Last night I went along with a group of friends to see a film. But it wasn’t just any ordinary film screening….THIS one was held in a Ping Pong hall, came with an introduction from one of my film heroes and involved Bill Nighy and Miranda Hart sharing a pizza and a beer at the bar. This was all thanks to The Flicker Club.
The Flicker Club is a boutique cinema club that redefines the film-going experience by creating a unique way of rediscovering cinematic treasures. They usually invite surprise special guests from the worlds of entertainment and literature to read the source material before showing its big-screen incarnation, with previous guests including the likes of Mark Gatiss, Mark Rylance, and Sir Ian McKellen. The best thing about these fabulous screenings? All profits go directly to charity and they are currently working with FilmMAD and WaterAid. They host a really interesting range of film screenings, of new and old titles, in interesting venues. Think Secret Cinema but a quarter of the price and equally as fun!
This evening was all about the film ABOUT TIME. It features in it many scenes of a father and son playing Ping Pong, hence why B.o.u.n.c.e in Holborn seemed a pretty fitting location. We were treated to free ping pong for an hour and a half while we waiting for the film to be introduced by none other than it’s writer and director Richard Curtis. Since falling in love with his work after watching Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley religiously, along with Notting Hill and Four Weddings and A Funeral firmly on my ‘Best Films Of All Time List’, it was safe to say I was excited…
Richard and his lovely wife and partner in crime, Emma Freud, even hosted a cheeky raffle for the audience with hidden raffle tickets they’d placed under our chairs, with people winning “old tatt they still had lying around the office”!
The film got underway as we drank our beers and were full on the delicious pizza from Bounce’s restaurant. ABOUT TIME is an absolute delight of a movie. When the film was in cinemas a couple of months ago, it received mixed reviews from critics but I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours, filled with slightly posh stereotypes, an utterly charming male lead, gorgeous scenery of London and the English countryside and a lovely heartwarming ending – all staples of Curtis’ past movies.
Starring Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Domhnall Gleeson (who steals the show), it’s a film about love – and a little bit of time travel. It’s a film that ponders on the questions of time and how quickly it passes us by, with the overall message being to appreciate each and every minute you have on this earth. My friends and I left feeling hugely satsified and optimistic; a magic that Curtis seems to easily possess, you simply can’t watch one of his films or shows without feeling happy.
The Flicker Club do a huge range of screenings and you can sign up for their mailing list HERE. Bounce is available for ping pong bookings, dinner in the restaurants or just as a slightly quirkly bar to have a few cocktails – check out their website for more details on events, menus and bookings. About Time will be coming to DVD in February next year – you can pre-order it here (and you should!).
Have you been to any other fun screenings in London or are you a fellow Richard Curtis fan?
LMNH x
Will definitely be ordering this DVD, sounds like you had a fun evening!!!! x