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
One of My Earliest Memories
"One of my first memories is of my mum, my brother and I watching The Wizard of Oz at Belmont Cinema and I remember being blown away seeing it on the big screen instead of on tape on a small television at my grandmother’s house."
Jenny
Magic of the Big Screen
"The Belmont is a vital venue for many including myself, not only catching new releases whether major or indie but also the curated seasons and programmes relating to certain genres, movements, filmmakers, periods, etc that invite anyone from those who with 90 minutes of free time to film enthusiasts to experience and enjoy.
Seeing a film like Wolfwalkers (2020) relegated to streaming but on the big screen was magical for me personally"
H. Roberts
Psycho and a Free Ticket
"One of last films I saw at the Belmont was Psycho. There was a problem with the projector. The start time was slightly delayed.
The duty manager waited for me to come out after the film finished, and gave me a free ticket. I thought that was a kind and thoughtful thing to do. Also, my late mother used to enjoy going to the Belmont on her own on a weekday morning."
Keith Dalgarno
Just the one?
"One memory barely does the Belmont justice, so here's a collection of moments from the early years of the cinema, when I lived in town, that have stayed with me over the years.
My team (Double Down) winning the inaugural Tuesday film quiz; Seeing Kurosawa on the big screen for the first time; attending From Scotland with Love with live King Creosote Q&A; the mindf**k that was Memento; that last song by Björk in Dancing in the Dark; I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow; Sadako climbing out of the TV; Blade Runner and Vangelis; 'Llorando' in Mulholland Drive; Wes Anderson's love of Futura; Tiny Dancer on a tour bus.
I'm sure that I can think of dozens more, and the above stream of consciousness only makes me wish I'd made more effort to visit the last few years."
Mark Kemp