Local Cinemas

Students have asked about local cinemas, so: here's a list of some local cinemas – all under 1 mile from Conway Hall


If you’re looking for more cinemas, Time Out has a great search engine: http://www.timeout.com/film/


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‘MAINSTREAM’
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Leicester Square is the traditional heart of cinema in London, and many film premiers are hosted here.


Vue West End – 3 Cranbourn St, Leicester Square
http://new.myvue.com/home/cinema/west-end-%28leicester-square%29

In the north east corner of Leicester Square
Student tickets are £10.70 with your ID.
If you go back to the cinema within 2 weeks, you can get £1.50 off your ticket.


Empire Leicester Square – 5-6 Leicester Square
http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk/index.php?page=cinemainfo&id=27&tbx_site_id=5
On the northern side of Leicester Square
Nine screens of various sizes: screen 1 seats 1330, but screen 6 has just 26 seats.
Student tickets are £11.95 (Circle) or £9.95 (stalls and other seats) – with ID (preferably ISIC, but they might well take your ND card – try it).


Odeon Leicester Square – the huge cinema on the east side of the square.
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s105/London__Leicester_Square/

This is the famous cinema in Leicester Square, but you pay for it… Tickets are cheaper Mon-Thurs before 5pm.
Mezzanine (student): £8.30 (off-peak), £11.45 (peak)
Stalls (student): £9.90 (off-peak), £12.50 (peak)
Rear circle (student): £11.45 (off-peak), £14.60 (peak)
Royal circle (student): £14.55 (off-peak), £18.75 (peak)


Odeon Panton St – 11-18 Panton St, SW1Y 4DP
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s117/

This is just around the corner from the London Centre.
Student tickets: £6.80 (off-peak) and £8 (peak)
They also have special screenings (art-house, independent and foreign films) for £4.


Odeon Covent Garden – 135 Shaftesbury Ave, WC2H 8AH
http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_times/s81/

Also an Odeon, this boasts 4 screens (most seating about 120, one seats 230) and is MUCH cheaper than Leicester Square and, it seems, the cheapest ticket in this area.
Student tickets are £6.35 (off-peak) and £7.50 (peak)

BFI Imax – the big round building in front of Conway Hall
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax

The biggest screen in Britain, 500-seat cinema. This is luxury cinema-going.
IMAX DMR and digital titles: peak time (Mon - Fri from 17:00 and all weekend)
Premium: £18.50 (adult); £15 (student)
Standard: £16 (adult); £11.50 (student)

IMAX DMR and digital titles: off-peak (Mon - Fri before 17:00)
Premium: £17 (adult); £13 (student)
Standard: £15 (adult); £10.50 (student)

Buying tickets
Telephone: call 020 7199 6000. Open daily 10:30 - 19:30
Online: book tickets online at bfi.org.uk/imax
In person: the ticket desk opens at 10.30 and remains open until 15 minutes after the final public screening of the day commences
There’s a £2 booking fee if you buy online or over the telephone, so it’s worth walking 20m to the box office! No matter how you book, you’ll need to take your student ID with you.

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‘QUIRKY’
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BFI Southbank – just on the river, next to the National Theatre.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank

Film seasons (often focusing on specific actors or directors), premieres and special screenings, as well as some classic British films. This calendar year they’ve committed to showing all 50 animated Disney films – on the big screen.
Generally you should book in advance: online or why not just pop in there on your way to class. Once booked, you can’t get a refund on a ticket. Membership is £40 for the year – you don’t have to be a member to go, but you get a discount of tickets and invitations to special events.
Evening show (except Tues) and all shows on Saturday/ Sunday
Concessions: £5.25
Non-Member concessions: £6.75
Tuesday - all shows
Concessions: £5.00
Non-Member concessions: £5.00
Weekday matinees
Concessions: £5.00
Non-Member concessions: £6.50
Concessions are available to students with ID.

Standby tickets
Subject to availability, there may be standby tickets available for sale half an hour before each performance – but only in person at the box office.


The Prince Charles Cinema – 7 Leicester Place, north east corner of Leicester Sq
http://www.princecharlescinema.com/

If you’re tired of Odeon, try this place! They play ‘repertory’ films as well as new releases. The rep films are cheaper. Tickets are also cheaper if you become a member. You don’t have to be a member to go, but annual membership is just £10, or a mere £5 for concessions!

New releases:
Weekday Matinees - £8/£6 Mem
Eve/Wkend/Bank - £10/ £6 Mem
Rep films:
1st Weekday Matinees - £5.50/£1.50 Mem
2nd Weekday Matinees - £5.50/£2.50 Mem
Eve/Wkend/Bank - £6.50/£4 Mem

Roxy Bar and Screen, London Bridge
http://www.roxybarandscreen.com/listings.php

Fancy dinner and a cocktail with your film? Then head to the Roxy, who offer an eccentric selection of themed double-bills, art-house, and live sport on the big screen, with comfy sofas and table service to boot. Membership gives you free entry and the ability to book tables, or just turn up early to get a good seat. Screening prices start from £3.

* Photos by Andrew Woodyatt and Ard vd Leeuw, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - entertainment edition.

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"We have plenty, which is why we give a session on just that! Here's the list of entertainment-related links and tips that we promised in that session:

General principles:

Sign up to gallery / museum / venue / band / club mailing email lists - spread your net wide in whatever areas you're interested in, and let the opportunities come to you. (You may want to set up a temporary email address to use just while you're in London)

Watch out for booking fees - if you can manage it, the cheapest option is often going to the venue box office, with cash.

Check explicitly what ID is accepted for 'student discounts' - often this is shorthand for 'NUS card holders discount', sometimes they'll take ISIC, sometimes they'll accept your university ID, and it's good to know what to expect before you get to the till.


London for free

London offers loads of free stuff: galleries, readings, performances, gigs, clubs, film screenings, festivals ... We'll mention some in LUPe, on facebook, in the blog, and we put up some posters on the notice boards, but that's only the very tip of the iceberg.

http://www.lates.org/- a Londonwide program to increase participation in the cultural life of London by opening up galleries etc in the evenings, often with special events. The website itself I find less helpful to navigate, but useful as a jump point to which of venues are involved, eg the V&A, National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of London's monthly 'late' events.

Check regularly for events in:

• Time Out's events listings – when you do any search, the results should have a ‘refine’ list down the side – one of the ‘refine’ criteria is ‘free’.
• Time Out in print (in the library)
• Free London Listings
• Londonist's "London on the Cheap" posts

Equally, there are lots of sources for free lectures and book readings, and it's worth signing up to their mailing lists to get the most up-to-date information eg:

• The RSA
• Foyles
• LSE
• Waterstones

Free and cheap clubs for sports and social activities - see http://delicious.com/ndlonlib/bundle:Social (and remember – running is free)


Cinema
– most big cinemas are expensive, but check out the Prince Charles Cinema for second run, arthouse, and cult film with tickets from just £1 - if you think you might be a regular visitor, check out their £10 membership deal.

Less budget, but also of interest, the BFI complex on the south bank and their IMAX cinema are worth keeping an eye on.

For DVDs to watch at home, try the LUP library (free) or either of the public library networks (£1.50 to £3 borrowing fees) If your laptop won't play Region 2 dvds, you can borrow a player from Kris or Ric.

Clubs:

Clubs are generally cheaper with a flyer, in the appropriate costume, and/or before pub closing time.

If you hear of a club night you're interested in, sign up to their myspace / mailing list / facebook to keep the fliers flowing. See also listings and flyers in the free magazines, especially the ones distributed around Camden.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the single easiest way to save money going out? - drink less. Tapwater is free. Watch out for expensive softs, though - a pint of cola is more expensive than a pint of beer in some venues.

(Safety note - Do not try and save money with unlicensed mincabs – that is, any mini cab you haven't booked, either on the phone or at the cab office. It is not worth the risk, even if you're in a group. Night busses are covered by your Oyster card, and, especially within zones 1 and 2, a black cab split with friends isn’t too expensive.)

Theatre / Opera / Dance

The best value theatre ticket of all are free - see Cornelius' post on 'A Night Less Ordinary'

There are two other official routes to discount tickets - the Tkts booth in Leicester Square, and student standby tickets from the venues. Check individual venue websites for details, but student standby tickets usually available the day-of. (The National Theatre complex has it's own system for young people - the National Theatre Entry Pass - which does let you book in advance - well worth the free registration!)

Lastminute.com can be good for ‘splurge’ tickets to big shows at a reasonable price.

Check for offers in Time Out, as well newspapers. Both the Metro and the Evening Standard (both free papers) quite often have good reader offers.

You can also get good booking discounts from the venues, particularly if you book for 2 events at the same time. You can get decent non-restricted view seats that way at Sadler's Wells for £8, Lindbury Studio for £9 etc.

Another dance venue, The Place, does something called a 'return' which means you pay £15 instead of £12, and get a voucher to come back and see any other performance you like for free within six months.


Gigs.

See gig listings in Time Out or online, or browse magazines and websites pertinent to your preferred genres, and sign up to bands’ mailing lists / facebook pages / etc to hear about shows first.

Keep an eye out for free instore gigs – the landscape is ever changing, thanks to the credit crunch taking down Zavvi,Tower Records and most of the Fopp shops, but contenders include:

• HMV
• Fopp on Earlham Street (fighting back against the crunch!)
• Sister Ray, on Berrick Street
• Rough Trade

Check out Proud Camden, too - free music on Sat and Sun, affordable music in the evenings the rest of the week, photography gallery by day!

As well as the freebies, there are lots of £6 -£10 gigs going on in the city every day. Venues that are generally in that price band include,(but are not limited to):

• The Bull and Gate (celebrating 30 years of the venue with 30 gigs this month)
• The WaterRats
• Islington Academy
• Barfly ULU
• Barfly – Oxford Street
• Barfly - Camden
• Camden Underworld
• the ICA
• The Old Queen’s Head
• Dublin Castle

Show sold out? I’ve had good experiences with using Scarlet Mist to find face-value tickets - but as with ebay or craigslist, take the usual precautions both for your personal safety and to avoid getting scammed."

- Miss Alice and Kris

* Photo #1 by Cantoreck,Photo #2 by gviciano,Photo #3 by vivoandando,Photo #4 by Nicolas Hoizey,Photo #5 by sarflondondunc, Photo #6 by mic_n_2_sugars all used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Essential London resources - Cornelius O'Boyle

Question of the week: What are some of the essential London resources that you use?

"One of the best ways of keeping your finger on the pulse of London and knowing what's going on day-by-day is to pick up copies of the three "freebie" London newspapers that appear Monday to Friday. London's free morning newspaper is called "The Metro" and can be picked up inside any tube station. It has decent coverage of the national and international news and has fascinating sections on science and travel. In the evenings, at most major intersections of the city, you'll encounter people trying to force copies into your hand of London's two free evening newspapers: London Lite and theLondonpaper. These papers have only superficial news coverage, but are a great way of keeping up to date with the activities of celebrities in London. Most importantly, though, all three free newspapers have good listings sections and reviews on music, theatre, comedy, clubbing, etc in London. And on tubes and buses you'll see that reading these newspapers is the main way that Londoners pass their time while commuting to and from work!"
- Cornelius O'Boyle

(PS from Miss Alice - theLondonpaper is scheduled to cease publication on the 18th September, so grab one while you still can.)

* Photo by Annie Mole, used under Creative Commons.

Essential London Resource - Phillippa Howarth

Question of the week: what's your essential London resource?

"I never leave home without my A-Z. This is not just any old street atlas, it is the face of London distilled into book form - an investment and an icon! Low tech, perhaps, but comprehensive, reliable and, most of all, an enormous comfort when you find yourself on a lonely street at 5am and it's just started to rain."
- Phillippa Howarth

* Photo by Steve Punter, used under Creative Commons.

Essential London Resources - Ric Whaite

Question of the week: What are some of the essential London resources that you use?

"http://www.hidden-london.com/ - London's lesser-known localities

Hidden London takes a look at a variety of the capital’s minor districts and localities, some in the outer boroughs and some tucked away in lesser-known corners of the city centre – focusing mainly on the ways in which they’ve developed and highlighting any special points of interest. The site also features specially recommended places, a selection of London books and links to other useful websites.


http://londonfootball.co.uk/ - pay and play, pick-up games

The playing of football in London has been well documented since it was first outlawed in 1314. Nowadays things are better organised. Visit this website for details on how to join up with already-established groups that meet for 5-a-side or 11-a-side games. Includes a map or where the teams meet to play or are based."
- Ric Whaite

* Photo by Andrew Newdigate, used under Creative Commons.

Essential London resources - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What are some of the essential London resources that you use?

"I could write an essay for this one, so I'm going to go for a specific topic - getting around town.

First - the obvious - the Transport for London journey planner. If I had to only pick one, it would be this, although there are a few tricks to getting really good routes out of it. Specifically, scroll down the page and pick your settings - what types of transport you want to use, how far you're willing to walk, and the all important 'I'm happy to walk if it makes my journey faster' button that stops the planner trying to send me on a three-bus 45-minute trek to avoid the 15 minute walk to my local tube station.

Secondly - walkit.com, which calculates walking routes around the city (like googlemaps, but optimised for walking) You can find the shortest route, or go for 'less busy' or 'lower pollution' routes, and as well as maps and turn by turn directions, you'll get an estimate of how long it will take at different walking speeds. They're expanding to cover more and more UK cities, so this one's worth making a note of when you're travelling as well.

Thirdly - Cabwise. Text 'home' to 60835 and get phone numbers for three local licensed mini cab companies and a black cab. Everyone should have this number in their phone, even if you don't ever plan on taking a cab, because you never know when being able to summon a safe way home will come in useful. If you go to the Cabwise website, you can even have them text you the number and instructions.

Fourthly - the other travel number to put in your phone, and another TfL service - London Travel Information. This is the phone-version of their Journey Planner service - just call 020 7222 1234, 27/7, and get details of how to get from a to b around the city. You can also get this service by text - just text A to B to 60835, where A and B can be postcodes, full station or full bus-stop names, in any combination.

Fifthly, and finally, - sign up for TfL's London Loop weekly email, which will give you info on some of the many things going on in London every weekend, as well as how the planned engineering works might impact on you getting to them. Even if you're out of town for the weekend, knowing if the line between your flat and your airport or mainline station is out of action can be very useful indeed!"

- Miss Alice

* Photo by incendiarymind, used under Creative Commons.

Essential London Resources - Kris

Question of the week: What are some of the essential London resources that you use?

"While resources can mean things like the Transport for London website, and its excellent journey planner (www.tfl.gov.uk), or the Time Out website, where you can find great (and sometimes free!) things to do around the city (www.timeout.com/london), it can also mean the valuables of an area – and that’s really what I’m going to write about!

Most of the major museums in London are free – which means that it’s really easy to visit for half an hour and just wander around. There’s no pressure to ‘get your money’s worth’, so you can take a look around without worrying that it’ll be a waste of money. There are the big, famous places, obviously. And it’s really worth visiting the British Museum on your way between the London Centre and the flats (it’s right on the way!), or taking a look at some of the best modern art in the world at the Tate Modern. (You can find out what’s going on at http://www.britishmuseum.org and http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/)

But there are some great smaller museums that are worth visiting as well! The British Library has exhibitions of some of the most important and beautiful books in the world, and it’s free to wander around the permanent exhibition rooms to take a look. Some of their major exhibitions are free as well (though the excellent Henry VIII exhibition isn’t). Take a look at http://www.bl.uk/ for more information! The British Library is very close to the flats; it’s very near to King’s Cross and St. Pancras train stations.

The Wallace Collection is another free museum that’s worth a trip. It is the private collection of the Wallace family in their huge home – it was all donated to the British Government upon the death of the last heir. Many of the rooms are set up similarly to how they were when people were living in the house, and the interior has just undergone a major restoration. Some of the paintings in the collection are very well known, but my favourite part is the huge collection of historical arms and armour. (I’m a Medievalist by training, you see...) The restaurant in the centre courtyard is beautiful and a great place to have afternoon tea (how very civilized!). Take a look at the website to get a better idea of what the collection is about - http://www.wallacecollection.org/. (The Wallace Collection is near to Marylebone High Street – one of the most stylish streets in London, so take a look at some art and then hang out with the beautiful people!)

The Imperial War Museum, near Waterloo Station south of the Thames, is another great place to go for free! The collection is amazing and the presentation really brings the history home. If you have an interest in things military or historical, this is the place for you. The galleries don’t just focus on weapons, but also on espionage and art from the period around the two World Wars. There are also a number of temporary exhibitions on right now. Check out http://london.iwm.org.uk/ for more!"
- Kris

* Photo by Yuki*, used under Creative Commons.

Essential London Resources - Greg Kucich

Question of the week: What are a couple of essential London resources that you use?

"The weekly magazine Time Out is an essential guide to all kinds of cultural activities: theatre, concerts, museums, restaurants, festivals, night life, and on and on. It is available at all news stands; we also subscribe to it at the London Centre where it can be found in the Library.

A great way to explore London neighbourhoods is by taking a guiding walking tour. Visit the website www.walks.com for a listing of dozens of walks throughout London, organised by location (such as Legal London) and theme (such as Shakespeare's and Dickens's London)."
- Greg Kucich

* Photo by gagilas, used under Creative Commons.