Spent a great morning at the Miners with cinephile Brian Lever, who brought a case full of cinema magazines that he has held onto since the 1940s. Titles like Film Parade, Picture Goer, and Film Reel were popular amongst film fans, showcasing the stars of the day. A real treat for any young moviegoer at that time would have been receiving an annual Christmas. Brian still had the one his parents had given him when he was 10 years old!

One magazine from the fifties features a great article on a new technological development, 3D, which was set to sweep the industry and revolutionise cinema going. Referred to as ‘depthies‘, the 3D films were set to replace standard 2D films. The article seems at once both archaic and relevant as we ride the crest of the wave of enthusiasm surrounding the latest incarnation of 3D technology. You cant help but feel we’ve been here before, and while it may be a novelty for many, 3D isn’t what makes cinema, cinema.

Brian also had an opening programme for a local multiplex, the Warner Bros cinema in Pilsworth, Bury. Built in the 1980s, it later became a Vue cinema before closing for good in 2010. Looking at the Facebook page for ‘RIP Vue Pilsworth’, there are some mixed feelings about the loss of the cinema, my favourite comment being  ”it all started to go downhill after they got rid of the giant bugs bunny that used to be there”. Ironically, it seems the Warner Bros Cinema sowed the seeds of its own demise, as the first cinema programme features a back page ad for SKY TV!

Two weeks ago I left an old events notice board in the Miners Community Cafe, and a batch of memory flyers…It was a bit of an experiment to see if people might contribute their memories to the project without me being there. When I returned the following week, I was delighted to find the board full of memories from cafe patrons and local residents. Lou had clearly been championing the project in my absence, and as a result we had a terrific collection of personal experiences and local social history.

Most of the memories collected are clearly from older members of the community, but their experiences are really interesting.  There are recollections of local picture houses, romantic encounters, paying admission with jam jars, and even very specific details such as the squeaky chairs. One memory recalls a lovely image of “making animals with your hands in the projector light”.

Children were clearly just as cheeky back in the day, with confessions of sneaking in through the fire exit, and hiding in the toilets to see the next show. There are some contributions from younger people too though – my favourite has to be simply “My Dad falling asleep”!

Brian Lever told me about a number of former cinemas in Moston, but nearby on Kenyon Lane was a real treasure, an art deco building that now houses a family run hardware shop. We decided to take a bit of a tour…

Much of the original architecture still exists, including some lovely plaster work and the main arch. The raked floor now houses rows of shelves rather than seats, creating a bizarre mountain of hardware. We were lucky enough to go up to the former projection room, now an office, and meet Patrick, the business owen, who showed us a copy of the opening programme. For cine-philes like myself and Brian, this was a real treat!

see more photos on Cinema treasures.org

This week I visited NEPHRA, a group of residents on New Moston who run a number of activities ranging from singing to allotment growing and computer lessons. I caught the weekly ‘knit and natter’ group showing off their new (old) knitting machines, and asked them about their memories of cinema in the area.

Betty told me she remembered paying with milk bottles to go see films. Most of the group also seemed to remember going on their own with friends as kids, but acknowledged that its not something that kids would be allowed to do nowadays. This made me wonder about the idea of cinema as a place for young people to escape from their parents (or for their parent to get the kids out of their hair), and to what extent that is feasible in 2012.

Will came up trumps again with these fantastic screenprint posters for the last screening, based on the animation by Spike Jonze and Simon Cahn. If you ask nicely, he might even have some left. Give him a mention on twitter @william_daw

Ami Guest sent through this great guide to unsual popcorn recipes, which inspired me to try some unusual flavours for the last Future Shorts event. In the end I created three types > sweet cinnamon, salt n pepper, and lemon chilli.

Download the popcorn recipe guide as a pdf

Making popcorn is easy, all you need is a big pan and some oil, your kernels and spices. You could cheat, and buy it pre‒popped from poundland or wherever, but its not as much fun. Once you´ve made it yourself from scratch, you do wonder why people pay so much at the Odeon. The reason is of course, that cinemas like Odeon etc, are nothing more than giant evil popcorn machines, using hollywood films to lure us into buying their overpriced shite.

Odeon cinemas: “Buy a bag, go home in a box”

If you missed the last event, you can see some of the films again on the links belowLocal shorts

THE ROOK dir Adam Bradley

LOSING STRENGTH IN EVERY HAND dir Marie Yussuf

STEALING SHEEP : I AM THE RAIN dir Jack Whiteley

DO THEY KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT I AM LIKE? dir Peter Martin

Future Shorts 

BEAR [trailer only] - Dir: Nash Edgerton (Australia – 2011)

MOURIR AUPRÈS DE TOI (TO DIE BY YOUR SIDE) - Dir: Spike Jonze & Simon Cahn

L’HOMME SANS TETE (THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD) - Dir: Juan Solanas

‘Venus’ tells the comic tale of Caroline and Rasmus, a couple whose love life has hit hard times after seven years of co-habiting. Directed by Tor Fruergaard from the National Film School of Denmark, it is an adoreable claymotion which will lead you into the red lit rooms of an illicit swingers club. Showing you things in plasticine that I doubt you will have ever seen before.This short delightfully balances raunchy humour with tender intimacy as both characters embark on a mini journey through boudoirs & back rooms (though neither has the experience they were expecting). Watching Caroline come out of her shell is a gentle confidence boost to all women who dare to question their attractiveness, whilst it slowly dawns on Rasmus that what he really needs has been with him all along.

Sneaking a peek behind the scenes of ‘Venus’s production reveals the meticulous effort that went into crafting the tiny rolls of toilet paper, bottles of lubricant and paraphernalia which make this film such an immersive treat. There is even an ‘It Came From the West‘ poster stuck to the wall in the troubled couple’s apartment, a cheeky nod to Fruergaard’s first film.

It is mesmerising to watch as molded clay produces such expressive and loveable protagonists, who portray the confusions of love so emotively. Enjoy.

“Venus, a 7-minute claymation, is an erotic comedy about rediscovering one another and finding the spark where you least expect it An official selection at the Los Angeles and Annecy Animation Festival, among others; Venus tells the story of Caroline and Rasmus, a confused couple who’ve not had sex in for four months. To solve this, they decide to visit a swingers club and see if it will salvage their relationship, or not.” - Future Shorts

Co-created by designer Olympia Le-Tan and film maker Spike Jonze, Mourir Auprès de Toi is a tragicomic stop motion made from 3000 pieces of hand cut felt brimming with humour and tragic romance. The perfect blend of exquisite writing, animation and music from this short transports you to Paris and back in under ten minutes, whilst singer Soko‘s closing track will make you grin to no end.

It stars two miniature lovers unbound from the covers of McBeth and Dracula, who spring to life as the lights go out in Parisian bookshop Shakespeare & Co. Free to roam the shevels, packed with Le-Tan’s beautifully embroided reproductions of famous first editions, our clumsy hero soon loses his head and has to be rescued by his resourceful admirer.

Two years ago I was sat on the first floor of Shakespeare & Co flicking through the books in their library, looking out of the window onto cherry blossoms and a sunbathed Notre Dame in a state of dumbstruck awe. It was, and still is, one of the most enticing places I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

For this film to encapsulate the quiet charm of that place whilst spinning a tale of such wit and bookish whimsy is a triumph which Le-Tan, Jonze and co-director Simon Cahn must feel giddily proud of. It makes you smile, it makes you want to run away and fall in love.

“Created from 3,000 hand-cut pieces of felt, Jonze’s tragicomic stop-motion animation takes place in an old, Parisian bookshop where at night the covers come to life. It’s the story of a felt skeleton who falls in love with a beautiful and sassy vixen. Co-directed by filmmaker Simon Cahn with designs by Olympia Le-Tan, this Cannes selected short is sweet, sad, spooky and a bit whimsical. Jonze said, “A short is like a sketch. You can have an idea or a feeling and just go and do it.” - Future Shorts