Films: The Watched / Watchers & The King

I'm back in Ireland for the weekend. In the rain and cool. Film for the weekend - tan-ta-ra, there was one - was The Watchers / The Watched, a new film by M. Night Shayamalan's daughter, Ishana (!), starring Dakota Fanning as an unsuspecting artist in a forest in the West of Ireland, who finds herself trapped in a house with a glass wall. Being.. watched. By something / someone. Limerick Omniplex, as usual. Based on a book - and I see The Hideout went on Friday. Well, I couldn't have made that, I had to fly.

I had to run to the chemist first, for my mother - which made me ever so slightly late. Also of a slight worry was that, even before the scheduled time, the film listing wasn't included on the electronic board in front of the cinema, outside of which I parked. Never fear though, my ticket was scanned, and there was no problem. I arrived just as the title sequence was finishing - nuts, I thought, with this being a horror film, is there going to be enough light for me to find my seat? Happily, there was a reasonably bright opening scene, and I had just enough light to see by.

Someone asked me whether this was really filmed in Ireland - I can now testify that it was! They did play with the geography a bit - the forest where they filmed is actually in Wicklow, in the East, not the West. Dakota Fanning lives in the heart of Galway City, which has never looked finer - having lived there for some years myself, I was shocked at how sunny they made it look! She works in a shop that doesn't actually exist - they apparently resurrected a derelict building for the purpose. The film's action kicks off when she has to drive to Belfast on business.

Now, I really had to laugh at what they did at this point of the film.. she drives through lovely, scenic countryside, but naturally, that is NOT the way to drive from one city to another - Ireland does have main roads you know! Perhaps she was taking the scenic route.. or maybe her SatNav was playing up. I mean seriously, her car doesn't break down until after she turns onto a grassy track - if that were me, I'd have turned back at that point. (Oh, and even if she was on the scenic route, Wicklow is not on the way from Galway to Belfast..) So, some suspension of disbelief is required. But hey, we can do that.

Unable to get a signal on her phone either (now, that's believable), she sets off on foot - and runs into Olwen Fouéré (Irish, of Breton parents), an older woman with long, white hair. Looking like your typical wise woman of the woods, she urges her into a concrete bunker, which already houses two others - one is Georgina Campbell. Later, they find recordings made by the guy who built the place, played by John Lynch.

Right, so every night they have to "perform" for the Watchers, in front of a glass wall. With the reflected light from the inside, I had visions of this incorporating elements of mirror horror - but it's nothing to do with that at all. No, they just have to be inside by dark, never let what's outside in, and there are a few other rules; never turn your back to the glass, never go near the "burrows" where the Watchers live. They can go out during the day, hunt for food - but markers denote the maximum limit that they can cover and still get back before dark. And the others have been there a long, long time..

Typical Shayamalan, trapping people in a situation with imperfect information. He apparently funded this himself, before selling it to Warner. It has scary moments, but as with all of his, it's not exceptionally scary overall - mainly, what I loved about it was its incorporation of Irish folklore! I haven't heard this particular tale, but it does chime with existing folklore, and is well thought-out. Nice little touches include the means of escape, and the marks that the creatures leave on their victims - resonating with other legends. I see the film's rating has now plummeted, which is a shame - it's quite an original story, and I really enjoyed it. Anyway, highly recommended for anyone into folklore..

Last night's tv had a lot of films I'd seen already, and one I hadn't - The King is a documentary - about Elvis, of course - narrated by several celebrities, and taking us on a musical journey through America, starting in Memphis, moving to New York, and finally to Vegas, following the trajectory of his life. As the summary says:  a musical road trip across America in his 1963 Rolls Royce explores how a country boy lost his authenticity and became a king while his country lost her democracy and became an empire.

It's a tricky pair of subjects to link together, although there is a similarity in theme - but whatever the success of the structure, it is a fascinating mix of old footage and contemporary travelogues. Trump makes an unflattering appearance, of course, as they chart America's downfall in parallel with Elvis'. Compulsive viewing, for anyone with an interest in the States.

Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) again for Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder - a musical comedy about the presenters of a murder podcast, finding themselves in the position of sleuths! (Unfortunately, their press night was rained out - a sprinkler malfunctioned, and they had to cancel!) Showing at the Ambassadors Theatre, cheapest tickets from the official source, with a promo code! Stupidly, when I was booking it though, I forgot all seats would be the same price - could have got a better one, never mind. And I've booked Bella Italia St. Martin's Lane again.

On Tuesday, Buddies on a Budget in London is off to the Yamato Drummers at the Peacock Theatre. Their tickets were sold out by the time I came to booking this, but it's the best thing on Meetup for the day - so I booked my own ticket. Eating in Cote Covent Garden.

On Wednesday, back with UITCS for The Finellis, a musical in Wonderville. I remember the food not being great there - will see what my options are nearby.

And on Thursday, back with CT for a talk on The Peasants' Revolt, at Southwark Cathedral.