When Cinema Mattered to Us

The Things and Places I Remember

I remember it was just the three of us in the cinema. One of those places in the middle of nowhere that no-one ever goes to but there were spaces for a thousand cars outside. I remember we were so excited we had the screen to ourselves that we sat in the very front row. We didn't even sit on the chairs. We were on the floor, leaning back on the seats, staring up at the big screen.

I remember a halloween night in New York. I was on my own and all I knew was I needed to see a horror film. I sat in a dark room with a hundred of my closest friends and that shitty movie felt like the most important thing in the world.

I remember coming out of a cinema in my late teens and my friend got arrested for running in front of cars for no reason. The police gave him a warning, and drove away. Then he did it again — and spent the night in prison.

I remember all the first dates that were movies because I loved movies. But all my dates wondered, "why are we seeing a film on our first date?" It always seemed like a good idea to me.

I remember seeing a film in the Cineworld in Ilford, Essex, and half of the picture was projected onto the wall above. I complained. The guy took a look at it and said "it's fine." What’s worse is — no-one else in the screening seemed to mind. Baffles me to this day.

I remember all the times I went to see ‘The Apartment’.

I remember taking a woman on a date to see 'Jaws' and she didn't find it a weird thing to do and now she's my wife.

I remember being at a cinema somewhere in East London, when a fight broke out three rows behind us. Me and my friend turned around - popcorn still in hand - and watched the punch-up, live in front of our eyes. It was much better than the movie.

I remember seeing 'Bridge to Terabithia' in a cinema in Sicily. I didn't understand what was going on, because the film was dubbed in Italian. Even so, it was one of my all time favourite filmgoing experiences. Why? Because one of my favourite films is 'Cinema Paradiso'. Just being in a cinema, in Sicily, hearing the Italian language. It was amazing!

I remember seeing 'Elizabethtown' at the London Film Festival in 2005 and thinking it was a masterpiece. It turned out to not be a masterpiece, but that night, it was.

Same thing happened in some Cineplex in Florida, many a year ago. Me and my friend saw 'Spanglish'. We came out thinking it may be the best film ever.

I remember all the new Woody Allen films. How much I loved seeing that font appear on screen. The way you just knew it was a Woody film. I wish I had a different example, because I know how complicated it is to talk about the films of Woody Allen these days. But from the opening credits onwards, his films always felt like cinema to me.

I remember seeing 'The Social Network' in some cinema by myself and I couldn't work out why the film was only 20 minutes long. Turns out when you love something, time flies.

I remember the days when 'Double Indemnity' wasn't available anywhere, and I really wanted to see it. I finally did, at the ICA, just a stones throw from Buckingham Palace. The film was so good my head exploded.

I remember Nora Ephron's films. How they played when you saw them on a big screen.

I remember being at a music festival, watching 'Almost Famous' in a huge tent on a giant screen at two o’clock in the morning. There were only ten of us there. But I love that we were there, in that moment, watching that movie. What could be better than that?

I remember all the times I went to see Kevin Smith films with my friends who I only hear from when Kevin Smith has a film out.

I remember when I walked out of a Star Wars film mid-way through, and watched whatever was playing on the screen next to it instead.

I remember being so in love with 'Lost in Translation' that I saw it on the big screen maybe ten times.

I remember the cinema from my childhood that they knocked down.

I still look for it now, every time I pass by.

Photo by joesales.

I remember all of these and more, because cinema so rarely captures my heart now. These past years, I mostly remember seeing people on their phones. People talking in the seats in front of me. Maybe it was always this way but I remember how it used to be more meaningful.

The movies were better too.

Or maybe I was better. Maybe I knew how to enjoy the cinema, and the popcorn. Maybe I was able to avoid the distractions and the talking. Did the cinema lose something or did I lose a part of myself?