I’m going to let you in on something a bit cheesy: I love going to the cinema.
There’s something about the anticipation of getting lost in a great film that I just can’t resist.
And more than that, I love going to a cinema with character. When I was a wee small child, I would go with my friend to Saturday Morning Pictures at a beautiful Grade 2 listed Odeon cinema in town, with relatively small auditoriums and velvet curtains.
And then, when I was a teenager they pulled it down and built houses on it. The evil multiplexes on the outskirts of town had become fashionable and it out of business. *shakes fist at modernity*
Anyway, enough of the autobiography…when I moved to Norfolk I discovered Cinema City – a small picture house set in the atmospheric surroundings of Suckling Hall.
There are no giant buckets of cola, no smell of stale popcorn and very rarely kids; instead there are nice sweets and glasses of wine. In fact, the bar is a cosy place to spend time at any time of year and although I haven’t tried the Dining Rooms, I would love to!
And although Cinema City shows the latest blockbusters (War Horse is currently showing), it has a good range of indie productions and classic movies too (It’s a wonderful life is on every Christmas). In fact, I’m gutted that I didn’t get the chance to see Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch in Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Frankenstein at the National Theatre, which was streamed live into the cinema.
And you might think: “Yeah, yeah art house cinema/pretentious twaddle” and you’d be so wrong. The cinema is really friendly and not the least bit expensive. Adult tickets cost £8.50 at peak times, which is in line with all other cinemas, and they accept Orange Wednesdays and student discounts.
Check out Cinema City’s listings here.
