limited legroom

I missed my fortnightly Friday lunch-treat spicy chickpea wrap from Thyme last week and didn't have time to go more than a few feet outside the door at lunchtime today thanks to a meeting when my lunchwalk usually occurs. Quite a good meeting, though. I was thinking I could have wandered home via Waverley and a conciliatory pasty from the pastry-vending booth but Nicky was able to get away early enough to get across town in time for a cinema. I was considering W. but might wait until I've seen a few more reviews after Empire's ** and the general keenness to want to see nowt but the back of the bugger as he exits the world's life (hopefully finally and definitely) in January. Instead:

Let's talk about the rain:
Best described as a French relationship drama. Good enough, some decent shooting and lighting and acting and the requisite big house in the country with flaking paint on the doors apparently only a couple of miles from the town centre for easy access and the usual guess-who-everybody-is-and-what-links-them game to be played in the first few scenes.

The Baader Meinhof Complex:
Another little-sympathy-for-either-side account of criminals and the people who catch and imprison them - some better lighting and fancier shooting than above and much longer at 150 minutes though this allows for almost an entire additional film to occur after the point where the end might easily have been placed. Martina Gedeck fails to survive to the final credits for the third film in a row. Johanna Wokalek fails to realise that wearing a different pattern of eye-slap would be a much better way to disguise herself. Bruno Ganz very good as the head of the anti-terrorist unit until the point where he starts shouting at which point it becomes impossible not to be reminded of his barking, disintegrating Hitler in Downfall. Riveting stuff, anyway: I caught my head tipping from side to side several times which usually indicates a degree of immersion.