it’s here!
Or at least, the FrightFest 2016 trailer is, which is nearly as good until the real thing starts in just over three weeks – yay! Given that it’s a horror film festival there are (not entirely unsurprisingly) horror-bits in it so anybody overly squeamish, use your judgement. You’re here in the first place, so you know how to do that.
The start of August heralds my top watching-films-in-London month of the year, thanks not just to FrightFest but the good people at Somerset House for Summer Screen, which I first happened across back in 2009 and which may well be the most pleasant way to go to the cinema anywhere, if (in theory at least) not the most comfortable. It’s all relative; I was comfortable enough to nod off in the middle of Warriors last year despite the necessary lying-flat-on-a-stone-courtyard, but then I could fall asleep in the middle of a Pamplona bull run if I was properly fed, watered and wrapped nicely in a blanket.
With this in mind, it’s worth pointing out that the Closed sign will be going up at 6pm sharp each day of my Covent Garden trip – no exceptions. Thankfully – unlike last year – I won’t have too far to walk but (also unlike last year) I’d like to make a decent job of the picnic, although the evening I ordered takeaway Wagamama online and grabbed it on the way over was a masterstroke, my yaki soba and crispy squids drawing covetous looks from people who’d gone the pasta salad and Pringle route. A repeat will definitely be on the cards this time round.
As for FrightFest, anybody who has ever attended any film festival will know it can be punishing stuff at the best of times; this years’ new location (again) at the Vue Shepherds Bush could have been better thought out given that it’s the Notting Hill Carnival and I can’t say I’m particularly excited about spending my weekend in a shopping centre rather than Soho, but not to worry and let’s just hope the seats are OK. There will be no availability in the mornings this year because of the extra daily travel time involved, but I will be heading straight for Waterloo the day after for a couple of days to make up for it – hooray! More details in good time.
At the other end of the film viewing comfort scale lies home, my new wall-mounted Smart TV and more specifically Mubi. Why didn’t I sign up for this before? Thirty carefully picked out films to choose from with one expiring and a new one added every day – this week so far I have seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, La Dolce Vita, To Die For, Dead End, Adventureland and Suspiria. The latest offering at the time of writing is Das Boot, which as anybody who’s seen it will know requires some serious planning to fit into a viewing schedule, but will slot perfectly into my train journey on the twelfth thanks to Mubi’s download facility. And last but not least, I was persuaded to give the mighty Cloverfield another chance after being unconvinced the first time I saw it, since a found footage film about anything is pretty much a guarantee that my money stays in my pocket. After far more huge monster fun than I remember, I can definitely confirm I was wrong. Thank you, Mubi!
Meanwhile, the decorating continues apace and now spans two locations – I’ll be around all week and possibly available later in the day whilst I get stuck into patching up some walls at the flat. Last day in Scarborough is Thursday the eleventh, then I’ll be back for a week from the seventeenth before dashing off to the Bush. It’s all go.
New blog feature: record of the week! The I Wish This Laptop Had Better Speakers award this week for the track I’ve played most whilst stripping crap wallpaper goes to…
More soon. For now, it’s back to the films…
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