Alex talks up supporting smaller cinemas and gives his honest take on Ben Affleck's latest film, the thriller mystery Hypnotic.
A bijou one screen Yorkshire cinema, Elland Cinema, has announced on its Facebook page that "given the current circumstances, we unfortunately will not be opening as usual next week".
They have cited a slow release schedule, and as I took a trip there recently to see The Little Mermaid, I can testify that it was pretty quiet in this lovely old fashioned cinema. It's the kind of place that the movie Cinema Paradiso was made about. Plush Pullman seats, a small kiosk selling reasonably priced snacks, and even an ice cream intermission!
There are lots of these little gems dotted around. Wetherby, Ilkley, Skipon, Penistone and Keighley all have fantastic little picturehouses, whilst I'm told the Regent Cinema in Marple is also ace. If you fancy a break from the multiplex, they really are worth seeking out.
I don't know too much about the economics of cinemas, but with the plethora of streaming choices available to all of us, it must be increasingly difficult to persuade us to leave our sofa behind and watch a film in the old-fashioned way.
For me, there is simply no subsitutute to switching off your phone and immersing yourself in a movie on the big screen. We lose these places at our peril. So many have already gone.
I'm guessing the likes of Elland Cinema do better with films aimed at an older audience, such as the recent Jim Broadbent film The Unlikely Pilgramge of Harold Fry.
Superhero movies are probably not as lucrative, as they have to be shown a certain number of times, limiting their options for scheduling anything else. Plus I fear many like me have probably reached a bit of a Marvel peak.. I might be on my own there, but it just feels like so many have been churned out in recent years, I struggle to differentiate between them.
Back to this week, and I've only managed one cinema trip...Ben Affleck's latest film, thriller mystery Hypnotic.
Instantly forgettable, I left the cinema wondering if I had in fact been placed under a spell. Or perhaps I'd had a micro nap? No, I am pretty sure I stayed awake to watch Ben Affleck in full-on scowling mode.
This film arrived with little fanfare, sandwiched between Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Fast X, both of which have totally eclipsed any chance of it making decent money at the box office.
Elements reminded me of the Matrix, but it felt brash and sloppily scripted. The only saving grace is the fact it was done and dusted in a lean 94 minutes.
William Fichtner is a highlight as the bank robber who creates chaos around him, but nothing is what it seems in this film. You won't remember much about it on the journey home, which is possibly why this paragraph has taken so long to write. It cost £51.9 million to make, apparently. Daylight robbery!
Reviews next week will include the new Transformers, which arrives this weekend, and The Boogeyman.
You can listen to Alex every weekday from 6am to 11am on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.
