London Still Rocks!

Yesterday , I was supposed to go to another social with the London SciFi/Fantasy Group in the Mad Hatter - but wouldn't you know it, just like last time, the pub cancelled the booking because of the World Cup ! Instead, I headed with CT to Dark of the Moon , at Charing Cross Theatre . Chose the matinee. Travelled in on a bus with the most delicious aircon. Arrived early and had a glass of wine. Was given an excellent seat, not far from the stage, although there are no bad ones here. Gorgeous aircon too - I was practically cold: 'Tis a story of star-crossed lovers.. one a human girl, Barbara Allen (yes, you've heard the name, but that's a completely different legend, nothing to do with this), the other a warlock. In this, the witches and humans are at war, and the witches are none too happy that one of their number has fallen in love with a human, and wants to be mortal - not least because that reduces the coven number from the perfect number required to conjure...

Tonight, The Hideout  were headed to Evil Dead Burn . Now, I don't usually go for these - gore isn't my favourite thing - but more than I dislike gore, I dislike a boring horror film, as so many are. And if this looked like anything, it didn't look boring.. I particularly love the touch of a zombie literally drinking the wax from a burning candle, as shown in the trailer. Kind of deliciously wicked.. Produced by Sam Raimi . Showing in the Vue West End , drinks in Victory House beforehand as usual. And I booked to eat in Bella Italia Cranbourn Street before that. Rushed out the door - and the bus drive in was exciting, what with a guy in Aldwych who had a temper tantrum, which he took out on his phone, smashing it repeatedly on the ground.. and then an ambulance, attempting to squeeze its way through impenetrable traffic.. and then there was more impenetrable traffic.. and with it all, I was 10 minutes late for my booking. Never mind, he seated me upstairs.. I'd...

Currently, two more films in a row! Yesterday evening, back at last with Movie Roadhouse London for The Invite . Delighted they advertised it - the trailer looks promising. Based on a Spanish film , in this, Seth Rogen and his wife ( Olivia Wilde , who also directs) decide to invite the enigmatic couple upstairs - Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz - for dinner. They have no idea what they're letting themselves in for.. showing in the BFI , and we were meeting there beforehand, and for drinks after. Oh joy, the prospect of a half-hour walk, with a heavy rucksack, in 34-degree heat.. Well, at least it was downhill to the river - I made it five minutes before the scheduled time, running into one of the attendees just as I got there, and we found ourselves in the midst of the London Indian Film Festival ! with sundry stars I didn't know posing for photographs. I had to message the organiser to see where he was - standing under a "Mediatheque" sign, as it turned ...

Last night, a friend of mine cleverly got in in time to invite me to The Ladyboys of Bangkok , a burlesque in the Sabai Pavilion - he got free tickets. I booked dinner beforehand at The Sindercombe Social . Rushed to get the last post done before heading out to that. Yeah, that didn't work.. firstly, I stayed later than I should have, desperate to get the last post out. This far out, it had to be Tube - but the fastest estimate was on the Central Line , appalling in this heat. So I went for the more civilised Jubilee Line to Baker Street , then the Circle or Hammersmith & City .  The buses were promising to come soon, so I said I'd take one to the station - in the event, all three buses that stop at that stop came at once! A hot and sweaty journey dropped me there.. and the crowds at the station were almost biblical in scale. I had to wait for the second train - but you know, I was lucky to be getting on at a station where people were getting off, and making space -...

Last Monday , second film in a row, finally got around to  Toy Story 5 . Aw, I do enjoy them.. and this one has the traditional toys competing with AI. V topical. Nearest showing to me is in Everyman Borough Yards . So, out I went on foot, braving the heat.. by the time I got there, I felt cooked: medium-well, I think. Got there ever so slightly late, which means the trailers were just starting - I grabbed a glass of wine with my ticket. Before the film, we had a introductory speech - the guy remarked at the unusual lack of under-8s for this film! and speculated whether it was nostalgia, or we were just all escaping the heat. Tsk, has the man never watched one of these..? Well, we start in the household of Bonnie, who has most of the toys, headed by Cowgirl Jessie  (voiced by Joan Cusack ), for whom the astronaut Buzz Lightyear ( Tim Allen ) holds a torch. He keeps trying to propose, bless him, and bottling it. Anyway, trouble arrives in the form of a new, internet-connected ...

Now , a run of three films - becoming quite the habit! To day, I decided on  Blue Heron - set in the 1990s, it sees a family move to Vancouver Island , only to have serious problems with the increasingly erratic behaviour of their teenage son. Showing in the Garden Cinema , nice and late - I put myself to bed and set the alarm in time to go and eat beforehand. When I checked before going out, it was mostly booked - a last-minute rush - so I booked too. Headed to Nando's Holborn , where the frazzled manager said, to avoid the sun glaring through the windows, I could sit right in the corner, beside the plant - or I could just sit right there, at a table for four. Which I did. The place was shortly afterwards absolutely crammed with well-dressed young people of colour - being Sunday, I speculated that they'd been to church, which was confirmed when I saw one of them carrying a bible (!). There were two separate groups - the larger one co-opted all the tables by the wall, pushin...