Movie night in
Create the perfect movie night at home
With cinemas closed, you may be missing all those things that make movie night special – tickets, popcorn and a shared screening experience.
Check out our top tips for bringing the big screen to your small screen – and donate the costs you have saved from your cinema trip to Dementia UK.
How to have the perfect movie night in
Hi everyone, I’m Josanne from the Corporate Partnerships Team at Dementia UK. However, as my first career was in film and TV and I love all things film-related, I want to share my top tips for creating the perfect movie night at home.
What to watch
This is everything and will set the tone for the whole night.
What’s that one film you’ve been meaning to watch for ages but never got around to seeing? Maybe you missed it at the cinema when it was first released.
What was your favourite movie as a kid? Maybe now is a great time to show it to your own children. What was the first film you and your partner saw together?
Maybe you want to recreate that first date. I’m sure you’ll have a film spring to mind straight away though at the mention of a movie night.
Still can’t decide? Our staff have nominated their favourite go-to films as a suggestion for your movie night so give one a watch and see if you agree!
Paddington 2 – Ellen, Regional Fundraising Manager
Kinky Boots – Gayle, Practice Development Facilitator
Force Majeure – Pete, Data Services Manager
Amélie – Laura, Service Evaluator
Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe – Rachel, Business Development Officer
Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2 – James, Trusts Manager
The Lunchbox – Laura, Digital Marketing Executive
Man on the Wire – Karen, Head of Individual Giving
A League of their Own – Josanne, Corporate Partnerships Manager
Sister Act 1 and 2 – Anna, Regional Fundraiser
The Fundamentals of Caring – Danielle, Challenge Events Assistant
Singin’ in the Rain – Temi, Supporter Care Manager
What to wear
Once you have chosen your film, why not go all the way and theme your night in. You could dress up like your favourite characters from the big screen. I’ve personally been a Pink Lady from Grease and Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffanys and had great fun!
If you don’t want to dress-up, then you could make the most of not needing to travel to the cinema and dress-down. Grab something comfy and have a Pyjama Party.
What to snack on
When I’m at the cinema I always go for popcorn and pic-n-mix (plenty of foam bananas for me!).
I love mixing sweet and salted popcorn, and you can buy these in premixed bags at the supermarket. Look out for supermarket offers on mini sweet bags and mix them up to recreate that pic-n-mix treat.
To get the full movie snack experience, why not make bags and cartons out of paper and card? There are loads of free templates to print off online or use for inspiration. Just type in ‘popcorn bag template’ into your search engine and pick your favourite design.
As you are at home, give my Nacho Bake a go. I put handfuls of nachos around the edge of a big dinner plate to form a ring. Then in a large frying pan or wok, I throw in whatever needs using up. Usually: onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, garlic, etc. Now cook this off, to make a lovely mild, chunky salsa. Pour into the middle of your nacho ring. Cover the salsa and nachos with grated cheese, sprinkle with mixed herbs, and stick under the grill (medium heat) until the cheese has melted. Delicious!
Finishing touches
You may have spent a lot of time on your sofa since lockdown, and that’s okay. But have a think about what could you do to make this movie night special?
Could you take your TV or projector outside or position up against a window to create an open-air cinema? If you are inside, could you make a den to sit in? Maybe bring the reclining garden chairs inside to create that VIP feel in your living room.
Make some tickets or if you have children, get them to make the tickets and sneak in some home schooling as they practice spelling the film title, telling the time and working out the maths for ticket prices.
For the ultimate movie experience why not watch trailers before your main feature? Cineworld have uploaded their Pre-Reel trailers and adverts to YouTube for you to stream before your film.