We watched a movie last night. I think probably our first since… since… since The Pandemic!!! started last March. Well, if there were others, they’re so notable they’re forgotten. I’d like to have my own cinema. Not a ‘home cinema’ but, like, The Electric in Notting Hill, or The Phoenix in East Finchley, big, proper, Art Deco, loads of seats. Because they have popcorn machines.

Anyway, as I couldn’t find a cinema to buy in time, (though its probably an easy thing to acquire at the moment) we had to improvise and watch it on the tv. And we watched…
One night in Miami. Because it has been raved about. A wonderfully conceived fictional account of an interesting ‘could have happened’ event in 1964.

Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston to become ‘the’ Heavyweight Champeeeen of the (whole) World. There was only one champion back then, now there are 17. And note, Cassius Clay rather than Mohammad Ali, which only happened later. That fight was held in Miami. And on the night Clay won, he met up with three friends at a motel. The friends were Malcolm X, the civil rights campaigner who took the ‘non’ out of ‘non-violent protest’, Sam Cooke, The soul legend and Jim Brown, the American Football star who later became an actor.

In 1964 a massive part of America was still ‘segregated’ (think ‘apartheid’ but with burning crosses) so the motel, in Malcolm X’s room, was just a sleazy dive, because black people weren’t allowed to stay in ‘white’ hotels. Today they can, obviously, but in the South, only if the room’s booked by a white person for them. Otherwise the hotel is ‘full’.

And the four guys are totally brilliant. The acting is wonderful. And after a fabulous beginning, to ‘set the stage’, when Clay first beats (our very own) ‘enery Cooper at Wembley, Jim Brown goes to visit Beau Bridges (some footballing upper echelon type of non-specified variety) and (no spoilers), the end of that scene blows your fucking head off. And sums up the ‘age’ totally, so you know where the film wants to take you.

But then instead of taking you there using Waze-for-movie-directors, the quickest, neatest, directest, but not necessarily most comfortable route, instead it opts for the ‘I’m sure its around here somewhere’ method.

This may just be a reflection of watching it in my lounge. Whilst doing a rather challenging Samurai Sudoku, checking my phone, stretching out my hamstrings and deciding whether to have tea or open the 4th bottle of wine.

Mel thought it was too long. She thinks every film is too long. She finds the BBC weather too long.

I was expecting Mississippi Burning meets Rocky with a soundtrack by Marvin Gaye. Instead I was treated to an acting masterclass in a somewhat circuitous mode.

Happy Sunday. Today they’re ‘screening’ Sheffield United vs Spurs AND Liverpool against Manchester United in a double billing at the box office.

A xxxx