Showcase Cinema, Reading is rubbish

A brief guide on how to cock up an otherwise wonderful evening. First, try using the Showcase Cinemas website. It's not very nice to look at but it tells you what you need to know. Try booking tickets. If you get a 500 Server error, try phoning them. If they ask why you're not using the website, don't tell them it isn't working because they'll hang up. Try phoning again. You won't get through to the person who can book your tickets. Don't mention the website not working because they hung up last time. You'll be put on hold regardless. They won't tell you that you'll be on hold, it'll just go silent for a few minutes. Give your card details to the chimp on the other end of the phone. They won't get it right first time so expect to do it again.

Arrive at the cinema. Queue to pick up your tickets. The lady behind the desk won't be trained on the system so it might take a while to get your tickets. After, make a choice between toilets and sweets. The toilets are past the "ticket checker fellow" and you can't go back and forth to buy nosh. Don't bother queueing for ice cream. The ice cream counter is purely there because they thought they ought to have one. If you're busting for the toilet, you won't be able to wait anyway. Get pick and mix instead.

If you're looking for screen 10, the best thing to do is wander around aimlessly looking for an employee because there are no directions to the different screen and they sure as hell aren't labelled. Try not to urinate all over the floor while you're hunting for the right screen. There's an upstairs too, check there.

Once seated, you'll find that the screen is 30 feet in the air because the seating isn't raked. Expect a cricked neck. The sound won't be quite correct from the word go but because it's a dischordant musical (Sweeney Todd) you won't really know if it's you. Try making eye contact with people sitting near you. They might look confused to. If so, it's not you. About 10 minutes in, expect the picture have a green and yellow artifact across the middle of the screen. Someone in the audience is bound to complain. You can expect the sound to start flicking between narrow bandwidth (no bass) and full bandwidth. That won't last for long, it will be replaced with a humming buzz that will become very aparent during quiet sections. For some, it might add to the music.

When you leave, complain. Get your money back. They'll try and offer you more tickets but demand your money back and never go there ever again. Go to Vue.

Showcase Cinema Reading: ruining the first viewing of a film you've been looking forward to and stealing an evening of your life.

Comments

Ah but you're forgetting that showcase have their own swimming pool which doubles as a car park out of the rainy season ie two weeks in july. This time of year it's an ice rink for all the kiddies. Despite being at the arse end of nowhere with no facilities and run down to the point half the chairs are broken it still maintains a rustic charm unmatched by other cinemas in the area.

Byrn and myself have been there once or twice when times at the vue were not convenient the only practical advantage they have is that they open to obscenely late in the morning with films often 1 to 2 in the am. Makes it easier to fit 4 or 5 films in.

Evilmatt's picture

I haven't been to the Showcase since the Warner/Vue opened. I do remember its main redeeming feature was that it had Virtua Cop 2 in the foyer. I think I also did once manage to get all the way up the down escalator, which probably indicates that I was quite bored, and it was quite empty.

I was about to ask why you went to the Showcase, but I suppose its the closest cinema to yourselves out in the sticks over there. Your sparkling review has convinced me that I shouldn't be going there anytime in the future...

babychaos's picture

Matt, you're right that it has rustic feel and that's fine if you're paying a lot less for a service not offered anywhere else. However, the tickets are £6.90. Only 30p less than Vue. When we complained the manager said "These things happen". Actually, they don't in proper cinemas. They have their equipment checked on are regular basis and a customer services team that at least have a picture of the plot. I've only ever complained before and that was at the old ABC (now the Ibis hotel) about a print that was really shit.

Pete, we went to Showcase to give it a go (because not been there for a while) and also the timings were a little more convenient given how hungry we were and when dinner was to be.

I won't be going there again and would recommend others not to. Not unless they have some extraordinary event.

brainwipe's picture

Re the flooding:
Some persons pictures of the flooding

Once upon a time it used to be reasonable... Although pretty much when it was just opened and the only thing available in Reading. The collecting of tickets to enter the screens has always been a problem, screams of bad planning, or at least it would if every Showcase wasn't built the same....
At one time the ticket collecting was right after the ticket offices right across the ground floor, so all the concessions are sold after the tickets have been checked. I guess this caused too many problems with people just going to film after film without paying though.

Haven't been there since Vue opened, very good with Orange Wednesdays too.

Sparky Marky's picture

To summarise a brief conversation we had last night (and to inflict it on others) its rarely neccesary to book cinema tickets in Reading these days. There are of course times when its a good idea, either involving a group of five or more or the first few days of a major release, but in general there are seats available right up to the door time.

This in no way excuses them from having a crap ticket booking system, poor customer service or the crappy quality of the showing itself...

I can't really speak for Showcase, as Badgers only visit on rare occasions, but at Vue I can't remember the last time the screen was sold out when we got there. While I'm on the subject, I'm utterly mystified why people queue for the desk at Vue for tickets. The "ticket collection" machines also sell tickets, allow you to select your seat and generally there is no queue for them. OK, they only take card, and you can't use vouchers, but so many people queue, I think, because they're expecting to queue...

byrn's picture

I went to Vue with Gill, and she automatically went to queue, so I diverted us to the ticket machines instead. I think Byrnies right...people queue becuase you queue to goto the cinema...thats how its done.

I do tend to book online, but thats becasue I like having a good seat (front row of the slope, in the middle), and now you can reserve a seat you can pretty much guarentee getting it. When I do goto the cinema its generally organised with someone else, and the showing has to be agreed on ahead of time...a very different organisational level to the badgers filmathons.

That said, there is a good argument for saying cinemas are pointless, unless you must see a film as soon as you can. 2 tickets to the cinema = £12-14. A DVD = £10-£15. You're getting the "big screen experience", but you're also getting the bloody irritating teenagers, car parking costs, hidoeus snack costs, and you can't pause it to nip to the toilet. You're also not subjected to adverts. I know of one couple who now only get DVDs/Blu-Ray (though they do have a 50"+ HD Plasma screen, so effectively their own private cinema).

babychaos's picture

I like the big screen and need to book because Kate likes to sit on a aisle. It's normally planned when we go out, like Pete. I also like the getting out of the house now and again and making an evening of it.

brainwipe's picture

There are a few other things you get in the cinema:

- Field of view. While you can get a similar field of view from a large TV, you have to be sitting pretty close (less than 4 feet for a 40 inch TV, ish). This is fine but the more people the more difficult this is... a 50" plasma is good, and assuming its full HD and you sit within 5-6 feet will give very close to a cinema experience. They aren't exactly cheap though ;)

- Focus on the film. When you're in the cinema (in most cases) people sit and watch the film for the duration. If you watch it at home then distractions abound, from making a cup of tea to getting a phone call. This is normal, but it does mean that generally you're less immersed in the film. The fact that you've paid for this showing of the film, not the ability to watch it whenever helps.

- Seeing it when others are likely to be. If you see a film in the cinema it is likely you watched it at roughly the same time as others, so you tend to chat about it. I'm not sure the same happens with DVD releases really.

- As Rob says, its an event. Yes, you can organise video nights, and they are good, but its not the same...

I never buy snacks at the cinema, given what's available is mainly either cardboard, sugar or sugary cardboard, and the prices are indeed a joke.

If you're subjected to adverts, you got there too early ;) Good timing is arriving after the adverts, but before the trailers :D

byrn's picture

I tend to arrive early as I tend to cinema big releases, and as I said I'm quite keen on getting a decent seat. Now you can reserve seats thats not exactly required, but I still do out of habit.

You'll have to explain this answering the phone thing to me at some point...it seems a most curious concept. I'm fairly good at focusing on a film for its duration on DVD, especially if its a first viewing (as opposed to a background noise film). I tend to stock up on tea and snacks beforehand.

However, I do accept the "event" concept of the cinema, and Sweeney Todd should have been a good cinema experience (I thought it was excellent, though I do like Tim Burton films generally anyway)

babychaos's picture

I'll explain answering phones (I know the theory if not the practice) whan you explain "early" :P

byrn's picture

On the subject of cinema,

RPB_reviews += 2;

byrn's picture

one of those was even seen at the showcase ;)

Evilmatt's picture

Nice reviews. Completely agree with your (both Byrn and EMW) thoughts on Casino Royale.

Nice!

brainwipe's picture