, I let them cancel, and rebooked myself. Carefully replacing my address with the correct one!

On Thursday, I'm headed with London Social Detours to a talk on Shakespeare and the Wandering Mind, at the Wanamaker Playhouse - my first trip there in over a year, goodee! They were sold out when I tried, which is why I'm willing to go with her and pay her booking fee.. Payable on the day, so I'd better get some more cash out. And then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

Film: One More Time with Feeling

Not much inspired me on Meetup today, and I ended up going to the cinema. Top of the list was actually a Turkish film called The Mountain II, which is an army thing. And, to be fair, the trailer looks quite good - but it's only on in the Odeon Lee Valley, and it doesn't look good enough to be traipsing all the way out there! No, instead I headed to One More Time with Feeling, a documentary about Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, at Picturehouse Central - much handier.

Despite gardening leave meaning I had a fairly free schedule, I did have to blog, of course - and call my mother.. and I ended up being slightly tight for time. Still, I determined to take the bus - but when the estimated time to arrival didn't change, over the course of several minutes, I rethought my plan and ended up taking the train to Waterloo and the Tube from there. Anyway, it's quite easy to get to Picturehouse Central from Piccadilly Circus - take the Shaftesbury Avenue exit (which, curiously, doesn't deposit you on Shaftesbury Avenue at all), then ahead and the next left - you'll see the sign.

I hadn't booked because (a) it didn't seem to be selling out, and (b) it costs more. I thought to get my ticket from a machine, but curiously, none seemed to be selling tickets for today. So I had to queue at the box office.. first I was behind the woman who was having trouble with her membership and needed some kind of refund, then I switched to an usher who was recalibrating her till (or something). Third time lucky, when another usher came free - at least it wasn't busy. All the way up to the top floor (via escalator), and I arrived during the trailers, and sank into a comfy seat, kicking off my shoes. Well, not completely off, in case my feet were smelly.

So.. I love Nick Cave, and the glory of this film for me was the music, which I think is sublime. Throbbing intensity, with a bass that's so, so deep.. The film started out as a documentary about the making of an album, but halfway through, his son died, and the second half concerns itself with his reaction to that. And out of the studio, the film is just as intense as the music - mostly shot in black and white, with revealing interviews with both him and his wife, who allows the filmmakers ample access to her personal life. The other kids aren't featured, but there are shots of the boy that died, in the first half.

Yup, if you like the music you must see this. The footage of the boy that died is poignant, but otherwise the coverage is very restrained - some memorable footage, both in and out of studio. I liked it. After, Google Maps suggested a quicker bus route for me, leaving from Shaftesbury Avenue - I was confused that I was walking so long, and checking the map, realised I'd missed the stop! It's snuggled in amongst all that scaffolding that's been there for an age. And I wondered about the wisdom of waiting for a bus that the app said would be over 20 minutes in coming - but as it turned out, the app was just being pessimistic. And I had more gorgeous views of Christmas lights on the way home.

After a day off today, the Man with the Hat is back on duty tomorrow - taking Let's Do London - for less! to the Opera House for Manon Lescaut. Rumours of a Top Hat seem to have been premature..

On Saturday, I'm busily avoiding London Dramatic Arts, at a production of Art at the Old Vic. Got myself a carefully chosen, cheap ticket upstairs, y'see. And they don't like people doing that, y'see.

And on Sunday, I'm off to the British Museum, where there's some storytelling going on. The Kalevala is, apparently, the national epic of Karelia and Finland, and I've signed up with Crick Crack - but am much more likely to hang out with the London European Club, who are going too. Long time no see!

Film: Bayou Maharajah

Another beautiful day. Another fluey day (although it's on the way out, I think). So, a film it was - nice n easy, on my own, no-one to talk to, so I could rest my throat. Less of an issue if I got the sniffles. And top of my list was Bayou Maharajah, which has a limited release, and wasn't convenient for me to see yesterday. Today, it was showing at 1pm at Picturehouse Central.

Again, I wasn't asleep very early, so I woke quite late - and although I had time to get into town, I didn't quite have time to take the bus. I had looked up a Plan B though, which saw me taking the train to Waterloo again. (It isn't a frivolous notion to take the bus, you know - £1.50 each way as opposed to £2.20 for the train and £2.40 for the Tube. Which made a one-way fare of £4.60 for me today: over three times the bus fare.) Anyway, in Waterloo I headed for the Bakerloo Line, to get to Piccadilly Circus - but the people on the Bakerloo Line train looked as though they'd been waiting a while, stepping off the train, looking at the boards, looking around for information.

Sure enough, shortly after I got on, the driver announced severe delays, and said if we could make alternative arrangements, we'd better. So off I went, consulting a Tube map on the way: Northern Line to Leicester Square, then the Piccadilly Line back to Piccadilly Circus. Just as well I'd originally planned to get the bus - I was out early, and still made it to Piccadilly Circus with 10 minutes to spare.

I love how easy it is now to find your way out of Piccadilly Circus Tube station - and once out, having Streetviewed it, I knew where to go, and soon entered the cinema - first time this year for this one, too. Queued for my ticket, and headed upstairs - some nice touches with the décor:

..as also seen in this display for Absolutely Fabulous:

There'd been a warning notice downstairs about the temperature in the cinemas, saying their aircon was broken, and that they had water available outside the screens, and if anyone wished to leave because they felt uncomfortably hot, they could get a refund if they left within 15 minutes. Very obliging of them! but not needed - they obviously got it fixed, because it was quite cool in ours.

Bayou Maharajah is the story of James Booker, as told through archive footage, and interviews with those who knew him; a couple I knew, Harry Connick Jr. (whose father had dealings with him), and Hugh Laurie. I didn't know anything about James Booker previously - I was to learn that he was a musical genius, but plagued with drug problems, drink problems, mental problems, money worries.. not to mention the eye that nobody knows how he lost. But it's not just a gossip piece; Harry Connick Jr., in particular, took us through a particular riff, as Booker would have played it, and explained just how the complications he introduced made it special. And the whole film was interspersed with his music. The trailer is a good indication - if you like the music in that, you're likely to like the film.

I did, and I'm glad to know about the man. And it was lovely to finish so early in the day, and have the evening to myself - long time since that happened. Strolled to the bus stop in the sunshine - and was just puzzling over the "This bus stop is out of use" sign on it when my bus arrived, and took me straight home. The journey home was enlivened when the two elderly ladies that had got on, each dragging a shopping trolley absolutely laden with bags of who-knows-what, and who had placed them in the most convenient place - the buggy / wheelchair area - were challenged by a lady with a buggy. An interesting altercation ensued, but no blows were struck, and since they all got off before I did, I didn't have to climb over them to get off, either.

Tomorrow, I'm glad to be back with the Man with the Hat (and the followers of the Hat) - it'll be nice to see friendly faces. We're off to Southwark Playhouse, to see a play called Stalking the Bogeyman..

Film: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

I was delighted to see Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, so near the top of my film list. Sounded fascinating, and it was the highest rated film on my list that was showing last night. So off I went to the Picturehouse Central - a new cinema, I haven't been before.

Unfortunately, I got started late - had a lot to get around to, yesterday evening. Well anyway, although it's a documentary, it's also showing at a regular cinema, and they don't much mind you arriving late. And generally have ads showing beforehand. So I wasn't horribly worried. When I got to Piccadilly Circus, I figured the Trocadero exit was the one to take, given that the cinema was supposed to be around there somewhere. Unfortunately again, when I got into the Trocadero corridor, there were no signs for the cinema. Unfamiliar with the area, I got confused, and ended up taking the first stairs out of there, exiting through a cut-price theatre ticket office!

Well, I had some idea where the cinema should be, so I headed off in that direction - and praise be! I came across a passageway with a "Picturehouse Central" sign at the end. I entered a plushly designed foyer, but couldn't see a ticket desk. Luckily, there was a guy standing at the entrance, who directed me up the grand staircase and to the right. Where there were a very small number of ticket desks, occupied by all of two people, one of whom was under constant instruction by a manager, it seemed, and the other of whom was dealing very, very slowly with two young ladies. I think it was more their fault though - they moved with terminal slowness.

When I finally got to the desk and told him what I wanted, he broke the news that it had already started. Well nuts, I couldn't have missed that much of it, and told him to go ahead. He did remark that since it was a documentary, I'd probably be ok. So I got my ticket (docs are just £8 here till the end of the year) and trotted off to where a neon sign helpfully said "Screens". A smiley lady tore my ticket, and I set off. Up the escalator. The next level up just housed Screens 1 & 2. Escalator again. Toilets on the next level up, no screens. The escalators were moving so slowly, I trotted up them rather than wait. Final escalator, and I found myself on the level with the rest of the screens. I found mine, slipped in, and took a seat right behind where I was supposed to be, just because I didn't have to push past anyone to get in there. I must say though, the seats were soo comfy! With nice high headrests, so no chance of obstructing anyone's view.

Someone was being interviewed on screen when I arrived - this was the subject of most of the film. He, in common with the rest of them, turned out to be an ex-Scientologist. And the early part of the film deals mostly with the history of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and the now ex-members describe with shining eyes the enthusiasm they felt, how they were sucked in with the promise of saving the world. So, this is the light-hearted start of the film.

..and then things get darker, with descriptions of Hubbard's descent into madness - how he kidnapped his baby daughter and rang his wife, pretending he'd killed her and chopped her into little pieces. She eventually got herself and the children away from him, at least. Fleeing tax evasion charges, he kept a low profile, but ran his Scientology empire from the shadows until his death in 1986. Not that they believe he died, of course. You see, it's like this; Scientology requires you to go through a series of personality tests, and the higher ones are prefixed with "OT" - Operating Thetan (they do love their acronyms). There are eight levels of those, it seems. Ol' Ron had surpassed the highest level, and was now conducting his research exterior to his human shell, y'see. They celebrate his birthday every year, it seems.

And there it might have ended. Except there was an heir waiting in the wings - David Miscavige. He's been head of the Scientologists ever since. An interesting figure, he's the one who masterminded the badgering of the IRS with lawsuits until they gave in and allowed Scientology to declare itself a religion, so it wouldn't be taxed. His former personal assistant, Marty Rathbun, is one of the ex-Scientologists interviewed, who describes him as paranoid and physically abusive. Gave me a shock when I saw Marty, BTW - he's the spit of Bill Murray.. Some of the most interesting footage is of Scientologists coming to his door, little cameras on their hats, to harass him for speaking out against them. Or Scientologists sitting in a car across the road, filming his wife as she gets home. She calls the cops - they're still filming when they get there. Say they're making a documentary. About Scientology.

Yeah, they don't much like anyone who speaks out against them. They're notorious for going after them. But we still haven't got to the worst of it. People had been laughing at the beginning of the film - they weren't laughing later on, as ex-high ranking members described how they were subjected to the correctional facility designated for those who violate the code of ethics. One of them kept describing it as "The Hole". People spoke of insanely long hours - one mentioned 30 hours on, 3 hours off, to crash for as much sleep as you could get on a sodden mattress on the roof. The 30 hours were 30 hours of manual labour. She described how she had to fake illness to get them to let her telephone her sister-in-law, who came to rescue her and her baby daughter, whom she found neglected, filthy and covered in flies - they're not allowed to keep their children with them.

Mental cruelty. Sleep deprivation. They're not supposed to contact non-members, even within their own families. Any of this sound like any other organisations we know about? Interestingly, the review of the film on the IMDB site (quoted at the top) mentions how the author has passed a Scientology Centre many times and been urged to come in and have a stress test. He says he takes one look at the frozen, zombie-like face of the person talking to him, and has the urge to laugh out loud. Seriously?! Would I want to look like you?

Of course, we know a couple of famous Scientology members. One of the film's interviewees used to be John Travolta's assistant. Oh, she was gun-ho for it, signed up for the famous Sea Org, the whole business. Unfortunately for her, Miscavige took against Sea Org - figured they were out to get him, or something. Anyway, she was the one described above, who had to rescue her daughter and flee with her sister-in-law. The film contends that Travolta knows what goes on in Scientology, but has been cowed from speaking out by the fact that they have to do all these personal confessions, and they record them.. so they have all this personal information on him, and are effectively blackmailing him.

Then of course, there's Tom Cruise. He's pictured in the film, being awarded some kind of (enormous) medal by Miscavige himself. The implication is that the Scientologists broke up his marriage to Nicole Kidman, because her father was a psychologist, and they don't like them. Apparently, they tapped her phone. After the divorce, they set him up with a custom-made girlfriend, with whom he fell out after her perceived rudeness to Miscavige at a private dinner (apparently, she hadn't been feeling well). They subsequently had her scrubbing out toilets, after her fall from grace.

You'd have to wonder, eh? What does it take to manipulate Tom Cruise like that? At the end, we learned that Scientology isn't nearly as popular any more, but they've invested in so much lucrative property around the world that they are literally worth billions. Pretty good going for a non-profit, as someone remarked! This documentary moves from poking lighthearted fun, to something dark and scary that literally had me on the edge of my seat. Probably the most gripping and chilling documentary I've ever seen. Showing in selected cinemas. Go see.

Tonight is looking like the movies again - there's an East End Film Festival on, and a programme of shorts tonight that looks good - Rebel Girl. It's on right on the other side of town (as you'd expect from an East End Film Festival) - in the Genesis cinema. Bah humbug. But hey, it's a straight run on the District Line, if a long one..