Film: Baghead

Yesterday - well gee, there was another highly rated horror! Actually, the London Horror Film Group saw this last week - the film in question was Baghead, and the "baghead" is some kind of supernatural being who can put you in contact with the dead. Wears a bag over her head, and when you take it off, she has taken on the appearance of the person you're talking to. Just like last year's Talk to Me, however, there's a time limit - with strict penalties for overstepping. (They give you a whole two minutes in this one - in Talk to Me, it was 90 seconds..) Sadly, since I first looked, its rating plummeted - oh well, it was booked. Apparently, the director says he has derived a lot of his inspiration from Guillermo del Toro - reason enough to see it, in my book. Closest to me showing it is the Odeon Tottenham Court Road, which was once my local - and as always with the Odeon, it's cheaper to book, so I did. And handily, that was my day in the office, right around the corner, this week!

I could stay late in the office - always a good look - the showing was late, and I thought I'd try The Jack Horner, across the road from the cinema, for food. They don't take bookings for just one person, so I didn't book there. On going in, it looked a bit busy, so I went on through the pub to find a free table. Turns out there's a dedicated dining section at the end! A sign asks customers to wait to be seated, so I did.. when she duly appeared, she gave me a nice table by the window. To be fair, it wasn't busy. And they provide table service! Unfortunately, the French-sounding ladies at the table next to mine didn't have a great experience - as she was seating me, she stopped at their table to warn them that the fish they'd ordered would be a while. So I was glad to order the steak and ale pie. In fact, their fish was so long in coming that they eventually gave up, put on their coats, and were standing up to leave when she suddenly appeared with their meals! whereupon they rather sheepishly made some excuse about it being cold, and sat down again.

Mine came a lot quicker - as did the wine I'd asked for. Sadly, I can't recommend the steak and ale pie here - it was a bit too salty, and I couldn't finish it. The chips were nice though, and I asked for a second glass of wine - and was not impressed to see the person I'd asked, not only seating new customers, but also clearing off empty tables, with no sign of my wine appearing! Perhaps they were out of it temporarily, or of clean glasses, or perhaps she forgot - I did get it in due course. She remarked, as I was paying, how nice it was to serve me, and that she didn't remember me from before.. I guess I was pleasanter than those French ladies! Ah well.. it's almost the only decent eatery around that cinema, but unless I'm at that cinema again - which I hardly ever am - and need food, I can't see myself coming back here for food, with an inedible steak pie, a delay in the fish, and erratic service.. The wine wasn't cheap either - calculating it from what I was charged, it must have been over £13 for a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc..

I was a teensy bit late heading to the cinema, but of course, a small delay is fine at mainstream cinemas, and I'd booked an aisle seat. I decided to have another wine here - and she muttered something about how they were closing within half an hour, and did I want ----, rather than having to traipse upstairs again? I didn't catch what she was offering me, but I said yes, and it turned out that I got a double wine - for just over £5! Well now, that's value.. I did have to pop to the toilet during the film again, but timed my exit, and I don't think I missed anything. And as I say, I had an aisle seat..

This was an interesting watch. Now, I've seen a fair few horror films in my day, and I think its IMDB rating is a teensy bit low. Sure, it has its problems - there are a fair few jumpscares (interestingly, they tend to drop them after a while), not a single of which even startled me slightly. The story logic seems to have been ignored slightly - so, the more you "use" this creature to communicate with the dead, the stronger she becomes, but we don't see much tangible evidence of that, except a general idea that she seems to have become more powerful while we weren't looking. Also, although there's supposed to be a two-minute time limit on speaking to the dead through her, I didn't see any definite result from exceeding that limit. Except, again, a general sense, over different scenes, that she becomes stronger. Opportunity lost there. And I'm not quite clear on how she kills people - just by touching them? Wow, that'd be a neat trick..

However - it's atmospheric, and I did like the story arc. How different this could have been in the hands of a more experienced director.. All you need is to take care of the technical aspects and you'd have a very good horror! Oh, and as I say, maybe tidy up the ambiguities over the being in the basement.. or because she is a witch, does that mean she's above the rules..?

And so home - when the bus eventually came. A group of Northern Irish-sounding ladies exclaimed (among themselves) that they'd been waiting 40 minutes for it! Happily, I didn't have to wait anything like that long. Interestingly, they got off with me.. didn't see where they went, though. (Oh, and while I was waiting, I had another go at Buses Due.. uninstalling it and reinstalling it seemed to fix the issue! which is a relief, it's so useful. When it works.)

It was too late to blog last night, given that busy schedules meant this morning's meeting was unusually early, so I had to go to bed in reasonable time. The next two nights' entertainment, I got the idea for from Over 40 Living the Life, who are charging more for tickets, so I'll be seeking to avoid them. Tonight, I'm seeing the Bronco Billy musical, at the Charing Cross Theatre. Booked with Official London Theatre. Booked to eat at L' Ulivo beforehand - I've always liked it.

And tomorrow, I'm going to Murder Trial Tonight 2, at Sadler's Wells.

Saturday is looking like film - and the film, now that the list is finally done for the week, is looking like American Fiction! I've seen the trailer a few times, and it looks excellent - a comedy in which an intelligent, well-educated black author realises that he can increase his sales by "ghetto-ising" himself, as that's what white audiences expect from black writers! Looks deliciously satirical, and is showing at three different times in my closest cinema. Not that the main listings site had any mention of it being in any Curzon, of course, when I looked.. but I do know to check them separately. Along with several others!

On Sunday, ending a Meetup drought with Discover London - History Walks and Events (DL), for a walk entitled Discover the Secrets of the Riverside Part 2: Cannon Street to Blackfriars. One of those groups that never get listed when I do a general search for a particular day.. I just have to remember to search the group individually. When it's a weekend I'm in London, anyway! They're always good. Crikey though, it's over a year since I did Part 1..

On Monday and Tuesday - yep, a small Meetup drought again - I'm with CT again. Improv both nights - Monday is for Shake It Up - The Improvised Shakespeare Show! It's at the Hen & Chickens - must dig out my membership card, given out automatically at every show there, and good for a year. After all, I was there for horror films at Hallowe'en.

Tuesday, I'm at Stage Time - an Improv Variety Show at Shoreditch Balls. Tickets generally available through Eventbrite.

Two nights with Meetup then - on Wednesday, I'm back, for the first time in most of a year, with The Horror Book Club! They always either clashed with something else, or were reading something I didn't fancy, you see.. well, I couldn't avoid this one, where they're reading Ramsey Campbell. I don't like everything he's written - but he was responsible for my favourite horror book ever, Incarnate. And I see he's still writing - the book they're covering on Wednesday is The Lonely Lands, written just last year! I just bought the Kindle edition - and couldn't resist reading the first chapter, which consists of just one sentence:

"When he heard his wife say 'I'm not alone' he thought at first she meant to reassure him."

Ooh, I cannot wait to get into the rest of it - thanks, book club, for reintroducing me! As usual, they're meeting in the Prince of Wales, Covent Garden - and I can eat there.

Next Thursday, I'm with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - another group that never appears in the general Meetup listings, despite being one of the busiest - for Northanger Abbey, in the Orange Tree Theatre. Another place I haven't been in nearly a year..

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. On the 12th and 13th, back with CT for the Bitesize Festival at Riverside Studios - on the 12th, it's for Second Temple, a Jewish comedy.

On the 13th, it's for All the Men Are Going to Hate Me, another comedy, about a woman trying to write the century's great (female) novel!

Then I have five (!) days of Meetup: the next three with UITCS. On the 14th, we're at When You Pass Over My Tomb, at the Arcola. A "story of love and lust beyond the grave", as described, it sounds like an interesting way to spend Valentine's Day.

On the 15th, we're at Double Feature, at Hampstead Theatre.

And on the 16th, we're at Hir, a transgender comedy at Park Theatre.

On the 17th, I'm back (whee! at last!) with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners.. I've been persuaded to redo his Dickens walk. Well, it's months since I was on one of his - and he now only does one Saturday a month, says there's no real demand! And since I can no longer go on the midweek ones, in general.. well.. it'll be great to be back with them anyway.

And on the 18th, back with DL - I only just thought to check that website to see whether there was another walk, and there is, that day! So we're off to Discover London's Oldest Market and Original "High Street"..