Tag: films

Celebrate International Women’s Day at Vue with these iconic stories

Friday (8 March) marks International Women’s Day and to celebrate Vue is set to screen four inspiring films which follow the achievements of incredible female leads.

Follow the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Copa ‘71, which tells the story of football teams from all over the world gathering in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium to compete in front of more than 100,000 spectators.

It was the last women’s World Cup until the official FIFA event 20 years later. Dismissed by the male-dominated football associations around the world, the event was written out of history — until now.

Taking audiences back to 1889, Cabrini tells the story of an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children.

Follow Frances Cabrini as she sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, she uses her entrepreneurial mind to help improve the city and quality of life for its inhabitants.

Also screening on International Women’s Day is Vindication Swim. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Mercedes Gleitze, who became the first British woman to swim the English Channel.

The film portrays Gleitze’s upstream struggle in overcoming both the cold waters of the English Channel and the oppressive society of Britain at the time. However, after a rival comes forward claiming to have accomplished the same feat, Mercedes is forced to retain the record – and her legacy.

Another inspiring true story screening this Friday, Origin is based on the New York Time’s best-seller Caste.

It chronicles the tragedy and triumph of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates a global phenomenon of epic proportions. Isabel experiences unfathomable personal loss and love as she crosses continents and cultures to craft one of the defining American books of our time.

Toby Bradon, General Manager for Vue UK & Ireland, said: “Vue prides itself on showcasing a diverse range of content on the big screen. 

“While we aim to champion film created by and made on inspiring women every day of the year, we’re particularly proud to be shining a light on these four incredible stories this International Women’s Day.”

Tickets can be booked online from just £4.99 at selected venues. To find out more visit myvue.com

Vue Edinburgh brings back classic films for Valentine’s Day  

To mark Valentine’s Day, four classic romance films are returning to the big screen at Vue Edinburgh Omni and Edinburgh Ocean– for one night only. 

To kick things off, the timeless love story of Jack and Rose is back with Titanic. The film is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic – at the time, the largest moving object ever built. James Cameron’s multi-Academy Award-winner will be on the big screen in 3D 4K HDR and high-frame rate, with a cast headed by Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. 

For those looking for a more uplifting spectacle, 10 Things I Hate About You will also be returning to the big screen for Valentine’s Day. The 90s classic stars Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger as they navigate high school dating in this wildly entertaining romcom – as loved now as it was 25 years ago. 

For lovers of musicals, one of the most celebrated productions of all time will be returning to Vue. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells the story of ex-prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Russell Crowe), after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.  

Finally, one of (if not the) ultimate romcom, Notting Hill will also be returning to the big screen on 14 February. Hugh Grant stars as a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when a famous American actress (Julia Roberts) appears in his shop.

A chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that blossoms into a full-blown affair.

As the average bloke and glamorous movie star draw closer and closer together, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles in the name of love.  

Toby Bradon, General Manager of Vue UK & Ireland, said: “We’re thrilled to be showing four classic romance films this Valentine’s Day.

“No matter who you choose to spend the day with, these titles are sure to bring back fond emotions for lovers of film. 

“There’s nothing quite like the magic of the big screens and Vue is the perfect place to celebrate Valentine’s!”  

Tickets are available online from just £4.99 at select venues at www.myvue.com. 

FOUR SPOOKY SHOWINGS AT FORT KINNAIRD ODEON THIS HALLOWEEN

The Exorcist: Believer

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When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who’s been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.

Saw X

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Set between the events of SAW I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.

A Haunting in Venice

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In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Five Nights At Freddy’s

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The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realises the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.

For more information, please visit https://www.fortkinnaird.com/cinema

Edinburgh cinema celebrates biggest week ever, thanks to ‘Barbenheimer’

Vue Edinburgh Omni has reported its biggest week ever, with record-breaking figures driven by the dual successes of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

The venue is one of 37 across the UK and Ireland that smashed attendance records in a week that also saw Vue break its nationwide record that has stood since the release of Skyfall in 2012.

Toby Bradon, General Manager of Vue UK and Ireland, said: “It has been great to see our venues buzzing for Barbenheimer all week, as we have seen huge demand across the whole country to see both films, with Barbie in particular looking set to become the biggest title of 2023 and could well enter the top ten highest grossing of all time.”

Granton Voices: Granton Primary School films at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

#GrantonVoices partnership with North Edinburgh Arts.

SATURDAY 7th JUNE 1 – 3pm at WEST PILTON NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

A special afternoon of films made by the children of Granton Primary over half a decade: a remarkable body of work exploring the impacts of racism, homophobia, and experiences of immigration, as well as what happens when you sleep in past the school bell.

Film Hub ScotlandFolk Cinemas

http://ow.ly/xwob50OsFBU

Join us for a special afternoon of films made by the children of Granton Primary School over half a decade: a remarkable body of work exploring the impacts of racism, homophobia, and experiences of immigration, as well as what happens when you sleep in past the school bell!

Moving, poignant, hilarious and full of life, witness Granton through the eyes of some of Edinburgh’s most exciting young filmmakers.

#GrantonVoices

MCU vs DCEU: Which Marvel/DC movie come out on top with the highest IMDB ranking?

  • Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame hold the top two spots with the highest IMDB ratings of 8.4 out of the MCU movies and DCEU movies.
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League released in 2021 holds the third spot with a IMDB rating of 8.1.
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League is the only DC movie with a high IMDB.

The new study was conducted by creative resource Design Bundles, which analysed every film in Marvel’s cinematic universe and DC’s extended universe to discover the top 10 based on IMDB ratings. 

The movies with the joint highest IMDB rating are Marvel’s Avengers Infinity War, and Avengers Endgame, which each score a rating of 8.4 on the film review site. The movies, released in 2018 and 2019 respectively by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures are separated in their popularity by the number of Google searches they receive each month.

The study found that Avengers Endgame, Marvel’s final instalment in the trilogy receives an average 267,000 Google searches per month – more than five times as many searches as the second instalment, which generates an estimated 51,000 Google searches per month.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is the third highest rated movie on the list, with an IMDB rating of 8.1 after being released in 2021 by Warner Bros. This ‘Snyder’s cut’ version of Justice League receives 22,000 Google searches per month.

Marvel/DC Movies and IMDB Ratings Data Table:

Movie:Year of Release:Distributor:IMDB Rating:Search Volume:
Avengers: Infinity War2018Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures8.451,000
Avengers: Endgame2019Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures8.4267,000
Zack Snyder’s Justice League 2021Warner bros8.122,000
Marvel’s The Avengers2012Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures835,000
Guardians of the Galaxy 2014Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures8150,000
Iron Man 2008Paramount Pictures 7.9177,000
Thor: Ragnarok2017Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures7.992,000
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2021Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures7.947,000
Captain America: Civil War2016Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures7.814,000
Captain America: The Winter Soldier2014Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures7.713,000

The original and beginning of the Avenger trilogy, Marvel’s The Avengers, is the fourth highest rated movie on IMDB with a rating of 8. The film was released in 2012 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and receives 35,000 Google searches per month.

Guardians of the Galaxy takes the fifth highest IMBD rated movie spot, also scoring 8, and receiving 150,000 Google searches per month.

The sixth highest rated movie from the Marvel and DC stables is Iron Man with an IMDB rating of 7.9. The film was was released in 2008 by Paramount Pictures and still receives 177,000 Google searches per month.

Thor Ragnarok and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings are in seventh and eighth with an IMDB rating of 7.9 each. The third dedicated Thor film was released in 2017 and receives 92,000 Google searches per month.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is the most recent Marvel release following its September 2021 premiere, and it has already achieved a 7.9 rating on IMDB, with 47,000 Google searches per month.

In ninth is Captain America Civil War which was released in 2016 and has an IMDB rating of 7.8. The movie has also received 14,000 Google searches per month.

Finally, in tenth place is Captain America the Winter Soldier, which was released in 2014 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and has an IMDB rating of 7.7. The last instalment of Captain America receives 13,000 Google searches per month.

A spokesperson for Design Bundles commented on the study: “The Marvel and DC rivalry is decades old, but when it comes to films, this data shows that Marvel is the clear winner, with nine of the top ten highest rated films.

“It’s also fascinating to see the average number of monthly searches for each movie, with Avengers: Endgame proving to be the most Googled by a considerable margin. The ‘Snyder’s cut’ version of Justice League is the sole representative for DC, but they will be hoping that upcoming films such as Black Adam, starring The Rock, will help break Marvel’s dominance of the top ten.”

The study was conducted by Design Bundles, which offers high quality premium design resources and a marketplace which allows graphic designers to register and sell their products.   

Citizen: A hearty helping of Stories and Scran at the Book Festival

I was delighted to be part of Edinburgh International Book Festival’s ‘Stories and Scran’ event on Tuesday evening.

The event was a celebration of the book festival’s Citizen programme.

Over the last 12 months, Citizen Writer in Residence Eleanor Thom and poet Leyla Josephine have been working with local groups to discuss and respond creatively to themes such as home, identity and belonging.

The evening – a lively mix of live readings, stories and short films – showcased impressive work by participants from Spartans Alternative School, the Citizen Collective (some brilliant young writers aged 16-18) (above), the Citizen adult writing group, the Saheliya Champions and more. And all in front of a live audience, too!

The event was preceded by a delicious community meal prepared and served up by by a team from North Edinburgh’s very own Scran Academy. 

Congratulations to the organisers – coronavirus restrictions must have made this a very difficult event to plan and stage, but it really couldn’t have gone better.

Stories and Scran was live streamed and you can view it here:

 https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/stories-scran-1/player

Christmas Day 2020: Loungewear, Zoom chats, board games & winter walks

For millions of Brits, this weekend’s announcement will have meant last minute changes to Christmas plans, with 46% of Brits saying they were looking forward to spending time with their family. But just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it can’t still be festive, as people look for new ways to celebrate.

Matalan surveyed over 2,000 Brits to see how they’re planning on spending Christmas day in 2020 – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan

For many people, 2020 has been the year of loungewear, and it seems this trend will be continuing over the festive season. According to Matalan’s survey, 1 in 3 Brits will be keeping comfy for Christmas, spending the big day in either pyjamas or loungewear!

And in keeping with the rest of the year, video calls will be playing a major role, as Brits turn to Zoom, Facetime and Houseparty to spend time with loved ones. According to the survey results, 11am-12pm is the time most of us will be setting aside to arrange video calls with friends and family.

Looking at the rest of the big day, 12-1pm is when Brits will enjoy their first alcoholic drink, with most sitting down to dinner between 2pm and 3pm, before heading outside for a wintery walk.

Finally, we’ll be sitting down to enjoy our favourite festive films and TV shows, or starting a new board game between 7pm and 8pm.

Head over to the Matalan website to find out more, including what Brits will be eating for Christmas dinner this year – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan

Special Halloween programme for October Drive-in Movies announced!

Picture: Lloyd Smith

Edinburgh International Film Festival and Unique Events, organisers of Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport, are pleased to announce a special Halloween programme for the next four-day outdoor cinema extravaganza, supported by Edinburgh Live, taking place between 29 October and 1 November.

Packed-full with scary movies and fright-filled pre-film activities with ghoulish prizes, this special event is the perfect Halloween celebration in a safe, socially-distant environment.

Tickets for the Drive-in Movies – Halloween edition are now on sale at edinburghdrivein.co.uk with another fantastic programme of cinema classics including Ghostbusters, Jaws, The Lost Boys and Halloween alongside family favourites such as E.T., Coco and Jurassic Park.

Following a very successful opening weekend in August which saw over 4,000 people enjoying the event in a safe and family-friendly environment, Drive-in Movies fun continues this October with a scarily fantastic programme of Halloween-themed films and activities.

Edinburgh DJ Stewart Calverto will once again warm-up the crowds as ‘Count Calverto’ with Halloween-themed sing-along car disco and quizzes with spot prizes. There will also be ghoulish prizes for the best Halloween costumes and best Car-ved Pumpkins displayed on dashboards.

Edinburgh’s Drive-in Movies truly is the place to go for Halloween fun this year!

Audiences are being asked to vote on social media on their Fright Night Favourite horror film for the late Sunday slot: Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic Psycho (1960), John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror The Thing (1982), William Friedkin’s supernatural The Exorcist (1973) or Wes Craven’s first of the slasher series, Scream (1996). To cast a vote, check out Edinburgh International Film Festival’s poll on Twitter and Facebook.

SCHEDULE

THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER

6.30pm GHOSTBUSTERS, 1984 (captioned)

10pm ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, 1975 (captioned)

FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER

6.30pm THE LOST BOYS, 1987 (captioned)

10pm DONNIE DARKO, 2001

SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER

10.30am COCO, 2017 (captioned)

2pm E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, 1982 (captioned)

6pm JAWS, 1975 (captioned)                   

10pm HALLOWEEN, 1978                

SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER

10.30am HOCUS POCUS, 1993 (captioned)

2pm LABYRINTH, 1986 (captioned)

5.30pm JURASSIC PARK, 1993 (captioned)

9.30pm public vote film: PSYCHO / THE THING / THE EXORCIST / SCREAM       

Tickets are available now at www.edinburghdrivein.co.uk, priced from £27.50 to £35.00 (+ booking fee) per vehicle for up to 5 persons.

This top-notch selection of films will be shown on a state of the art 100sqm LED screen, one of the largest mobile screens in the world with the audio broadcast straight to cars, for audiences to control the soundtrack.

Prior to each film, audiences will be able to sample some of the best fish and chips in the country from seafood specialists Alandas and for those not behind the wheel, Edinburgh-based award-winning brewery Cold Town Beer will be on site to serve beers and cocktails, as well as burgers and nachos.