I’M NOT THERE BLANCHETT IS BOBBY FOR OUR THIRD ANNIVERSARY - PREVIEW DECEMBER… “possibly Britain’s most beautiful cinema...” (BBC) DECEMBER 2007 Issue 33 www.therexcinema.com 01442 877759 Mon-Sat 10.30-6pm Sun 4.30-6.30pm To advertise email [email protected] WELCOME Gallery 5 December Evenings 11-19 Coming Soon 20 December Films at a glance 20 December Matinees 22-26 Dear Mrs Trellis 29, 31 SEAT PRICES: Circle £7.00 Concessions £5.50 At Table £9.00 Concessions £7.50 Royal Box (seats 6) £11.00 or for the Box £60.00 BOX OFFICE: 01442 877759 Mon to Sat 10.30 – 6.00 Sun 4.30 – 6.30 Happy Christmas from all at the Rex (Credit/Debit card booking fee 50p) Disabled and flat access: through the gate on High Street (right of apartments) lowly I am less frightened by our success. So while waiting for the bubble to burst, welcome to our third anniversary, and the beginning of our fourth Some of the girls and boys you see at the Box year. It is not just the place or the joy people bring with them through the Office and Bar: S doors, but by extraordinary luck, film-making from all over the world has got so Rosie Abbott Linda Moss much better and currently there is no end to them. Karina Gale Louise Ormiston As long as this run of good films sustains, we should too. But since I was a kid Jemma Gask Julian Paredes I’ve always kept disappointment in a secret back pocket. It is an essential pocket Holly Gilbert Amberly Rose for dreamers. Beth Hannaway Tina Thorpe Thank you for turning up to see everything and anything, not just the blockers. Sarah Holloway Olivia Wilson Our small films remain the best surprise, with a few stinkers to remind us that Jo Littlejohn Keymea Yazdanian turkeys are not just for Christmas. Bethany McKay s you can probably guess, though it shocks some, we don’t see any new Sally Thorpe In charge Afilms before screening them. Often we haven’t seen the old classics either. Alun Rees Chief projectionist (Original) I freely admit this everytime I’m asked, and when I remember, will announce it Jon Waugh 1st assistant projectionist before the film. Martin Coffill Part-time assistant projectionist Who would want to watch fifty films a month? (Clearly you’d have to view Jacquie Rose Chief Box Office & Bar more to choose the best thirty). It would mean spending more time in the dark Jane Clucas & Lynn Hendry than I do already, emerging like a cave-spider and looking like Nosferatu PR/Marketing/FoH (…I’m way ahead of you). Oliver Hicks Bar supervisor We get a synopsis for each new film from our programmer, City Screen. Ian Muirhead Accountant We all scour the mags and papers for reviews and interviews, and I piece it all Resident creative builders together, in less than 180 words per title. Darren Flindall It is a combination of school teacher marking essays and re-writing them while Michael Glasheen lost for words. Storylines could stay as they are but long sentences strung Artists together with “and then” and revealing the ending, would get on your nerves. Andrew Dixon They are written to sell the film, so must be generous. Superlatives describing Paul Rowbottom the director/actor/screenwriter as ‘unassailably talented, gifted or genius’ are not Advisors and Investors uncommon. Paul Fullagar To get a balanced view means trusting critics. Alan Clooney Gradually, you learn who to trust. Like racing tipsters they don’t always get it Ed Mauger Genius right – Closer, Children of Men, United 93, Ten Canoes, Enduring Love and Demiurge Design Designers 01296 632366 Longing to name a few. It is best when critics disagree. Then it is up to us, the Allison Nunn Publisher 07786 540418 audience. Despite my remarks, mostly uncalled for and usually guessing, a fair synopsis James Hannaway CEO 01442 877999 emerges on the page. Being hard on films doesn’t stop anyone coming. Betty Patterson Company Secretary and I won’t over-sell something already hyped to the eyelashes. THE ORIGINAL VISIONARY of The Rex. Finding fault keeps me awake. The yanks are a doddle. But kicking the sacred The Rex cow of ‘British Talent’ is the best fun of all. High Street (Three Close Lane) I love it that people come for the place, not just the film, especially when they Berkhamsted HP4 2FG come to see anything, without knowing or caring what’s on. Tonight a man, www.therexcinema.com whose boiler had broken down, joined the raffle to be somewhere warm for a couple of hours. He got in. GALLERY www.therexcinema.com 5 NEW PRICES screens in Maidenhead, how our After listening to fair comments and prices compare. Ours are some whining, we are reducing the deliberate. It’s so easy to get back row. carried away by opinions on price. From Dec 1st the back row will be In thirty years, forced to sit on or £5.50 for all evening films answer to tergid committees, never (no concessions). was pricing fully researched or The legroom from A to H makes row understood. It was always guessing I seem stingy. There is more room what “people can afford”. I hated it. here than any other standard balcony So before we opened in December in the country, and the seats are the 2004, we looked into current ticket same big luxury armchairs as they prices across the board. The multis, are throughout the circle. independents and the smart London With the meticulous reconstruction overpriced parlours. £6.50 was of the balcony, something had to give calculated to be a fair, average ticket prices were on a par with ours. These – alas, it was the back row. price (disregarding the smart indies). were for special ‘Gallery’ seats where There has been only one ticket price It also had to cover our costs, based you are allowed to take your drinks! rise in three years (up 50p to £7.00 on an audience of 150. So our However, this seventeen quid has all upstairs, and £1.00 to £9.00 at research was twofold. This is how it the (committee) hallmarks of being tables). will continue. We will never look at plucked from thin air. You can hear In May 2007 all matinees were prices in terms of “what people can the wheels of decision cranking – reduced to £5.00 upstairs and £6.50 afford?” or “what the market will ‘somewhere above fifteen and below at tables. endure” or “supply and demand” or a twenty should do it, Oscar’. Our prices will stay the same until trapped audience. These terrible (Ironically my friend fell asleep – but April, when we’ll look at them again. weasel notions destroy morale and it was Elizabeth The Golden Age, You will see from these ticket stubs turn us all into bankers. after all!) An expensive nap… At the (pictured) from the Odeon 6/9? To be fair to Maidenhead, many Rex you can crash out for a fiver. The glorious Humphrey Lyttelton band on stage 10 November GALLERY www.therexcinema.com 7 TRUE LEGENDS CARRY THEIR OWN SHOES… rom sketch artist Sylvie. We will Ffeature her witty line drawings from time to time. One has already gone missing from the foyer…! If you want your own, you can reach her on: [email protected] umphrey Lyttelton is a true shuffling on stage for a game’s outrageous double legend. True legends carry soundcheck, were about to blow entendres. These are delivered by Htheir own shoes… their minds. There being no sign of Humph with such straight-voiced The Country’s greatest man still little scrags in skinny jeans, innocence, they become ten times standing, was back on our stage on pouting and preening, the gig more distgusting, yet cleansed of 10th November with his fabulous would hardly going to be up to all offense. They are so achingly band of old and young jazz- much. They were about to stand up funny, you can sense the studio codgers. Amid major world straight with mouths open in audience ready to burst. When it shenanigans, wars and rumours of disbelief. From nowhere came the does, Humph has to repeat the wars, his 85th birthday was front exquisite sound of invisible old drowned punchline for us, to the page news. You know when you’re men playing beautiful music, loud same response. Occasionally aimed in the presence of somebody and in tune. Throughout the show at Lional Blair but always at scorer: special; they can’t see it. the ushers didn’t budge. ‘the lovely Samantha’ Typically: He was well and on top form. This, his third visit, took us ages to “While the teams are preparing… It is nice to see him relaxed here. arrange. He is gigging non-stop Samantha is just nipping out to see His repertoire of ragtime, jazz and with the band and “I’m Sorry I her new gentleman friend. He has swing was applauded non-stop by Haven’t A Clue” (For which we’re invited her to the opening of the an “excellent audience” as he are too small, so don’t ask). latest in his chain of fish beamed after the show. There were The genius of the show is the restaurants, where she is looking kids in the audience too and our apparent reluctance of Humph to forward to having his cockles in ushers were in a state of shock. show even the politest interest in cider.” New series; Mon 6.30 A bunch of average, oldish, men what is going on.