The Croydon area in London also boasts a large number of cinema. These are independent movie theatres that show a wide variety of different films, many of which you won’t find in the major movie theatres. A great example of this would be the London Dungeon, which is the local branch of the Cinema Company. They screen a selection of classic and independent films, many of which have never been screened in mainstream cinemas, and their location (a converted dance club) lends them a unique atmosphere that a lot of other venues do not possess.
There are numerous independent news sources that I could recommend to you if you want more information about local theatres and independent films. If you happen to live in Croydon or surrounding areas, I highly suggest you check out the London Film Festival, which is usually held every year during the middle of August.
The London Dungeon and the Ciniplex in Covent Garden are also two other excellent options for film-makers looking to find independent films. On top of this, there are also the South Kensington Playhouse and the West End Cinema in Bloomsbury for those who are looking to make a day of it. As well as being a great place to go and enjoy a film with friends and family, these venues also provide some fantastic independent news and features about local cinema.
Croydon Cinemas
On a warm summer’s night in South London, five women are queuing up for a matinee in Croydon cinemas, South London to watch a popular Bollywood movie. On a big poster behind him, an animated film hero’s face appears towards the audience with an open hand raised in a gesture of peace. Two other faces can be seen, of course, as the film hero prepares to punch the other two on screen, one male and one female, respectively. Though the movie is just a commercial hit in the UK, it has already established itself as a superstar property here.
The movie title, Bewitched, is taken from the novel, The Body and Soul of Christ by C.S. Lewis, who used the book as the basis for the movie. It tells the story of a young woman in India who is accused of murder, and with the help of some paranormal investigators, she must fight her way through the twisting corridors of a diabolical organization which may be hiding behind the occult powers at its center.
Movies in Croydon
The first Croydon film I saw was the awesome, horror-themed London horror film The Desolate Area, starring Nicole Kidman and featuring a terrific chase scene throughout London. I had no idea that The Body and Soul of Christ were actually a horror film, but it is very suspenseful and scary. The Body is a remake of the successful Japanese horror film, Bloodless, starring Anne Hathaway and Morgan Freeman. Both movies were produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The only major motion picture I’ve ever seen at the Croydon cinemas has to be Spider-Man 2, which starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, and Michael Keaton as Spider-Man. This is without a doubt my favorite film of all time, and it took me a while to catch up on the plot, but once I did, this superhero classic was one of the most memorable films of my adult life. The climactic fight scene, that I happen to love in the second half of the movie is something you don’t see often in modern cinema. It was also an interesting movie visually, considering the dark tones that were then in vogue at the time. Spider-Man 2 received warm reviews from both critics and audiences and continues to be a highly entertaining and successful movie to this day.
