Paul in London

After having so much fun last night, tonight I caught "The Reception" and the short On the Low at the film fest. Both were shot on the cheap but were well written nuanced pieces involving African American men. "On the low" is slang for black men who sleep with other black men, but don't identify as being gay as they also have girlfriends etc. Interesting stuff…

Paul : Hey C you had a haircut… It looks good! C : Yeah when I got it cut I told them to cut out the grey. Paul : Hmm it looks like they left a lot of it in…

Wednesday night at the Odeon Leicester Square was opening night of the 20th London Lesbian and Gay Film Fest . It was quite a crowd and one to be seen in. As one who was having a bad hair day (forgot to use product in the morning) and having a case of "shiny forehead" I wasn't really in the mood for this. Fortunately the film Happy Endings that we were about to see wasn't about looks. If it was they never would have let Lisa Kudrow look so old and worn out. So I felt better watching Lisa on the big screen. She was there to introduce the film with writer-director Don Roos. Kudrow commented on how Roos doesn't write gay stories or lesbian stories, but stories where people are there, and they are complex and they do stuff and some of them might be gay and like yeah. The audience just loved her for showing up anyway. The film was terrific, smart and funny. While it does go on a bit and there are a quite a few subtitles to drive forward the story, and there were enoug...

Scenes from the Strand Wednesday 18:44 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Looking towards Aldwich. Jackets and "hoodies" are still popular with the locals even though the temperature is getting rather mild at 12 degrees...

Scenes from the Palace Theatre Monday 20:24 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Waiting for intermission to finish...

Monday night I saw Whistle Down the Wind . It was my first Andrew Lloyd-Webber show I have seen since I saw an amateur version of Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1990s. It is based on a movie that was set in rural England where a group of children find an escaped convict and who are convinced he is Jesus Christ so I figured there was a theme running here. Ok it isn't art, but its something the home counties love (judging by the audience demographic around me). For anyone who has seen the Hayley Mills film you probably have a better chance of understanding the plot, although you may be left wondering why they moved the story to 1950s America. There is one thing that the British do pretty lousy and that is American accents so I thought that was a pity. Had they left the story in Britain one could have imagined a pantomime-type reaction from the audience when the cops are looking for the escaped convict along the lines of "He's in the barn!" Alas the show takes itself all...

Scenes from home... Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . One of my flatmates has gone on vacation, and since I was at home with a cold today I thought I would pay tribute to his style - or lack of it - with what one kitchen shelf looks like. At first I found the collection of flamenco dolls to be novel but when you are unwell it is enough to do your head in! Well it takes all sorts...

This weekend I caught the film Transamerica and it was great. Felicity Huffman puts in an incredible performance as a pre-op transsexual about to have the operation (spoiler - you see penis and vagina) and while it is a bit cheesy at times, there is a great sense of humanity and warmth about the story. Dolly Parton even comes in at the end with her Oscar-nominated song "Travellin' Through" which was a nice touch. Interestingly while watching Huffman in this movie you would not immediately recognise that she has been starring in Desperate Housewives for the past couple of years. Huffman's character of the "working mom" seems to have evolved as the main (and most interesting) character of the show. If a film career takes off her departure will leave a bit of a hole in the storytelling...