The Young Lady's Guide to Everything: The Young Lady's Guide to... Stuff to do in London // The Prince Charles Cinema Movie Marathons

Hey guys,

I’ve recently attended two all-night movie marathons at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square (@ThePCCLondon). The first was a halloween “Pyjama Party” scary movie marathon (line-up below); the second was a Quentin Tarantino all-nighter (line-up also below) both of which were incredible, and I would highly recommend to any Londoner (or tourist!)

I’ll start by saying that The Prince Charles cinema is a really lovely place. The staff are all very helpful, and all clearly big film fans themselves, which makes the whole atmosphere a cinephile’s dream! The auditorium is a bit weird – instead of the usual tiered seating, it dips in the middle then goes back up, like an awkward V, but somehow this works. I don’t know how, it just does. You can see the screen from any seat in the house (I tested when bored between films at the Pyjama Party) so no worries there. The refreshments are also ridiculously cheap – a large popcorn for £3.70?! You wouldn’t find those rates at my local Odeon. Adding to the atmosphere is the fact that all the films are played on 35mm rather than digital, which, combined with the ‘rustic’ décor in the cinema, makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the 90s! It’s a cinematic experience vastly unlike the corporate shininess of the behemoths, Odeon and Vue. (Not that I don’t appreciate a nice, slick night at the movies – it’s just nice for a change sometimes!)

PCC Pyjama Party:

Scream 9/10

The Faculty 9/10

The Craft 7/10

Carrie 7/10

Fright Night (1985) N/A

The Lost Boys N/A

My lovely boyfriend bought me tickets to this for my birthday. Scream is one of my all time favourite films, so I was way too over-the-top excited to see it on the Big Screen!! I hadn’t seen any of the other films, with the exception of Carrie, though I have seen the remake of Fright Night and some excerpts of The Lost Boys, so it was really the first half that I was more excited about.

I have to say, the audience was bloody mental. Scream was peppered with shouts of “don’t pick up the phone, Sydney!” and “what’s your favourite scary movie?!”, jokes which I appreciated but Alex, who had never seen it, didn’t really understand. It did add to the atmosphere for me, but I’d advise someone who hadn’t seen the films to avoid such audiences. They were also drunk, since the marathon started at 9pm and the bar was open all night, which probably didn’t help matters…

It takes a good heap of will-power to stay at a cinema from 9pm til 8am, and unfortunately Alex & I did not possess that kind of stamina. We checked out at 5am, following Alex’s first viewing of Carrie, deciding that 8 hours of back-to-back films was enough for us. I wasn’t that fussed about Fright Night or The Lost Boys, so that was okay with me! The other films were absolutely brilliant though – The Faculty might now be one of my favourite horror films, while I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Craft. I’d definitely recommend anyone who loves horror films to go to a marathon like this, as you’re introduced to new films which you might not have otherwise tried.

PCC Tarantino Marathon:

Reservoir Dogs 6/10

Pulp Fiction 9/10

Jackie Brown 7/10

Kill Bill Vol. 1 8/10

Kill Bill Vol. 2 7/10

Death Proof 9/10

Inglorious Basterds 0/10 (just can't.)

The Tarantino Marathon was absolutely amazing. Beginning at 6pm on Saturday with an expected finishing time of 10am on Sunday, 16 hours of films is a lot, even for me. Josie and I managed 6pm ‘til 8am – 14 hours! – with minimal napping (she slept during Jackie Brown, I clocked out during Kill Bill, Vol.2). I did drink 2 bottles of KICK to keep me awake, and slept for most of Sunday, but damn, was it worth it.

Now, I wouldn’t class myself as a hardcore Tarantino fan. Granted, Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite films, but other than that, I had only ever seen Kill Bill (both volumes) and attempted Inglorious Basterds (not even Brad Pitt could make that film watchable). I do have a crazy amount of respect for Tarantino, however; he really loves his craft and is such a film fan, which you can see in all of his movies. He also got 9/10 in the Empire “How Well Do You Know Your Films” quiz, which is a feat not to be sniffed at. After this marathon, I can say with some certainty that I absolutely adore him. None of his films (except Inglorious Basterds) are anything other than awesome. Yes, they’re a bit violent, and yes, they’re quite pretentious, but I still love them. If you haven’t seen Pulp Fiction, go watch it now, mostly for the “SAY WHAT AGAIN” Samuel L Jackson scene, and Marcellus Wallace vs Zed (“I’ma go Medieval on your ass). Death Proof is also an awesome film – it’s not one I would’ve watched by myself, but I will definitely see it again; a solid 9/10.

To conclude, an all-night movie marathon is not for the faint hearted. Go prepared with bags of enthusiasm, lots of Red Bull, and a Sunday which you can sleep through. Make sure you’re going with someone you get on with, and prepare to soak up the atmosphere, because everyone there is going to be buzzing with anticipation, so don’t be that one loser who doesn’t get really into it. I can’t underline enough how awesome all-nighters at the PCC are. Seriously, go now.

Love,

Blaise

Useful Links:

http://princecharlescinema.com