Film: September 5

Tonight, the last of a run of four days of film for me, and the second day in a row with Movie Roadhouse London, they were seeing September 5 - a tense thriller about the terrorist attack on the Munich Olympics. The trailer looked terrific - really tense - and it includes some original footage. In Picturehouse Central, like last night - but I decided not to head to the Angus again.. nor was I going to take the #453..

Nope, I took the #188 all the way to the end, walked from there. Tonight's organiser beat me to it - there were only three of us on this occasion, and again we chatted until showtime. A smaller screen than last night, this one (Screen 5) doesn't have recliners - but the seats have lovely, plush upholstery, and are very comfortable.

First thing I noticed was how many faces I recognised! There was Peter Sarsgaard, as Roone Arledge, President of ABC Sports; there was Ben Chaplin, as Marvin Bader, the VP of ABC Olympic Operations; and there was Leonie Benesch as a German translator, who helps them decipher German news broadcasts. Her character didn't apparently exist in real life - her inclusion helped the story by having a woman present, and also a German. For local context.

I loved this - I found it tense, I found it pacy.. and of course, it was both the most immediate sports coverage yet, and - as it turned out - the first time a terrorist act was broadcast live. And as a result, we see them face some modern conundrums - the problem of showing police actions on TV was a real one, and a police raid had to be called off specifically because the terrorists were watching it on the TV in the apartment where they were holed up. There was also, as discussed, the issue of whether to broadcast anyone being shot, if that happened, and when the incident reaches its conclusion, the decision of whether to broadcast an uncorroborated report of the outcome.

I daresay they have answers to hand for all of those questions these days - but they didn't then, and it makes for fascinating viewing, with the tension in the newsroom matching that felt by everyone involved in the hostage situation. Really, a terrific film, for my tuppence worth. Strongly recommended. We spent a long time afterwards, chatting..

Tomorrow, a break from Meetup and from films - I'm back with Storytelling at Torriano Avenue! This one is "Queens of Albion"..

On Thursday - yes, back to film, this time on my own again - I'm going to Certified Copy, a nice pre-Valentine's Day romance, with Juliette Binoche showing an English author around Tuscany. Showing in the Prince Charles, one day only, and I finally booked, as it was beginning to sell out - and I'm planning to eat in my fave Bella Italia (Cranbourn Street) afterwards. I see French Film Fanatics are seeing it too, but they're meeting for a drink afterwards, and I want my dinner!

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - and despite it not being rated yet, the film is looking like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, in which Renée Zellweger reprises the role of the lovelorn Bridget, married to Colin Firth but now, sadly, widowed. Also stars Isla Fisher, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Bridget's kids' principal, Emma Thompson as Bridget's doctor, Jim Broadbent as Bridget's dad, and Hugh Grant - although not as a love interest this time; no, this time she finds a toyboy.. by the name of "Roxster". Well, it looks decent - and it's the only film showing in the afternoon, that I haven't seen and am interested in seeing! It's showing everywhere - I'll probably see it in Ennis.

And on Monday. back in London, and back with CT for a jazz & tap night at Piano Smithfield..

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leaving Drinks

Yesterday, I booked with CT for a play called  10 Nights , at  Riverside Studios . But it was a colleague's last day, and he booked the  All Bar One  by the office for leaving drinks - so I did that instead. I loved working with him, he'll be missed - and I was just as happy not to have to traipse all the way to  Hammersmith .. A large card went around, appropriate for all the people that wanted to sign it - and before the pub, there was a speech in the office, streamed on Teams for anyone who wanted to watch and wasn't in yesterday. It was pointed out to those online that we had drinks in the office, too - there was plenty of beer, something fizzy, and a bottle of regular white wine. Unfortunately, I never did get to that - there wasn't a general move, although the CEO's wife, who'd come in for the occasion, partook of the wine. But you see, I didn't want to start a glass and then discover we were en route to the pub! I needn't have worried - I thought...
Read more

Film: I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)

Image
Tonight, I decided on film - and the film at the top of my list looked really good;  I'm Still Here  is about a  Brazilian  woman whose husband disappeared during the  military dictatorship . Based on a true story, this is receiving a lot of attention. Also showing widely - the closest to me is in the  BFI . I booked it, because it had started to sell out - in fact, in the end it completely sold out . Interestingly,  Movie Roadhouse London  saw it on Sunday , and loved it.. if I hadn't had this booked, I'd have gone with them! And by the time I discovered I was free that day, of course I'd already booked for tonight.. I made it just in time, and had booked for the end of a row, conveniently. Now.. the difference between this and the film I saw on Sunday can be very succintly described - this director knows how to tell a story, that director didn't. For all that each is the recounting of a true story, they couldn't be more different. In this fi...
Read more

Play: Lynn Faces

Image
Tonight, back with  Up in the Cheap Seats  for  Lynn Faces , a comedy about women of a certain age starting a punk group, and playing at the  New Diorama .  My plan was to eat at the nearby Wasabi  beforehand. It was another member of the group, who, when we're both headed to something, joins me for food beforehand, that spotted that it closes at 3! Undeterred, we decided on the one by Warren Street . I got there early, as it happened - to discover that that one is essentially a cupboard with shelving. No seating whatsoever. So, Plan C - I took myself off to the other alternative we'd considered, the Greene Man , pretty much across the road from the theatre, and which, when I spotted it, I realised I'd eaten in when I was here before ! On the way, I passed the other Wasabi, the one that closes early.. I see they have lots of space.. Happily, the pub wasn't too busy, and I got a table without trouble, where my companion duly joined me. And we both had their...
Read more