Your
Belmont
Memories
Spoons
"I had seen the film The Disaster Artist at the Belmont and enjoyed it. Typical of the majority of films I went to see at the Belmont the audience was small. So when the opportunity arose to see the film that inspired The Disaster Artist and there were only a limited number of screenings I felt I had to go and see it. I usually aimed to arrive 20 minutes after the official start time so as to avoid the adverts. This has rarely been a problem.
On this occasion I was a little bit earlier than this and was stunned to see people queuing up outside. "What is going on?", I am thinking. "Why are so many people interested in a film of limited appeal?" I get to the ticket desk and I am lucky to get one of the last remaining seats in the front row of the large Screen 1. I prefer to sit near the back so as not to strain my neck and go swivel-eyed trying to take in a large screen close up. I was invited to take some plastic cutlery on the counter. "What is this for I asked?". "It is part of the film." was the reply with an enigmatic smile.
Sure enough Screen 1 was packed out. The film starts and a little way in the people behind me shout "Spoons" and I am showered in plastic cutlery . This happened at key points during the film. Also the audience shouted out phrases at certain repeated phrases or camera shots. The audience clearly knew this obscure film very well. Never in my 50 years of cinema going have I encountered such an immersive experience. Well done to the Belmont.
The film, in case you want to look out for it, is "The Room" by Tommy Wiseau. A film that has to be seen in a cinema.
Bruce Taylor
Share Your Memory
Spoons
"I had seen the film The Disaster Artist at the Belmont and enjoyed it. Typical of the majority of films I went to see at the Belmont the audience was small. So when the opportunity arose to see the film that inspired The Disaster Artist and there were only a limited number of screenings I felt I had to go and see it. I usually aimed to arrive 20 minutes after the official start time so as to avoid the adverts. This has rarely been a problem.
On this occasion I was a little bit earlier than this and was stunned to see people queuing up outside. "What is going on?", I am thinking. "Why are so many people interested in a film of limited appeal?" I get to the ticket desk and I am lucky to get one of the last remaining seats in the front row of the large Screen 1. I prefer to sit near the back so as not to strain my neck and go swivel-eyed trying to take in a large screen close up. I was invited to take some plastic cutlery on the counter. "What is this for I asked?". "It is part of the film." was the reply with an enigmatic smile.
Sure enough Screen 1 was packed out. The film starts and a little way in the people behind me shout "Spoons" and I am showered in plastic cutlery . This happened at key points during the film. Also the audience shouted out phrases at certain repeated phrases or camera shots. The audience clearly knew this obscure film very well. Never in my 50 years of cinema going have I encountered such an immersive experience. Well done to the Belmont.
The film, in case you want to look out for it, is "The Room" by Tommy Wiseau. A film that has to be seen in a cinema.
Bruce Taylor
Cinephile in Belmont
“I am an international student of anthropology at the University of Aberdeen. I still remember the excitement of discovering Filmhouse after my first visit to Aberdeen, as I am an extremely film obsessed person. From June 2021 to June 2022, I saw over thirty films at the Belmont, including The Godfather, Flee, The Worst Person In The World, Varda by Agnès, 2046, and Wings of Desire. I've experienced times here both alone and in a room full of film fans, which for me are some of my most cherished memories of my time in Scotland. Now that I have returned to Aberdeen from my fieldwork, I was surprised to find that the Filmhouse had closed and I was incredibly sad as I was already envisaging how I would spend my new Cinephile time at the Belmont on the plane back to Aberdeen.”
QIngyang Li
Hogmanay
“I attended the sing along version of calamity Jane with my teenage daughter several years ago. It was her 100th cinema (various cinemas) visit of the year. It was a great atmosphere with lots of people dressed up and signing. My daughter was mortified when I started singing!!”
Alan Whyte
A gem of a cinema
"The Belmont was, and hopefully will be again, a civilised place to go. Whether special events such as Christmas, Valentine's, etc or outings with a language class to the French Film Festival, it was always a good evening. The staff were unfailingly nice and the whole experience was more personal than going to one of the multiplexes."
David Scott
Time spent and time hope to be regained
"I , like my husband Jim, have attended the Belmont as a regular, and I mean regular, since it opened in 2000. The first film we saw together was 'Memento'. Since then I revelled in seeing alternative, non mainstream and foreign language films there. Almadovar was a delight; one Polish film at least; the French-Hungarian lady who shot naturalistic scenes of street life; old classics such as Casablanca and even Brief Encounter, plus small budget gems like Boiling Point. My own son Sam, a former amateur film maker, had a showing of his brilliant and quirky Occasional Monsters, back in 2008. The Belmont was a huge part of my life. If everyone had gone there as often as me, we might not be in this mess. The staff are/were charming and friendly. Somehow someday it must come back. If it does, please use it or lose it."
Judy Addison