The Ultimate Picture Palace

The Guardian profiles the Ultimate Picture Palace today.  It's under new ownership since April 2011.  I have three memories of this place from my time in Oxford:

-- It was definitely run-down and showed older movies.  It was the type of place you would go after dinner or a drink just to see a really fun movie, usually a wacky comedy.  Other places like the Phoenix showed the better films and had the better cinema experience.

-- The review says it can be chilly.  Ha!  I remember it being so cold in there in some nights that the operator would wheel in temporary space heaters.  It resembled a pub's patio.  People regularly chatted through movies.

-- One time my girlfriend (now wife) and I arrived a bit late.  She was finding a parking spot while I ran inside to get our tickets.  The projectionist said she would wait and start the film when my girlfriend arrived!

I really can't say I enjoyed the place, though.  I cannot imagine the UPP has any regular patrons.