If you've worn yourself into the ground after a tiresome traipse around St Peter's Causeway (God…read moreforbid) and feel you owe yourself a big box of popcorn and a film, Showcase Cinema is at your rescue. A whopping great cinema with 15 screens, most of which are dedicated to showcasing blockbusters, you're guaranteed a comfortable seat and some all out American style grub. And if mega budget Hollywood films are your bag, you'll no doubt reach seventh heaven in an instant. What's more, this place is rarely busy so queues are virtually non-existant. All in all, flashy: yes. Art house: no.

What can you really say about this place? If it's the nearest multiplex to your house, you may want…read moreto come here. If it's not, then you may want to go to the one that is. It's got about 15 screens, free parking, popcorn and soft drinks. Just like any other muliplex. If you want to save some cash, Tuesdays are cheaper and Wednesdays are Orange. If you want to watch something challenging, you may want to take your custom elsewhere.

The Watershed cinema has three screens showing smaller and independent film releases. They are…read moreoften chosen when a film gets a limited release across the country (I saw the UK premiere of Loud Quiet Loud here, with a talk from the director beforehand). You get the chance to see more foreign releases here (I saw Thirst here the other week, definitely the only chance to see a Chan-wook film on screen), and they also are hosts of the short film and animation festivals. For every film there is an A4 sheet you can pick up in the corridor to the screens which has background information on the film and an interview with the filmmakers. Films are often only on for a week so keep an eye out for their monthly guides - free in the foyer or look online. They do also have the odd mainstream release but considering the small size of the screens you may prefer to go to a larger chain cinema for that (plus they don't do the Orange Wednesday offers here). The best thing about this cinema is that people who go here love films, and they know to shut the f. up during the film. A rare thing these days.

With the Arnolfini progressively showing less and less films, and the Cube's output sporadic and…read moreoffered up on archaic equipment, it's probably fair to say that the Watershed leads the way when it comes to local art house cinema. Indeed, such is their dominance that they've got three screens (practically a multiplex in this domain!). Their output varies from fairly well-known new releases, some of which may also get screened at the multiplexes, to truly baffling stuff that would leave even Mark Kermode slightly confused. It's a bit pricey - they obviously don't have Orange Wednesdays - though the flipside of this is that you get to watch your film with a respectful audience without the constant interruption of chatting and mobiles going off. One tip: it's worth booking in advance for bigger releases as this popular cinema often sells out in advance. Oh, and look out for quirky special events such as directors' Q&As and film festivals.

In many English towns, you can go into a shop or showroom, and immediately recoginise that 'this…read moreused to be the cinema'. Such buildings are fairly common, but the 'cinema which used to be something else' is much rarer. The Odeon in Salisbury is an excellent example. The mediaeval half-timbered frontage is a good sign that the building long predates the invention of the cinematograph. Indeed, it does; it was built as the residence of one John Hall in the 15th Century! In the narrow, high-ceilinged hall, now the foyer, much has been preserved, from the shields and weapons on the walls to the mullioned windows and stone fireplace. Inside the auditorium, though, all is modern. We were there to see a 3D film, a cutting edge technology which makes you feel as if you're actually there. Except for the seats ... they're a bit hard!

This cinema is so gothic that with the right film it is quite an eerie experience just to sit in…read morethe cinema. The first film i watched here was a Harry Potter film, and the cinema felt rather like Hogwarts with gargoyls and stone floors greeting you, then high beamed ceilings when you get into your cinema screen. The architecture of the building is almost distracting! As the building is so old, and odeon have maintained so many original features, the cinema is not the most comfortable as the seats are quite close together and if like me you have long legs this makes you feel rather squashed! It can often feel quite full in the foyer as it is quite small. Don't be detered though, the atmostphere is worth it!

This is one of my local cinemas - set inside a 'leisure' park part of Longwell Green's set of…read moreretail parks. This Vue for some reason has completely abandoned their ticket office and you have to buy tickets from the ice cream stall which, if someone actually wants ice cream, means that it can take forever to get through the queue. Tickets are quite expensive and a bag of Minstrels will set you back over £3! They also have a band of leather seats across the upper middle of the screening rooms which you have to pay extra for - I come here maybe once a week and I have NEVER seen anyone sat in these seats - why do they bother? The staff have even stopped trying to push the 'luxury' seating on to us as we buy tickets so they can't be impressed either. Sadly when they do a special screening (this week was American Werewolf in London - fantastic) it goes down like a lead balloon (5 people in that showing) so they don't do it very often. Does what it does good enough.

I get the feeling these things come in flat packs, complete with popcorn machine, questionable…read morecarpets, and no character whatsoever. With that said, it's actually pretty good. They've got plenty on offer, I counted 12 films showing last time I went. The showings run late as well, with films starting at midnight. It's obviously a bit of a trek getting out to Cribbs Causeway. Probably not worth the hassle unless you've got a car given Bristol's got the Showcase and Odeon in town. There's plenty of free parking. Popcorn is horrifically over priced, as you would expect. You can also buy Ben and Jerries ice cream, which is pretty cool. At £6.65 for an evening showing it's not that cheap but not too bad. The cinemas themselves are really good. Big comfy seats and big screens. It's usually fairly empty as well, you'll probably have a couple of rows to yourself. Don't get taken in by the 'VIP' seats. They do some films in 3D, which is pretty cool. However, I'm yet to see anything I like being shown in 3D. Vue is a souless multiplex but a fairly good one.

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of going to the cinema. I've become a bit of an old far WAY…read morebefore my time but I get annoyed by other people eating loudly, over priced tickets and uncomfortable seats. So when my friends wanted to check out the new Showcase Cinema in Cabot Circus I always cringed with defiance. I judged it was before my bum was in the seat or the ticket was in my hand. The overall experience (ticket, drink, obligatory sugary snack) will probably set you back around £15 - 20 which the scrooge in me really disapproved of. The cinema itself did have comfy seats, great sound and massive screen but at the end of the day it's just a trip to the cinema. If you're going to the movies, this cinema is probably your best bet in the city centre to watch mainstream blockbusters.

An identi-kit cinema to go with the many chains of Cabot Circus. Expensive popcorn and the latest…read moreblockbuster releases are to be expected here. With that said, they've got more screens than the Odeon, which does bring a bit more choice, always a good thing, and food offerings include cheesy chips. So a chain place, but still bringing a few new things to Bristol. The 'de lux' tag seems to mean comfier seats, another good thing. I think the screens are bigger at Vue out at Cribbs Causway, so if you're the sort of person to take your cinema going experience seriously maybe make the trip out there. Their prices aren't too bad (you can pay as little as £5.50 if you're a student), and they've driven down the cost of the Odeon, Bristol's other city centre cinema. Slightly worrying that they tell you the staff will be surveying you with night vision goggles to combat piracy, but I can live with it.

Back in the old days, when the idea of an out of town 'multiplex' was the stuff of a madman's…read moredreams, the Odeon ruled over a quaking Bristolian public with an iron fist. Now we have more than enough of the American multiscreen complexes, the Odeon has lost its way a bit. The location is one plus, it's now one of only two cinemas in the city centre, but the facilities are very outdated. It only has three screens and, unlike the Orpheus which has chosen to screen some more leftfield fare to distinguish itself, it continues churning out regulation Hollywood crap. The only plus is the Saturday Kids' Club, where an adult and a child get in for a grand total of £1 (that's 50p each!), unlike most others where the grown up pays full whack. It's also opposite a Tesco Metro which is handy for stocking up on cheaper, less sugary munchies.

The Odeon is one of the first places I think of when someone says 'Let's go watch a film!'. In…read moreother cities, the Odeons are big and overbearing in their city centers, but this one really fits in. It certainly looks like it needs some TLC on the exterior, and interior, but weirdly, that is what I really like about it, and think that, aside from a little scrub up, they shouldn't do anything else to the building! The cinema rooms are huge, and can get very very warm in the summer and too cold in the winter, but that still doesn't deter me from liking it here. It gives you the feeling like you're a teenager again, somehow. Prices have kept relatively quite low too, and they have various discounts if you're a senior citizen, a student, a kid and even a family. I would say that this is the most low key, friendly, unpretentious cinema in Bristol. Thumbs up.

This is a pretty bog standard multiplex, though be warned, it's located in a fairly chavy area…read morewhich has two implications: a) you may find yourself having to ask your fellow patrons to stop talking/not answer their phones during the film (believe it or not, the second exchange actually happened to me a few months back); and the selection of films on offer rarely threatens to excite the judges at Cannes. However, I go on an all too regular basis due to one fact: they run an 'Unlimited' scheme where you pay £13.50 a month which allows you to go as often as you want. This is very much a double-edged sword, as I often drag myself to see something I don't really fancy and get a pleasant surprise (Coco Before Chanel), but I also regularly convince myself to give something a go and it turns out to be utter shit (The Time Traveller's Wife). Still it's a bargain either way, though if you're not prepared for that kind of commitment, you may wish to know that Tuesday offers reduced entry all day, and Wednesday is, of course, an Orange affair.

This is a chain cinema in the mould of a Showcase or an Odeon so expect very large screening rooms…read moreplaying big budget Hollywood flicks to your casual cinema goer. You won't find anything alternative or off what would be widely regarded as mainstream. This one in Hengrove is particularly dodgy as firstly and foremost, it is in Hengrove and therefore frequented by local chavs who seem to go to the cinema purely to see how annoying they can be. And secondly, this one is in need of a makeover. I'm not entirely sure how long it has been here, but some of the screening rooms have dodgy sound and thread bare seats. If you can watch the film you want to see someplace else, then by all means do.

This is one of the newest cinemas to open in Bath, and is exactly what you would expect from a…read morechain; overpriced, generic and showing only mainstream movies. The seats are uncomfortable (unless you pay for the extortionate 'director' chairs) the food is expensive and the clientele is often noisy and annoying. I'm not a fan of going to the cinema anyway, and the Odeon in Bath does little to restore my faith. The staff are always polite and chatty, but that's one of the few upsides to this cinematic experiences. I'd advised popping down the road to the much more interesting Little Theatre, where you'll probably see the same films in a much better setting.

I wouldn't say that this Odeon is particularly bad, as such, it's just very generic. Still, it's…read morethe biggest cinema in the centre of the city showing all of the most recent releases, so realistically, it serves the purpose to which it was intended. The screen sizes aren't bad either, when compared to, say, the Odeon in the centre of Bristol. It is on the expensive side and it's not the place to come if you're interested in seeing any foreign films, but if you're just in the mood to see the latest Harry Potter blockbuster then it'll serve you well. Just make sure to avoid the popcorn and pic'n'mix section at all costs, unless you enjoy haemorrhaging money, that is, and book your tickets online to avoid the queues.