Journal Entries
Cambridge Film Festival 2011 - part 1
Posted Sep 19, 2011
First four films have been seen, so it's probably time for a report!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
This was the opening film of the festival and (I think) the UK premiere, so very exciting! It was shown simultaneously in two of the Picturehouse screens, both completely sold out. I was in Screen 1, and there was a row of Picturehouse staff standing at the back of the auditorium. Earlier in the evening there was a reception at Emmanuel College - photos (not great, IMHO) are on Facebook - search for Cambridge Film Festival 2011.
Anyway - loved the film, particularly Gary Oldman's portrayal of George Smiley. Made me want to read the book again, as I don't know it nearly as well as Douglas, and can't remember having seen the Alec Guinness TV series (although I do remember my parents being hooked on it). Thought the period details was terrific too.
There was a Q&A afterwards with Tomas Alfredson (director), Peter Straughan (writer), Gary Oldman and John Hurt. As I was sitting on the very back row, behind the gangway, they had to walk past me to get to the front of the auditorium - wow! Tomas Alfredson told a nice little story: at the beginning of the film there is a montage of scenes to convey that Smiley has retired (swimming, listening the radio etc), and one scene that was eventually cut showed him in his kitchen, wearing an apron and frying an egg. When they were watching the rushes, Gary Oldman looked at this scene and said "To think I used to be Sid Vicious!"
10/10
The Silver Cliff (O Abismo Prateado - Brazilian)
OK-ish. An apparently devoted husband and father goes off on a business trip and sends his wife a text to say he is leaving her. She sets off in search of him (incidentally leaving her 14 year-old son alone) and ends up at Copacabana, where she meets a lone father with a (very cute) little girl. She spends time with them, but eventually goes back to the city.
Met some Brazilians at the end of the film, who were distinctly underwhelmed and complained that "nothing happens".
6/10
Burnout! (Abgebrannt - German)
A tattooist, single mother of three in Berlin, has various money problems, and after her little boy accidentally eats some dodgy pills he finds in her boyfriend's jacket, she and the children are sent by social services on a "mother-and-child cure" at the seaside.
At first she is rebellious, then things get a bit better, but overall it's a bit bleak. Didn't send you out singing and dancing.
And finally ...
A Useful Life (La Vida Util - Uruguayan)
A truly bizarre little film. In black and white, ostensibly about a small cinema in Montevideo and its funding problems, it then turns into a story of unrequited love about one of the cinema managers. Very odd, but mercifully short!
To be continued ...
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Latest reply: Sep 19, 2011
Brittany - pretty but wet
Posted Sep 12, 2011
A bit like Cornwall really. Went on the ferry from Portsmouth, and was warned by an elderly gent in the bar (he must have been ooh at least 2 years older than me!) that it was going to be a rough crossing. "Huh!" I replied "can't be worse than Aberdeen to Lerwick in 100 mph winds." He insisted that once we got out of the shelter of the Isle of Wight it would be very choppy. Well, it did go up and down a bit, but nothing like the sliding-up-and-down-the-bed experience earlier this year.
So anyway, got to St Malo on Tuesday morning, left my case at the hotel, and went off to explore. Hotel was well placed in the fortified city (known as Intra Muros), with plenty of restaurants to choose from. Grey day, with occasional spots of rain, but not much to speak of.
Wednesday was the best day: went to Dinard on the 'sea-bus' - a 10-minute trip across the estuary. Had a wander round, lunch at a beach-side cafe, and watched the sea for a while. Lovely!
Thursday started off damp and miserable, so took the bus to Dinan, further up the river Rance. Buses are incredibly cheap - 50-minute journey cost €2. Dinan advertises itself as a medieval city, but some of the buildings are rather later, and others have been imported from other places and re-constructed. Anyway, by lunchtime it had brightened up a bit, so headed back to St Malo, and walked along one of the longest beaches - very beautiful, with rows of tree-trunks, presumably to break the force of the waves. Halfway back, I could see low cloud approaching along the beach and then the heavens opened! Sheltered in a doorway until it slacked off a bit, but still got pretty wet.
The ferry back only operates in the daytime (at least at this time of year), so Friday was a rather boring day, punctuated only by lunch on board (very good - steak cooked to order), walks round the deck, eavesdropping on fellow travellers (two Welshmen at the next table were happily switching between Welsh and English mid-sentence, which as a linguist I found fascinating), sniffing perfume-sorry-scent samples in the shop, and getting a big chunk of reading done for my book group. Actually that doesn't sound nearly as boring as it was!
Anyway, stayed with a friend in London on Friday night, and got home Saturday lunchtime. On Sunday a few of us did the Bridge the Gap walk (http://www.bridgethegapwalk.org/site/) which was really good fun. We were very lucky with the weather, and finished in time for a Sunday roast with some of the regular bunch - different pub though.
And today I was back at work, with 225 emails in my inbox ... 
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Latest reply: Sep 12, 2011
Cambridge film festival coming soon - woohoo!
Posted Sep 3, 2011
Just bought my first lot of tickets for the film festival, which starts on 15 September. The Picturehouse have some very good deals this year: I bought a middle-range festival pass for £50, which gives 20% discount on the members' price for all films, plus free tea & coffee in the bar throughout the festival.
Only bought six tickets today, but will certainly grab a few more once the festival starts and extra screenings start appearing.
On the programme so far:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (opening night film)
A Useful Life (Uruguayan)
The Silver Cliff (Brazilian)
The Help (film of the book, which I read a few months ago)
Henry Morris (documentary by students of Sawston Village College, about the history of the school)
The Look (documentary about Charlotte Rampling, closing night film)
Also wanted to see Mark Kermode talking about his new book, and a "period science fiction drama" filmed on location in Cambridge, Dimensions: a Line of a Loop, a Tangle of Threads, but they were sold out. Hoping that Dimensions will get extra screenings, or come back in the general programme.
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Latest reply: Sep 3, 2011
Day out
Posted Aug 29, 2011
Good weekend: my sis & b-in-law moored up in Cambridge in their boat on Saturday afternoon, so we had G&T on the boat and then had dinner at a nearby pub.
Sunday was a quiet day: did a few chores at home, went to the cinema to see The Guard. It's very funny, if violent. Question is, is it racist? Borderline, IMHO - even though it's an Irish production.
So today I allowed myself a day off, and after the gym and a swim this morning, had a bacon roll and coffee at Costa and then took myself off to the seaside for the day. Train to King's Lynn, bus to Hunstanton (v threatening black clouds at this point). Had a little walk round and found a cafe for lunch. By the time I came out, it had brightened up, so walked along the beach and among the rock pools (tide was way, way out) to Old Hunstanton. Sat at the edge of the dunes and watched kite-surfers, kite-flyers, windsurfers and a game of beach volleyball, until I started to feel cold, then walked back along the top of the cliff.
Buses were a bit Bank Holiday-ish on the way back, almost an hour to get back to K's Lynn, via Heacham, Snettisham and Castle Rising. Then had to wait 40 minutes for the next train to Cambridge. Oh well. Most enjoyable day.
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Latest reply: Aug 29, 2011
Fitzbillie's
Posted Aug 25, 2011
They are back in business - hurray! Opened last weekend for Chelsea buns and a few other cakes and coffee etc, and open for a few hours each day this week, in preparation for the official opening at the weekend.
A former member of our team brought buns for us on Friday afternoon and they were delicious - probably because they were freshly made, as the bakery had had to re-bake three times in the course of the day. Another friend who was working at a nearby college said that every admin office she went into seemed to have boxes of Fitzbillie's buns on their desks!
Today I went in at lunchtime and had a cappuccino (a bit stronger than I like, but never mind) and a cheese Chelsea bun - cheesy pastry, with spring onions and mustard - lovely!
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Latest reply: Aug 25, 2011
annie_cambridge
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