Film: The Odyssey

Tonight, I was thinking of The Last Viking, which I'd intended to see on the 12th, but didn't - it's a crime comedy with Mads Mikkelson, who plays a man under the delusion that he's John Lennon. Evening showing was in the Ritzy.

Ah, but the big release of the summer is, arguably, The Odyssey, just released, and which I'd have seen at the weekend, had I had the time. The story of the epic poem, it's directed, written, and co-produced, by Christopher Nolan, and for the cast, it looks like they went through the Hollywood phone book and played eeny-meeny-miny-mo.. there's:

• Matt Damon as Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who spends 10 years fighting the Trojan War, and then gets.. delayed on the way home, spending another 10 years getting there, and giving his name to the trip. I have a vague memory that this was a curse on him after he annoyed some god or other, but can't find anything about it now.
• Anne Hathaway as his long-suffering wife, Penelope, who spends 20 years awaiting his return. Ages well.
• Tom Holland as their son, Telemachus. So she'd have been 13 when she had him, Odysseus 25. Yeah, works..
• Robert Pattinson as Antinous, who, while Odysseus is away so long (presumed dead), takes advantage of his home, tries to woo Penelope and kill Telemachus, and generally makes a nuisance of himself.
• Mia Goth as Melantho, a favourite slave of Penelope's, who becomes the lover of one of her suitors, and is disrespectful to Odysseus when he finally returns, in disguise, not recognising him.
• Charlize Theron as Calypso, a nymph that detains Odysseus for seven years, until the gods force her to let him go.
• Zendaya as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War.
• Lupita Nyong'o as Helen, whose beauty sparked the Trojan War, when she left her husband, Menelaus, King of the warlike Sparta, to elope with Paris, a Trojan prince. Also plays Helen's half-sister, Clytemnestra.
• Samantha Morton as Circe, a woman they meet on the journey, with the ability to turn humans into animals.

Well, that promised be fun! No wonder it runs to three hours.. I was in the office today, so saw it in the Odeon Tottenham Court Road, on their fancy Laser screen. Always cheaper to book online with Odeon, so I did.

They were talking about it in the office last week, they were talking about it in the office today. As I remarked to one guy, I guess everyone is going to see it at some point. I could stay until about 5.30, eat in All Bar One across the road, and still make it in time. So, across the road I went - it was a bit crowded, but I managed to get a nice sofa in the corner. I tried to order on the app, being on my own - twice it hung at the confirmation page! I ended up having to order from the bar. Was lucky I had my laptop bag with me, because a pair of women were looking at sitting there as I was coming back, but were put off when they saw the bag.

I had the chicken schnitzel, which was lovely - as were the fries that came with it. An enormous amount of salad covered the chicken. On the side were a slice of lemon and a ramekin of what they said on the menu was roast pepper mayonnaise. It had a rather peculiar taste, so I left it. Was in time for a second glass of wine - after all, there'd be ads before the film.

Got another wine on the way in, and was just in time for the trailers - some good films coming up, it seems, including Werwulf by Robert Eggers, and The Uprising, about the Peasants' Revolt, starring Andrew Garfield as the rebel leader, and also Jamie Bell, Tom Hollander, and Jonny Lee Miller.

And so to the feature. Well, as usual, with such a preponderance of stars, most of them don't get seen much. The only one that's on screen for most of the film is Matt Damon - Robert Pattinson has fun as the villain, and Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland get a few important scenes. Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, and Samantha Morton have fewer scenes, but significant, Zendaya hangs around as a kind of vision of Matt Damon's - and Lupita Nyong'o is only seen briefly.

It's a competent telling of the story, the monsters suitably big and scary. And the sea sequences are beautifully shot, with a real sense of the stormy seas on a small, open boat. There's a bit much fighting in it for my liking - just not my thing. Matt Damon has found a conscience that the original Odysseus never had.. and some women are excised from the story. But it's pacy - I was never bored. And Robert Pattinson always has a villainous look about him. I did miss the bit set inside the Trojan Horse - had to run to the loo briefly, with all that wine.

Interesting, but not edge of your seat stuff. Anyway, afterwards, had to walk a good bit to get to a bus that'd take me home, what with the roadworks. Was glad to get off, what with the woman beside me okaying a game on her phone with the volume up..

And tomorrow, second film in a row, I'm thinking of Sherlock Jr., a Buster Keaton comedy, in which he turns detective when accused of a crime he didn't commit. Showing in the Finsbury Park Picturehouse. And with our company giving us an hour off on summer Fridays, I should be in tikme to eat beforehand!

The weekend, I'm finally back with Meetup - on Saturday, it's third time lucky for the London Sci-Fi / Fantasy Meetup Group, who had their social cancelled twice by the Mad Hatter for the World Cup! Yes, they are still having it there..

And on Sunday, back with Rewind Tours of London, for a Walking Westminster Tour.

Monday is looking like another film, and what's coming up is Vie Privée (A Private Life), in which Jodie Foster, in a bilingual performance, plays an American psychiatrist living in France and investigating the death of one of her patients, whom she believes was murdered. Showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury.

On Tuesday, I'm back with CT for Ludwig: Unfinished Business, a comedy about Beethoven, showing in the Playground Theatre and performed by an actual pianist. Another Fringe preview.

Next, thinking of two more days of film. On Wednesday, I'm doing something rather related to London Museums A-Z's ongoing Dracula events - they're showing the original Nosferatu in Wilton's Music Hall, with live music, and another of the group is also going. I'm eating in Cote St. Katharine Docks beforehand.

And next Thursday, thinking of Life Support, a documentary about the medics operating in Gaza. Evening showing is in the Rio Dalston.

Finally, I end the month on the 31st with CT, heading to a concert called Sirens, with an all-female group singing classic numbers in the Emerald Theatre. Eating in L' Ulivo beforehand.