Cathal C.
Yelp
When I was in first year in college, studying media arts (class of '09 rock, class of '10 suck cock - Rónán!!), our film studies lecturer encouraged us to join the IFI. I felt very impressed with myself, all grown up and cultured, getting my yearly membership. The yearly membership cost €15 euro, for which you got one film pass, an email once a month and an exemption from paying the €1 daily membership that non-members would have to pay when seeing a film there (this is because, in the eyes of the law, the IFI operates as a film club, as that means that they watch films that have not yet been rated and approved for viewing by the then Irish Film Censor, now Irish Film Classification Office. My, hasn't Ireland grown up loads in the last little while?)
However, over the course of the year, I was very busy, what with being a fresher and drinking myself stupid every night, so my more cerebral pursuits such as watching Serbian films had to take a back seat. In the end, I only actually went to the IFI once over the course of my membership (to see Rian Johnson's rather excellent debut feature, "Brick"). So for my fifteen euro, I got to see one film, and had to empty my inbox slightly more frequently than I would have had to otherwise.
All of the above might put you under the impression that I'm quite down on the IFI. I really amn't. I just don't think that a membership was the right way to go for someone with as hectic a schedule as mine.
The IFI as a cinema is very good. They have one big screen where they show more popular films, and one small one where they tend to show more arty stuff. They often run good director seasons: recently, they had a Kubrick season, and they had a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was attended by the guy who played Dave.
And best of all in my book, there is no concession stand, because I f*cking hate in other cinemas when you're sitting next to people chomping noisily on popcorn and m&ms the whole way through the goddamn film. Hey, how about that for an elitist sentiment? All this going to the IFI is rubbing off on me.