The Odeon doesn’t love you. It says it does, but don’t be fooled. If you were stumbling home through the Printworks after a night out it’d probably pretend not to know you. It hangs out with Pure, Chiquitos, Lloyds Bar – and you know what they’re like. Pretty, maybe, with all those bright lights. Vacuous too. Every night, spewing more meaningless noise than a preppy fresher at pre-drinks. Don’t get me wrong, the Odeon can work for you. Just make sure to keep a healthy level of scepticism. When it says the hot dogs are delicious, 3D is worth it, Avatar is a masterpiece, just raise an eyebrow and ask the question. “Really?”
Cornerhouse sits near the end of Oxford road, by Oxford Road Train Station. It grew up as an adult cinema, before repentance and a Dog the Bounty Hunter-esque conversion turned it into Manchester’s premier art house cinema. These days it’s a fantastic place to go, with contemporary art galleries, a wide selection of specialist books and magazines and, of course, the most interesting selection of cinematic releases in town. On top of that, it has a classic a film matinee and every March it also plays hosts the excellent ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American film festival.
The point about Cornerhouse is it’s yours. And like your libraries and your community centres it’s criminally underused, but so important. Don’t believe the stereotype – you don’t have to be a pretentious dickhead to go there, just curious. If you’re bored of trashy TV, Facebook and the Odeon, why not give it a chance. It’s your arts cinema after all. Ask for your student discount. You never know, you might just fall in love with the place.
