MOVIE MAGIC
The credits may be rolling on LoveFilm but our guide will help you find the best-value films to buy, rent or stream
VISIT A CINEMA
THERE is still no better way to watch a new blockbuster than on the big screen.
Although ticket costs can be prohibitive, there are some great discount deals available.
Odeon, the biggest cinema chain in Britain, is currently offering family tickets where two adults and two children aged 12 or under all pay the same child ticket rate. This means a £10.50 adult ticket can be purchased for just £7.95.
Those aged 55 or over can also become members of the Odeon Silver Cinema club and watch films during the day with tea and biscuits for just £3.
If you have a Cineworld complex nearby you should consider a Cineworld Unlimited Card. You pay £17.90 a month and can enjoy as many movies as you like. Those who visit Vue cinemas can enjoy a ‘mini mornings’ deal on a Satur- day or Sunday. Film showings at 10am cost just £2.49. Cinema chain Curzon offers ‘cult’ membership for £350 a year that gives the cardholder free entry to all its cinemas nationwide. Picturehouse, a 23strong chain, offers those aged 60 or over free membership to the‘ silver screen’ club. Films shown during the day cost £5.50. Small independents also offer great value. John Bennett is house director of the Electric Picture Palace in Southwold, Suffolk. The 70-seater offers an eclectic mix of movies – from black-and-white classics such as Ealing comedy Whisky Galore! and Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday to modern hits such as Beauty And The Beast and The Lego Batman Movie.
Tickets cost from £6 though there is an additional membership fee that starts at £3.
Bennett says: ‘We try to make the most of the magic of the cinema, turning a trip to the movies into a special night out. The dynamic of sharing your enjoyment of a film with an audience, especially when there is laughter, cannot be replicated by sitting at home watching a film alone.’
The Electric Picture Palace has an interval in all its movies so the audience can enjoy an ice cream or glass of wine. It also has a musical organ, commissionaire and usherettes.
STREAM OVER THE INTERNET
THE internet has transformed the way we watch movies and TV, with streaming and downloading revenue overtaking DVD sales for the first time last year.
Faster internet and technology improvements, such as internetlinked TVs, tablets and laptops used to stream movies, have fuelled the revolution. Total revenue from digital video was £1.3 billion in Britain last year compared with almost £900 million from the sale of DVDs and Blu-ray.
Online giant Netflix is the market leader with about a quarter of UK households subscribing to the service. Other major players include Amazon and Sky along with Sky’s Now TV service.
Alternatives that allow you to stream or download include Apple iTunes, Curzon Home Cinema and Mubi. It is also worth taking advantage of the online BBC iPlayer service to browse through its movie choices. This service is paid for out of the £ 147 annual fee households pay for a TV Licence.
The British Film Institute has a BFI Player service with unlimited access to hundreds of movies – many picked by film critic Mark Kermode – for £ 4.99 a month. They can be watched on your TV, smartphone or laptop and the contract can be cancelled at any time.
Edward Humphrey, director of digital at the British Film Institute, says: ‘We want to offer a diversity of choice, not just mainstream movies that people often associate with streaming services.
‘As long as you have a minimum download speed of two megabits per second on your internet at home you should be able to watch films with no problems.’
Those with a poor internet connection – perhaps a result of living in a rural area – may suffer lower speeds during busy times. This can lead to ‘buffering’ where frames freeze or the picture goes into pixellation meltdown.
For watching high definition films five megabits a second is often the recommended minimum speed.
Netflix allows you to stream as many films as you like for £5.99 a month – or £7.49 if you want sharper highdefinition.
Amazon also offers access to a huge library of movies for £5.99 a month. Those prepared to pay a bit more – £ 7.99 – also get access to Prime, its fast one-day delivery service for goods bought through its website. Now TV sells a Sky Cinema Pass where viewers get access to Sky films for £9.99 a month. Mubi offers a wide range of movies that include world cinema and cult classics for £5.99 a month. Apple iTunes focuses more on renting or selling individual movies rather than offering a monthly package where you access lots of films. Prices are usually £3.49 to rent – and stream – online or £4.49 for highdefinition viewing. Alternatively you can buy a movie where it is downloaded on to your laptop rather than streamed – but you may have to pay £9.99 for the privilege. Curzon Home Cinema allows you to stream a wide range of movies. You can rent films to view – paying between £2.20 and £10 each time. Curzon ci nema card members enjoy a 15 per cent price discount. They can also stream up to 12 films for free each month through the Curzon12 service.
RENT FROM A STORE
THE LoveFilm By Post DVD rental service will be axed at the end of October. Although marking the end of an era, it does not ring the death knell for DVD rentals.
The main alternative to LoveFilm is Cinema Paradiso. It has categorically ruled out closing, boasting ‘we are here for many years to come’. It also points out that unlike US giant Amazon – which owns LoveFilm – ‘we are proud of our British roots and we most certainly pay all our UK taxes’.
Cinema Paradiso has more than 90,000 titles in its film library. This means movie f ans can enjoy classics, art house and world cinema films on top of blockbusters – providing a level of choice that is not always available from mainstream online providers.
For £6.98 a month subscribers can rent out two movies at a time – up to a maximum of four overall. Its most expensive package is £19.98 a month for which you can get three movies at a time with unlimited borrowing.
Jemima Codrington, 29, from Edinburgh, signed up to Cinema Paradiso two months ago after a friend recommended she watch French film Populaire.
The marketing manager says: ‘ There is something appealing about curling up on the sofa with a glass of red wine and a DVD to enjoy rather than streaming off a laptop. With streaming there is also the risk of the screen freezing at a crucial part in the film.’
She adds: ‘I am a big fan of foreign films. You get a limited choice on streaming services against that available from DVD rentals.’
An alternative is to visit your local library. Struggling to attract bookworms into their premises, an increasing number now rent out movies. Library membership is often free and can enable you to take out films for up to a month.
There is often a charge of £2 a week for this service and you could be hit with a fine – typically £8 – if you are late in returning the film. Favourite movies can be booked for free in advance by calling the library, while those in isolated or rural communities who have a library service van that visits the neighbourhood can ask for their favourite DVD choices to be brought along.
There are also a few independent DVD rental outfits that have survived the invasion of the internet.
Among these are 20th Century Flicks in Bristol; The Film Shop in Stoke Newington, North London; TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill, Suffolk; Movieworld in Manchester and Vogue Video in Edinburgh.
These outfits offer more than just a rental service. They provide a movie buff guide on niche films and specialist genres. They will also scour the market for rare, hard-to-find films.
20th Century Flicks charges £2 a week to rent a film – or £4 for three days with new releases. It also offers a postal service for £12 that enables you to rent out up to three films for a fortnight, though this is primarily for locals.
The Film Shop has a ‘movie buffs’ club that allows unlimited rentals for £15 a month. TVL Allstar Video charges £3.25 a rental – or £5 for two films.