The Duke of York's is something of an institution. Now owned by City Screen, this independent-style…read morecinema specialises in cult, indie and foreign-language films, as well as re-runs of the odd classic. Opened in 1910, it's one of the first commercial cinemas to still be in operation, and the interior - complete with balcony - is largely unaltered. The main auditorium is decorated in warm, cosy colours, although it suffered during the late 1970s as a venue for early punk rock concerts. Happily, it has now been restored to its former glory. You can tell it's going to be different from the facade - which has a pair of legs sticking out, Folies-Bergeres style, from the top left of the facade. For a start, the auditorium is licenced, so you can takes alcoholic drinks with you to consume during the film. And the choice of films is definitely not mainstream (venues showing foreign-language films are a dying breed, these days). On Saturday mornings there's a Kids club, with activities and a children's film (though presumably they don't take advantage of the alcohol licence...) and they can organise children's birthday parties too. At the other extreme of the age range, on Tuesdays the over-60s can see an early-afternoon film for just £3.50, and receive complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits! It's a membership venue as well (although it is not a requirement to see a film). Members can attend all sorts of specials events, screenings and receive discounts for their £28 a year (2008 prices). The cinema has a pleasant cafe-bar, open during the day, with a balcony for nice weather (although the din of Preston Circus road junction may not be quite so nice) and wi-fi (free to customers). The cinema has limited accessibility for those with a mobility impairment - full details are on its web-site.

Think of cinemas and your head is filled with thoughts of sticky floors and stale popcorn…read more Unsurprisingly, in Brighton, things are different. Gone are the XXL cups of coke that cost more than Antigua, at the Duke of York's the offerings are homemade carrot cake and Czech lager. Celebrating its centenary year, this cinema cannot be missed if you are either living in, or visiting Brighton. The seats are comfortable, the theatre stunning and the crowds electric. Such was the Duke's importance to Brighton that many celebrities donated money to restore the Cinema.The back of the seats are littered with the names of local and national celebrities who helped keep the cinema alive. You won't find Avatar here, nor will you find the latest Hollywood 'romcom', but instead a very studious set of the world's best independent cinema. Special themed 'Lord of the rings' and 'Eurovision' nights mean you aren't just limited to a 90 minute treat, but a host of good nights out. An absolute must.

Omg yes! So much yes!!! Please love me and have me back!…read more Went here for the moulin rouge and i was blown away by the performance. Loved the costumes, the songs, the participation.

Empire Strikes Back- The first time I had been to a Secret…read moreCinema Experience and it was a right good laugh. I am not into the whole dressing up thing but my mate got me some goggles and a Star Wars scarf. I am glad I did as everyone was all Star Warsed up. Firstly you are taken into a made up spaceport ushered by actors then they whizz you off to another film set from Star Wars. The whole point is that it's a secret so I am not going to spoil it but will update the review when it's finished. They make you put your phones in silver bags and are turned off so I don't have any photos. Well worth going though.

beautiful venue, super friendly staff! second date night here and it's perfect, lovely rooftop…read moreviews and excellent extras including blankets!

The quest for a drive in cinema led us here. While it may not be quite the same it's certainly much…read morecooler than your bog standard Odeon experience. The clue really is in the name but fear not, I'll elaborate a little. This isn't your usual 'rock up and sit down' type cinema, an advance booking online is almost essential as the seating is limited and it's a popular concept so most showings sell out. Tickets are about £16, the selection of movies they show is pretty varied although weighted towards cult classics rather than the latest celluloid masterpieces you would expect at a normal cinema. There are four venues in London where they hold screenings, but this is the only one with surround sound audio. The others are headphones all the way, which might be OK I suppose but I didn't fancy it. Seating comes in the form of rows of low slung deck chairs which kept me comfortable for the entire screening, more than I can say for most cinema seats. They give everyone a blanket too, so you don't end up shivering your fillings out before the credits roll. We watched Blade Runner, which for me is difficult not to enjoy. If I slept in a cardboard box underneath a bridge in the depths of winter but got to watch Blade Runner then I'd probably rate that 5* as well, but don't let that detract from the fact I've rated this 5*. It's fun, it's different and it's cheap too.

Fantastic little funky cafe with great service, comfy sofas & wing chairs, clean toilet…read more Had a pot of Yorkshire Tea & Sausage Bagel with locally sourced sausages. Tables outdoors front & rear, great cakes and coffee too!

Power of Summer is the latest incarnation of the always awesome Street Feast events, and just might…read morebe their best one yet, atmosphere-wise. Set up in a "pop-up park" on the riverside with the iconic Battersea Power Station looming large overhead, the location is secluded and blocked off, yet open-air and summery. The SF group is getting more and more organised and it shows: large ticket stalls are located under the bridge, where you pay your entry fee: £4 for feast entry only, which is waived before 6pm on Thurs and Fridays. And the signage throughout is totally branded, colourful and helps set the atmosphere. A large marquée provides protection from rain -- or in our case last weekend, the blazing sun! -- and there are plenty of traditional tables/chairs for eating your grub underneath. Throughout are less traditional areas of seating like lower benches grouped around low square tables. Food vendors change weekly, but personally I wasn't overly excited about the selection on my visit. I saw a lot of new "faces" to the food stall event market out there though, which was nice and refreshing. I paid £14 for a "large" lobster roll from B.O.B. Lobster but for the value wished I'd saved £4 and gone for the lobster mac & cheese. We also sampled some cheesy tots from Dogtown for £4 and husband waited about 15 minutes for a short rib sandwich with slaw and truffle mayo from Le Bun for £8.50 (he attests the long wait was well worth it, and raved about the sandwich). Unbelievably, there were NO dessert vendors. No donuts, no brownies and, truly shockingly, no ice cream at a summer food fest. However, they make up for it with loads of stuff to do other than eat. This event is very family friendly, and plenty of toddlers and older ones enjoyed the two trampolines, a small splash/sprinkler area (which only made a little mud), random footballs being kicked about, oversized Jenga, etc. And perhaps the coolest partnership of all, Everyman Cinema had a proper outdoor cinema set up for £10 a ticket (sold out when we showed up 2 hours before show time though - get your tix online beforehand) Heinekens set you back £5, a Dubbel £6, a "large" cocktail £10. DJ provided the perfect daytime summer tunes with remixed oldies.

Based on IMAX experience only- the seats were comfortable and soft, arm rest had padding as well,…read morewhich was nice. You can get tickets online and pick your seats, which is a big plus. I didn't understand why so many seats were empty right before the movie was going to begin, even though I saw them taken on the computer. There are several advertisements before the previews, so by the time the movie began, 26min. had already elapsed. - Minus 1 star for people coming on late cuz they can't see and end up sometimes in your way. The refreshment area was pretty standard- ice cream, candy, popcorn, wine, etc.

A nice theater located in Leicester Square, right next to a casino with the same name and across…read morethe street from a small park. They have street performers doing various magic tricks nearby which really increases the crowds. The theater itself is spacious and has couches in the waiting area. Concessions aren't marked up like in the USA - everything in London is equally expensive :). I want to see Raid 2. The screen is decent sized, but the theater access is strange with several stairs going down and then up again. Like cinemas in Asia, they have assigned seating but you can switch if the theater isn't too crowded. Seats are comfortable, and are the rocking type. The other difference from USA theaters is that they show more commercials than trailers - that's okay since I find many UK commercials actually funny. BTW - Raid 2 is an excellent action flick that is pure adrenalin rush. A must for all martial arts fans. The fight scenes were intense and the violence over the top (makes Kill Bill look tame). I hope it does well in the USA - it left me speechless and many audience members here gasped at the intensity.

It is the centre of the university, around which most people meet up, either to go to their…read morerestaurant, pub, or for sporting activities. It is a massive student union, that offers several cafes/restaurants, a pub, a cinema screen with room for a large amount of students, as well as a gymnasium and squash court. From the inside of the building, it seems dated and worn in many places, but the variety of things to do there is astonishing compared to many other university student unions around England. For those who want fresh organic fruit and vegetables for reasonable prices there is a farmers market usually every Monday, and also cd/dvd/book sale at least one day every week.

Only really been in the Student Bar part of the Student Union as a visiting friend, but was…read moreimpressed by the size and layout of the bar and amount of seating. Prices were pretty good, but it did take a long time to actually get a drink at the bar (and it was fairly early in the evening!). It was quite busy in there, with mostly students, the atmosphere was quite mellow, although there were alot of posher students in there, and I can understand why some of my friends don't go there!

Absolutely amazing. Food good. Staff incredible. Films good. Absolutely immaculate. Very comfortableread more

From the owner: Independent state-of-the-art 3 screen cinema with café/restaurant, bars, and contemporary…read moreindoor/outdoor space

An odd bar-cum-private cinema-cum exhibition/ performance space, parked on the edge of a large…read moreSainsbury's car park. I've been to both children's parties and more adult occasions here. Food looks undistinguished; cocktail production seems pretty competent. Cinema space can be hired ( just bring a DVD, and 20 friends). Usually fairly busy, but can't comment on the evenings.

I was drawn to The Exhibit on the promise of some very fine cocktails indeed. I decided to visit…read moreThe Exhibit with some girlfriends for the start of this year's birthday weekend, I though cocktails and a good gab would be appropriate here. I didn't think much of the exterior. It looked a little drab and didn't have the pizazz that I had seen on the website. However, looks can be deceiving and I was just looking forward to tasting these infamous cocktails! The Exhibit is a 3 level venue. The first floor has a bustling bar, the second is the restaurant and cocktail bar and the third hosts a cosy, plush little cinema (which I found pretty impressive). The cocktail bar is tucked-away neatly beside the restaurant. It's a gorgeous little room encased in deep, rich red paint and dark leather seating. This cocktail bar is called "The Crush Bar" and is like a little drinking den in The Exhibit. Their cocktail list is pretty impressive. I'm immediately drawn to the Japanese cocktail, purely based on the name as I'm intrigued to see if it actually *tastes* Japanese! Unfortunately, it's a little too strong for my liking although my friend seems to be lapping it up! I finally decide on the Abermarle Sour as my drink for the evening - light and fruity and doesn't taste alcoholic in the slightest (probably dangerous for me so I watch how much I drink!). The bartender was really friendly. He talked us through the menu and answered all our questions and we ended up having a nice chat about his band and folk music, a lovely surprise. I quite enjoyed my night at The Exhibit. It was busy and bustling but The Crush Bar was a little quieter; we were able to get a drink and a seat in relatively quiet surroundings as it's tucked away. This place didn't blow my mind, but if you are around Balham on a Friday night, this is definitely a good pit stop.