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Showing posts from November, 2020

Lockdown Part II and Other Sequels

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Are you struggling with Lockdown two? I went into a low grade meltdown just at the thought of it. But a week in I've come round to the idea, maybe its not as bad as I thought. The thing about sequels is they can be so atrocious. A complete and utter insult to the original, a let down, a disappointment, a mistake.  The British PM with his rolling script has implemented Lockdown II in what I may say is rather a Mike Leigh sort of affair. By which I mean the whole thing is being improvised along the way, by us, the cast in this government production. We can shape the story to suit our lives just as we have started wearing our masks as a statement of our individuality and personal freedom.  In order to be worthy of the 'Part II' status there must be a resolution to some kind of cliff hanger from the original. Also the cast and the creators must remain the same. Lockdown Part II only partly meets my criteria as I don't see any resolution on the horizon. But maybe there will
I'm a lush for the plush in cinematic experience. I mean is it even really a cinema if the seats are not covered in red velvet? All mainstream chains take note as you re vamp your screens, with large vinyl covered seats and vinyl flooring. There is something fundamental about going to the movies that they have failed to take into account. The magic.  The heart of cinema is pure magic.  The swish of the curtain, the dimming to darkness of the lights, the hush that falls across the audience as the screen comes to life with another dimension, another view to this world or worlds imagined. We are transported  My first visit to a cinema couldn't have been more epic. It was the Odeon Astoria in Finsbury Park. This cathedral of picture houses is now a church which couldn't be a more fitting end for this glorious building. My early expectations were set very high I know and I search everywhere for cinemas that live up to them. My local cinema growing up was the Odeon Dalston, I rem