Silver Screen Cities: Celebrating city cinema-going

Celebrating City Cinema-Going

‘High-Rise’, Curzon Victoria, London

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Mornington Crescent, a bright and breezy Tuesday morning in the last week of March. What brings me here today is curiosity to see the north London locales painted by Frank Auerbach and displayed at his recent Tate Britain retrospective. One work in particular resonated with me when I saw it at the Tate exhibition, the […]

‘Havana Club Rumba Sessions: La Clave’, ICA London

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It was a cold, bright and clear afternoon this last Sunday in February. After a very good lunch at Jamie’s Italian in Covent Garden, rounded off with a warming glass of calvados, we headed through the streets of central London towards the ICA on Pall Mall. ICA’s screen 1 was packed for this afternoon’s showing […]

‘Trumbo’, Picturehouse Central, London

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It’s all happening today – the Chinese New Year celebrations, Valentine’s Day, and the BAFTA awards. Signs of all those can be seen in central London, particularly around Covent Garden where we go to Palm Court Brasserie for a suitably romantic meal before heading along to Picturehouse Central to see the eagerly awaited Trumbo. Usually […]

‘Carol’, Odyssey Cinema, St Albans

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The train from London’s St Pancras station took me to St Albans to see director Todd Haynes’ film Carol at the Odyssey cinema. When the train arrived at St Albans City station I had a quick look at the well-preserved old railway signal box that still stands beyond the end of platform 4, before heading into […]

‘Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict’, ICA, London

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‘Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict’ was showing at various London cinemas. But there was one reason I chose the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) to watch it at – the ICA website stated that their film showings are now ad-free. There are trailers for other films shown, but none of the annoying ads that spew forth endlessly at […]

‘Guys and Dolls’, Regent Street Cinema, London

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Around midday on this grey November day I took the Northern Line train to Tottenham Court Road station, pausing on the platform there for a moment to admire the Paolozzi mosaics which brighten up what would otherwise be a drab environment. Outside there was a sudden downpour as I was walking along Oxford Street, so sudden […]