The Usual Suspects

[marjoreemarjora]

Well what can I say???????

The weather was beautiful in Edinburgh today and it was lovely to go to the pictures with Biggins

Well that was the positive

The tickets told you to turn up for 6pm sharp. Were there for 5.30pm.

Loved walking along the gold carpet. We were all given a code to open the safe. Most of us had the same number . The cinema was about 25% full

Sadly they left the lights on!! People went out to ask them to turn them down but they did not. I went out twice and so did Biggins. We were told they were the safety lights. What tosh!! All lights on around the screen it was sooooooo distracting.

Eventually after some folks left we went out and were told it was a DVD! We decided to walk out and spoke to the Manager who advised that it was a 35mm film that had arrived but they did not have the final reel. So they were showing a DVD and not big enough for the screen which is why the lights were left on!

Such a wasted evening!! Looked like a good film too and so disappointed did not get to see it. It is on again next week but dont think I will be going back. Should have been better organised and to have us all standing one after the other keying in the same code. Felt a real twit.

Sadly 0/10 for me as did not like the caramac ice lolly either. First time I have moaned on this site I think.

At least getting to watch the political debate

[biggins]

A total waste of time. MM and I have left our names and email addresses with the manager but I think we will be lucky to even get an apolgy from them.

Nobody had a winning ticket and the people in the queue behind us all had the same number as us. When we said this to the Magnum girl in charge as we left she insisted that there were different numbers on the cards and that the Magnum girl standing beside the safe should have given us another card when she saw we all had the same numbers.

Can't score the film as we couldn't concentrate on it with the lights on and the man in front of me had a bald head and the light was reflecting on it.

Hope other screenings were better than this. At least I liked the Magnum lolly.

[a_person]

It was so much better at Odeon Covent Garden. prettyxcool and her friend got the same numbers too. I'm sure many others too. Some lady won some weekend away somewhere (I forgot where though - it was somewhere abroad in the world!)

Film was good but I found it hard to concentrate and follow the story so got lost at times.

Enjoyed the ice -cream too but they really need to make it smaller. It was very rich in flavour so I could only eat half. Had to force the other half down my throat else it would get melt! So I felt quite sick during the film. As the light went off, ended up somewhere on my scarf too! Yikes! Until bevvy reminded me afterwards!!

Was great to see all the lovely FMUK members again (prettyxcool, phunkygal, milkchocmonkey, Beate, ejwrank and bevvy!!).

8/10 - I had a good night out. And thank goodness for that complimentary glass of drink. I was sooooo thirsty after rushing it to the cinema!

[prettyxcool]

Oh, sorry to hear that biggins and marjoreemarjora.

I really enjoyed this evening at the Odeon Covent Garden - met up with Beate, bevvy, milkchocmonkey and a_person.

I arrived at 5.45pm and there were balloons and a red carpet to the screening room. I was told to go to the bar where I can help myself to drinks as the doors were not opened yet - when I went to the cordoned off area, they were offering me champagne!! Then a man called out that we can go into the screening, and were given a gold ticket as we approached the entrance. At first did not know why we were queuing to get in, but it transpired we had to try and open the safe with the code printed on the gold ticket before going into the screening room.

While we were settled down in our seats, someone came round with a big bag of magnum gold ice cream and then we were all given more gold tickets, apparently someone had to win the prize, the lucky number was read out and the safe was opened by the person with that number, and they did win the weekend for two to Monte Carlo! Should have been beate being it was her birthday!

I thought the film was intriguing, but even though I did not really understand it, I did enjoy watching it to try and unravel the story! 7/10. And I enjoyed the ice cream, my friend and I had two!

[Beate]

What can I say guys - you are awesome. Arrived slightly later than usual and out of breath with a colleague, had sent OH to reserve seats, on approaching the cinema MariaLionza waved at me and gave me a card, but I have probably mortally offended her now as I thanked her then basically ran past her as I needed the loo but hadn't realised she was off to the theatre and had specifically waited for me! So sorry, I will make it up, I promise! Then bevvy's OH thrust a bunch of flowers at me, I attempted to join the bar queue for a free drink but it was hopeless so went into the screening (having been guestlist name-checked first) to discover the OH madly waving at me from the back row, and people starting to sing Happy Birthday! prettyxcool and milkchocmonkey were there (thanks for the cake), then bevvy had an argument with the manager about where to put her OH's wheelchair, and a_person gave me a HUGE card with lots of people's signatures on and some lovely pressies inside too! Thank you so much everyone who contributed, I don't know what to say!

We had to wait until 6.45pm for the film to start as they were handing out Magnum Golds and more golden tickets (the screening wasn't full so I think a lot of people got two). An elderly couple won a weekend in Monte Carlo, all expenses pa*d, and we were told that there are 5 screenings of this tonight but the other location's price was a camera while we managed to snare the first prize in our location!

The film was OK but I didn't quite understand all the comings and goings, it dragged a bit in the middle, although the ending was quite good. More of a bloke's film I thought so I will give it a 6/10 but I give you guys a 10/10!

Some of us had a picture taken in the foyer afterwards, and I think the card was photographed too! Thank you so much to a_person for organising it all!

[milkchocmonkey]

Was so great to see some fellow FMUKers....thanks so much to preetyxcool for the brownies and thanks to a_person for organising Beates pressie and card. Hope you had a great day Beate.

Ok now to the movie...I loved it, it was intriguing and gripping and I just loved it 10/10

[kevinknapman]

Went to the Odeon Covent Garden too. You've gotta love a free film screening that comes with free ice cream. Luckily the film was decent too. Which is sadly not what can be said about the new advert starring Benicio Del Toro that was screened beforehand. It looked like the kind of advert that Hollywood stars make in Japan, safe in the knowledge that it will never be widely seen in the Western hemisphere. Except he's done it in the UK. He did look suitably embarrassed thoughout it's brief running time. I hope he got pa*d a lot.
As for The Usual Suspects itself, I think like Edinburgh they showed a DVD (I noticed a 'play' symbol in the bottom left of the screen when it started). Unlike Edinburgh it perfectly fit the screen and they didn't leave the lights on. The film itself is still great 15 years on (15 years!?!). The ending still gives me goose bumps (despite knowing what happens) and it was great to see it on the big screen again.

[alythonian]

That's terrible about Edinburgh. What cinema was it? Poor you both, what a waste of a lovely night and after I'd told you how much I'd enjoyed it at a free screening years and years ago when they did a drive in movie at Hopetoun Place just outside Edinburgh.

More summer drive in movies please!

[biggins]

Lothian Road cinema which I usually like. AND we didn't get a free drink like others have said.

Pretty poor standard of PR for Magnum. They are doing it all again there next week but we don't think it is worth the bother if it is the same DVD etc. Should be plenty tickets available for it.

[alythonian]

Lothian Road cinema which I usually like. AND we didn't get a free drink like others have said.

Pretty poor standard of PR for Magnum. They are doing it all again there next week but we don't think it is worth the bother if it is the same DVD etc. Should be plenty tickets available for it.

That's pretty bad as they are usually really nice in there, particularly the lady who usually does the door for the evening screenings. You should complain to whoever promoted it or Magnum - you might get some ice cream vouchers too!

It's a really good film too. I can't do Thursday and I don't think anything could beat my open air screening at Hopetoun House.