My trips to the cinema 2020

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: January 1st
CINEMA: Cineworld
LOCATION: The O2

SCREENING: 35mm, Japanese, Studio Ghibli Forever
DATE: January 4th
CINEMA: The Prince Charles Cinema
LOCATION: West End

SCREENING: IMAX
DATE: January 10th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater
SHORTS: Tenet Prologue

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: January 17th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: 35mm, Japanese, Studio Ghibli Forever
DATE: January 18th
CINEMA: The Prince Charles Cinema
LOCATION: West End

SCREENING: 35mm, Members’ Screening
DATE: January 26th
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: January 31st
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: February 1st
CINEMA: Picturehouse
LOCATION: Greenwich

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 2nd
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Q&A (Masaya Ozaki), Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 2nd
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 5th
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: February 6th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: IMAX
DATE: February 7th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 8th
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 9th
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: February 12th
CINEMA: Cineworld
LOCATION: The O2

SCREENING: XPlus Laser
DATE: February 14th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: XPlus
DATE: February 14th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
DATE: February 16th
CINEMA: ICA
LOCATION: The Mall

SCREENING: Join the #BongHive, Re-release
DATE: February 22nd
CINEMA: The Prince Charles Cinema
LOCATION: West End

SCREENING: Japanese
DATE: February 26th
CINEMA: Odeon
LOCATION: Greenwich

SCREENING: XPlus
DATE: February 28th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: IMAX
DATE: February 28th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: 35mm, Japanese, Studio Ghibli Forever
DATE: February 29th
CINEMA: The Prince Charles Cinema
LOCATION: West End

SCREENING: Advanced | XPlus Laser
DATE: February 29th | March 9th
CINEMA: Cineworld | Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: The O2 | Bluewater
SHORTS: Maggie Simpson in Playdate with Destiny (★★★)

SCREENING: The Gallery
DATE: March 2nd
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: Q&A (Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles), Preview
DATE: March 6th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

SCREENING: 1999-2019 - Exploring 20 Years of Sci-Fi
DATE: March 8th
CINEMA: The Prince Charles Cinema
LOCATION: West End

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: March 13th
CINEMA: Curzon
LOCATION: Soho

SCREENING: Regular(-ish)
DATE: July 31st
CINEMA: Picturehouse
LOCATION: Greenwich

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: August 7th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

NOTE: Nobody was brave enough or aware enough of this movie’s release here to attend this screening but me, except for two very irritating moths. And me, of course.

SCREENING: Italian
DATE: August 17th
CINEMA: Picturehouse
LOCATION: Greenwich

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: August 24th
CINEMA: Odeon
LOCATION: Greenwich

NOTE: Rented on YouTube the first day it opened on VoD, but seen again during its run at this cinema because I just didn’t feel high enough watching this on a computer.

SCREENING: IMAX 70mm
DATE: August 27th
CINEMA: BFI IMAX
LOCATION: Waterloo

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: September 4th
CINEMA: Picturehouse
LOCATION: Greenwich

NOTE: As with previous Greenwich bookings, booked with a members’ free ticket. Not a single life form attended this screening but me.

SCREENING: Unlocked
DATE: September 8th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: September 11th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

SCREENING: Unlocked
DATE: September 14th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

NOTE: Rented this from US iTunes in November. Seen again because it’s a BFI release and I feel 2D animation deserves at least some support in this time of sickness and social distancing.

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: September 16th
CINEMA: Cineworld
LOCATION: The O2

SCREENING: XPlus
DATE: September 18th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

NOTE: Almost felt a cinema rewatch wasn’t necessary (at all), but my last cinema trips reminded me just how much more I take in than when I watch films like this at home (and listening to Can’t Get Enough of Keanu and The Letterboxd Show’s episodes on this film forced my hand). Ended up going for the sake of relaxing in a recliner screen again, and to fulfil my need for some light-hearted Keanu goofiness in Dolby Atmos in this surreal and deadly time. Only three others attended; they were boomers who didn’t sound as though they had any reason to want to see this.

SCREENING: London Spanish Film Festival
DATE: September 27th
CINEMA: Ciné Lumière
LOCATION: Kensington

SCREENING: Event
DATE: September 28th
CINEMA: Odeon
LOCATION: Greenwich
SHORTS: Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin in Conversation (★★★★)

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: October 1st
CINEMA: Odeon
LOCATION: Greenwich

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: October 2nd
CINEMA: Curzon
LOCATION: Soho

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: October 5th
CINEMA: Curzon
LOCATION: Soho

NOTE: Meant to see this on opening morning, but when I arrived for the 11:50 showing, there was an unusually long queue outside. An event that shall not be specified was taking place, and we had to queue up no matter what we had come to see. Staff were checking our tickets, and NDA forms were being handed out. I took one, thinking this must be some sort of bonus before the film. 45 minutes later, I was just by the door, and was reassured that I can come in, and that I hadn’t missed a thing. The guy who told me that was unfortunately wrong, and I missed the opening four minutes. I arranged to move my screening, got a complimentary ticket to this screening to make up for the hold-up, and waited around at Picturehouse Central’s members’ bar (for the last time!) before my next show. Thank goodness I already booked a next show; I’ve wasted enough train journeys during this pandemic!

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: October 5th
CINEMA: Curzon
LOCATION: Soho

NOTE: This played in the same screen as On the Rocks. It replaced On the Rocks on the marquee. And nobody but I was interested in seeing this film at this time. Although I was free to take my mask off and laugh as loud as I pleased, an empty screen for a film like this, well, is offensive.

SCREENING: Opening Gala, London Film Festival
DATE: October 7th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

SCREENING: London Film Festival
DATE: October 8th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

SCREENING: London Film Festival
DATE: October 8th
CINEMA: BFI
LOCATION: Southbank

SCREENING: Regular
DATE: October 9th
CINEMA: Showcase Cinema de Lux
LOCATION: Bluewater

NOTE: Lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely, I saw this movie, *kills a moth* all on my own...