Tea Time in Wonderland

Posts Tagged ‘film’

There’s spring in the air, get your snickers ready!

- Go and enjoy the East London Festival – so rich in music festivities, world culture, architecture, guided tours…

- Play with words @ the London Word Festival

- Add a splash of colour with this Hindu festival

- take the kids to a different week-end @ Barbican – poetry, Indian lanterns, bollywood dances…

- Since you’re @ Barbican, try a little alternative music. Yep, those are real birds. And it’s free!

- Fancy a little Alice in your week-end? Here a Mad Hatter Ball, here a little bit more about Lewis Caroll’s talents, and there a colourful tea-time…

- Oh, don’t forget, it’s National Pie Week! A few tips here and there…

I’m planning an easy week-end – cinema! Spoilt with both the new Tim Burton and Banksy’s first film, Exit through the gift shop. Which by the way plays @ Barbican, in case you feel like a whole day there. Oh, and maybe I’ll go and try those Asian sweets too…

Valentine’s week-end!

- How about a very poetic walk?

- To be followed by an excellent hot chocolate…

- Maybe a classical music concerts, candlelit?

- Alternatively, you can try the cinema screening on the National Theatre roof -  bring your blankets, champagne and picnic!

It’s also the Chinese New year – a roaring Tiger year! The official celebrations ave been postponed to next week – love marketing obliging – but you still can…

- Go to the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday. At noon, 14h00 and 16h00 there will be traditional dances, martial art and Chinese legends storytelling…

- or rush to the Museum of London Dockland Museum to taste some lovely tea, see a few screenings and enjoy the paper cutting workshops…

What about kids?

- Take them to the Wetland center to pet farm animals…

- or to the Horniman Museum for the Myths and Monster exhibition!

A few more options:

- Star Trek fans, be on the Millenium Bridge Saturday at 13.00 – preferably with your costume on!

- Pack some bargain at the market…

- Go and marvel at Judi Dench in a Midsummer’s night dream…

- Enjoy winter sports @ Trafalgar -  the Vancouver opening ceremony will be projected on a giant screen, vitual video games proposed and there will even be a giant ice sculpture of the olympic rings…

- Rediscover the fab Imperial Museum of War and enjoy their Ministry of food exhibition – extraordinary war posters like the famous Dig for Victory

- Stop at Lulu Guinness’ pop up shop in Carnaby street and be a fashion victim

Pssst! Don’t forget Shrove Tuesday next week -  head for the famous Spitafield pancake race!

Another rainy week-end ahead… Smile! Just take your umbrella on an adventure…

Here’s to put you in the mood:

- The Portobello Winter festival starts this wednesdau and will have thematic nights every Wednesday till Xmas

- Don’t forget to get prepared for those Xmas parties and meals: celebrate Thanksgiving!

Feeling better? Here’s for the week-end:

- Head for the new pop-ups before they blow away with the fashion wind… Nes-cafe @ Liberty and the famous Parisian Colette on Brick Lane

- Need your weekly dose of street art? Hoorray! Mutate opens its doors again @ Portobello.

- Even Damien Hirst is back @ the White Cube Gallery. It’s still time to see his No love lost @ the Wallace collection

- Spendid news pictures @ The Royal Festival Hall…

- Alternatively hum Only you @ Proud Chelsea… Great pics of a young Elvis.

- Kids will find happiness in Covent Garden – there will be a real reindeer to pat Saturday afternoon. Parents will probably prefer the amazing jewel exhibition that flashes magic lights under UVs…

You’ll find me @ the Secret Cinema… and having an underground afternoon tea. What’s YOUR program?

Shhhhhhhhh. This a secret cinema. Dont’ tell anyone.

Secret? Yep. The location changes each time. You’ll only know a few days before the event where to go. The film remains untold until the very evening.

A little risky, I hear you say, given the ticket price: £18! Is it really worth it?

Well, I decide to give it a try for their Halloween session. The tone in the messages was – willingly -  military: missions, recruits… We were asked to dress in white. Female recruits were not to wear dresses.

As soon as you get off the tube, you’ll find the others. Smiles are exchanged – we all know, dressed like that, that we’re going to the same place.An incredible white crowd. We’re a thousand, all in white. Add to that Halloween disguises – I’m a zombie/mad scientist. We’re managed, again very army-style. Instructions. Decontamination. Distribution of flashlights and white boilersuits. We all laugh. Imagine all those vampires, ghosts getting fressed in the street, helping each other, queing niceling. Drivers slow down, gasping. A window shows a space team having breakfast, getting ready to go out -  white, glossy environment. A spaceship taking off is projected on the walls, sound included. From time to time a jeep arrives, unload more army guys in white suits.

You get in, per group. Sirens call, red light flashing, urgency, attention, instructions shoutes. Get ready. Fog, this si some kinf of adventure. You take steel ladders and corridors, go left, right, see astronauts getting ready on the way. You arrive in a dimmed room, two giant screens on the side, concret walls. More spationauts walking around, helmets on, flashlight in hand. In a corner a desolated landscape hads been recreates, giant eggs moving left and righr. Suddenly a shape appears on the form – greyish and shiny, threatening: an Alien like int he movie! With this glossy helmet trup of head and sharp teeths. All around us, green laser in which you walk in deep.

Further on is a kinf of canteen. Prices are high but profits go a charity. They sold, for the occasion, astronaut ice cream. Scientist work on the side on bloody and blueish pieces of meat. Whind a glass lay a man’s body, his head trapped by an alien. In a corner, the film traitor, a robot, lies in pieces, his head moaning a few words as in the iconic scene of the movie.

People mix -  a real babylon tower, you’ll hear French, Spanish, German, Russian… Fab mood – people are happy to chat along, remebering the first time they saw the film, what they thought of the sequels, comparing with other classics of the era.

A few popcorns late – the queue was amazing -  the film finally starts. Projection is excellent, the osund a bit too loud at first was quickly fixed. The chairs could be a little more comfortable – we’ll spen two hours there. Good leg room. Time just flies. I’m not particularly an Alien fan, but  it also shows a aparticular time – make up, hair style… Classic scenes still get gasps and screams from the audience (me included) to everyone’s delight. The double-jawed monster could stand proud in todays productions – so modern, so convincing still! I wish they had done an Alien night, really, I would have liked to see the other twos in a row.

The screen turns black. The night continues with a DJ, light effects. The public stays quite happily, sit around a drink, dancing around.

Have a look here for pics!

Very atmospheric – the next session is on November 26. Just can’t wait.

Secret cinema

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