Rum Diary....

In the absence of Tonbridge having a cinema or an arts centre I was forced once again last night to venture over the hills to Sevenoaks Stag theatre and community arts thingy or whatever they call it. I wanted to see the new Johny Depp film Rum Diary which turned out to be an excellent choice. I'm not a huge fan of him as Captain Jack Sparrow but as Paul Kemp in this latest movie he shows himself as a very versatile actor. It's funny, full of philosophical one liners, dark and depressing in places, uplifting in others. The story, from what I can gather, is a little known one by Hunter S Thompson, an LSD taking, heavy drinking award winning journalist and cult novelist who died a few years ago and to whom the film is dedicated. It's a partly auto- biographical account of Puerto Rico in 1960 from the point of view of an idealistic, but Rum soaked, journalist working on a failing corrupt newspaper, played by Depp. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but I certainly enjoyed it. It's on at the Odeon as well if you prefer the comfort and large car park of that place but I'm growing rather fond on the, ever so slightly seedy, Stag Theatre with it's excellent screen and soft wide seats with lots of leg room. The pop corn is only £1.50 a large tub for salty or buttery which also helps!...