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Flashback to Farmhouse...
Canterbury harked back to the eighties this weekend with the latest in a series of ‘flashback’ movies being shown at the Odeon that have included Back to the Future, Grease and Terminator, all for £2 or buy one get one free for students. This weekend showed the first Die Hard movie, an unapologetic mash up of action, violence and Bruce Willis’ own brand of comedy, all set on a Californian skyscraper, and perhaps one of my favourite movies ever. In addition, the Farmhouse restaurant, situated behind the Odeon, offers a £10 two course meal and a free ticket to see the Flashback movie on that weekend. InQuire was footing the bill, so I went to check it out.
I’d never heard of the Farmhouse before, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a warm restaurant/bar that was small and intimate, but at the same time relaxed and easy. The interior had a retro, art house feel, and the meal was backed by a live band that complemented the atmosphere without being too intrusive. The food itself is apparently all locally sourced, and the restaurant clearly prides itself on its eco-friendliness, proudly displaying a traceability map. Although admirable in an environmental sense, it did leave the menu a little limited; the only significant criticism of the place. I chose the Fishcakes and Hollandaise followed by the Cappuccino Cheesecake, after reading excellent reviews about the former, and being partial to the latter. The main meal tasted excellent, whilst the cheesecake was good, if not a little rich. The whole atmosphere complemented it perfectly, and even without the deal was all very reasonably priced.
My friend and I then made our way to the Odeon with the free tickets we had been given. The movie, unfortunately, was a big disappointment compared to the meal we had before. It started over half an hour late, without any explanation or apology from the Odeon. The quality of the footage was very poor, and skipped over significant chunks of the story when the reel changed, meaning that the storyline was confused and possibly indiscernible to one who hadn’t seen it before. Although an audience should only expect the quality they pay for, the Odeon could certainly have gone to more effort to make the event more enjoyable and worthwhile.
Don’t be too quick to dismiss the Flashback experience though. Two weeks ago, I went to see the original Terminator movie. This was of far better quality, and ran smoothly all the way through. To sum up, either Flashback Farmhouse or just going to see the old movies for £1 (if you can go in even numbers) are both great cheap nights out for students in Canterbury, but be aware that you get what you pay for, and there’s no guarantee on quality. Next weekend starting 26th March, the same student deals will stand at the Farmhouse and the Odeon for the original Predator film.