Flying Down to Rio

Small independent cinemas should be cherished. This is the Rio in Burnham-on-Crouch and I hope it's still there. The poster outside is for Gladiator, so you never know. It isn't of any great architectural merit, no art deco Egyptian here, and it looks as if part of the roof is missing. But for what it lacks in streetscape credibility it more than makes up for in sheer maritime exuberance. The blue and white paint scheme seems somehow just right in this airy Essex estuary town, so much better than a soulless multiplex on an industrial estate. The last time I went to one of those, a boy sat three seats away from me with a huge bucket of popcorn. I said 'I hope you're not going to eat all that', and he replied 'It's not for eatin' mate, it's for throwin' at people'.