No matter how flash (or vast) a home cinema set-up I've seen, nothing quite compares to a trip to the flix of an evening or weekend. As long as I can remember, I've loved movies in all their cinematic glory.
Lately I've been wondering where in Glasgow offers a great film experience, a bit different from the norm. What are the best kept secrets for your personal cinema paradiso?
Having been a longstanding punter at Odeon Springfield Quay (a doddle to drive to, masses of parking, lots of screens but admittedly blockbuster titles only) I started to experiment with other cinemas.
My first defection was to the Grosvenor tucked away in the cobbled splendour of Ashton Lane in the city's West End. This is Glasgow's only licensed cinema so (to anyone who knows me) the appeal was clear. Still, it's not quite the same when you have to sit quaffing your red wine from a plastic half pint tumbler!AND, if I'm being completely honest (though I can't quite believe I'm about to say this) I think that it's probably best not to sit boozing away while watching a film in a warm cinema. On the few occasions that I threw myself into this novelty I found myself nodding off onto the shoulder of the punter beside me. The answer is clearly "don't drink". But, when standing there buying my tickets, I am quickly noddy-headed at my own internally-monologued bleating of "it would be daft not to..."
The Grosvenor does have one (make that six) irrefutably cool benefits... you can grab a squishy leather sofa at the back and curl up with all the comfort of that aforementioned home cinema. There are only three of these fine specimens in each of their two screens, so you better be quick!
But, in the end, I've turned my back on The Grosvenor and its boozy, lazy-boy charms. I was lured away partly by how much my spending was mounting up on trips to the movies. Glasgow's newly-renamed Cineworld (formerly known as "UGC") in Renfrew Street offers a great money-saving deal. Their Unlimited card scheme offers (well, it does what is says on the tin!) unlimited viewing for a whole month for the paltry sum of £10.99 - and that means that the moment you make your third trip in any month you will be quids-in.I tend to see a lot of film and so this is a good option for me, especially as I now work in the city centre and after-work trips are even easier than before. But it is well placed right beside a large multi-story public car park right across the road, where Buchanan Street Bus Station also lurks. It's a few hops from both main rail stations (Queen Street and Central) and a mere stroll from Buchanan Street Underground station - so very well connected.
No squashy sofas here, or even any form of premium seating, but this is because all of the seats are incredibly comfortable with the most leg room pitch between rows I've seen. And all (18!) screens are very steeply-stepped, meaning that the beanpole bloke who's just arrived with the leggy woman in the funky hat and plonked themselves right in front of you are unlikely to offend.
It's a massive building, occupying a the entire former site of the much-missed Playhouse/Apollo theatres. It sky-rockets its bricks and mortar way into the air like no other neighbouring construction and this has earned it quite some criticism from architecture lovers. But all of those floors of screens stacked high do give this Cineworld its edge. It's the only cinema that is able to churn out the blockbusters from Hollywood alongside more sensitive offerings from the indie world. And that makes those Unlimited cards even better value if your tastes are broader than most.
No alcoholic temptations at the refreshment centre vestibules on each floor of screens but Cineworld does have a very comfortable licensed bar on the first floor to pick you up before your trip upstairs to your screen of choice and this works well for me and my friends. After the film, all that Glasgow city centre has to offer awaits...
For the truly BIG screen lovers and especially if you have a thing about wearing big funny glasses at the same time to enjoy the wonders of 3-D movies, then you must try a trip to Glasgow's IMAX theatre in the Glasgow Science Centre. I love the 3-D ones as much as the next big kid, but I've particularly enjoyed the chance to see some regular 2-D movies in the all-senses-assaulted IMAX arena. A good film doesn't need to poke you in the eye to engage you, though this is a fun thing to enjoy now and again. My personal favourite at this time of year is Santa v. The Snowman and it's great to see it on the listings again this year. As they say themselves, it's "the best alternative to panto" you'll get in a cinema (unless you're doing "audience-participation" that is!)
Of course An Honourable Mention must go to The King of indie film in Glasgow, the Glasgow Film Theatre or "GFT" are it is more than likely referred to by locals. There is no better place in the west of Scotland for independent and world cinema. And it holds a special place in my heart for its annual celebration of my favourite film for Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, a classic from Frank Capra starring Jimmy Strewart and Donna Reed.It's a tale set around the festive period that follows our self-sacrificing hero, George, as he faces the dark side of "life" in more ways than he could imagine. A bumbling angel, yet to earn his wings, descends from The Heavens to give George a glimpse into the world as it would have been if he had never existed... brrrrrrr... creepy, or wot!?... you'll laugh... you'll cry... you'll feel all Christmassy all of a sudden. The ultimate "feel good" film (or as a very good friend regularly miscalls it, a "good feel" film, which I always thought was an entirely different genre...) And it prompts spontaneous applause year-on-year in the series of special screenings at GFT leading up to Christmas. Take a big bag of Bah-Humbugs with you...
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