Let it be known in no uncertain terms that I will never under any circumstances go anywhere near a multiplex cinema. I would rather trek to north London to a little gem known as the Phoenix Cinema. Built in 1910 and surviving two world wars, it’s believed to be the oldest purpose built cinema in Britain. It’s plush red velvet chairs, unique art-deco auditorium and bar serving sweets and homemade cakes make it one of the most charming cinema’s around. Although nowhere near where I live I do find myself going there to catch the better breed of films that don’t make the rounds of the more centrally located cinemas. A short walk away is Bishops Avenue, home to London’s most ostentatious mansions of Arab arm dealer, Beverly hills meets Dubai ridiculously over the top, glamorous and gaudy tackorama, where no house is older than 10 years as each new owner just buys the plot brings in a bulldozer and joins the ongoing competition as to who can create the biggest heap of brick, bile, glitter and glass.

http://www.phoenixcinema.co.uk/

52 High Road, East Finchley, London, N2 9PJ
020 8444 6789

Related posts:

1. The Electric Cinema
2. Everyman Hampstead
3. The Gate Cinema

Aside from The Everyman in Hampstead, I have never known comfort like this. Plush leather armchairs and footstools with cream coloured walls, red velvet-like recesses and golden trimmings and a bar where you can forget the usual packaged and processed fat food and expect Mediterranean snacks such as olives and crudités, stuffed quail eggs and breaded prawns, although they do have great brownies and good wine. It’s the next best thing to having your own screening room with surround sound and on a Monday all tickets are half price. It’s rather beautiful too. It’s also claims to be the oldest cinema in town, opened in 1910 and finely restored to its Edwardian glamour boasting a gorgeous gilt-domed box office and pretty mosaic floor leading to an elegant panelled baroque styled auditorium.

http://www.electriccinema.co.uk/

191, Portobello Road, London, W11 2ED
020 7908 9696

Related posts:

1. The Phoenix Cinema
2. The Gate Cinema
3. Coronet

N.B Although a chain Le Pain Quotidien next door is a nice place to eat or get coffee before or after, other than that you’re pretty limited in Notting Hill Gate.

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/gate/local.htm

87 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3JZ
0870 704 2058

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1. Bumpkin
2. Coronet
3. The Electric Cinema

Specialising in independent films, including a lot of British and European ones and perfectly located on the edge of Soho and Chinatown. It has a street level café selling cakes and cookies from my favourite bakery, Konditor & Cook and a dark relaxing lower ground floor café and bar with a number of cushy leather couches, it’s the ideal cinema really to hang out before and after a film. I don’t usually go in for cinema food, I have a tendency to accumulate everything I put in my mouth in my teeth, so popcorn’s out but they do have these amazing white chocolate covered freeze dried gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries which I will devour in minutes, feel guilty about the approximate 3000 calories I have just consumed before I proceed onto the next box. It’s modern without having any of the usual horrors that modern cinema’s have although it does lack small perks such as service at your seat, footstools or anything like that. It’s the most fun to people watch as being central London’s main independent cinema with 3 screens it’s always busy. One of the main reasons I would be loath to leave London is for places like the Curzon. Other cities just don’t seem to have as many wonderful unique cinema’s (apart from Paris, but they are mainly reparatory) not L.A not even New York.

http://www.curzoncinemas.com/

99 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 5DY
Box Office: 0871 7033 988 Recorded Information – 020 7292 1686

Related posts:

1. Everyman Hampstead
2. ICA
3. BFI Southbank

Certain experiences can severely taint a place for me (negative association) like suffering that claustrophobic pang when watching a film that sickens you but is hard to walk out of, in this case “The heart is deceitful above all things” an utterly depressing film directed by and starring Asia Argento about a junky degenerate mother and her son, who she claims back from his loving foster parents only to show him how shit life can be. I haven’t honestly been back able to go back since, it’s been 2 years. Aside from that the ICA has everything conveniently housed under one roof. There’s a great Oliver Peyton (of Peyton and Byrne bakery’s) café/restaurant/bar, an art dvd/bookshop (which you can browse through then buy on Amazon), two cinema screens where they show various films and documentaries generally of an artistic persuasion and a venue where the likes of the Libertines play before they get famous. Its nicely located on the Mall just off Trafalgar Square so on approach there’s a good view on Buckingham palace.

http://www.ica.org.uk/

12 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH
Box office: 020 7930 3647 Telephone: 020 7930 0493

No related posts.

It’s an ongoing dilemma for me where to sit in the cinema. I’m forever up against the tricky decision as to whether or not to sacrifice a good view of the screen for mental comfort by taking an aisle seat as, soon as I’m boxed in with a row of tightly packed viewers to either side of me having just got comfortable, taken their coats off and arranged their popcorn and drinks and settled down I will feel an immediate and unquestionable need to go to the bathroom. A recent experience of sitting through ‘Qui Etes Vous Polly Magoo’ and 2 1/2 hours of Q&A (it doesn’t matter how good the film is Q&A’s are always boring and another confirmation that a person’s creative genius doesn’t make them any less of a babbling idiot) whilst needing to pee 5 minutes in and without wanting to make 20 people stand up I decided it was preferable to sustain a bladder infection. Anyway the point of all this being that the seating arrangement at the Rio, (itself a lovely little independent cinema in the familiar old theatre style) is divided up the centre so you can have both an aisle seat and a middle view all at the same time.

http://www.riocinema.ndirect.co.uk/

107 Kingsland High Street E8
020 7241 9410

Related posts:

1. Coronet
2. Canteen
3. Curzon Soho

I think I’ve mentioned before that Clapham is an area of London generally to be avoided with one of a few exceptions, The Clapham Picture House. Tucked away down a back street this busy little cinema has a bar, comfortable seating area serving food, hosts a film night every Tuesday where those who know the answers to questions such as “who was originally cast in the role of Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now before Martin Sheen?”, “What film was the 1950’s film High Society a remake of?” and “Who were the founders of DreamWorks?” can feel sufficiently pleased with themselves. Although perhaps not as luxurious as the Everyman in Hampstead or the Electric in Notting Hill it is still worth coming to for an evening out rather than because you want to see a particular film as it has a good atmosphere and unique character.

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema_home_date.aspx?venueId=cph

76 Venn Street, London, SW4 0AT
020 7498 2242 / Booking: 020 7498 3323

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1. Hamstead Heath / Parliment Hill / Kenwood House
2. The French House
3. Dennis Sever’s House

I could not be more enthusiastic about this cinema. I consider myself an expect as I have pointedly been to every independent cinema in London and the Everyman Hampstead comes at the top of the list. For not much more than you would spend at a regular multiplex cinema you get your own chair, you own side table, a selection of delicious snacks and drinks from wine to coffee but there is table service too. All of this in a quaint old theatre with a small cosy bar and a circle balcony. It’s just a shame that due to the lack of good movies that are ever made I don’t have enough reason to come here.

http://www.everymancinema.com/cinemas/index.asp?ci=2&ln=1

5 Holly Bush Vale, Hampstead, London NW3 6TX
0870 066 4777 (9am-9pm)

Related posts:

1. Ritzy
2. The Phoenix Cinema
3. Louis Pâtisserie

Once you manage to negotiate your way from Brixton station through the tramps and junkies scrounging to pick up cigarette butts from under your feet, you’ll find yourself in a little haven in an otherwise 3rd world ghetto know as Brixton. The Ritzy has a lovely cafe and bar and is the kind of cinema where you can have dinner or coffee before a movie and you don’t need to risk your life walking around Brixton to find a place to eat which is important as there isn’t anything else in Brixton.

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/ritzy/local.htm

Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG
020 7733 2229

Related posts:

1. The Gate Cinema
2. Franco Manca
3. Clapham Picture House

The interior of cinema one, which is the original theatre, is decorated in a Louis XVI manner and the auditorium still has the two original elliptically curved balconies. The ghost of a female cashier reputedly haunts the cinema. Legend has it that when she was caught fiddling the box office receipts and confronted by the manager, she dashed out of his office, ran upstairs, then threw herself from the balcony. A tip, don’t watch anything on Screen 2, the seats are UNBEARABLE they all slope slightly forward. Screen 1; if you’re getting anxious because you’re stuck behind 50 people and as its a free for all seating arrangement have no fear, most of these idiots will get all excited about sitting in the balcony and filter off leaving you free reign to take your pick of the spacious seating arrangement in the stalls. The old theatre balconies look gorgeous but you don’t want to sit there as unless you have legs two foot long as they are horrendously uncomfortable. The seats downstairs are wonderful with plenty of legroom.

http://www.coronet.org/

103 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3LB
020 7727 6705
Monday – Sunday 1pm-6.30pm

Related posts:

1. Rio
2. Everyman Hampstead
3. The Electric Cinema