Films: Cats, Haunted Mansion, and Let the Wrong One In

I'm back in Ireland for the weekend, landing just as Storm Betty was passing through - just as well our flight was (more or less) on time, for once! And last night, I was surprised to see Cats on tv! Now, what with the terrible reviews, I'd never seen it - but this was my big chance, so I watched it at last. This is the film of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, with Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, James Corden, Idris Elba as Macavity (the Mystery Cat), Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Ray Winstone, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift - all CGIed into cats.

Wow, this was seriously panned - I think a lot of people were weirded out by seeing familiar faces transmogrified with whiskers and fur! They do walk upright, generally - and there are dance numbers, as well as songs - so, as well as professional singers, they hired a lot of professional dancers.

I found bits of it jarred myself - but overall, I loved it. To be fair, I'm a cat person, which I really think helps. And it's not the only Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I've seen where the music transcends the story - really, I dunno about the general populace, but I have always just melted when Memory came on. Since it dominates much of the end of the film, I was in seventh heaven.. was also entranced by the dancing, and some other songs that I recognised. And that last shot, of the cats in Trafalgar Square at daybreak.. pure magic. So, in short, I didn't hate it. And bits of it just bowled me over. Delighted to have seen it at last. Was way too tired to blog, though.

Today, I booked to see Haunted Mansion - well, my choice wasn't huge - I was hoping to see some decent SFX. Rosario Dawson is a single mother who moves into what turns out to be a haunted house. Owen Wilson is the priest she recruits to exorcise the place, Danny DeVito is a historian, an expert in its history, Jamie Lee Curtis is a psychic. Jared Leto is kind of the meanest of the ghosts. Limerick Omniplex was the chosen venue; it's convenient for the biggest Tesco around!

For once, I was in decent time - didn't manage to eat properly beforehand though, so was peckish, and had some chocolate at the cinema. There were just a handful of us there - no teenagers, I think, despite it only having a 12 rating and this being a matinee. Now, I'd been a little unsure of this when booking it, so I looked up an online review - and I have to say, it was bang on the money! Just as he said, this is a terrific gateway horror film for kids just getting into horror, but also lots of fun for those of us more accustomed to it. Also, kudos to it for having a side story about dealing with the grief of losing a loved one, and for handling it so sensitively..

The SFX are quite cool - in particular, the playing around with dimensions that reminded me of what I liked about House of Leaves. A cool scene (which appears in the trailer) has a candle developing a face and looking worried, and rather reminded me of Beauty and the Beast - but then, this is Disney. Throughout, the horror is accompanied by a good dollop of humour, so as not to scare the audience too much - and yes, as also mentioned in the review, the movie belongs to LaKeith Stanfield, who is brought in as the guy who invented a camera to capture ghosts. Yes, all in all, great fun - just the sort of thing I'd watch as an appetiser before moving on to something more scary..

Which is not what happened when I got curious and turned on Let the Wrong One In, shown late tonight, again on tv. But it's also great fun, centring on a young Dublin lad whose big brother suddenly becomes a vampire. Hilda Fay plays their mother. And the whole thing is just a madcap comedy, with the hapless younger brother trying to reign in his new vampire relative, and all sorts of people being affected in unexpected ways - messier than Haunted Mansion, this one has blood spurting all over, and our newly minted vampire worrying that his fangs aren't big enough to impress his girlfriend. Stuff like that. Just a standard night in central Dublin, really!

On Monday, back at the cinema - for Arret Avec tes Mensonges (Lie With Me), at the Curzon Bloomsbury. One of these films about someone returning to his hometown and reliving a past romance - looks beautifully filmed, though. Booked for free, with my renewed membership.

On Tuesday, heading to the Embankment bandstand (weather permitting) at lunchtime to hear the Algoma Community Band - tickets from Eventbrite.

On Wednesday, booked with CT to hear Laurence Juber in concert at Piano Smithfield.

On Thursday, finally back with Meetup - and Up in the Cheap Seats - for Word Play, at the Royal Court.

On Friday, I'm succumbing to the pressure, and joining The Hideout: Horror SciFi Club London for the Frightfest at Cineworld Leicester Square, where we're seeing It Lives Inside, an Indian possession horror, with lunch after at Clubhouse 5. Frightfest, mind you, continues till the 28th - I'll have to see how I feel about going to other films in it.

Next Saturday - back at last with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners! This walk is called Filthy River.. and I'm now paying him by bank transfer, at his suggestion - much handier than having to find change all the time.

On the 27th, meeting Ivan and James again, for our monthly get-together - this time, moving closer to where I'm now living, we'll be in the Dean Swift.

On the 28th, back at Clubhouse 5 with the Hideout - just a social this time. So, a very sociable long weekend!

On the 29th, I tried to book a place on a walk with Mandy and London Herstory Walks - this one is Fleet Street Femmes. But there seems to be a technical glitch - I'll keep trying.

On the 30th, heading to La Bamba - a musical at the Peacock. The matinee, since I have the choice - cheaper tickets that way.

On the 31st, back on another of Barrie's walks with the 45+s - this time, it's Mile End. Mind you, so far I seem to be the only attendee.. 

On the 1st, back with Laurence and the 45+s, yet again - couldn't resist a walk around Glorious and Grimy Gray's Inn Road! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 4th, I've signed with London Socials again - I wouldn't count on me going, mind. Still, you never know.. this time, they're off to listen to some music in the Archway Tavern.

And on the 5th, I've finally booked to see Dr. Semmelweiss, at the Harold Pinter. Cheapest tickets I found were with What's on Stage, who sent me off to Love Theatre..