Jonathan Meville: Edinburgh is great for cinema lovers

It’s been another fantastic year for cinema in Edinburgh, 12 months packed with some memorable films and special events that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

For me, seeing director William Friedkin introduce his 1971 classic, The French Connection, at Filmhouse; having the opportunity to watch dozens of films from around the globe at the revitalised Edinburgh International Film Festival and enjoying All Night Horror Madness at the Cameo proved this is one of the best places to live if you love movies.

Elsewhere, one of this year’s big talking points revolved around the continuing use of 3D in Edinburgh cinemas.

In September we had the opportunity to watch futuristic sci-fi, Dredd, in 3D only, while other cities also had 2D screenings. Choice doesn’t matter when 3D brings in more money. The quality of 3D is also a problem, with most cinemas now offering low quality screenings that darken the picture. As this is now the standard, most viewers don’t know what they’re missing.

The problem of people talking and texting in cinemas didn’t go away in 2012, something most of us care about while most cinemas don’t, safe in the knowledge that many customers will return for the next big film.

So while the quality of films has been pretty high, it’s the cinemas that don’t seem quite so keen to give us a great experience.

What’s the solution? Complain if we can’t see a film the way we want. Tell fellow cinema-goers to shut up or report them if they keep talking. Thank a cinema if they provide a fantastic night out or explain to them where they went wrong if not. Or should we just sit in the dark and wish we’d waited for the DVD?

• Visit www.reelscotland.com for more film discussion