Film: Presence

Tonight, second Meetup in a row as I decided to accompany The Hideout to see Presence! in Picturehouse Central. Stars Lucy Liu. Well, it doesn't have a terrific rating, but neither does it have a bad one - and the trailer looked good.

Left later than anticipated - work again, bah - and lo, there was no mention on the departures board of the #381 - the #188, which I could also take, wasn't due for a while. Sure enough, before I knew it, there was a #381, rounding the corner - no idea what's happening with that route these days.. they don't have the stop on the bus indicator either. Something odd going on. Anyway, I didn't have time for a proper meal. Happily, the nearby Pret was open, and I grabbed a bite there before heading over. When I met the group in the cinema bar, they were planning a quiz, cool.. hope I can make it.

We were all sat pretty close together for the film. Funnily enough, for once I was the one who thought least of it - apart from the poster, which is excellent!

Yes, deliberately reversed. Anyway, Lucy Liu plays a tiger mom, obsessed with her son, for whose benefit they're moving into this new house, so he can go to a swanky new school. She's just plain irritated by her daughter, who seems depressed after the deaths of two of her friends. Both kids are teenagers, BTW. Anyway, it seems primarily to be the daughter who senses a "presence" in the house - which soon becomes apparent to all. But what is it, and why is it there?

The good points: the characters are well-drawn, and the camerawork is excellent, with long panning shots in, as someone pointed out, very enclosed spaces. I mean, I gave it the same rating as IMDB, of 6.5 (I see it's risen slightly since). That was the lowest of any of those who saw it - it got a couple of ratings of 9 from them. So, it's not bad. It's just - not original. There isn't a single original element to it - except perhaps the camera shots. Not the ghost's motivation, not the story - and as for it being scary? Please. As I keep saying, that poster is the scariest aspect of the film - by far. They bring a psychic in at one point - I hardly know why, she just communes with the mirror a bit and leaves, stressed. 

Definitely a scary film for people who don't like scary films. There are a couple of shots that could have been promising, if developed, which they weren't. Like the camera taking the pov of the ghost, and having characters look suspiciously at it - now, that could have gone somewhere. Except it hardly ever happened. Real damp squib of a scary film, if you ask me. Ah well, it was good to see the group, at least.

Afterwards, a few of us headed for a hotel bar - quite rightly figuring most places would be rammed on a Friday night. We ended up in Hotel Café Royal, just up the road - made for the bar, where we were informed that orders would be closing soon for non-residents. We were fine with that, and took a table. Interestingly, the menu, when we checked it, had pages of things related to absinthe - perhaps that's why it's called "The Green Bar"..? Anyway, they had one Sauvignon Blanc available by the glass - and this is what a £15 glass of Sauvignon Blanc looks like, in this hotel:

So, we were as happy only to stay for one. But we had a nice chat, all the same.

Tomorrow, back with the Crick Crack Club at King's Place, for The Three Snake Leaves, with Hugh Lupton, Ben Haggarty, and Sally Pomme Clayton - music by Sheema Mukherjee. Accompanied by a sometime companion from UITCS, who's made suggestions about what we could do beforehand - we shall see. Potentially meeting Ivan for a late-night drinking session afterwards - TBD.

On Sunday, two Meetup groups I haven't been with in an age - in the morning, I'm headed with London Literary Walks for a parade commemorating the execution of Charles I! Never heard of it, but apparently it's a thing. We're meeting at The Red Lion, Crown Passage.

And in the evening, I'm back with Buddies on Budgets in London, for the Winter Lights show in Canary Wharf.

On Monday, I'm back at King's Place for a Kirckman Society concert by the Paddington Trio. It'll be good to get back to classical music, it's been too long..

On Tuesday - now that next week's film list is finally out - why, I think I'll head to The Brutalist, about which I've heard so much. Stars Adrian Brody, and is apparently so long they have an intermission.. and, heh, it's in the Curzon Bloomsbury. Dare I return to Cote on St. Katharine Docks..? I do have to use up that £3 or so I have left over on the voucher..

On Wednesday, I'm at Titanique, the parody musical, at the Criterion! Cheapest tickets from the official source - but lo, it wasn't until I'd bought mine that they bothered to mention it was a "severely restricted" view! Mind you, although it's behind a pillar, it's only a little 'un - I'll probably manage. Booked for Bella Italia, Shaftesbury Avenue, which is nearby.

On Thursday, back with Over 40 Living the Life - first time this year - for Play On, a musical at the Lyric Hammersmith. Re-imagines Twelfth Night - in the Cotton Club! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend..