Picture from Radio Times
I can't remember the last time I went to the cinema as I am not a particularly big fan of it as a night out, mainly due to the actions of everyone else in the place. Much like my disdain for talking at gigs I get agitated in the cinema when people are muttering, rustling sweet wrappers, texting, and generally being the worst type of person imaginable. In fact, apart from the sound coming from the people who are supposed to be making a noise, the band, the speaker, and in this case the film, I would rather live in a totally silent world of good manners and consideration. Checking my diaries I have reminded myself of the last time Mandi persuaded me to attend the cinema, Paddington, a little annoying for me as Cineworld had allowed a load of children in before they had been schooled in cinema etiquette.
Cineworld (at least the one in Nottingham) has employed the ridiculous trick of moving ticket sales to the food serice area leaving a bank of empty ticket counters and increasing queuing times. I imagine that the reason for this is to tempt you into buying some overpriced food but we weren't taken in by this evil scheme because we had already bought sweets and pop beforehand. Also, we were using the free tickets that Cineworld had given us as a result of my complaint about the noise on the occasion before last. (Reading that blog back I realise that I have already mentioned the irritation I feel at talkers, and the 'leaving them for dead as an example' bit is something I have said about people at gigs). Anyway, the upshot is that Mr. Cineworld took not a penny from us tonight.
Mandi had wanted to watch A Royal Night Out and I agreed to go along as I can call it my annual cinema visit now which hopefully excuses me from future visits until 2016. The film is imagined from true events, or in English, made up. It centres around the fact that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret went out on the night of V.E. Day to celebrate with the rest of the nation as ordinary members of the public, something they would never be able to do again. This was the film-maker's idea of what V.E. Day was like; lots of singing round pianos in pubs and good-natured cockneys expressing their love for the royals, especially highlighted by Elizabeth hearing the King's radio address in a pub full of good natured cockneys.
Prince Harry (a person remarkably close to Princess Margaret in spirit when you think about it - will never be the monarch so might as well have some fun) highlighted a few years ago how difficult it is to live a 'normal' life when he was caught out attending a fancy dress party in a Nazi costume and attracted press attention again by playing a naked game of pool, not that either of those are examples of what we would call 'normal' life. It must be worse now that everybody carries a camera with them but it isn't just about being noticed, there is also the security element that means that popping out for a pint of milk or sunbathing topless are off limits. Having not asked to be born into the Royal Family it must be hard to grow up with such a protective bubble being a way of life, and marrying into the family has that element of danger hanging over them that one wrong move could mean your untimely death and a hit single for Elton John.
No podcast this week.
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May housekeeping
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