Best Pop-Up Cinemas
Nothing screams summer quite like a spot of culture under the stars. Here’s our guide to the best open air film nights in Berkshire. You pack a picnic, I’ll bring the Pimms! Oh, and it might be wise to bring a blanket and a brolly too! This is Britain, after all!
Pop up cinemas are poppity popping up everywhere. These days you don’t simply go to the cinema, sink into your sofa and spontaneously play a DVD or dare I say it with rural wifi ‘stream’. British Summer film nights need to play roulette with the weather – it’s al fresco all the way. But it works. It really works. I love settling into a deckchair, watching a film I’ve watched a million times, Pimms in hand, popcorn in the other. Who’s joining me?
Top Gun, Sat 29 July
I feel the need, the need for speed! Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan star in this 1986 classic. Great soundtrack, gratuitous volleyball scene. Hmmm. Don’t deny yourself a star with Mav and Goose – they’ve got that loving feeling. Tickets from £12.
Bridget Jones’s Baby, Sun 30 July
It was a massive 2016 hit, but if you haven’t seen Renée Zellweger bring hapless Bridget back to life, this is your chance. She’s single, a career woman and… pregnant. but who’s the daddy. After the truly dreadful sequel, this third film in the series is a cracker. Tickets from £12.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Thurs 3 Aug
One of my all time favourites. This Truman Capote 1961 classic starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and Cat. Holly Golightly is a Manhattan party girl who manages to do the walk of shame with style and panache. Quite a skill. Don’t miss it. Tickets from £17.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, Fri 4 Aug
It’s 16 years since Harry Potter first burst onto the big screen and our first encounter with Tinseltown tweenagers, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Eight films later and talk of new books to come from JK Rowling, Hogwarts, wizardry and Quidditch are now part of Britain’s DNA. Tickets from £17.
Notting Hill, Sat 5 Aug
This 1991 Richard Curtis rom-com is bit of a Pretty Woman role reversal – Hugh Grant is slightly clumsy, struggling bookshop owner (not a male escort) and Julia Roberts is an acting superstar (not must of stretch) and despite it all sparks fly. Easy on the eye, easy on the brain. Tickets from £17.
Moulin Rouge, Sat July 29
Baz Luhrmann’s decadent Moulin Rouge wowed film critics and fans back in 2001. Now you can see the magic of this romantic musical all over again with Nicole Kidman swinging from the rooftop and Ewan McGregor trying to hold a note. Tickets from £15.35
Pulp Fiction, Thurs 17 Aug
Sprinkled with glamour, splattered with blood and with a scorching soundtrack, it can only be Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction is a cult classic. But it’s not for the faint hearted. This is a graphic and brutal film, so there are moments you could be hiding behind your blanket. Tickets from £15.35
La La Land, Fri 18 Aug
Ah Ryan Gosling, you gorgeous specimen of man. Sorry, he stars in La La Land with Emma Stone. Yes it’s a musical of the old school variety, yes it is romantic and if you haven’t seen this Oscar winning hit of 2016/2017, where have you been? Now’s your chance. Go, just for Ryan. Tickets from £15.35
Jurassic Park, Sat 19 Aug
Fancy something prehistoric? I’m not talking about Richard Attenborough or Stephen Spielberg (how rude). But this is a film that continues to be a family hit 24 years later! Jesus I feel old. Dinosaurs, more dinosaurs and the absurdity of visiting a zoo full of really old lizards with the kids.
Se7en, Thurs 7 Sept
Another acting hottie to feast your eyes on, this time in the shape of Brad Pitt. He stars with Morgan Freeman as a detective hunting serial killer Kevin Spacey. If you know your Seven Deadly Sins, you know the drill. A truly brilliant film.
Dirty Dancing, Fri 8 Sept
Nobody puts Baby in the corner, so loosen your hips, carry a watermelon and get loaded on Martinis – it’s Dirty Dancing! I think we’ve all watched this film a gazillion times and it does not get old. Innocent Baby, naughty Johnny and a first time sexual experience that would never happen in real life.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, Sat 9 Sept
It’s 16 years since Harry Potter first burst onto the big screen and our first encounter with Tinseltown tweenagers, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Eight films later and talk of new books to come from JK Rowling, Hogwarts, wizardry and Quidditch are now part of Britain’s DNA. Tickets from £17.
Jungle Book, Thurs 10 Aug
Pop along to the prettiest pop up cinema at The Great House in Sonning. Coppa Club will be manning the BBQ and bar while you enjoy Rudyard Kipling’s classic Jungle Book – pimped up by Disney with a mahoosive budget last year. It is a far cry from the 1967 animation.
Bucklebury Farm Park, Bucklebury
The Fantastic Mr Fox, Sat 12 Aug
Settle in for a bucolic film night at Bucklebury Farm Park. The brilliant stop motion kids classic will be screened with park’s animals providing real time sound effects. Chow down on freshly made pizzas from Woody’s Cafe and enjoy a night under the stars. Remember your insect repellant.
La La Land, Sat 3 Sept
Ah Ryan Gosling, you gorgeous specimen of man. Sorry, he stars in La La Land with Emma Stone. Yes it’s a musical of the old school variety, yes it is romantic and if you haven’t seen this Oscar winning hit of 2016/2017, where have you been? Now’s your chance. Go, just for Ryan.
The Goonies, Fri 4 Aug
Remember life before iPads? Oh, do we really need to go back to those dark days? Yes we do. Kids were footloose and fancy free up to mischief, adventure and initiations. Sounds good, when you can fit it in. But it’s worth reminding ourselves of what it’s all about and enjoy Chunk’s truffle shuffle one more time.
Pretty Woman, Sat 5 Aug
PVC thigh high boots never looked so good. Ah the romance of prostitution and the mega rich. It’s Cinderella, if she’d spent a few months in a crack house. But you can’t mess with Julia Robert and Richard Gere is this classic rom-com. Tickets from £15.35.
Back To The Future, Thurs 31 Aug
Fire up the DeLorean, we’re going Back To The Future with Marty McFly and Doc Brown. It may not have the whizziness of CGI but it has the charm of a vinyl record. Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd star. Film eduction for the nippers.
Notting Hill, Fri 1 Sept
This 1991 Richard Curtis rom-com is bit of a Pretty Woman role reversal – Hugh Grant is slightly clumsy, struggling bookshop owner (not a male escort) and Julia Roberts is an acting superstar (not must of stretch) and despite it all sparks fly. Easy on the eye, easy on the brain.
Stubbing Nursery, Maidenhead
The Lost Boys, Fri 27 Sept
Eighties poster boys strip to the waist and spray on the leather trousers for The Lost Boys. These boys were plastered over many teen girls’ walls and exercise books. New romantics meets vampires, it’s a worth at trip down memory lane.Nothing
Notting Hill, Thurs 28 Sept
This 1991 Richard Curtis rom-com is bit of a Pretty Woman role reversal – Hugh Grant is slightly clumsy, struggling bookshop owner (not a male escort) and Julia Roberts is an acting superstar (not must of stretch) and despite it all sparks fly. Easy on the eye, easy on the brain.
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