Another of the Riverside nights last night and something of a coup, as Woodbridge welcomed an artist described by the Evening Standard as “Britain’s greatest living film director“. The film showing was ‘The Deep Blue Sea‘, based on the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan.
redandwhiterag
AB Fab – The Movie
Spent the afternoon at the Riverside to catch the Ab Fab Movie. Reasonably good fun though not quite as sharp as the earlier episodes of the TV series – it was spikier then. Kathy Burke steals the few scenes she is in and Jennifer Saunders is still an excellent physical comedian. There were still one or two sharp observations but the satire around celebrity culture …
North Yorkshire / Bakewell
Just back from an eight day break in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Spent the first three nights at a lovely hotel between Skipton and Settle and although the weather was mixed, we were lucky to avoid the worst. Skipton and Settle both worth a visit, as was the lovely village of Grassington. Then dropped down to Bakewell (via a stop off at the lovely Bolton Abbey …
The Silent Storm should have stayed silent
Went to the Riverside yesterday to see The Silent Storm, written and directed by Corinna McFarlane. Set on the Isle of Mull and undeniably beautifully shot, this was a slight, underwhelming and overwrought drama that promised depth and delivered stereotypes and a complete lack of nuance. We are presumably expected to see or hear the anguish in Damian Lewis’s fanatical preacher as he wrestles with his faith …
Money Monster
Spent a pleasant Sunday evening at the Riverside in Woodbridge catching a showing of the Jodie Foster directed Money Monster, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. We weren’t expecting too much after seeing the less than stellar reviews but it proved to be a more than competent thriller with a nice, sardonic edge to both the script and main character. I guess it’s more than …
Ten Days In Malta
Just returned (in the early hours of May 27th) from a ten day break in Malta, where we were blessed with the usual sunny weather, perfect for both a relaxing and interesting holiday. Although we’ve been to Malta on a couple of occasions, we were astonished when looking back that the last time was way back in 2004. So, it was good to return, this time using Sliema as a base.
Mark Steel: Who Do I Think I Am (12/05/16)
Went to see Mark Steel at the Apex on Thursday night. We’ve seen him on a couple of occasions before but this was the first time at Bury St. Edmunds. This tour was built around his search for his birth parents, which he admits he had little interest in pursuing until the birth of his own son. As we shall see, his own sense of self was confused, not clarified by his discoveries.
Eric Bibb at the Apex (09/05/2016)
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the wonderful Eric Bibb live (last time was the Leadbelly Fest at the Albert Hall when he was sharing the stage with many others) and so it was timely that as part of his current UK tour he was appearing at the Apex in Bury St. Edmunds, fast becoming one of our favourite small scale venues. Denise was definitely showing signs of withdrawal symptoms.
A Sunrise in 1927
Another of the “Riverside Nights” at the Riverside Theatre in Woodbridge, this time featuring the British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor Kevin Brownlow. A very interesting Q&A, followed by a screening of one of Kevin’s favourite silent films, the 1927 ground breaker ‘Sunrise’, made by the German director F. W. Murnau. Although the storyline was little thin (although possibly not for the …
Mavis!
A rare foray yesterday, especially for Denise, into Ipswich town centre – I think she’s even less inclined to visit every time she goes. On this occasion, it was to the excellent film theatre to see the documentary of the wonderful Mavis Staples. The film itself was a fairly orthodox biopic, but none the worse for that as it allowed the subject to shine without the distraction of unnecessary gimmicks.
Mirth, Mathematics and Music
Have you heard the one about a Sril Lankan British stand-up comedian called Jonathan, an Indian who forever changed the course of mathematics thinking and two guitarists called Martin, all of whom could be found in Bury St. Edmunds on a Friday and Saturday night? No, well read on…..
Beards, Sheep and Woolly Jumpers
There was a time (yesterday actually) when we took a drive all the way up to Aldeburgh on a pretty grey Easter Saturday afternoon to sit in a local, very old fashioned cinema to see a film about two middle aged, feuding sheep farmers in a bleak and remote part of Iceland that had little dialogue and was subtitled anyway.