(Picture by armcurl.)
June, and outdoor activities proliferate: for the next month or so, there are free movies at the Scoop, an outdoor amphitheatre at the confusingly named More London (on the south bank of the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge). The dozen movies start off with The Italian Job on the 6th, then move through Singing in the Rain on Wednesday the 13th, finishing with Monsoon Wedding on the 29th. The showings start at 9:15, but because admission is free and there’s no pre-booking, it might be worth turning up early if it’s a nice night, to be sure of getting a place.
Although screenings may be cancelled if the weather’s poor, so there’s no chance of actually watchin’ in the rain, Singin’ in the Rain seems the pick of the bunch for relaxing outdoor viewing; if you try to follow the tricksy structure of Memento on a summer night outdoors, then you’re braver than us.
If you don’t want to risk the vagaries of the outdoors, or just don’t like the idea of sitting on concrete steps for a couple of hours, then not far away from More London’s free movies are, er, more London free movies at Roxy Bar and Screen. Situated on Borough High Street, not far from London Bridge, it serves food and drinks against a background of film screenings; entry is free every evening except Saturdays, for documentaries on Monday at eight, recent releases on Tuesday, classic movie matinees on Wednesdays and Thursdays at three in the afternoon, and a “triple-bill of cult classics” on Sundays throughout the afternoon and evening. The selection is generally a little less mainstream than the outdoors events at the Scoop — they’re in the middle of a “Bette Davis Season”, for example — but there’s something for everyone if you poke around among the listings, from schoolboy wizards to documentaries on Serbian squatters.
More London Free Films: The Scoop, More London, throughout June. Entry free.
Roxy Bar and Screen: 128-132 Borough High Street, various screenings every week. Free entry, main courses on the dinner menu around £8-£9.
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