With No Time to Die being released in the UK and Venom in America breaking records, there is a lot of talk about whether cinema is dead or being saved. I don’t think cinema will ever disappear although I do think that there will be a lot more smaller and independent cinemas opening around the UK. The main reason I think cinemas won’t go away is the experience of it all. You can get massive TVs at home and amazing sound set ups, but they can be expensive and not everyone has the room for it. Cinemas will always provide that opportunity without any screen glare or outside noise. When I watched The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime, the quiet tense moments were ruined by next door loading up their truck. Not their fault, but it would have been a lot better in the cinema.

Going into a dark room and being able to completely switch off with no distractions is a real treat. You can’t get your phone out, so you’re free from social media and texts for 2 to 3 hours. It lets you focus more on it. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve paused something or missed a scene because my phone beeped or lit up. It’s so tempting just to check.

I also like seeing the reactions of others. The Grinch, that came out a couple years ago. I didn’t like it. I didn’t laugh once, I was incredibly bored. I only went to see it because Scott Mosier directed it. The people around me seemed to be enjoying it and I find that interesting. It’s obvious that everyone will have a different reaction to things, but I liked seeing it happen. The same thing with the new Space Jam film and Dolittle from last year. Critics loved tearing those apart, finding new ways to write insults about them. I saw both in the cinema, thought they were okay, but there was a lot of laughter in the audience. That does go both ways though. I saw 1917 in the cinema, and the person sitting next to me clearly thought he was in a comedy. He laughed at almost every line of dialogue in the first five or so minutes and then stopped laughing and started taking his coat on and off and folding it up on his lap. Over and over. I’m guessing it was his wife that squeezed his hand and told him sternly and not too quietly to stop it.

This may be more personal, but if something is on Netflix or whatever other streaming service, I won’t make time to watch it. I know it’s always there, so unless it’s something I really need to see (or review on the blog) I won’t go out of my way. I end up missing a lot of things, even stuff that I was excited for. I look at how long it is and don’t watch it. If it’s in the cinema, I don’t have a choice. It’s turn up at that time or miss it. There’s been a lot of films that I think look alright and only watch them because of my Cineworld Unlimited card and end up loving them. I’m always looking for new things to love.

The thing I really hate about cinemas, beyond the people talking in the film, is when someone arrives late and turns the torch on their phone on to get to their seat. It’s never that dark and if they shine it at you, it’s blinding. Why do people feel the need to do this. There’s a special place in hell for anyone who does it.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley