New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Nick Curtis's rating
Reader rating
Magic moments: Sir Ian Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings
The prayers of insomniacs, fans of epic cinema and those with a serious Hobbit habit are answered this weekend as the BFI Imax presents its second all-night screening of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
The premise is simple. You turn up tomorrow at 11.30pm at the Waterloo venue, suitably refreshed and in costume if you are so minded (“There are always a few,” says a BFI source). Ten-and-a-half hours later you stumble out into the grim light of Sunday morning, utterly sated with Tolkien’s visions of elves and wizards, orcs and dwarves.
The Imax’s concession stands stay open all night, there’s free tea and coffee on offer, and a chance to win prizes in the half-hour break between each film. Sadly, as far as I know, nobody shouts “Elvish has left the building” after the final credits roll, but by then everyone will be enveloped in the fuzzy sense of “I was there” fellow-feeling that all-nighters promote.
And the Imax, like Gandalf fingering Frodo for the quest, picks its all-nighters well. The sheer scale of Jackson’s films cry out for a big screen, and the Imax has the biggest in the UK, the size of five double-decker buses or, if you prefer, a Balrog with its dander up.
The steep rake of the auditorium also ensures that everyone has a good view, and the seats are comfy, unlike in the rackety repertory cinemas that used to be the all-nighter’s traditional home. (I remember a particularly painful Russ Meyer quadrology at the Scala in King’s Cross in my misspent youth).
Finally, the Imax has the finest cinematic sound system in London — 12,000 watts of digital surround sound from seven banks of speakers, ensuring that not a single earthy battle cry from the throat of Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn will be lost.
Early booking is advisable, as seats have been selling fast in advance. And if you do go in costume, it’s probably best to leave your sword or battleaxe at home. They can be a bit funny about those things on public transport on Sunday morning.
Saturday, 11.30pm, BFI Imax (0870 787 2525,www.bfi.org.uk)
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Tonight:
9°c
