PREFACE
This is the sporadically updated blog of reviews by Harriet, author of In the Aquarium: a londoner's life.
I have kept the reviews separate to enable them to be indexed and therefore more easily accessible (see listing below).
FAVE FILMS DEAD MAN What an idea, the man is dying for almost the entire length of the film, the music is fantastic, its black and white, ideology, mythology, funny, sad, Johnny Depp sex god...
THE DRAFTMAN'S CONTRACT The first Peter Greenaway film I saw and possibly the most accessible. Beautiful set, costumes, direction. Fantastic soundtrack.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE I knew exactly what was going on right up until the last 15 minutes and damn it but then I lost it.
NIGHT ON EARTH Jim Jarmusch made the only film with Winona Ryder worth watching and it had Beatrice Dalle (say no more)
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? Roar out loud with laughter and tunes that make you love country music. My sister had to sneak out of the cinema ahead of our dad and me cos she was so embarrassed at our laughing.
ORLANDO Quiet, passionate, time travel.
PITCH BLACK Bails and I watched this with its bleached scenery and its whoar factor star. We LOVED him, Mr Diesel take a bow.
RESERVOIR DOGS Tight Tarantino gang heist gone wrong. Great soundtrack. And there's something about Michael Madson, dancing just before cutting off the cop's ear...
ROMUALD ET JULIETTE Truely lovely romance comedy.
THREE COLOURS TRILOGY Blue, White and Red. I liked them all. Quiet stories, beautifully shot.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS Its a story told. And the first time I saw it I didn't get the twist until just before it happened.
Seen The Reviews
7 October Faust The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
I thought we wouldn't be able to see anything other than some singing ants running about on a stage way in the distance but actually we had a good view, even if we felt like we would topple off the cliff face at a moment's awkward movement.
I didn't know the story and hadn't enough change for a programme but managed to follow along anyway.
It goes something like this: Dr Faust is old and dying and sells his soul to the devil for a brief spell of youthfulness so he can find and woo this woman (the devil showed her to him, she was washing - Dr Faust fell for it - you know it can only lead to trouble). The devil's terms are that he will serve Dr Faust in his youth while they are on the earth but thereafter Dr Faust must serve him in Hell. Dr Faust drinks a cup of something and his youth is restored.
Some soldiers are going off to war, one of their sister's is called Margarite and is a virginal beauty and gives her brother a lucky medallion to wear (she wears the other half).
A young man is in love with Margarite and puts posey's of flowers on her step everyday as a sign. Dr Faust with the aid of the devil leaves her a casket full of jewels. She falls for him (partly because the devil has given her a vision and partly because of the wealth). He then appears and seduces her, she resists at first but it is hopeless. They sleep together. The devil's work is done.
Many months go by, Dr Faust has abaondoned Margarite (bad man) and become a heroin addict (I blame the devil), she is pregnant. She goes to the church to pray and the unmerciful God (he looks like the devil but has long waving gray hair rather than straight) refuses to hear her pleas and tells her she will rot in hell. She is shunned by her village. AND THEN her brother comes home and finds her in an advanced state of pregnancy and is in despair at her lack of virtue and the shame she has brought on him (so much weight the poor woman carries on her shoulders). The brother and Dr Faust argue (Dr Faust being the cause of this disrepute brought on his sister) and with the aid of the devil Dr Faust kills the brother. He doesn't forgive his sister even in his dying seconds.
Then the devil commands Dr Faust to come to Hell with him. In Hell, the devil rules the roost and he gets to wear a very stunning sparkly dress and preside over a performance by some ballerinas who on first glance look charming and lovely and frail but soon show their licentious sides and end up in an orgy with the devil's cronies. And during this performance they taunt a pregnant ballerina and run around screaming.
Back in life (as opposed to the afterlife) the poor Margarite has gone mad with the shunning and shame of childbirth out of wedlock and abandonment and has killed her baby and been sent to prison awaiting hanging. The devil sees this as a fitting time for Dr Faust to go back, rescue her and bring her to Hell. She refuses to come despite her love for him. And finally, God shows mercy to her, and Dr Faust (who rapidly becomes old again) banishing the Devil back to Hell.
Apologies, it was a long opera! The music was good. The singing also. Not as stirring as some - it felt a bit like a victorian novel, drawn out in parts and then racing to a conclusion. The second part with what must have been contemporary choreography and the devil in a dress lightened the mood and was actually a little bit shocking (which was mostly shocking because it was in the Royal Opera House when you were least expecting it). Overall, enjoyed it.
Stand up comdey is a hit or miss kind of thing. Not only dependent on the comedians and their routine but also tied to the audience, venue, general mood, etc etc.
The audience was restless, the compare had trouble getting order. They would have all been funny on their day but after a good start with Windsor, Oliver wasn't quite on key and Kevin Precious struggled. Tony Hedricks has one of those funny faces and the audience warmed to him instantly, from then on they were home and dry. Both Hendricks and Dan Antopoliski went down well.
Personally I don't know how they do it and I applaud them for it.
1 October 2004 Stuff Happens A New Play by David Hare National Theatre
The authors note says
Stuff Happens is a history play, which happens to centre on very recent history. the events within it have been authenticated from multiple sources, both private and public. What happened happened. Nothing in the narrative is knowingly untrue. Scenes of direct address quote people verbatim. When the doors close on the world's leaders and their entourages, then I have used my imagination.
It was a strong play. Bascially looks like a news talk show - lots of grey suits. Lots of talking. Made a bit like a documentary by use of narration with intersperced sound bites. Its about what lead up to the Iraq war.
Acting was excellent. Liked the way it used the cast as a crowd (to portray the Senate, then parliament, group of reporters, etc) almost like a chorus and then individuals came out of the crowd and were characters (all recognisable -Bush, Blair, Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld etc).
