Kinema in the Woods - review

a-l-e-x · Contributor Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 6

Hi - i went scouting for pics today... will send these in a sec,

Thanks!

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The cinema is a friend to all; those who are dating, those who enjoy films, and those who take an interest in the confectionary.

Most of us have seen it all; horror, comedy, romance. Popcorn, hotdog, ice cream. We’ve also sat behind the tallest teenager known to man and ducked low-flying popcorn grenades. So, one night we turned our back on the city lights and headed for Kinema in the Woods: refreshing change or repeat performance?

The clue is in the name; it’s a small cinema tucked away in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. It’s easy to find and there’s ample parking in front of the cinema - a large forest lodge decorated with a string of coloured fairy lights. It’s very Santa’s Grotto. We were reassured to see a steady stream of people heading inside, having wondered whether the cinema would draw in a cultured crowd or a hoard of local teenagers in search of night time antics.

The cinema has steered clear of all mod-cons; there’s no neon and there are no arcade games. Instead, there’s a single ticket kiosk, a snack stall and a clear focus on an ‘organic’ cinematic experience. Tickets, which are small sugar paper stubs, cost £5.50 for adults, and children get in for £4.20. Snacks are reasonably priced, and I was amazed to find a box of Dairy Milk miniatures, which I’d written off as extinct five years ago.

We’d chosen our film using the cinema’s website. There’s no online booking facility, but the times are clear, and limited showings guarantee a good turnout and atmosphere. The cinema itself is small enough to be intimate, but big enough to escape village hall connotations, and coat hooks come as a thoughtful touch. Matching drink holders would save scrabbling around on the floor for runaway bottles.

The winning feature was the interval; a surprising but highly successful comeback. Kinema is also known for its organ concerts, so when the curtain falls and an organist appears on stage for a stint of seaside tunes, it’s a good show. A tub of ice cream and his enthusiastic toe-tapping could floor the most extreme bad mood.

Kinema in the Woods came as a welcome step back from run-of-the-mill cinemas. It takes away the distractions, stripping back the unnecessary extras and adding a much-missed depth and culture to an experience which is all too often washed over as ‘good’ or ‘all right’.