Scrapbook
A monthly digital scrapbook of books, films, activities and ephemera.
This collection serves as both personal archive and public journal. More about this here.
August 25
A bit of a quieter month this month, the highlights were Jenny Saville at the NPG, Good Night Oscar at the Barbican and having a few friends round for barbecue and drinks in the back garden until the early hours. What's the point of having a garden if you can't do that in the summer?
Thursday Murder Club
I read the book when it first came out and remember liking it (but not enough to read the sequels). The cast of this is great but it's so… English, that it is quite bloodless and to call it a thriller (even a cosy one) is the real crime.
A Month in the Country (the film)
Last month I read the book, this month I watched the 1987 film with Kenneth Branagh and (a very young!) Colin Firth. It's not quite as touching and moving as the book but it does its best and it's a much better cosy/gentle/quintessentially English movie than Thursday Murder Club.
The Materialists
Another 'just ok' film. Which is a shame because Past Lives was my film of that year I think. This is nowhere near that, but part of that is my reluctance to 'feel for' any of this cast. They're just all too beautiful and privileged to warrant any real empathy or sympathy. It's not all bad and it didn't go the cliched route I feared it might but it's no Past Lives!
Life of Chuck
Was August the month of mediocre cinema? I love Stephen King so I thought I'd better watch this. Again… It will do I suppose. You really have to give in to it and get rid of any cynicism you might have, and the cast really try to win you over, but there's a lot of schmaltz and no little whimsy to fight through.
Jenny Saville at National Portrait Gallery
Finally something beautiful and transformative and brilliant! It's not the easiest exhibition to take in - some of Saville's images are quite brutal, especially when they're stacked up next to each other like this - but it's essential viewing I would say.
Good Night Oscar
This was terrific. It's not a perfect play, but if you can afford a ticket then I think Sean Hayes' portrayal of Oscar Levant is worth the price of entry alone. The Rhapsody in Blue performance is the (jaw dropping) cherry on top.
The Doberman Gang
An absolutely bonkers and all-over-the-place heist film from the 70s for a newsletter project I'm working on.
Buster really working on his 'look how sad and lonely I am' face
Fiona Shaw in Andor
When I was at the NPG for Jenny Saville I passed Fiona Shaw as I was coming out of the gents. As I've just rinsed both seasons of Andor recently this was a little disconcerting and thrilling.