The Last Viking, The Invite and The Odyssey

 

A terrific black comedy which I thought compared favourably with a Coen Brothers movie. A Danish production written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. I only knew he co-wrote The Duchess a few years ago. The cast was excellent. I had not seen Sophie Grabol since those forty episodes of The Killing (2007-2012); Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Anker was not familiar to me even though he had appeared in a couple of films I had seen, and Mads Mikkelsen was great in Another Round and a James Bond film. 

The cinematography was outstanding; a huge widescreen (2.39:1) showed the backwoods of Denmark to great effect. It was funny how Anker was so angry all the time, being released from prison and cajoling his brother (Mikkelsen) to find where he buried the loot. He only smiles at the very end when his brother plays in the band. I was amazed that Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian was not impressed; however, Katherine McLauchlin in Sight and Sound Magazine says, "the narrative concludes in a hopeful and moving way." I thought it was brilliant. 

Was The Invite "the funniest movie of the year"? It was certainly not laugh-out-loud funny but more a witty drama about getting to know your neighbours. A four-hander that seemed much more like a visit to the theatre. It all depended on the script by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones from a Spanish film, The People Upstairs, and the direction by Olivia Wilde, who also plays the hostess of the dinner party. I would normally avoid any film that included Seth Rogen, but here he plays to type as her uncouth husband. Their visiting neighbours are a hugely unusual casting of Penelope Cruz (one of my favourite actresses, whom I would go to see in any movie, but here she seems almost bored) and, even more strange casting, her partner, an uptight Edward Norton. 

Rogen seems so angry all the time, while Olivia is even more unhappy. The apartment (that her parents left her), which she has converted, furnished and decorated by knocking through to the one next door, is absolutely a dream. We soon realise this is, for her, a substitute for a loving marriage. Olivia is horrified by the thought of her young daughter growing up and leaving home. Because she would be alone with him. But it's those neighbours who are like some acid in the mix. They will never be the same again.

For the first time, let me start with the five-star reviews. Tom Shone in the Sunday Times said, "This is popular filmmaking at an exalted pitch: rich, strange, dense, and rewarding." Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian tells us, "This is a film with thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair."

So why was I so underwhelmed? It might be that Homer's classic is the daddy of all fantasy stories, and fantasy is just not for me anymore. I knew little about the story before I saw the film, only about the Trojan horse and how they entered the city of Troy. This is quite early on in the movie, and its depiction felt awkward. There seemed to be no explanation why the army of Odysseus (Matt Damon in the lead) was there at all or for how long. And a story that is nearly all about the trials on the voyage home seemed to have no context. It makes for spectacular filmmaking if this is all you want. 

On the plus side, for a film getting on for three hours, I was never bored. The final forty-five minutes were more of a story of when Odysseus returns home. Except for the interminable fight at the end. The acting also seemed strange. I could never get away from recognising the actors instead of their characters. I guess the script was always going to take second place. 

The cygnets at Weston Turville Reservoir

 

I had not seen the cygnets at Weston Turville reservoir since my post of the 13th June. But this week here they are. Fortunately all six are fine. The parents have done a great job; notice how they take up positions on either side of the group of youngsters. They have certainly grown in the last six weeks. This was how they looked back then.

I wondered why they had stuck to the far side of the reservoir and thought that all those feathers near this spot might have been the reason. I'm just glad they are all fine. I just wish I had taken my camera instead of the rubbish photos on my mobile phone.

Garden in late July

Starting these photos from the garden in late July is my favourite flower: the delphinium, sky blue and white. I could have done with a more dramatic colour, but the fact that it is flowering better this second time around is amazing.

The same goes for the rose blue for you, now blooming again.

Other roses are also blooming again.

Next is the brand new salvia "amistad".

I think I made a mistake in chopping the heads off the antirrhinum bedding plants. I hoped this would reduce their height when they flowered, but no such luck. And now they are taking so long to come into full flower.

At last the hostas by the side of the house have started to flower. 

The impatiens in the pots at the front have been a success.

Although these tiger lilies have struggled. 

Last of all, the rudbeckia in the far round border has revived after not being watered for so long. There are even signs of some flowers.

Jackson Browne on the Old Grey Whistle Test at The Sheperd's Bush Empire

The BBC has some old concerts on iPlayer, including this one with Jackson Browne. Recorded live on 7th December 1976, so that is nearly fifty years ago! We were both a lot younger then. The performance was at the BBC Television Centre (previously known before and since as the Shepherds Bush Empire). See my post of 23rd March 2010. So I had been on the same stage as Jackson. And seen him live at Hammersmith in 1986 and at the Royal Albert Hall in 1996, 2003 and 2009. (See post of 29th May 2009). But this recorded concert was far better than those others I remembered. Songs such as Fountain of Sorrow from the album Late for the Sky were perfect for this intimate setting. 

The Shepherd's Bush Empire opened in 1903 and became the BBC Television Centre in 1953. That was where I was chosen as a contestant for Crackerjack in 1957 when I was just fourteen. See post 17th February 2010. The theatre was again refurbished in 1993 after the BBC left and reverted to its old name. I had been to a couple of concerts there, including Paul Heaton and Jacki Abbott in 2014. See post 28th May 2014. 

This is the set list from the Old Grey Whistle Test:

01 talk (Jackson Browne)
02 Something Fine (Jackson Browne)
03 talk (Jackson Browne)
04 For Everyman (Jackson Browne)
05 talk (Jackson Browne)
06 Fountain of Sorrow (Jackson Browne)
07 talk (Jackson Browne)
08 The Only Child (Jackson Browne)
09 talk (Jackson Browne)
10 For a Dancer (Jackson Browne)
11 talk (Jackson Browne)
12 Mohammed's Radio (Warren Zevon & Jackson Browne)
13 talk (Jackson Browne)
14 The Pretender [Edit] (Jackson Browne)

Here is the band:

Jackson Browne: Vocals, guitar, piano

David Lindley: Guitars, violin

Mark Jordan: Piano, guitar

Bryan Garofolo: Bass

John Mauceri: Drums

David Mason: Organ

Warren Zevon: Guest vocals and piano on "Mohammed's Radio" 

Waterperry Gardens

 

It was on Monday when we visited Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. We used to be regular visitors but had not been for a few years. I had forgotten how nice it was there and that it was not too far by car. We left early, as it was to be yet another sunny and very warm day. So it was perfect weather when we arrived. The gardens were in good shape despite the drought, so there was lots to see; all the borders had lots of colour.

Fortunately, there were lots of places to sit, with some even in the shade. 

Somehow the two and a half hours had passed so quickly. We made our way to the cafe and sat outside with our lunch under the trees. A perfect day.

High Society at The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe

 

I cannot remember how I stumbled on an advertisement for the tour of High Society, but I was lucky that there were just a few single seats left at The Swan Theatre in High Wycombe for the Thursday matinee. This production opened at the Barbican Theatre in London and now has a tour of fifteen different theatres across the country. That started in High Wycombe. 

The curtain, when closed, mentions Newport, which is where the original production is set. That is Newport, Rhode Island. Not that far away from our holiday in Hyannis on Cape Cod. When the curtain opens, we are treated to a spectacular set. Later, more scenery drops from above, so this is a serious production. With a full-size orchestra and twenty-eight strong cast members, we were in for a treat.

Leading the cast were Helen George as Tracy Lord (famous in our house for playing Trixie in the eighty-one episodes of Call the Midwife), Freddie Fox as Mike Connor and Julian Ovenden as Dexter Haven. (I have given up buying a programme when everything is online).

Others included Nigel Lindsay and Carly Mercedes Dyer. One of the unexpected pleasures of my seat in the circle was how steep the rows were. I had a completely unimpeded view of the stage and, as a bonus, a good view of the orchestra. The musicians were all impressive, especially the young woman on woodwind. It was great to watch her changing from clarinet to flute, piccolo and saxophone. Sometimes during a number. The biggest thrill for me was the end of the first half when a band (actually members of the orchestra) took to the stage to play Now You Has Jazz. The same instruments as the Louis Armstrong band in the original film, and with that clarinet soaring high. 

The songs were all so familiar. I have somewhere an old LP of the 1956 musical starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Celeste Holme. Tracks on the album that all played last night include "Little One", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", "True Love", "You're Sensational", "I Love You, Samantha", "Now You Has Jazz", "Well, Did You Evah?" and "Mind if I Make Love to You". Then we had lots of other Cole Porter songs, including "I Love Paris", "Let's Misbehave", "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love". 

Here are Helen George and Julian Ovenden singing "True Love". Note the small stand-in for that yacht in the film.

My visit to see the show was enhanced by long conversations with the couple next to me and with another couple at the interval. They were even regulars at the Rex Cinema in Berhamsted.

One thing I found on the net was the absence of one line in the song with the title "Well, Did You Evah?" Apparently my old MONO LP of the musical was the only version to include the words sung by Bing Crosby, "You must be one of the newer fellas", in response to a Frank Sinatra croon. No subsequent stereo LPs, CDs, etc. have these words. Strange.

Garden in mid July

 

The star of the show, tucked away in the border at the front of the side patio. The Hydrangea macrophylla is apparently susceptible to all kinds of problems, from poor soil to too much sun in the afternoon and not enough moisture. The list goes on. But ours seems to like it where it is. It's not one of those huge hydrangeas, but so much the better for its position. If I remember correctly, it was given to Alison for helping out at an event.    

In the photo below, the Weigelia Red Prince is flowering again. I was just about to give it a major prune after the first flowering was over, but just in time, no pruning is required until next February. 

These flowers next to the wall of the conservatory are stocks dwarf mixed from Chiltern View Garden Centre. I have never grown stocks before, and I'm thinking they might do well in the bedding border next year. 

On the subject of bedding plants, I made a mistake buying these antirrhinums. They grew far too tall, and I had to give them all a chop before they flowered. The one below is the first to come into flower, and, as you can see, the ones next to it are a while off flowering. In the main border at the back of this photo, the pink flower is a bank of marjoram, normally grown as a herb. It is usually covered in butterflies and bees. 

The acanthus below has had a severe pruning as some of the spikes had fallen over. It looks fine from this angle, but not at the back.

At the end of the side patio are the hostas 'Fire and Ice'. All three pots have flowered when only one did last year.

I have already included photos of the echinacea on my previous post. But this one shows how the flowers change shape.

I think I also mentioned previously the repeat flowering of the Weigelia Red Robin. Here it is again.

Two plants were struggling in their large pots: the Salvia nemerosa Cardonna and a geranium. When I tried to repot them, I had great difficulty digging them out of the containers. They were completely root-bound. So everything was cleared away, new compost added and small parts of the plants repotted.