She Loves London

Tag: prince charles cinema

7 Excellent Independent Cinemas in London

As the rain tips down on London for another day, it’s safe to say: this summer’s almost over.

Bad news for anyone ambitious enough to suggest a picnic any time soon, but good news for the UK’s female population, who have just been granted another month’s free pass to Tightsville. HOLLA!

Anyway, aside from being able to shield the world from my paley legs, the weather also means I’ve been going to the cinema rather a lot lately. Seriously, I’ll pretty much watch anything these days, as long as it doesn’t mean chucking £20 towards a pretty soulless Vue or Odeon. In short, it’s all about the independents.

So in the interests of spreading the film love, here are three bloody good cinemas you should probably go to when the weather’s crap. Or even if it’s not. Also, I’m being a bit fluid with the “independent” tag on some of them, but they’re all excellent. Trust me.

1. The Prince Charles Cinema

Tucked away round the back of everyone’s favourite tourist trap, Leicester Square, this is where film nuts gather to sing along to Team America, attend Labyrinth themed masked balls hosted by David Bowie look-a-likes, and hunker down in the back row to watch an afternoon screening of films that have just left the multiplex round the corner. They do breakfast clubs and bacon sarnies on Sundays, double bills, themed all nighters (I went to a horror marathon once, it was great) and documentary screenings, Q&As, the lot. this place is hands down one of my favourite places to spend an afternoon in London.

I highly recommend becoming a member (£10 for the year, £50 life), also theirs is a brilliant Twitter account to follow.

Website: www.princecharlescinema.com

Twitter: @ThePCCLondon

Image credit: Ewan Munro via CC

2. The Electric, Notting Hill

It’s a little more expensive than my beloved PCC, and it will require you to brave Portobello Road, but any cinema this comfortable is definitely a goer. Seriously, there’s a bar at the back of the room so if the film’s bad, just make use of the wine holder between the seats. It’s all about the little features in this place, like the old skool ticket booth, and forget flip seats – we’re talking armchairs and footrests. Basically, this is one of the comfiest cinemas I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch a crap film in. Also, pro tip: hire one of the sofas at the back and prepare to hit First. Date. Gold. You’re welcome.

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

Twitter: @electriccinema

3. The Everyman, Baker Street

Hiding out next to Boots on Baker Street is this little gem, part of the Everyman mini-chain dotted around London and surrounds. I was well impressed with this one. We went to see Moonrise Kingdom – 5 second review: Go see it. Go. Now! Now! – and found comfortable seats complete with little tables to rest your posh-o glass bottles of water on, in a nice small screening room. It all felt so swish that I even bought popcorn (I never buy popcorn). It wasn’t just any popcorn, though. They had some mad Worcester Sauce and sun dried tomato concoction going on, which we devoured an entire box of before the film had even started. Now that’s popcorn.

Website: http://www.everymancinema.com/

Twitter: @everymancinema

4. The Rio, Dalston

My local cinema is one of London’s oldest. They’re also currently fundraising for a second screen, so chuck some money their way if you can. It’s a proper historic cinema which has this really nice, old school atmosphere inside. They show a really big selection here: new releases, and live events. Once I saw a screening of Hamlet being live streamed from the Barbican. Plus all the food and drink inside is local and reasonably priced, so they encourage you to buy from there rather than bringing your own in.

Website: https://riocinema.org.uk

Twitter: @riocinema

5. The Curzon, Bloomsbury

I’m not sure I could bang on about this cinema much more. And alright, the Curzon isn’t strictly speaking an independent cinema – it’s a national chain – but within this Bloomsbury branch of the Curzon is the Bertha Dochouse. That’s a small screening room that only shows documentaries. The seats are really comfortable and if you’re a member, you get 15% off food and drink, discounts on tickets, and access to free screenings and previews.

Website: here

Twitter: @BerthaDocHouse

Credit: Ewan Munro from London, UK

6. Rich Mix, Shoreditch

Rich Mix is a community charity that holds events, dance, gigs, and also has a cinema upstairs. Which means whenever you go and see a film there, you’re basically helping to make this bit of east London a more culturally rich place. Which is good, innit? They show a good mix (ha!) of films here: new releases, family specials, and events – including National Theatre screenings. So if you can’t make it to an actual theatre, there’s a chance you can catch it here.

Listings: here

Twitter: @RichMixLondon

7. The ICA Cinemas

There are two screening rooms at the Institute of Contemporary Art on the Mall. You probably won’t see the Queen there, but you will see a fairly niche selection of art house, indie and retrospectives being shown. One cinema seats just 45 people, so it’s a nice spot if the idea of a huge Odeon makes you a bit nervous.

Listings: here

Twitter: @ICALondon

If you know of a good cinema I’m missing out on, please educate me below. Or on the SLL Facebook page. I’m bloody everywhere.

28th August 2017
SheLovesLondon.com Round Up of the Year (i.e. Buses, Meat, Canals, Daleks etc. The usual)

We’ve had bank holidays a plenty, Royal shindigs, Olympic funtimes and the rise of no bookings policies in restaurants. Also, 2012 was the year I moved to Dalston and started a blog about London.

This blog was never going to be about covering the openings and events and fancy cultural goings on, and more about the stuff you notice every day. I hope I’ve stuck to that, and that you’ve enjoyed reading it so far.

If you haven’t, I can’t promise that 2013’s offering will contain any less references to vomit on buses and chucking ping pong balls at peoples’ heads – so you should probably try the Londonist instead. It’s much more informative.

Anyway, true to form, these are the highs and lows of 2012…the SheLovesLondon way.

Going up…

After years of wondering exactly how you’re meant to get from Dalston Junction to Peckham Rye without ageing 30 years, the answer came in the shape of London’s latest transport upgrade which completed its full circle in December this year. Now that’s progress (as long as you don’t fall asleep).

If you do one thing in 2013, make sure it’s rocking up to your favourite independent cinema in your pyjamas and staying there until 7am the next morning. You should probably check they’re staying open first, though.

Ah, and so cometh the year when we all stopped booking, started queuing, turned our attention to burgers, hotdogs and lobsters, began calling macaroni cheese “Mac and Cheese” and greasy junk food “sliders”. Then along came MEATLiquor, which is always such a good idea until you’ve consumed your weight in beef patties with onion rings, and rendered yourself incapable of speech.

As it turns out, having a couple of million extra people in our city means everything gets quieter and London gets to work on time. Transport for London’s summer of chaos was the best yet. Can we do it all again next year, please?

Gone are the days of tables for two in dimly lit restaurants. Now we stand around communal piles of giant prawns, dine on eight courses of Vietnamese in stranger’s living rooms and watch drag queens reenact the birth of baby Jesus between courses. The times, they are indeed a changin’.

Going down…

I don’t care how hot it is, I don’t care how inviting the water looks, I don’t care how many drugs you’ve taken, or how many cans of Red Stripe you’ve consumed. It will never be ok to swim in the Regent’s Canal (a.k.a The One With All The Severed Heads), and especially not at the Camden end.

That’s “Jo” with one “o” and no “e” – short for Joanna. Not Joanne. Not “Jhoo”. Or, as my housemate called me eight months into our flat share, Josephine. Come on, EAT and co. You can do better than this.

Ok, Londoners. Group effort: let’s quell that urge you have to photograph your food before you eat it. If I have to sit in one more restaurant among the strobe effect of flashes going off around me, I’m going to start throwing things – starting with your iPhone. The only place you need to upload your meal to is your mouth. Got it?

If there was a gold medal for the ugliest, most uninspiring, un-sport related mascot for a sporting even, it would probably be a one eyed alien called Mandeville. You couldn’t even climb on them. Feel-good fail.

You can’t discover the joys of London buses without also experiencing “this bus is on diversion”, or yesterday’s blinder, “sorry, you all have to get off because someone’s been sick on the lower deck.”. That’s Christmas, folks!

And finally, going up…

There’s a time and a place for Dr. Who inspired graffiti, and the London Underground’s posters are just that.

Well done, London. You done good this year.

Happy Christmas and I’ll see you on the other side.

21st December 2012
The SheLovesLondon September To-Do List

It’s nearly September, and I’m marking the occasion for two reasons.

Firstly, because I be getting another year older this month (next week, to be exact), and secondly because September’s that funny time of year when all the nifty little events and popups that run over the summer months tend to come to an end. Or, err, move inside.

So before we succumb to autumn and return to our favourite local pubs where roaring fires await, here are a few things to do when September hits.

1. Mussels and Prosecco

The Mussel Men are back in sunny Dalston this weekend with their popup at Fabrica584. Here’s the deal: two of you can get a kilo of mussels, a bottle of Prosecco and frites for £27, and if no one wants to go with me on Saturday afternoon, then I will be table-for-one-ing on my own because just reading about this kind of stuff makes me hungry. Tickets here.

2. Street Feast London

Despite it being about 5 minutes down the road from me, I’ve yet to visit this night market which has been feeding the masses every Friday in Hartwell Street, E8 throughout the summer. Street Feast London will be in Dalston until the 14th September, then it’s moving to somewhere in Hackney. So if you live in Daston and you’re a little bit lazy (like me), the countdown is on to get some neighbourhood grub.

3. The London Picnic Club

On Wednesday night, I hopped down to this popup restaurant which will be continuing to feed and water people at the Skyroom in SE1 until September 8th. The food is excellent, the cocktails are unusual and strong, and the surroundings are all about the picnic hampers, garden shrubs, and wooden benches: everything you’d expect from a picnic themed concept set high above London Bridge. We ate beautifully crisp confit duck, we drank, cocktails with Camomile in them, we retired to a platform that stuck out precariously over the street below. And yes, there’s a roof and heaters to protect you from the elements.

4. The Never Ending Story at the Prince Charles Cinema

One of my favourite childhood films is being shown at one of my favourite London cinemas on Tuesday 25th September. A collaboration between lifestyle blog Domestic Sluttery and the Prince Charles, it’s time to don the luck dragon costume and get some 80s nostalgia in your eyes and ears. This is happening. Also, ATRAAAAYYUUUUUUUuuuuu

5. Kings Cross Ice Cream Festival, N1

First up, everyone likes ice cream. Second up, the Goods Way end of Kings Cross is looking kindddd of sharp at the moment and third up, Saturday’s not meant to absolutely hammer it down alá last week. Therefore, I conclude that an ice cream festival is probably a good thing to do this weekend. Oh! And it’s free. Get in thy belly.

Enjoy the weekend, my little London pork pies.

30th August 2012