Wait, wait, wait. What's going on here? When did Moonlight become half Gold Grass? And where did…read moreall the food and the bars go? Don't get me wrong, Moonlight Cinemas is still one of my favourite things to do when it comes to summer in Melbourne, but the good ol' days of Moonlight are fading. When we ventured in to the perfectly manicured gardens yesterday eve, I was stunned to find HALF of the viewing area already bean-bagged, a quarter a second VIP area, and the remainder was for the plebs (i.e. you and me.) The Gold Grass area appears to be a whole lot better, with staff catering to your every need, but the rest of us were crammed in to a vastly smaller area. Moonlight I still love you, I just wish I didn't have to sit so close to strangers when I'm with you.

Going to the Moonlight Cinemas feels like a treat. It's in the Botanical Gardens, so you have…read morebeautiful trees & plants surrounding you and in the distance the city-scape twinkling at night. And bats. I love bats. Seeing them fly over the movie screen at dusk delights me every time. Hot tips to make the most of your Moonlight Cinema experience: 1. Bring something comfortable for your bum, or pay $9 for a bean-bag rental. 2. You can BYO, so BYO! (Including alcohol). How great is it that you can chow down on picnic goodies and share drinks with your friends? (For the unprepared, there are also concessions available for purchase.) 3. Know your nearest toilet! Stumbling around in the dark with a full to bursting bladder after following step #2 is preferably kept to a minimum. 4. Save some cash with $12 tickets on Thursdays. 5. Bring an extra layer. Even on warm days, Melbourne frequently cools off in the evening. So bring an extra rug to rug up.

There's something about seeing a movie outside, wrapped up in a blanket, grass between your toes…read moreand a breeze from the ocean that makes it all the more exciting. Bring a picnic (no booze though!), or buy snacks and meals from the onsite vendors and have dinner as the sun sets. I ate a crazy corn salad that had fresh corn, popped corn and puffed corn mixed through. It was a little weird, yet ridiculously delicious. The bar has a small but respectable selection, including expensive (read: real) bottles of Champagne which presumably you have to drink from a plastic cup. This goes against every boozy moral fiber in my body, so we stuck to "sparkling" and sipped away as we watched the retro classic, The Breakfast Club. Even though the cinema runs in summer, most nights down by St Kilda beach are bloody freezing so I'd suggest you layer up and pack your own blanket because trust me, you're going to free your bits off.

The idea of watching a 3 hour space epic involving wormholes, sarcastic robots, and Anne Hathaway…read moreoutside on St. Kilda beach initially sounded crazy. Who would want to sit that long on a blanket watching a not Imax (or whatever) projection of Interstellar. Then, I thought about it some more and it sounded like a crazy good idea. Watching a movie about the adventure and wonder of space travel under the stars--what could be better? Then it sounded crazy again. This went on and on up until the movie started and the sun went down. Turns out it was a great idea. I wish we had come correct, though, with a chair or something, but overall it was pretty nice. A couple of suggestions: 1) pay extra and get a chair. We thought you could do this on site, but apparently you have to do it online. Still not sure how, but you are probably smarter than me. 2) Bring some food. The right choice will vary from movie to movie. 3) Go with the bottle of wine. There are no deals at a self-contained outdoor theater, but if you are going to have more than one drink (and you will likely be there for at least 3-4 hours so, yes, you will have more than one drink) go with the wine over beer and the bottle over a glass. You will pay a lot, but it tastes good, will make sitting on your small piece of earth seem more reasonable, and hey its beautiful out here so stop complaining. All of this could be equally said of Melbourne in general. The bottom line is that if you are going to go to a movie anyway, you might as well go to one outside on the beach. It will be expensive, crowded, and often annoying, but it will also be great. Take a deep breath buy a bottle of wine (or another bottle of wine...) and enjoy the show.

Lido. A small town movie theatre with lots of colour. My ticket said it was the lime door I'm…read moreafter, but there's more than one... Built up there's three levels. At the bar the cheapest thing is $4 coffee. Popcorn is a standard $8. In the movie theatre the letters are engraved into the side of the aisle sear... Instead of on the ground in gold, making it hard to find your seat. On Tuesdays tickets are $7 before 4pm and $9 after. Though Wednesdays they have a student offer if you go to Swinburne.

I have a new favourite cinema, hello Lido…read more Lido appears to be the final piece of the puzzle in the rejuvenation of the Glenferrie Road precinct. The team behind the Cameo in Belgrave and The Classic in Elsternwick have done a fabulous job of bringing this old dame back to life again, keeping some touches of the by-gone cinema area, while adding touches of modern to formulate a new cinema experience. We went the first week and a new cinema smells like fresh paint. It's almost as good as the new car smell. The popcorn machine hadn't even arrived when we first were there. Since then, we have visited Lido and experienced the Jazz Bar - for $10 on a Friday or Saturday night, watch a band perform in an intimate space under a cinema. The jazz bar has table service and on the night we went, the second set had free popcorn, which was devoured. There is a great mix of old and new movies here, plus special screenings and Q & A. I feel like I work for Lido with this review, I really do like it here, so much so I became a member and you can find me there at least once a fortnight. Welcome to the neighbourhood Lido, we are going to be forever friends.

I cant remember what movie I saw here last and it was probably because I was more engaged with the…read moreactual theatre itself rather than what was screening. How could you not?! This place is beautiful. The Sun theatre was established in 1938 and since then many refurbishments has made it the amazing art deco structure it is today and worth admiring... Its also located in a great spot among gorgeous coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques and if you've got time to spare before hand there is also The Sun Book Shop (used to be a candy bar) where you can easily bury your head and forget time for a while...

This place is such a nice change from the standard movie theatre experience. It was fully renovated…read morea few years ago in keeping with its original deco features and each of the cinemas has its own theme, style and name. The bathrooms are really plush too which is important, no? You can only pay with cash here so make sure you leave enough time to sprint to the ATM before your movie starts. The Sun Theatre is surrounded by really nice places to eat that are inexpensive and easy to get a table at so it is a nice spot to have a relaxed evening. Tickets are only $11 on Tuesday. Oh and there is a really nice bookstore next door that is worth a look if you have a spare few minutes before or after your movie.

The best cinema experience I have had in ages. My son goes here all the time and swore we would…read morehave a great time seeing a new film here, and he was absolutely right. We went to see "See How They Run" last year while in town and I had almost forgotten how enjoyable it is to experience a new film with an appreciative audience. Definitely plan to visit again. Plus, the neighborhood is delightful. You can't go wrong on Lygon Street.

Welcome to the art house complex for film! Do you feel like getting all dressed up as an ode to…read more being artsy? In the mood to watch a widely reviewed festival film? How about catching that movie you've had on your radar and it just so happens that it's not showing anywhere else, but Cinema Nova? What about that moment you just wanted to watch a movie make it a little bit better with some vino and a homemade choc top? Yes, yes! You can do all this and more when you come on down to Cinema Nova! No, this isn't the type of theater that feels the need to keep with the times trying to impress the audience with the wows of modern cinema. This cinema is too cool to even care that others are competing with each other. Cinema Nova sits back and does it's own thing. The hipster of cinemas, if you will. It smirks at the idea of fancy reclining seats, shrugs off allocated seating, laughs in the face of extra leg room, and rolls it eyes to 567000 surround sound systems. All Cinema Nova calls for is simple, film goers and what going to movies used to be all about, film. It's a classic theater and will continue to stay that way and stand it's ground, the exact way cinemas should be, focusing all about what's on the screen.

Most would probably only frequent here for the food for convenience when seeing a show but I…read morefrequent here for the food as I attend a course nearby. So far I've had soup special and the salad plate, which at $12.50 to pick and mix your own is pretty decent. There's always a plethora of gourmet salads on offer, tonight the Asian Chicken Colslaw & Parsnip, Pear, Rocket & Parmesan were my choices and were quite delish! I also treated myself to their special robust single origin coffee & a crumbly melt in your mouth 'yo-yo'... Indulgent! There's some nice outdoor seating if you can brave a Melbourne winter but the cosy brick exposed ambience inside is quite intimate.

Actors, Writers, Directors, Singers, Dancers, Theatre-Goers and Corporates all call the Malthouse…read morehome for morning coffees, lunches, after work catch-ups and pre or post show drinks. At lunch time, there are usually four or five huge fresh, delicious, daily salads made up for you to eat in or take away. The coffee isn't anything to rave about - a little weak and bland in flavour, but not bad. The best thing about the Malthouse cafe is the outdoor seating area. Huge timber communal tables with bench seats sit amongst shady trees in a courtyard surrounded by ACCA, Chunky Move and the Malthouse workshop. It's the perfect place to meet up with a group of people or to sit on your own with a good book or play. There is also a very quiet upstairs balcony area inside, for more intimate meetings and conversations. Don't miss the pop-up bookstore inside the foyer, selling plays and theatre-related books one hour prior to any performance. Chookas. Break a Leg. Bravo.

My friends and I attended opening night and we had a really fun, yet relaxing evening- it was quite…read morea novelty. It was pouring rain, yet it didn't matter because the cinema is situated in a marquee, right alongside the yarra. The VIP hot tub bling package gets you and 5 of your mates an exclusive hot tub and a waiter to serve you drinks and food from Common Man throughout the movie. The movie did run 45 minutes overtime, which was not ideal on a work night! Free bottled water is included to keep you hydrated :-) This would be a great weekend activity as it kicks on to an after party after the movie finishes.

This place is pretty pricey, but then again I've come to expect that from some of the cinemas in…read morethe inner city. I guess I'm spoilt when it comes to cinemas. Still, despite it being a mainstream cinema, it does actually have some pretty decent movies on offer, namely of an international flair. In fact, they will even run a series of film festivals, and if you like your Asian cinema, then they also have some pretty good offerings as well. I'd give it points for its international selections, but knock off points for the price of a ticket.

Watching a movie at Hoyt's Cinema Melbourne Central is not as painful as it used to be. There are a…read morefew things that they offer which makes the experience more appealing. 1) Online purchasing of tickets & seat selection. 3) Validated Parking ( Up to 3hrs.) 4) A bean bag cinema 5) Self serve check in stands which can also be used to purchase tickets to avoid queues.