Every year the London Film Festival comes around I look at the program and check out all the big premiers and weird indie moves on offer. I usually try to go to one or two, the big movies usually sold out but a hidden gem in there catches the eye.
This year I was lucky enough to get tickets to two of the big premiers, The Harder They Fall and Last Night in Soho along with  an indie movie with the intriguing title Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.   On a Wednesday  evening I headed off to the South Bank and walked into a unexpected situation. I arrived at the entrance surrounded by people in suits, tuxedos and dresses while I'm in my jeans and cardigan. We're ushered down the red carpet, stars of the movie being interviewed for TV on a platform on one side, others being interviewed by the press on the other. As I walked towards the entrance I turned round to realise Idris Elba had his back to us while he spoke to  a journalist.
Once in the theater we could watch all the coming and going down the red carpet and it felt surreal that a real Hollywood movie premier was happening just outside. Later all the stars, including Idris, Director Jeymes Samuel, Producer Jay-Z, Regina King and Jonathan Majors were on stage to talk about the film.

What followed was one of the freshest takes on the western I'd seen in a long time.  The usual western tropes were there with wide sweeping vistas,  saloon bars and a revenge narrative but given unique twists. Male and female characters were given equal precedence and all drawn from real black men and women who were alive during the time period.  The action was stylish, if a little over the top, but never felt unrealistic and the soundtrack weaved elements of reggae and hip-hop into a traditional western themes.  The fact is was Jeymes Samuels first feature film made is all the more impressive and I can't wait to see it again when its on Netflix next month. 

Next came the premier for Last Night in Soho, the new film from "Shaun of the Dead" and "Baby Driver" director Edgar Wright. The even was scaled back from the previous premier but I still got to walk the red carpet again and see Edgar doing some press interviews. Knowing what I was in for I decided to wear a jacket for this one so did didn't feel so out of place. The film itself was a mix of time-travel fantasy, horror and coming of age drama, all put together amazingly. Without giving any spoilers the way the film shifted time periods and constantly kept the viewer wondering what they were watching and what was going to happen next was a joy and might be one of the best films I'd seen this year. 
Finally I got to see Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a weird and wonderful take on superheros I guess. No premier and no red carper this time,  just a screening at the Prince Charles in Leicester Square. The film is essentially the story of a young girl with strange powers who breaks out of a mental institution and goes on a journey through New Orleans and meeting the strange characters who inhabit it. While I wouldn't say this was groundbreaking in anyway it was interesting, funny in parts, emotional in others with performances from actors you wouldn't expect. Ed Skrien was particularly  unrecognisable  in his role. 
So that's my journey through the London Film Festival. It was great to see some major movies and a little indie weirdness and I look forward to doing it again next year. ​

I first got glasses in primary school, around the age of 9 or 10. From that point on I was dependent on glasses or contact lenses to do almost everything.   While they definitely didn't hold me back from doing anything, after nearly 30 years I was tired of being so dependent that the first thing I did every morning was fumble around for my glasses. So three days ago I took the plunge and got laser eye surgery and already I'm healed enough to write this. Following the picture I'll write about the whole process so if you're squeamish and don't want to hear about it feel free to check out now. But for anyone interested or considering doing it yourselves hopefully this will give you more of an idea what happens once you go into the surgery. ​

All the stuff that goes before is like a pretty standard eye check up, I then head into the operating room and lie in the chair. It feels not unlike going to the dentists, lying back looking up at a bright light. Drops are put into my eyes and after a few minutes the light dim and the process begins.  The surgeon manipulates my head into the right position and what feels like a small plastic tube is inserted into my eye socket. It's not a pleasant or gentle experience but I guess you don't want things out of position or moving around when you're firing a laser at someones eye. I'm then told to look up at the red light and a 12 second countdown commences. I don't feel anything and after the 12 seconds is up we move onto the next stage. I'm moved across the room and put under another machine, more drops are placed into my eye and it looks like the surgeon is waving a q-tip back and forth across my eye.  I then look up and into another red light and this time a 39 second countdown begins. I hear a series of crackling pops which I assume is the laser firing and get a definite burning smell.  After the 39 seconds is over the laser stops and the process is repeated on the other eye. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes and while not very painful is quite intense and my heart rate is definitely raised a few notches.
Almost immediately I'm able to see with just a light haze filtering everything I look at. We move into another room and go through post op care which basically includes a series of eye drops and the insistence nothing goes in or near the eyes for at least a week. After that I'm allowed to go home with just a pair of sunglasses for protection. Initially it feels more uncomfortable than painful, the eyes are sore and I just want to keep them closed. On the cab ride home it starts to build and by the time I get home I can barely open my eyes and they seem to sting constantly. It feels similar to when you get chili in your eyes and they won't stop watering but this goes on for about 4 or 5 hours before it begins to subside. Once the stinging and watering has lessened I can open my eyes a bit more and start to move around although the sensitivity to light does mean I have to put my sunglasses back on to go make a cup of tea.   I fall asleep and have a relatively pain free night and when I wake up in the morning my eyes barely hurt at all. The haze that clouded my vision the day before is gone although there is a slight halo when looking at lights or electronic displays and I get a shock when I look in the mirror and I see my right eye is almost completely red from a broken blood vessel. Looking at my phone I realise that my short vision is pretty bad and I can barely read anything without holding the phone an arms length away. But I'm well enough to get an uber into the city for my initial check up, I barely feel anything apart from some sensitivity when the light shines through the window. The check up goes well and they tell me my short vision should come back in about a week or so and that my bloody eye should return to normal soon.  
So here we are today, eyes feeling good, still got a bit of the halo effect and still can't read my phone easily but it's probably a good thing that I'm forced to take a break. It feels weird to be able to just wake up and see but I guess that'll take a while to go away completely. I'm looking forward to exploring the potential of what my new eyes can offer  once they are fully healed but for now I'm just enjoying the simple pleasures of not having to fumble for my glasses every morning.

In a world where sitting in a dark room shoulder to shoulder with strangers still feels alien what could be better than cinema in the open air?  This was my thought process when I booked tickets to see In the Heights at the  Rooftop Film. In my mind I thought of a warm summer evening, sun setting over stunning views of London as the film started to play.  Unfortunately the reality was not quite how I imaged it...

I arrived nice and early at the Bussey Building (yep, that's what it's called) and was faced with a climb up 4 flights of steps. Looking back I should have anticipated that stairs would be involved in a rooftop film club but at the time I didn't think about it and was unprepared for such exertion. Once I'd made it to the top I was greeted by a giant box of popcorn and a beautiful little arrangement of deck chairs and tables to sit in. I collected my blanket and wireless headphones from the box office, picked out a decent spot and settled in to wait for the film. 
I should say that the setup at the Rooftop Film Club is excellent. The deckchairs are arranged with a good view of the screen, not too close together. Each set of chairs has a table which lets you order food, drink and snacks and they're brought right too you throughout the film. Once the sun had set and the film started the wireless headphones were great, you could hear the film without any interruptions from the elements or the other patrons. 
The film itself was a delightful musical, representing a modern day New York with its immigrant population being slowly pushed out by gentrification.  For something that's dealing with such a serious topic it had a lightness and joy about it and just about kept up the fun for the near two and a half hour run time. The hot summer  setting would have been perfect for a warm summer evening  but as usual you can never rely on the British weather.
As the night went on, drinks were had, snacks were eaten and the cold and the wind started to set in. Being so high up meant gusts of wind were frequent and with the night cooling down the blankets were wrapped tighter and tighter. By the end of the film I was happy to get up and go, dropping my headphones and blanket off as I went. The four flights of stairs that had been such a trial on arrival were now a welcome way to get the blood flowing again. 
On reflection the night was  a treat with the weather being only a minor inconvenience. Should I plan to go back again I'll anticipate a colder night and bring some warmer clothes with me. 

July 19th aka Freedom Day in England, the day when all mandatory Covid restrictions were lifted. The UK has been in some kind of lockdown for 490 days and it's taken a toll that I don't think we will fully understand for years to come.  Despite some reservations I'm hopeful that this can be the start of the new normal and we can get back to being social beings again while still keeping as safe as realistically possible. 
So how did I decide to celebrate this new found freedom? With my first trip to the cinema since lockdown began. When restrictions were eased I was still somewhat nervous to be around groups of people even with masks and social distancing so I preferred to stay home instead. However with two vaccinations under my belt, a day off from work and an almost empty cinema I thought this was the smallest of baby steps out into the world. It must also be said that watching films on the big screen has an extra thrill and atmosphere that watching at home on the small screen can't replicate.
And the film I chose to make my return to the cinema? Marvels Black Widow.

I must admit, even though I've watched all of Marvels cinematic output, I didn't have the greatest anticipation or excitement for Black Widow. But with temperatures nearing 30 degrees and the opportunity for two and a half hours in a cold dark room I decided to check it out. What I got was a perfectly fine film  but one that was sadly devoid of almost any need to exist.  If this was meant to be an origin story it didn't really tell us anything beyond what we already knew and what we did find out seems inconsequential compared to what we know happens in the forthcoming timeline.  Most of the main performances met the standard you'd expect from such quality actors, although Ray Winston and his wandering Russian accent was somewhat off-putting. Especially good was David Harbour as the Red Guardian, a lovable oaf who reminisces about past glories as as kind of Russian Captain America but has totally gone to seed after years in prison. While it certainly ticks a lot of the boxes you'd expect from a Marvel film with some spectacular action set pieces and snappy one liners there just seems to be a lack of purpose or meaning to any of it. Even the parts that are new and intriguing like the network of Widows  or the underused Taskmaster aren't really given the time to shine. That being said I would be up for a Disney+ spin off seeing what some of the other Widows have been up to. In the end this felt very much like a placeholder, something to tide fans over between phase 3 and phase 4, without ever really moving the universe forward in any way. Even the post credits sting  was lackluster, setting up something I'm not sure I'm that interested in seeing. 
So after a year and a half away from the cinema was the return worth it? I would have to say yes, even though the film might not have blown me away the act of going out and sitting in that room with other people has given me the confidence boost needed to make me want to do it again. And not only the cinema, I'm excited to go and see friends, go to pubs or restaurants  and be out in the world. Maybe not right away and maybe not all at once but soon and that's more than I had in the previous 490 days.