Film: One Battle After Another

I planned film for the weekend - and Flicks has made an absolute sea-change in my life! No longer do I have to bother with that blasted old listings site, which is never completely updated until the week whose listings it's describing is nearly over - no, Flicks is much more up to date.. and what's more, I can order the listings - by rating! They do use Rotten Tomatoes (RT) - but to be fair, I could do with a change from IMDB anyway, they have a problem with overrating some films. And RT does highly rate some of the generally acknowledged good films. What's more, you can store a watchlist - and for each film, you can list the venues in order of distance from a specified location! Default is your current location. For a specified day (chosen from the list of available days), they show the different listings for each cinema - and lo, you can click on the time you want, for the cinema you want, and be taken straight to the booking page. It's so easy, it's unreal - and instead of the film list (which I can now scrap) taking hours, I was literally done and dusted in terms of deciding a film - within half an hour.

So - highest rated (on RT) that had a listing for today and that I was interested in and hadn't seen - was the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, One Battle After Another - about retired revolutionaries rescuing the daughter of one of them (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has been kidnapped by an old adversary (Sean Penn). Also stars Benicio del Toro. (To be fair, IMDB also rates it highly.) Closest showing to me - for once - was the Everyman Borough, which is my closest, but almost never has the best films - I picked the later showing, without which (again!) I couldn't have finished the last post - and wouldn't you know it, both showings were nearly sold out when I checked! So I booked. Also booked The Old Thameside Inn, which I love, for dinner beforehand. Another where you have to wait for them to get back to you, but this time, they did pretty quickly. And I can walk to both.

I only just finished that post in time, and legged it. Arrived slightly late for my pub booking, but it didn't matter, they weren't that busy in the dining section, and it started to empty before I was finished. And I had the most delicious chicken schnitzel - which I probably haven't had since I was last in Bella Italia! I'd left myself plenty of time for a second glass of wine.

A short walk, then, to the cinema:

When I arrived at the cinema, the bar was quite crowded - I was just thinking of where to sit when an usher spotted me and let me know the screen was open, and yes, I could order in there. Seating is comfy sofas and armchairs, with ledges at the back that you can store stuff on, in addition to the trays on the arms:

I had another glass of wine - indeed, there was a steady stream of orders for drink and food. As they explained, you could order from your seat, and have it delivered there, until the film started - after that, you needed to order, and collect, from the bar.

Well, as one of the stars says when interviewed, you never know what's going to happen next in this film. It's definitely an action film, but as Benicio del Toro remarked in an interview, it has a humanity that most action films lack. It takes a very left-wing perspective, taking as its heroes the underdogs of society, waging a violent war against the army/government. I'm not a supporter of those tactics - but it's hard not to be on their side when the army and government are as racist and xenophobic as they are here. There's very little respect for human life on their side, which they snuff out as is convenient. Faced with that, you couldn't blame these revolutionaries.

The plot is pleasantly convoluted, there are some clever visual gags, and the action hardly ever lets up. Benicio del Toro and Leonardo DiCaprio play great comic characters, Sean Penn gets to play a really nasty bad guy. The desert scenery is nice, when we get to see it - it was filmed around California and Texas, long roads stretching beside mountain ranges. As someone pointed out, kudos for making a car chase exciting when it only has three cars, and nobody changes lanes. The direction is top-notch, the story is terrific, much of the staging is surreal. Couldn't fault it, really.

For tomorrow, of the next-highest-rated films on Flicks, best looks like Sorry, Baby, which is rated much higher there than on IMDB. It's been out a while, so by now the closest showing to me is in the Ritzy - and not selling out.

On Monday, I finally fly back to Ireland again - and it'll be a relief to get a wash on (there's a washing machine in my flat, but no dryer) and get at the rest of my wardrobe! I've been delayed in going back until now because my car broke down, but it's now fixed, and I need to get back - because I found out about something in Ireland on Tuesday that I'm dying to go to! Martin Shaw, the London storyteller - and you know how I love storytelling - is doing a tour, of Ireland only (now completely sold out), with none other than Tommy Tiernan! They're doing a show called Between Dog and Wolf, and are playing Glór, the closest venue to me, on Tuesday. Couldn't miss that.. and I'm provisionally meeting an old friend for lunch at Jade Cottage, earlier that day.

I fly back to London on Wednesday evening - that'll be my last trip to Ireland before November - and on Thursday, the start of a six-day Meetup run, finally back with Mandy Morrow, who's running a new type of event called Rat-Arsed Tours! (Historic walk and pub crawl, basically.) Tickets available from Eventbrite, and it is starting in St. James. Somewhere.

On Friday, finally back with Up in the Cheap Seats, who are going to Sadler's Wells for R:Evolution, by the English National Ballet. Oh, it's months since I was last there.. Eating at The Wilmington beforehand.

Next weekend is all about The Hideout, for the month that's in it! Next Saturday, the first of four days of horror for me, we're on a field trip.. to Shocktober! Running at Tully's Farm, it promises shows, scares, fairground rides.. a maze with zombies that chase you with chainsaws.. also food and drink. We're taking a train from Victoria together - and as usual, I found Uber cheapest.

On the 5th, we're headed to A Nightmare on Elm Street - oh, I just love that film! Showing in the Prince Charles - and of course, I'm in Bella Italia beforehand. It'll have been nearly a fortnight - wonder whether they wonder where I've been!

On the 6th, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the last day of Sicilian Vespers at the Royal Opera House. Continuing the horror theme, even the publicity shot for this shows skulls.. Again, it's months since I was last here, or with this group. Eating in Cote Covent Garden beforehand - even though it's on early, it's a long one, so I'll have to eat beforehand.

On the 7th, finally back - for the first time in nearly a year! - with the Horror Book Club! Not a book club meeting per se - I never have time to read them - this is a panel, in Waterstone's - of new horror writers, discussing what's current.

And on the 8th, finally back with storytelling at Torriano! Hosted, as ever, by Nell Phoenix, it's - again - months since I was there. On this occasion, the performance is Lilith: The Other Side of the Story..