Monthly culture, March 2026
Thursday, April 30th, 2026 09:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamaranth01MAR26: Secrets of the Thames -- Museum of London, Docklands
Interesting exhibition about the archaeology, prehistory and history of the Thames -- a strong emphasis on mudlarks and their finds, and a real live mudlark for us to talk to: she showed us some of her finds, including items that could be dated to three days in 1666 (they show evidence of having been half-melted by the Great Fire).
05MAR26: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) -- Netflix
Inexplicably I had never seen this! It's a delight, excellently acted and beautifully shot. The colours are gorgeous, the symmetry appealing, and the 'stories within stories' structure was well-structured. Stellar cast including Brody, Malkovich, Norton... Ralph Fiennes amazing as Monsieur Gustave H. Also, a brief appearance by the divine Tilda. There is a cat in this film, but sadly it meets a cruel fate. I also felt it could have done with more female characters.
07MAR26: The Bride! (Maggie Gylenhaal, 2026) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Immensely enjoyable, and I am in awe of Jessie Buckley's range -- especially when her character, the Bride, was channelling the irritated spirit of Mary Shelley. The 1930s setting worked well, 'Frank' (Christian Bale) was vulnerable and lonely, and Dr Euphronius (Annette Benning) was astonishing. Great fun, with a good soundtrack.
12MAR26: Lionheart (Nnaji, 2018) -- Netflix
A young woman, Adaeze, works with her vexatious uncle to keep the family bus company running after Adaeze's father becomes unwell. Threat of takeover, ill-advised loans etc: endemic misogyny. I probably missed a lot of the subtext -- ethnic tensions, when to shift between Igbo and English (the dialogue is predominantly English) -- but the story worked well.
21MAR26: Project Hail Mary (Lord/Miller, 2026) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Martian: the soundtrack was Epic, which was at odds with the often-comedic 'buddy movie' between Ryan Gosling's Dr Grace and the alien 'Rocky' (built -- asymmetric and faceless, looking truly alien -- animated and voiced by puppeteer James Ortiz). Also, too many long shots of model spaceships in Space. But it was a pleasant and uplifting film, with a few alterations from the book. Shout-out to Sandra Huller as Eva Stratt, the head of the international task force that manouevres Grace into space, very much against his wishes. And applause for Meryl Streep, who briefly voices the ship's AI.
22MAR26: A Child of Our Time (Tippett, 1941) -- Blackheath Halls
Tippett's oratorio focussing on the horrors of war, drawing on spirituals as well as the Western classical tradition. I didn't much care for the music (apart from the spirituals) but the soloists (all Black) were excellent, and the finale was uplifting and really powerful.
26MAR26: Life of Chuck (Flanagan, 2024) -- Netflix
Based on a short story (by Stephen King) and it shows: not sure there is enough here to warrant the 111-minute runtime. Hiddleston is great, and gets to dance! And the reverse chronology adds interest. But really, the best bits were in the first third, when the world seems to be ending. We all contain multitudes: in the world of this story, does a universe end every time someone dies? Or was Chuck unique?
28MAR26: John Proctor is the Villain (Belflower, 2022) -- Royal Court Theatre
An interrogation of Miller's The Crucible, set in 2018 at a high school in Georgia, USA: a class is working on the play with their jovial teacher Mr Smith. One girl's father is accused of sexual harrassment: Problem Child Shelley returns to school after an extended absence (having slept with the boyfriend of a classmate): a feminist club is formed. There's discussion of the witches in TV shows they grew up with (The Craft, Twilight) and of pop culture icons like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. Shelley makes some excellent points about the injustices in The Crucible -- 'his fortune is more important than her faith'. It's a #metoo-era play with lines like 'I know I'm supposed to believe women, but --'. Also, abusive men everywhere: in the play (John Proctor is the villain), in the school, in the community. A focus on female friendships and how songs can define them -- the finale is a dance to 'Green Light' by Lorde, where bridges are mended.
I'd have liked this Anglicised: and I probably should have reread the original play, which I haven't read or seen for about thirty years. But the play has a fantastic cast, great energy and just deserts.
Interesting exhibition about the archaeology, prehistory and history of the Thames -- a strong emphasis on mudlarks and their finds, and a real live mudlark for us to talk to: she showed us some of her finds, including items that could be dated to three days in 1666 (they show evidence of having been half-melted by the Great Fire).
05MAR26: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) -- Netflix
Inexplicably I had never seen this! It's a delight, excellently acted and beautifully shot. The colours are gorgeous, the symmetry appealing, and the 'stories within stories' structure was well-structured. Stellar cast including Brody, Malkovich, Norton... Ralph Fiennes amazing as Monsieur Gustave H. Also, a brief appearance by the divine Tilda. There is a cat in this film, but sadly it meets a cruel fate. I also felt it could have done with more female characters.
07MAR26: The Bride! (Maggie Gylenhaal, 2026) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Immensely enjoyable, and I am in awe of Jessie Buckley's range -- especially when her character, the Bride, was channelling the irritated spirit of Mary Shelley. The 1930s setting worked well, 'Frank' (Christian Bale) was vulnerable and lonely, and Dr Euphronius (Annette Benning) was astonishing. Great fun, with a good soundtrack.
12MAR26: Lionheart (Nnaji, 2018) -- Netflix
A young woman, Adaeze, works with her vexatious uncle to keep the family bus company running after Adaeze's father becomes unwell. Threat of takeover, ill-advised loans etc: endemic misogyny. I probably missed a lot of the subtext -- ethnic tensions, when to shift between Igbo and English (the dialogue is predominantly English) -- but the story worked well.
21MAR26: Project Hail Mary (Lord/Miller, 2026) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Martian: the soundtrack was Epic, which was at odds with the often-comedic 'buddy movie' between Ryan Gosling's Dr Grace and the alien 'Rocky' (built -- asymmetric and faceless, looking truly alien -- animated and voiced by puppeteer James Ortiz). Also, too many long shots of model spaceships in Space. But it was a pleasant and uplifting film, with a few alterations from the book. Shout-out to Sandra Huller as Eva Stratt, the head of the international task force that manouevres Grace into space, very much against his wishes. And applause for Meryl Streep, who briefly voices the ship's AI.
22MAR26: A Child of Our Time (Tippett, 1941) -- Blackheath Halls
Tippett's oratorio focussing on the horrors of war, drawing on spirituals as well as the Western classical tradition. I didn't much care for the music (apart from the spirituals) but the soloists (all Black) were excellent, and the finale was uplifting and really powerful.
26MAR26: Life of Chuck (Flanagan, 2024) -- Netflix
Based on a short story (by Stephen King) and it shows: not sure there is enough here to warrant the 111-minute runtime. Hiddleston is great, and gets to dance! And the reverse chronology adds interest. But really, the best bits were in the first third, when the world seems to be ending. We all contain multitudes: in the world of this story, does a universe end every time someone dies? Or was Chuck unique?
28MAR26: John Proctor is the Villain (Belflower, 2022) -- Royal Court Theatre
An interrogation of Miller's The Crucible, set in 2018 at a high school in Georgia, USA: a class is working on the play with their jovial teacher Mr Smith. One girl's father is accused of sexual harrassment: Problem Child Shelley returns to school after an extended absence (having slept with the boyfriend of a classmate): a feminist club is formed. There's discussion of the witches in TV shows they grew up with (The Craft, Twilight) and of pop culture icons like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. Shelley makes some excellent points about the injustices in The Crucible -- 'his fortune is more important than her faith'. It's a #metoo-era play with lines like 'I know I'm supposed to believe women, but --'. Also, abusive men everywhere: in the play (John Proctor is the villain), in the school, in the community. A focus on female friendships and how songs can define them -- the finale is a dance to 'Green Light' by Lorde, where bridges are mended.
I'd have liked this Anglicised: and I probably should have reread the original play, which I haven't read or seen for about thirty years. But the play has a fantastic cast, great energy and just deserts.
