National Theater - The Curious incident of the Dog in the night-Time

All I can say is FANTASTIC.  If you get a chance to see it - do by all means.  Susan is at a women's retreat so missed it - i would go again to see it with her as it is really that good.


Christopher, fifteen years old, has an extraordinary brain - exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion of killing Mrs Shears' dog Wellington, he records each fact about the event in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of the murder. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been hailed by The Times as 'a phenomenal combination of storytelling and spectacle'. Winner of 7 Olivier Awards in 2013, including Best New Play.

Mystery Train

We both thought it was a wonderful movie.  At least one friend said its the worst he had seen.  We loved the character development, the filming style, the music, and how it all went together at the end.


In the three intertwining stories that comprise this comic anthology from director Jim Jarmusch, a pair of Elvis-obsessed Japanese lovers (Youki Kudoh and Masatoshi Nagase), a drunken would-be robber (Joe Strummer) and his pals, and a frazzled Italian widow (Nicoletta Braschi) converge at a seedy hotel in Memphis, Tenn. As they all try to make it through the night, one woman believes that the spirit of Elvis Presley himself might be present.
Made with its director's customary precision and wit, this triptych of stories pays playful tribute to the home of Stax Records, Sun Studio, Graceland, Carl Perkins, and, of course, the King, who presides over the film like a spirit. Mystery Train is considered one of Jarmusch's very best movies, a boozy and beautiful pilgrimage to an iconic American ghost town and a paean to the music it gave the world. Rated R at 113 minutes

Movie club - Horse Feathers

Tonight's film club movie was Horse Feathers with some great singing and slapstick.  The football game at the end is a classic.

Arena Theater Film Club 
Monday August 4, 7 p.m.
Horse Feathers

As president of Huxley College, the fun-loving Professor Wagstaff (Groucho) attempts to help his son (Zeppo) finally graduate after 12 years by arranging to "buy" professional football players for an upcoming big game against rival Darwin University. The plan takes an unexpected twist, however, when a bootlegger (Chico) and a dogcatcher (Harpo) are mistaken for the athletes and accidentally hired instead. Featuring their trademark insanity, including a climactic football sequence that has to be seen to be believed, this quintessential Marx Brothers' comedy earned a place on the AFI's 100Years...100 Laughs list.
The mad-cap film - a zany take-off on college education (and football), is known for its fast-paced, non-sequitur, inconsistent nature as was typical of all Marx Brothers films. The plot affords many opportunities for the comedic team to show off their anarchic style of humor, with many pun-filled, absurd, nonsensical bits of dialogue, insults, idiosyncrasies, and one-liners.
Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You (1996) took its title from the recurring song sung by the characters. Director: Norman Z. McLeod Rating: NR Runtime: 68 minutes