Choice, Is there one?

In Glasgow there are only two main cinemas, the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and Cineworld. That's it. So do we have a choice when we decide to go to the cinema. Don't get me wrong there are other cinemas in Glasgow like Odeon but this is less well known and hasn't been established as long. With Glasgow losing cinemas like the previous cinema that is now the O2 ABC (a music venue) is it only a matter of time before we lose cinema from Glasgow all together? I hope not.

Glasgow's Cineworld Multiplex.

Location

The two major cinemas in Glasgow are almost right next to each other just off of Sauchiehall street. For me these two cinemas are quite a walk away from any main train station, I mean it's not that far but it's not that close either, so this is a major disadvantage as train and bus travel are the two main means of transport to get into central Glasgow at ease.

This is especially annoying when you go to see a late night movie and don't actually live in central Glasgow. By "late night" movie I mean 8 o'clock, due to the location of the cinemas in Glasgow I need to have enough time after the movie to walk to the train station and catch the last train home. By walk I mean run, and by catch I mean miss the train completely and having to embarrassingly end the night by begging my parents to pick me up. So, yeah that kind of leaves a lasting impression running through the Glasgow streets at night and now having your friends refuse to go to the cinema if it's not during daylight... Whit?!


Choice

The GFT, the Glasgow Film Theatre

The lack of choice of cinema in Glasgow also impacts the type of movies that are shown in Glasgow. We have cineworld, a gigantic multiplex showing all the latest blockbusters and then we have the Glasgow Film Theatre, which is really appealing to a much smaller market, showing from art house films to classics to independents. 

Fair enough this means a lot of film is covered between the two cinemas but with cineworld being a kind of like a faceless organisation and the GFT really only appealing to a small market, is there no balance? Is there no in between the two where we get a mixture of film all in the one place?


So with living in Glasgow must we travel to the outskirts of the city in order to go to the cinema? The answer should be no, but with the poor location of all cinemas in Glasgow and the choice of film we'll actually see, it makes the outskirts look more and more appealing. By no means am I stomping on Glasgow's cinemas but I feel the placing and choice of cinema could be greatly improved in the future.

The Top 3 Sins of Cinema Audiences

Whilst at the cinema we all look forward and embrace the atmosphere of the whole movie going experience. However, on several occasions this has been ruined, resulting in the movie forever reminding you of that one time you were at the cinema and the big guy next to you fell asleep and continually kept falling on to your seat. So I thought I would write the top 3 sins of those who go to the cinema and ruin it for the rest of us.

  1. People eating too loudly

Without fail this happens every time I go to the cinema. It's understandable that when it's dark people may think that suddenly because people can't see them that they can't hear them, but that's not how it works! If that's not bad enough they might even sit next to you and end up hitting you with the food shrapnel. For someone that already has an issue with loud eaters, for me, this is one of the worst sins to commit whilst at the cinema.

   2. The Seat Kicker

You sit down. Feeling quite pleased with your seat selection skills. Then you see them. You don't know them but you just know where they're going to sit... yes, right behind YOU. Now that's fine until you feel a sudden pressure on the back of your seat, but it's when the movie starts and you feel two feet sitting at the top of your seat and now your going to be put through hell for the next two hours.

 You confront the person, and trust me I've done it before and it's never turned out well. Especially when your sitting quite happily in a quiet Glasgow cinema, until some child starts purposefully kicking your chair (with extreme force) so you turn around to give them "the look" and then eventually you find the courage to ask them to stop. Not realising the child's mother is five times the size of you and threatens to, I quote, "batter me" if I don't stop disturbing them during the film (Obviously I'm putting it more politely!), only to be faced with the smug look from her child and quite extreme abuse after the film. Ugh.

  3. The Talker

We've all been there, that irritating whisper you can just hear under the movie. "Shhhhh!" coming from the rest of the theatre. I was unlucky enough to have "the Talker's" sit right behind me when I went to see the hobbit last year in Glasgow. Non-stop throughout the film all I heard was shrieking and "OMG! IT'S FRODO!!!" even though it was not Frodo but in fact Bilbo (I know *facepalm*). Even though both me and my sister both, more than ten times, asked them to politely shut up, it didn't stop. I think that has to be the worst cinema experience I've ever had. Fair to say the death stares they got after that film were, well, let's just say if looks could kill.
Here is a perfect example from Scottish comedy 'Still Game' of how annoying "the talker" can be. The full YouTube clip can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PvB8NrCRPk





So there you are, the 3 sins of cinema that I believe are the most common and the worst that we have to deal with today. 
If you have any funny stories or any sins from the cinema that I haven't mentioned, feel free to put it in the comments!

A Funny Thing Called Film

We often feel like J-Law
when at the cinema - shocked

Film is a very funny thing. It's odd how we get so emotionally connected to a movie... Don't lie we've all been there, sitting at the cinema, trying to hide the fact we've "got something in our eye". Well this connection we get is the main reason that film is so successful today, from feeling sympathy to grief to happiness, going to the cinema can be an emotional roller-coaster. 

Well this funny thing we call film is a big deal today, everyone has a connection with it, as everyone has a favourite film whether it be a classic or a modern sci-fi blockbuster, even if you "ain't a big fan" or "you have better things to do in your life", we are all influenced by the film industry (we are, don't deny it). 

So if you are a super fan of film or a film novice, it doesn't matter! Welcome to my blog! I'll be focusing on the Glasgow film scene and how Glasgow itself has influenced the world of film... "How has Glasgow influenced film?" 

Well stay tuned to my blog " Rebecca's Rants" to see how the Glasgow film scene has definitely had an influence on global film, and how Glasgow can improve it's film scene. Also, I'll be ranting about the things that happen to us in cinema... you know, people talking, eating loud, expensive food etc. 


So sit back, keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times, and let's get ready to RANT!

About Me

Hello! My name is Rebecca MacPhail and I am an 18 year old media and communication student from Glasgow. First of all thank you so much for even considering to view my blog!

I guess I should tell you a bit about myself, I like music, I like art and I love films (obviously) even though my favourite films may not be the so called "legends" of cinema like Psycho, I have no shame in the fact I love the Hunger Games (books & films) and the Lord of the Rings and so many more. I also love video games, games like Assassins Creed and Red Dead Redemption are just masterpieces.

The main reason I've actually started writing this blog is for my University course but apart from that if the blog gets enough interest I'll probably keep adding to it! "Rebecca's Rants" focuses on the Glasgow film scene at the moment but in future I will probably seek to include other things apart from the Glasgow film scene alone. Mainly my blog will feature rants about cinema/film and Glasgow based film info etc.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my blog, I hope you enjoy it! :D

Rebecca x