Add to List - #56

The Brutalist, Better Man, banana-drama, and Writers IRL

Feb 02, 2025

Hello, thank you, and welcome. I love you for being here!

Add to List is my Sunday round-up. It’s the small things that brought me joy, evoked an emotional reaction or became some short-lived stability in the past seven days.

Obsession

Cinema intermissions and bad-but-good-films.

I wish directors would stop making films over 2.5hrs long — if you must, PLEASE add an interval. My bladder is too small for anything over 168 minutes. I wish more films did this.

On Monday this week, I went to the DELIGHTFUL Castle Community Cinema in Hackney to watch the heavily Oscar-nommed, The Brutalist with Substack pal,

Amar Patel

. Not only this hiatus prevent me from wetting myself during the film, but we got to share our thoughts on the bleak beauty of such brutal buildings and their melancholic human foundations. Much like the designs Adrian Brody’s character of László Tóth constructs, this film is dark, deep, and visually beguiling. A lot to unpack. One that will niggle in your brain for weeks later.

I also addressed my long-standing Robbie Williams obsession this week by immersing myself in the crazy world of Better Man. The one that’s been called a miraculous, record-breaking box office flop? Yes. The one where he’s a chimp? Also yes. Weird, I know. Yet, weirdly, to me, it works. Say what you like about Robbie: he’s flawed, self-centred— a rockstar trapped in the body of an undeveloped pop act but my god, does he know it. In fact, he owns it. I like that he was involved heavily in the project, narrates over the drama, and doesn’t hold back from addressing himself as a total nightmare. So many biopics cast their heroes as saints or skim the gruesome details. (Ahem, Rocketman; Back to Black; Bohemian Rhapsody.) It is often that such films have addiction appear as a side story; they become victim to the dopamine rush as a building plot line device rather than a real character trait.

Most of artists are so brilliant because they are addicts: they need the validation, the supporting audience, the feeling of creating, the release they gain through being in a form of creative escape. When it all happens so quickly, nothing builds naturally or humanely, it’s not surprising, yet we act shocked when so many who shoot to fame so quickly develop mental health issues. Through casting Robbie as a chimp, we are cleverly allowed some more creative licence to lean into the animalistic parts of Robbie’s character, no holds barred. The drug taking is incredibly accurate. He’s an arsehole. He’s absolutely awful to the people he loves at points. In a strange way, I found it so refreshing to see. The chimp paradigm also allows a novel way to showcase his thoughts of suicide.

It’s definitely never going to win Oscars. At points it’s really cheesy, and quite a wild and strange ride, but anything where I get to witness a Greatest-Showman-style ensemble of all-singing, all-dancing Take-That dancing through Regent Street to Rock DJ? Sign me and my inner bad-taste monkey up immediately.

Confession

Married at First Sight.

I’ve done it, I’ve caved. I’ll admit, I always stuck up my nose to the MAFS-ers but now I’m hooked on UK S7. Generally I always err on the side of considered, nourishing viewing but sometimes when energy is low (and I feel I am gaining creative fulfilment elsewhere) it’s nice to watch something a bit more aimlessly. It’s all the drama, I just love it.

Shook

US politics.

I actually have no words. How do we turn this off now?

Look

Good hair days.

Maybe it’s because as I mentioned here, I’d quite like to get my hair cut. But, this week has been sponsored by this beanie. I bought it from a coffee shop in Seattle on a previous work trip. It reminds me of explorations and seeing good friends in other countries and that keeps not only my head, but my heart warm too.

Plus, when you’re wearing a hat, every day is a good hair day (— as long as you don’t have to take it off).

Cook

Scrambled tofu

I bulk-bought a plant-based protein order last week thanks to Tesco’s latest savings deal. I have been looking for ways to use up the left over tofu. After doing it in my usual varieties (crispy over rice with sticky, spicy sauce / in a coconut-based curry) I’ve taken to having it for breakfast with avocado, toasted seeds and fresh coriander.

I also took a visit after an interview this week to Clapton’s delightful Tram Store. This perfectly layered frittata, a heart-shaped flat-white, and the first of the Spring light really put a spring in my step before the weekend.

Book

The Trading Game, Gary Stevenson

An east-ender with mathematical affinity like mo other climbs his way to the top of the finance food-chain. Clamber up the corporate rungs with him to fear the height our systematic greed can reach. Honest, accesible, eye-opening. Really enjoying this honest memoir. I’m definitely NOT looking for a man in finance.

Can’t Stop Scanning

Banana-drama.

In case you are looking for some light, whacky news because the rest of the media leaves you in a case of terror-paralysis / constant anxiety life-lock. This randomly appearing plate of bananas in Nottingham put a silly smile on my face.

Forward Planning

Writer meet-up planning with the talented, go-getter that is

Lex Hearth

We are scheduling in a date to do some more planning for 2025. Together, we are working on our next writers meet-up for this quarter.

And! A little update!

To streamline communications and make things easier for everyone to follow, we’re changing things up a bit in 2025 about how we promote our meet-ups. It’s still run by us, we will still chat about it on our various Substacks and socials but now our meet-ups now have their very own Substack

Writers IRL

We hope these get-togethers will continue with the same warm-welcoming energy (something created by all the lovely writers who join, not just by us) and creative, fulfilling discussion.

If you’d like to be updated directly with the news of upcoming London events, please subscribe below! Any questions, feel free to reach out. You’re all incredibly welcome and we’d love to meet you!