Confessions of a film buff

Phew, I am still shaking! That was a wonderful, magical, slightly scary and very exciting experience.

If you haven’t guessed what I am talking about, it’s the moment I walked into screen eight at the Milton Keynes Odeon on Monday evening (17 May) – the day cinemas in the UK reopened their doors to the great British public.

I confess I took a moment to survey the seats; a moment to look at the enormity of the screen, after month’s of watching films on TV; a moment to look at the lights and the speakers all dotted around the room; and a moment to breathe in the atmosphere… before the a guy behind me started eating his tub of popcorn and the moment was lost.

But nothing was going to spoil this glorious, wonderful, joyous moment, not even a the loudest of popcorn crunchers.

Main dish

As the lights go down, the adverts begin – and I love everyone around me. I don’t care what they are, a sense of love washes over me for all around me. Then we are on the film trailers! Yes, oh yes.

I quickly calculate: must see that; not so keen on that one; and definitely, that looks good! Then come the safety instructions and, last but not least, an edict to switch my phone off. Boy, I am lapping this up and we are still minutes away for the main dish of the night.

Then comes another note to self, for this film you are not going to be able to look up IMDB to see who a particular actor is, what other films the director has made and how often the cinematographer has worked with this same crew. No checking the running time.

And if I want to go out to the loo during the film, well that’s just tough. I don’t have a remote with a pause button, so I am just going to have to miss something.

Then the big screen starts to shift. It gets wider. The sound volume increases. And lo and behold, the film I have come to watch miraculously appears. This is too good to be true. And it must be because I don’t even think about complaining when an idiot in the opposite row does indeed turn his phone on. Nope. Not even he is going to ruin this moment.

Prime suspect

Two blissful hours later I emerge into the Milton Keynes gloom with a glowing heart, a twinkle in my eye and a lightness of step. I have profusely thanked every member of the staff I can see (I wanted to hug them - but hey, steady on) and came away thrilled. This trip was worth every penny, every second.  I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

Oh, I nearly forgot – what about the film? Well The Little Things was really good. Yes, a lot of Rami Malek's dialogue is inaudible, due to his persistent mumbling, but Denzel is excellent. Thomas Newman provides a fine score and Jared Leto is suitably weird as the prime suspect in this ‘serial killer cop thriller’. I enjoyed it, and so will you.

But, to be honest, right now the film is secondary to the occasion. I have been back to the cinema – and that is all that matters.

And in the words of one of my great cinematic heroes: ‘I’ll be back' – very soon.

Andy Godfrey is a film reviewer for Sorted – and an evangelist, Bristol City fan and a leading member of the Mark Kermode Appreciation Society.