Friday 12 February 2016


I spent most of last weekend at the cinema, which is as good a way as any of spending a chilly afternoon. (Nobody could ever accuse of me of being the outdoor type, striding forth in Hunter wellies with glowing cheeks. Truth is, nobody over the age of five ever wants to go for a walk with me because I dawdle.)
Anyway, first up was Spotlight, a gripping account of the Boston Globe's investigation into that city's cover-up of child abuse by Catholic priests. Fascinating to see this who's who and how closely the actors resemble their real life counterparts.


On Sunday morning, I was up and out early to see A Bigger Splash. Ralph Fiennes was hilarious but this didn't quite pass the snooze test and I drifted off in the middle. But an unexpected appearance by Tilda Swinton for Q&A at the end made me think that maybe it was more nuanced than I gave it credit for. She stayed for half an hour, giving thoughtful, articulate answers to questions from the audience; and I was fascinated to see her in the flesh ... Actually, the film is now rather more topical than when it was made. Swinton's rock star character is clearly inspired by David Bowie and the issues of migrants on the island of Pantelleria are even more pressing.



The Lobster, on the other hand, was weird and hilarious and had me laughing out loud. Slightly discomfiting to watch as an unattached singleton - because in this dystopian world,  where single people aren't allowed, and get turned into the animal of their choice if they can't find a partner ... I'm afraid I'd find myself turned into a three-toed sloth within 45 days. (Word of warning: my unhappily single friend HATED this movie and didn't get the black humour ... and she's sentimental about animals, and there's an awful moment with a dog who's really someone's brother ... Oh dear, I don't know why I feel guilty inviting someone to a movie they dislike, but I always do!) 

No comments: