Simon Mayo

An email here from Neil Marshall.

What, that Neil Marshall?

Dear Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, it's Neil Marshall.

Yes, that Neil Marshall.

The same Neil Marshall you thought might be that Neil Marshall last time.

Hello, Neil Marshall.

So many thanks for reading out my email.

Hellboy, Dog Soldiers...

And The Descent, that was him, wasn't it?

Yeah, yeah, that Neil Marshall, yeah.

So many thanks for reading out my email.

Perhaps lightning will strike twice, and it appears to have done.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to see a special screening of Interstellar at the Royal Albert Hall in London, accompanied by a live orchestra and thunderous church organ.

The place was packed out, and the audience were truly engaged and respectful of each other and the movie, not a mobile phone in sight.

At several of the truly intense climactic moments, the entire place burst into spontaneous applause, and it reminded me of what it feels like to share the experience of a great movie in a way that we don't seem to in regular cinemas anymore.

I've been to a few of these events now, and each one leaves me with the same buzz.

Clearly, it's a trend that is catching on as the Albert Hall...

now has a yearly program of movies with live scores, and I see the O2 Arena has a few on its roster.

Perhaps this is one possible future of cinema, regaining its status as a true event.

Sure, it's more expensive than a regular cinema, but for a cinephile, it's absolutely worth it.