Hypatia Avenue

"Who you gonna call? Topcat!"

Watched Donnie Darkolast night and yes, yes, I know: everyone has seen it already, ages ago, etc etc. I was wowed by it, Taxloss less so - but then he has read considerably less of Neil Gaiman's output which made me appreciate the film that little bit more. It's an experience that is quite similar to reading a graphic novel, with the viewer / reader trying to maintain a grip on the text and graphics and the multitude of things communicated by both… I suppose all film is like this, but in Donnie Darko with all its back and forth references, its narrative at odds with its visuals and the general sense of looping in and over itself like a Mobius strip, it's particularly relevant and satisfying. I've just been all over the website and am really, really impressed - not at all like the heartless promotional bollocks a lot of other websites-of-the-film drum up but like an epilogue or Guide to Donnie Darko document. Nice.

Also nice, and also staying on the topic of films, Ghostbusters was marvellous last Saturday. It was the first time the cabaret gang had applied their act to this blockbuster film of the 80s and the bloke leading the callbacks and general mayhem of Rocky Horror was actually performing for this event as Bill Murray so it was up to me, Taxloss, Boatie Flatmate, Sundried and Fizzwhizz to enforce the booing and shouting at the screen throughout. It was a dirty job (seriously, it was; shaving foam and silly string and popcorn everywhere) but someone had to do it. Amusing "ghost" puppets, men in boiler suits with cans of silly string, clever improvisations involving hastily made-up props "flying" around, a cartwheeling Zool and furry gloved Hell Hounds abounded. The re-enactment of the marshmallow monster wallowing around between the aisles was especially hilarious.

There were a surprising amount of kids around, some who were watching this film for the first time - !!!! Bloody hell. I watched it at least once a year every year until I was 10 and it was bit retro even then… It meant there was no pre-film event in the bar and swearing was not encouraged (though of course, we potty-mouths obliviously chanted **** and **** throughout until someone spotted a distinctly below 12 years old face swing round to frown at us…) We were out in the lobby picking popcorn off our clothes and our ears ringing from the shrieking by 9.30pm and the ever-energetic, even in the face of food poisoning and a 120 hour working week Lucifer was there to start the cleaning process. We toasted him in the pub afterwards for his generosity and vowed to come back for more.

In other news, it is my birthday this weekend. That is all.