Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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BFI Imax Cinema
The renamed British Film Institute IMAX Cinema in the centre of a busy roundabout screens the predictable mix of 2-D and IMAX 3-D documentaries about travel, space and wildlife, lasting from 40 minutes to 1½ hours, as well as recently released blockbusters. The drum-shaped building sits on 'springs' to reduce vibrations and traffic noise from the traffic circle and subways below and the exterior changes colour at night.
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Ciné Lumière
Ciné Lumière is attached to South Kensington's excellent French Institute, and its large screen-room was launched by Catherine Deneuve in 1998. It screens great international seasons and lots of French films subtitled in English.
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Clapham Picture House
The Picture House is much loved by its locals for its four comfy theatres and café/bar. The programme has everything, from first-run blockbusters to art-house cinema. The Picture House is now a chain with branches in Greenwich and Stratford and has taken over Brixton's Ritzy and Notting Hill's Gate cinemas.
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Curzon Mayfair
This is the original Curzon cinema which, although a bit shabbier than its Soho sister, is a real avant-garde outpost that screens new independent and foreign films, shorts and Sunday screenings.
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Curzon Soho
Curzon Soho is London's best cinema. It has fantastic programming with the best of British, European, world and American indie films; regular Q&As with directors; shorts and mini-festivals; a Konditor & Cook café upstairs with tea and cakes to die for, and an ultra-comfortable bar that often doubles-up as a place for a drink for many Londoners. A haven in the midst of the chaotic West End.
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Electric Cinema
If you've got a date who's hard to impress, head here for certain success. This is the UK's oldest cinema, updated with luxurious leather armchairs, footstools, tables for food and drink in the auditorium, and an upmarket brasserie. Seeing a flick at this Edwardian building is, of course, slightly pricier than elsewhere; on full-price nights the seats are around £13 , or around £31 for a two-seater sofa. One of the most lavish venues in town.
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Everyman Hampstead
Ever dream of having your own private cinema? For the next best thing, go to the Everyman. The two auditoriums have comfy armchairs and sofas where you can sprawl out and watch a film with your cup of tea or glass of wine. The programme has a wide range of films, from current blockbusters to Singing in the Rain or The Godfather .
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Gate
The Gate's single screen has one of London's most charming Art Deco cinema interiors - although the bar area is a little squished. It's the programming it prides itself on, however, introducing new art-house and independent films.
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Renoir
This art-house cinema, affiliated with Curzon cinemas, has a new lease of life owing to the renovated and shiny Brunswick Centre. Not that the Renoir was ever short of loyal devotees, thanks to its share of international film, from French drama to slow-paced Iranian stories and Taiwanese love tales. There's also a range of art-house DVDs on sale in the lower foyer, plus coffee and cake.
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Rio Cinema
The Rio is Dalston's neighbourhood art-house, classic and new-release cinema, and the venue for off-beat festivals, such as the Kurdish Film Festival and the Turkish Film Festival (in autumn and December respectively), the East End Film Festival (April), the Spanish Film Festival and the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (for which some screenings are held in April and March respectively).
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Ritzy
Despite fears that making the Ritzy a multiplex would kill its cool style and community feeling (four new screens were added to this 1911 building in the late '90s, making it London's biggest independent cinema), this is still one of London's favourites, screening a good mix of mainstream and indie films. The funky bar and café upstairs is a gathering spot for arty locals.
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Riverside Studios
Once a film and TV studio itself, where classics such as Dr Who and Hancock's Half-Hour were shot, the cinema at the Riverside now shows classic art-house flicks and those you might have missed a few months back.
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Screen on the Green
At a bustling junction of Islington's busy nightlife, this film house has a single auditorium with one large screen, attracting an upmarket crowd with a taste for independent cinema (and good ice cream). Pity about the seats, though - bring a cushion and don't be over 6ft.
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Tricycle Theatre
If political theatre is your thing, the Tricycle delivers. The Tricycle has made a name for itself in recent years as the theatre-world's conscience, with plays that draw on world events (conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East) in intelligent and provocative ways. There's a nice cinema and bar on site, too.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
