A film Review and Pics of The Mobile Cinema
Posted: Thursday, 03 November 2005 |
Last night we had a rare night out at the movies as the Screen Machine 2 has arrived for whole 4 days with three almost new films!!! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pride and Prejudice and On a Clear Day. I've put some pictures on the post so our readers who don't have this fantastic service can get an idea what I'm on about.
I have to tell you all about the film we saw last night, On a Clear Day by Peter Mullin, because it was not at all what I was expecting. Infact it was so funny I still hurt and it made me choke back a tear too, luckily I've got a bit of a cold which covered the snivels! The synopsis of the plot is that a newly redundant ship builder, who is estranged from his son and struggling to keep his marriage and sanity together, decides to try to swim the English Channel... You'd think miserable northern dirge but so not so!!! This is the best comedy I鈥檝e seen this year! The whole lorry was rolling with laughter. The use of humour to help us recognise the unconscious bigotry many of us show without thinking and how we can hurt people without knowing or meaning, just by exercising misconceptions that we have come to, purely by never bothering to find out the facts. The characters are strong and speak with a genuinely realistic Scottish voice thanks to a brilliant script and a truly origional story. This is an uplifting, extremely funny film about what would normally be treated as "serious" issues. A film for everyone to enjoy. Even my Dad would like this film!
I鈥檓 going to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tonight and Pride & Prejudice either tomorrow or Saturday so will keep you posted.
I reckon it鈥檚 ok regarding 91热爆 blogging rules for me to post film reviews as it鈥檚 ok for Jonathon Ross to do it on 91热爆.com and surely it鈥檚 ok to mention the Screen Machine as it鈥檚 heavily Scottish Arts Council Funded so definitely doesn鈥檛 make a profit. The Screen Machine cinema in the back of a lorry is the only cinema any of the islands have for current movies and makes a welcome change, especially at this time of year when it鈥檚 getting dark by early afternoon. If there鈥檚 any problem just let me know Mike & I鈥檒l take it off.
It's reall cosy inside with about 90 seats so when you arrive you can have a good look round and say hello to everyone however it is definitely NOT a good venue for a first date as the audience would be more interested in your romance than the film.
The 1st Screen Machine had a few more seats but they traded a few seats for extra leg room and bigger more comfortable seats and it worked a treat! Most fims in winter play to just under or full capacity depending on popularity and the weather. It travels around the Highlands & Islands showing quite new releases, usually a block buster, a kids film and something a bit more challenging for a few days in each area.
The other difference is that they are now showing adverts before the movie instead of the wee movie about building the new SM2 and showing driving round impossibly tight bends, under tiny bridges and through the villages, so we didn't get to give the traditional cheer when they showed Arran but I suppose we've seen enough of that and the ads probably help them get more films for us. We can prebook tickets online or by phone as well as the box office see www.screenmachine.co.uk
Comments
When I was wee Shiskine Hall showed films-when the projector worked that is!Not been in the screen machine but have heard it's great.
Christine from Ayr
They used to show movies at Brodick Hall too but legislation finally reached Arran and they had to stop. However we do have a film Club in Corrie Hall which shows a movie on the 2nd Sunday in the month. To keep our club status we can't show new releases and most of the movies have to be forgien language but it means we see films we probably wouldn't see otherwise.
Sunny from Arran
Went to see Charlie & the Chocolate Factory last night. It was very much a Tim Burton film with typical neo-gothic sinister feel to it. Jonny Depp played Willie as a cross between Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. When he flashed back to his childhood I genuinely expected him to be black. Tim missed an opportunity there. The setting seemed to be in a country that was a mix between Britain and the US. It looked sort of dark satanic mills English and most of the actors were English but a woman offers Charlie 500 Dollars and the traffic lights are American for some reason as is Willie. The Ooompa Loompa is good and the visual effects are brilliant. No side splitting laughs but a fairly satisfying film. Didn't have the wow factor for me but the children watching seemed genuinely intreagued. Having said that I think they should do one showing for adults so we can watch these movies without a lot if kids jumping up and down and talking!
Sunny from Arran
What a wonderful peek at island life you have given me! Your photographs are beautiful, and I feel like I have been on holiday far from home! Thank you.
Melinda Kurtz from Wisconsin, USA
Hi Sunny, You're doing a great job, reminding those of us who have been to Arran what a beautiful place it is, and I'm sure, tempting others to come and visit. I've been there twice, staying in Lochranza (Lochranza Hotel) on both occasions, and I loved it. My Great Grandfather was from Shiskine, and moved to Ireland in the 1860's or 70's. Here on the West Coast of Ireland, we get a mobile Cinema too...it's a little silly in our case, as there's a perfectly good cinema 8 miles away! Still, it's a bit of a novelty sitting in the back of a lorry in the town car park, watching the latest releases! Keep up the good work. I will check in from time to time.
Mary McGregor from Ireland
We had just missed the mobile cinema when we were over a few weeks ago, it was over the week before we came... http://www.pbase.com/rothesay/arran
Zak from Isle of Bute
What happened to the Highlands and Islands Film Guild? I remember their grey Austin A35 coming to the local school last winter bringing us up to the minute films like 'The Man who shot Liberty Valance' and 'Polyanna'. My cousin Donald's favourite are 'The Three Stooges' cos it reminds him of the three MacLeod brothers from Shader. I hope we don't get a huge wagon like that - we only have a single track road that the tweed lorry struggles to get down. If this is progress we in Lewis are dead against it. What next? There'll be a popcorn van following it, then an ice cream van and before we know it we'll be gridlocked.
Hamish Depp from Ballallan Lewis
The lorry hasn't been without it's critics here either due to congestion but it was the circus lorry that really caused a ruckus. It came over from Mull of Kintyre to Lochranza so had to pass through Corrie to get to Brodick. While trying to drive over the Port Bridge, which is one big sharp bend it collided with the wall knocking a section of it including the knife stone into the Port. NAC rebuilt the wall but the knife stone dissapeared and was replaced with jaggy stones at are useless for knife sharpening or for sitting on! Nae use to man nor beast! There's been a campaign to get our ancient heritage knife stone back ever since. It's a conspiracy I tell you!
Sunny from Arran
Arran ExPat wandering the world, residing in Cyprus for now with the odd visit home.
RSS Feed