Thursday Matinée

I woke up in the middle of the night with crippling stomach cramps, so today has been a bit of a write-off. But on the plus side, I've been able to lie in bed and watch this:



The film isn't quite as absurd as the trailer suggests and gives a fascinating glimpse of a rarely-seen side of Britain during the 1950s. But the main attraction is a cast that includes Sean Connery, Patrick McGoohan, Stanley Baker, Sid James, David McCallum and the unbiquitous Alfie Bass.

If you like seeing goods vehicle drivers flagrantly disregarding the Highway Code, I can thoroughly recommend Hell Drivers.

I also watched a film that I loved as a child. Sadly, on second viewing, it turned out to be even more ridiculous than I'd anticipated:


If you haven't seen it, I'll save you the effort. The film begins with the revelation that the world is going to end. In spite of this rather depressing news, everyone continues going to work and behaving quite normally, apart from a small group of people who decide to build a 'rocketship' that will act as a modern Noah's Ark, taking a selection of animals (probably not wasps) and 40 young white people (probably WASPS) to an approaching planet that might be able to support life.

The world blows up, consumed by a star. Fortunately, the spaceship has escaped in the nick of time and managed to make a successful landing on the new planet. When the hatch is opened for the first time, the crew are greeted by a well-manicured lawn and a poorly-executed watercolour landscape. In the distance, there is a strange alien monolith, but nobody sees remotely surprised or interested. The end.

However, I don't waste all of my time watching films like When Worlds Collide. This 2011 film, which I have also seen recently, is excellent:


Beautifully filmed and acted, with a surprisingly effective score by Philip Glass, Elena deservedly won the Special Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a new film as much.

I hope that my stomach behaves itself in time for Saturday, as we're going to what my wife ominously described as a 'killing party'. I was very relieved when I realised that she meant a 'Killing' party, where all of the guests had to bugger off before BBC 4 screens the final two episodes of the Danish thriller series.

How very Lewes.