Film: Sherlock Jr.

Tonight, second film in a row, I decided on 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 have been in time to eat beforehand!

Except I wasn't, of course.. got caught up with stuff. Did make it in time for the film, taking the Thameslink, which is quicker, with fewer stops, at the same price. It was cool to look out the window at London as we passed - even when I'm on the bus, I don't see it from this angle.(And yes, don't tap out at the points through the station - wait for the gates at the exit). Arrived early at the cinema, but not in time for food.. bought a snack and some wine, and settled down in the lobby to wait.

I was in the Club Room, to which I was ably directed by a staff member - and wow, every cinema should have a room like this, with cafe tables and a bar at the back:

We politely extinguished our candles as the film started (nearly half an hour late), and the live viola player gave us a wee speech about his inspirations, then started to play along to the film..

Ah, it's so good. Buster Keaton has a real sense of comic timing.. much of the film comprises a dream sequence, so he gets to try some derring-do stunts.. which he was famous for doing himself. And the timing - mostly slapstick in this silent film - is spot on. It takes talent to do this sort of thing - and he absolutely aces it. It's evident through the whole film.. piece of class, this. Highly recommended.

Afterwards, to Nando's - no, this isn't it, but it is cool:

Where I was most excellently fed before heading home again.

The weekend, I'm finally back with Meetup - tomorrow, 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 (LoMAZ)'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. (And you heard it here first, LoMAZ is ending its hiatus next month!) I'm eating in Cote St. Katharine Docks beforehand.

And on 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.