Favourite Cinemas Part 1
I remember a while back that the Guardian film blog posted about favourite cinemas. I sadly can’t relocate the original post (if you can please let me know and I’ll add a link). Yet in light of the many posts/articles I seem to be endlessly reading about why visiting the cinema isn’t what it used to be- (mobile phones, unruly children, rising ticket prices and so on and so on) I thought it was about time that we took stock and reflected on why cinema going has and still does hold such a special place in our hearts.
So…I’ve asked the Soda bods to take a few moments to reflect on their favourite independent cinemas, not just the most comfortable or the best surround sound, but those great experiences that have stood the test of time…
Frances Harvey = Ritzy | Brixton, London (present day)
“Ritzy, Brixton. For the first time in 20 years I had a decent cinema on my doorstep, I saw Elephant there on the day I moved to London, Michelle McManus goes there and it’s next to KFC.”
Martin Gough = The Savoy, Nottingham (circa 1992-1996)
“5 min walk from student house, in-cinema bar for a pint during the interval (made tolerable because of the bar!) and you could smoke in one half of the auditorium. Clearly it didn’t affect the other half. Genius and I saw The Usual Suspects there, pre-hype.”- (Martin’s such a pioneer)
Marie Foulston= The Electric Cinema, Birmimgham (circa 1993-2004)
“Despite its moth eaten and occasionally broken seats, I loved the eclectic and genuinely independent programming, home made cakes, cheap late night double bills, super lovely manager and projectionist (who was happy to show you round the projection booth if you asked nicely). And quite frankly it just looked effortlessly cool! I sadly can’t bring myself to go back since its refurb cause the old incarnation holds such a special place in my memories.”
Still to come next week, Ben, Ed Kate (and if I pester him long enough hopefully Kevin) will be sharing their independent cinema memories.