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A rare date night, but we do manage to do some spectacular stuff on the rare occasions we forget we’re parents and become human beings again. Tonight, for some reason, we’d been invited to the European premiers of The Post. Two premieres within the space of a few months? And I wasn’t friends of the director this time (though would like to be - call me if you fancy a drink Spielberg).
I was hoping we’d be sitting amongst the stars again and had my eyes peeled for Right Said Fred, but although my wife was sitting next to Jenni Murray from Woman’s Hour, otherwise there didn’t seem to be any celebs on the Circle of the Odeon. Just lots of Clem Fandangos from the film industry. Perhaps they figured I was worth having along because I would blog about them. And they were right.
And there may have been more stars downstairs. Certainly there were on stage before the film began with Spielberg coming on to chat about premiering Close Encounters in this cinema and feeling proud that his was to be the last film premiered in this auditorium before it was refurbished. The first film had been Prisoner of Zenda, some eighty years ago. I don’t know how far the rejig is going to go. I suspect this huge venue will be carved up for a multiplex.
Spielberg then ripped me off by introducing Tom Hanks with a list of his less hard-hitting films calling him the star of Turner and Hooch etc (I wanted to shout out Bachelor Party, which would be my chosen intro) - Hanks cleverly subverted this downplaying of this talent by entering before he was introduced to huge applause (of course). And then Meryl Streep, who we’d seen when we were out of the red carpet (and I’d like to thank all the photographers and camera crews for respecting my privacy and letting me get into the cinema without being papped).
It was strange to feel the excitement that a crowd has when in the room with such a bevy of A-lister stars. Even when, like us, you were still so far way that it could almost have been anyone.
I was hoping the Post was going to be about people irking people who collect the mail, perhaps based on my experiences, with Streep playing me and Hanks being the Postman. But it was a boring story about a newspaper instead.
I am joking, it was an interesting and somewhat apposite film about freedom of the press, from a time when journalists were prepared to risk prison in order to let the world know the truth.
Of course those journalists are still around today, although it’s not surprising that our trust in them has been a little compromised by so many newspapers being full of made-up shit. Almost like there has been some kind of long term plan from newspaper magnates.
There’s lots of comedy favourites being largely serious, including RHLSTP’s David Cross. Would love to get Tom Hanks on too. If you’ve googled yourself and fancy it, let me know Tom. I would mainly be talking about whether you and the actor who played Hooch are still in touch and discussing the logical problems of Big.
We had been invited to the after show party and much as I’d liked to have seen Jenni Murray letting her hair down, but I had surprised myself by getting through the film without falling asleep and a quick time calculation showed it wasn’t going to be practical for getting home. I am not sure living in London would have made me any more inclined to go. It felt a bit weird to be invited. I suspect Meryl had wanted to meet me as I hear she was a big fan of Lionel Nimrod, but after she did that film where she cruelly parodied someone with Alzheimers (am I quoting Toby Young or Piers Morgan or do they all just fish in the same pool of ridiculous argument in return for bookings?) I can not be her friend.
So, PR company that invited me, it all paid off. I am going to say that you should go and see The Post if you feel like it. But it could do with some car chases and maybe an ET in it.
My wife and I visited Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross on the way home. Which I bet was better than partying with Spielberg.
