Film: The Ballad of Wallis Island

Tonight, decided on film again - delving into the group of (now two) films, I thought The Ballad of Wallis Island looked like the one: another comedy, in which an eccentric lottery winner, living alone on a small offshore island, hires his favourite artists to play a private concert for him. (If only..!) Thing is, the artists used to be a couple, and have since broken up, which adds to the fun - she's played by Carey Mulligan. I suppose I had to get around to it eventually. Still showing in Picturehouse Central.

I was in the office, and planned to stay later than I did - but organising all my own stuff for the last few days has meant I had a lot more time to spare, and have already put in a substantial number of hours this week: more than usual. So in the end, I gave up pretending to have something to do, and left. I could walk from there - although it wasn't exactly pleasant, pushing through the crowds on Shaftesbury Avenue. As usual, I picked the Angus Steakhouse to eat in beforehand - I was going to a late film, so had plenty of time, and they don't require booking. 

I got a table straight away - the waiter was one I'd had before, albeit quite a while ago - I couldn't tell you how long, though! But he remembered me.. and unlike the last time, he heeded my request for a carafe of wine, rather than substituting a large glass. I had calamari - which were a bit rubbery - and a sirloin, which was nice, with pepper sauce, mushrooms, and onion rings. I was absolutely stuffed - couldn't even finish the mushrooms, which, to be fair, were strongly flavoured. I did have space for ice cream - again, ordered two scoops, and again got them in separate dishes. To be fair, these were massive, but still..

Waddled up the road to the cinema, bought a ticket. They didn't have my wine at the box office, so I got a glass in the bar - I had over an hour to wait. Managed to find a table to the side, and finished my wine before I went in.

This is a really sweet film - mainly because of its eccentric lottery winner, who is really naive, but also really unaffected, and quite charming. The other musician, who forms a pair with Carey Mulligan, is Tom Basden - who co-wrote this, and even wrote the music he performs! The lottery-winning superfan turns out to be quite lonely, and it's lovely to see his dreams come true.. A lovely film to watch, with appropriately grey and gloomy weather - filmed in Wales, it transpires. 

Next two days are something of a Meetup extravaganza. Tomorrow, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Miss Myrtle's Garden, at the Bush Theatre. Eating beforehand at Shikumen Chinese restaurant.

Then on Saturday afternoon, I'm attending their summer social, at The Oxford Market. 

That should be finished in time to head over to the BFI, where The Hideout is seeing Videodrome, a body horror by David Cronenberg, that evening. Stars James Woods and Debbie Harry. Love a bit of Cronenberg.

On Sunday - the only day this month they could make it - I'm meeting Ivan and James (and possibly Martin) for our monthly social, and we've decided to try The Phoenix again.

On Monday, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group (London Baroque Music Lovers are also going, but I had to pick one - mind you, the same guy is organising) for the opening night of Handel's opera Semele, in the Royal Opera House. And of course, I would start seeing discount codes after I book.. Eating at Cote Covent Garden beforehand.

On Tuesday, thinking film again - and what's looking good at the top of next week's list is Sudan, Remember Us, a documentary about the popular uprising in Sudan following the overthrow of a dictatorship, and the subsequent violent military crackdown. It'll be great to get a view of a country I don't know much about, and am unlikely to visit.. showing, of course, in the Curzon Bloomsbury, the home of documentaries.

On Wednesday, back with the much-neglected London Literary Walks - this one is called The Modernist Walk, and we're meeting in The Garden Gate, Hampstead. You can eat there, but I couldn't book for just one person, so will have to take pot luck.

On the 3rd, film again - documentary again - Curzon Bloomsbury again! This time for The Salt of the Earth, about the photographer Sebastiao Salgado, who died last month. Co-written and co-directed by Wim Wenders, it's part of the country-wide Kino Dreams retrospective of his work.

And on the 4th - which is, of course, US Independence Day - I'm heading to TunedIn London for the first time in ages, courtesy of The World Music Meetup (whom I've signed up with) and the London European Club, not to mention Curiosity - London Arts, Culture & Walks, for a concert called An American Melt, happening in St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe.