| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Convenor: | |
| When: | Weekly 1:00 pm In Term Time |
| Venue: | Odeon - The Springs |
The cinema group meets to attend the Silver Screenings at The Odeon. A wide variety of films is screened and they have usually been released in the last few weeks. Everyone is responsible for buying their own tickets. These are £4.00 each or £3.50 for MyOdeon members and include a complimentary tea or coffee and a biscuit. The MyOdeon app is free to join and the staff at The Odeon are very helpful should you encounter any issues. Following the film we meet in the Costa downstairs for a chat about the film. Details of forthcoming films will be circulated by email and WhatsApp as soon as they become available.
There is no obligation to come to every screening.
THE BAFTAS February 2026
I thought it would be interesting to look at how the Silver Screeners films performed at the BAFTAS.
Six of the films were nominated a total of 29 times in 19 categories.
The films are:
F1
Bridget Jones Diary: Mad About the Boy
The Ballad of Wallis Island
I Swear
One Battle After Another and
Wicked: For Good. (Screening towards the end of March) From the nominations the films achieved 9 wins:
One Battle After Another had 6 wins for Best Film, Director, Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Adapted Screenplay, Editing and Cinematography.
I Swear had 2 wins for Leading Actor (Robert Aramayo) and Rising Star (Robert Aramayo) and Casting.
F1 won for Sound.
Hamnet, which has not yet been shown as a Silver Screen, had wins for Leading Actress category (Jessie Buckley) and Outstanding British Film.
I’m sure that this film will appear as a Silver Screen once it disappears from the main listings.
I’ve also had a look at the star ratings which we awarded the films. I Swear was unanimously awarded 5* compared to One Battle After Another which had an average of 4*.
May 2025
The group has seen 8 films since the last newsletter. These are:
- We Live in Time
- The Last Showgirl
- A Real Pain
- September 5
- Maria
- Pride and Prejudice
- Better Man
- A Complete Unknown
With the exception of Pride and Prejudice, which was a special 20th anniversary screening, these were all films which had been released in recent months. When we had a chat about the films after the screenings they all scored an average of at least 4* from a maximum of 5*. The list includes a good mix of genres although unusually this time we had three musical biographies, featuring Maria Callas, Robbie Williams and Bob Dylan.
Our group meets at the Odeon at The Springs for the Silver Cinema screening at 1.00 pm on Tuesdays during school term time. Tickets are
£3.50 if booked on line and include a complimentary tea or coffee and a biscuit and we meet in the Costa downstairs after the film. Occasionally we will go see an additional film, as in the case of Pride and Prejudice.
New members are always welcome and there is no expectation that people will come to every screening. Jane circulates details of the next film by email and WhatsApp as soon as details are released by the Odeon.
Please just ask if you would like to be added to the mailing list.
April 2025
As there are no Silver Screenings during the school holidays we have been to see just two films since the last newsletter. The first was We Live In Time and starred Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. As the film dealt with terminal cancer it was not for everyone, however, 6 of us went to see it and gave an average of 4*. Our second film was The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis. We had our highest attendance to date with 15 of us seeing the film and giving an average of Four*.
The Odeon have replaced their MyOdeon scheme with Odeon Extra. Members of MyOdeon should have received notification of the change and an invitation to transfer to the new scheme. Ticket prices are the same,
£3.50 for Odeon Extra members when booking on line or £4.00 for non members. £5.00 if booking at the ticket desk at the Odeon. Complimentary tea or coffee and biscuits.
There is no expectation for members of the group to come to every screening. If you would like to join the group please just get in touch.
March 2025
The group has been to see four films since the last newsletter. These were:
Gladiator 2
Conclave
Paddington in Peru and
Wicked
When we discussed our star ratings all the films scored a majority of 5*. You may be wondering why our films have such consistently high scores. I think that this is not just due to the high quality of the films which are being screened. The films are also very varied across a wide range of genres. Joining the group does not mean that anyone is expected to come to every screening, but can just choose to see the films which are of particular interest. That being said, if you do come every week you may discover some hidden gems which you might otherwise have missed. All for £3.50 and a complimentary hot drink and, if we're lucky, a biscuit.
New members are always welcome. Just ask to be added to the mailing list for weekly updates.
February 2025
We have seen 5 films since my last report. The first was Juror #2 and starred Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette. The story was based around a courtroom murder trial and we gave it an average of 5*. Our next film was The Room Next Door and starred Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Not for everyone as the subject was about terminal cancer and how one of the characters chose to deal with her prognosis. A very thought provoking film which we awarded 4.5*. Our third film was Nickel Boys which was based on an historic reform school in 1960s America and highlighted the racial issues in that period. Our lowest score to date as we gave it 3*, although it has been Oscar nominated for Best Picture and received a Bafta nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay! Our next film was Here, starring Tom Hanks. An unusual concept as apart from the final few minutes of the film it was all shot from one fixed camera, showing multiple families in that place over many hundreds of years. We awarded an average of 4*. As there was no Silver Screening for half term week we instead went to a Monday afternoon screening of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. The film was very funny but also very emotional in parts and the vast majority of us gave it 5*.
As it is awards season I've been having a look at how our various films have performed. In the Baftas, Super/Man: the Christopher Reeve Story won for Best Documentary. Three of our films were nominated for Best British Film: Lee, The Outrun and Gladiator II, which at the time of writing we are due to see next week. Saoirse Ronan was nominated for Best Actress in The Outrun and Gladiator II also received nominations for Special Visual Effects and Best Sound.
January 2025
Following our Christmas break we have been to see two films. The first was Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and featured home movie footage as well as interviews with family members and friends. Our group all rated the film 4 stars. Our second film was Small Things Like These. The film stars Cillian Murphy as a coal merchant in Ireland and tells the story of the reality of life in a small town and the power of the church. Six of us gave the film 4 stars and one person gave 3 stars.