The Radisson hotel group are running yet another online competition with a range of prizes for those winners who take part in their quiz. In terms of prize possibilities there is a weekly draw for a weekend stay for two people at one of their Radisson Blu hotels across Hamburg, Madrid, Berlin, Milan and Helsinki. In addition to this, there are also on the spot gift cards that can be used around the world. The quiz is not the most challenging, so I imagine most of you will be in with a good chance.

Here is a lovely scenic shot below of the Christmas themed quiz.

To enter the competition you have to take part in the Radisson Blue Quiz and answer three questions correctly on travel, Christmas or Radisson Blu hotels and you are then in with a chance of winning the prize draw or a Radisson Blu gift voucher. You are free to keep testing your trivia knowledge even if you are not successful after the first initial tries. In addition to the draw, you get to spin the wheel of luck for an on the spot prize of a gift voucher up to the value of 100 Euros. There are a couple of conditions to keep in mind though. The two main ones are that in order to enter you must be at least 18 years of age and living in the European Union.

Hamburg is a place that I have been wanting to revisit for quite a while now. If I could pick a city to visit out of the ones available in the prize, it would have to be the hip city in the north of Germany. Hamburg is really a beautiful city surrounded by water and a number of parks spread everywhere. It also has beautiful architecture, a vibrant coffee culture and a growing alternative scene. I have been there twice now over the last couple of years in hostels, so I wouldn’t mind staying in a bit of luxury next time if I win the prize draw. Whilst Hamburg is getting more and more affluent over the years, I think now is still a good time whilst it is still accessible to most  people. The city also has a growing film festival known as the Hamburg International Short Film Festival (IKFF) which I would love to catch in 2011.

Has anyone been to this festival before?

Sponsored Post

Share hosted by Wikio

3d changing cinema

The cinema has always moved forward and constantly changed the way that people view movies.  The mammoth size of the screen accompanied by surround sound makes films come to life in a way that cannot compare to viewing in your living room.

However, the modern cinema experience has been enhanced even more over the last few years as 3D has become the latest technology to transform the way that people view movies.  With shots that seem to reach out and touch the audiences, now movies are just about as real as they can get giving you the feeling that you are sitting directly in the action.

Granted, 3D is not great for every film, as romantic comedies and dramas remain largely untouched by the new phenomenon given there is not much that is worth springing out to touch, but action and animated films have helped show the world that 3D does have an appropriate spot in the movie theatre.

The only downside of 3D technology is that it has driven up the prices of cinema tickets overall due to the added operating costs that the technology incurs.  However, as the movie industry has taken large financial hits over the last few years with the popularity of downloading and bootleg films, this could be just the boost that the movie industry needs to get back on top.  After all, as the price of 3D technology television is still out of reach for most families, the only place to go for a realistic experience is still the cinema.

Harry Potter Poster

The latest Harry Potter film has achieved new heights, breaking five different UK box office records including the title of biggest opening ticket sales and the largest single day of ticket sales.  In addition, the film holds the title of the largest opening on Friday, Sunday, and Saturday respectively in the UK.

Over the three day weekend the film raked in £18.3m taking in £2.8m on Friday, £5.7m on Sunday, and a whopping £6.6m on Saturday.  Previously Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the last release in the franchise) and Quantum of Solace previously held the records.

Quantum of Solace held the record for Friday sales and for overall three day opening at £4.m for Friday and a total opening weekend of £15.3m.  Goblet of Fire held the records for both largest single day of sales at £5.6m and for the largest Sunday box office sales at £5.2m.

Managing director of Warner Bros Entertainment UK , Josh Berger, stated that the repeated high box office performances of the franchise is a testament to the amazing talent and expertise of the cast, the strength of the JK Rowling novels, and the film-makers.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows also broke opening records in both Canada and the US as the top performing film in theatres in both countries.

The film is only part one of the novel it is named after but we will have to wait until next summer for part 2.  One of the unique aspects of the films is that the cast and characters are aging with the audience, making it still highly relevant to its fans even through the passing years.

Angelina Jolie in Bosnia film row

Angelina Jolie has been forced to quit filming her latest production in Bosnia-Herzegovnia after officials and victims from the Serbian war expressed distress over the storyline of the film.  The plot of the film centres on the story of a Muslim woman from Bosnia that falls in love with a Serbian soldier whom attacked her during the violent Serbian war.

Women’s groups and politicians across Bosnia have been outraged about the film given the fact that thousands of women were assaulted throughout the course of the brutal three year war that spanned from 1992-1995.  In response, the Federal Ministry of Culture banned Jolie from continuing to film in Bosnia.

Being banned will not affect the course of the movie too much as most of the scenes are scheduled to be shot in Hungary, but there are a few scenes that Jolie wanted to exclusively shoot in Zenica, Bosnia.

Authorities in Bosnia are concerned that the scenes will bring back hate and grievances against Serbia and an official even went as far as to say that Jolie could propel the countries back into war with just the one film.  Attack victim Bakira Hasecic stated that she does not want to see sexual assault scenes played out again because it is painful and not something that should be recreated into a movie romance on the big screen.

In response, Jolie has taken the time to write to the Women Victims of War group to enlighten them about the point of the film and has sent the script to the Bosnia Culture Ministry in an attempt to get the movie green lighted for shooting again.  In the meantime, Jolie has been spending time on the film set in Budapest with Brad Pitt and the film’s stars Rade Serbedzija and Zana Marjanovic.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The latest trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been released.

The seventh and final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise has released it’s first trailer recently for fans.

View the trailer here.

Marion Cotillard is to star in Midnight in Paris

New details have been released about Woody Allen’s latest film Midnight in Paris to be filmed this summer

It has just been revealed that Carla Bruni-Sarkozi will take a role in Woody Allen’s latest film ‘Midnight in Paris’. However, she will not be taking the leading role in the film due to her responsibilities as first lady of France and Woody Allen’s concerns that she might have to be taken away on official duties at any time. Obviously this would have a detrimental effect on the filming schedule, something the famed director wishes to avoid.

The leading role will instead be taken by the Oscar winning Marion Cotillard, who was born in Paris and won acclaim for her role in ‘Taxi’ and ‘La Vie En Rose’. The film will also star Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.It is fascinating to see that Woody Allen has made at least one film every year since 1971 and great to see that he is spending time away from New York. It would be interesting to see if maybe Carla Bruni can persuade the French President Sarkozy to make a cameo, then again, the film would probably lose a lot of its appeal.

Cannes Film Festival 2010 Line-Up Announced

Cannes Film Festival 2010 line-up announced last Friday (15th April)

Cannes Festival 2010 will feature a number of big names in world cinema including films from Riddley Scott, Takeshi Kitano, Godard, Leigh and many many more….

Tim Burton has been announced festival president for 2010, a decision which critics highlight indicates a populist move for the festival, considering the main stream nature of Burton’s profile and films.

The festival this year will open with Riddley Scott’s ‘Robbin Hood’ featuring Russel Crowe and Kate Blanchett. This film is out of competition for the festival, however, likely to make an exciting start to the event. Another film out of competition, but appearing in the festival is Woody Allen’s ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ featuring Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts.

Classic scene in Metropolis

Metropolis (1927) is by far one of the great classics of the silent film era

I was fortunate enough last Friday to see the directors cut of Metropolis last Friday supported by a full orchestra at the Babylon cinema in the Mitte area of Berlin. Metropolis is one of my all time favourites in terms of silent films and I was quite excited to hear about and see the ‘director’s cut’ supported by a full orchestra.

It was interesting to see how the missing segments were added to the film, however, I don’t believe that these segments really added that much to the film. Also, in certain parts of the film, these added segments did not integrate very well into the flow of the film either. The orchestra though definitely added something special to the film and the classic style of the old Berlin cinema helped create great acoustics and atmosphere to enjoy this special film.

Banksy art in London

Banksy is an absent guest in Berlin. The English artist presented his first film without showing up.

Much has been spoken about Roman Polanski’s  absence from Berlinale, however, little has been mentioned about Banksy and his first film ‘Exit through the gift shop’. If the director Polanski could not go to Germany for legal reasons (which everyone knows about), the case of Banksy, the English street artist is a little different. A major figure in the graffiti world, a Bristol native born in 1974, presented ‘Exit through the gift shop‘, his first feature-length film remaining incognito on Sunday. A special requirement for this splendid outlaw who left his mark on the walls of the largest capitals, in New-Orleans after Katrina, and in the West Bank. A kind of True-fake documentary, ‘Exit through the gift shop’ speaks about a cultural movement which wants to be subversive and switches to the denunciation of the snobbery in the world. I’m not sure when it come out, but I’m looking forward to checking it out hopefully soon. Did anne see it on Sunday or at the Sundance festival?

Wang Quan'an's film wins first prestigious Golden Bear

A Chinese film opens the festival of film of Berlin

The International festival of film in Berlin, Berlinale, opens today with a Chinese film made by Wang Quan’ans. The Chinese director Wang Quan’  will aspire for a second “Gold Bear” this year.

For this anniversary, the artistic director Dieter Kosslick paradoxically made the choice of an opening without glitter and sparkles: “Apart Together” is a political drama without high-speed motorboats which recalls the pain of the Taiwaneses separated for decades from their families that remained in communist China. Its director was discovered in 2004 by the Panorama section of the festival with its second feature-length film “The story of Ermei”. It is the account of a family reunified after long and painful separation. “Together Apart” echoes the history of Germany, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, underlined Dieter Kosslick.

20 films are in competition this year

In a snow-covered and icy German capital, Wang Quan’ again aspires to the prestigious statuette won four years earlier with his “Marriage of Tuya”. He will be competing with 19 other films in the field of international cinema. The German director Werner Herzog chairs a jury of seven members, of which the American actress Renee Zellweger– who will help decide on January 20th who will be in line to receive the prestigious Golden Bears. The Japanese Master Yoji Yamada, who directed more than 80 films during the last four decades, will close the festival with “Otouto” (“About Her Brother”), which is not included in the competition. Many will also brave the cold weather for an outdoor performance of the eagerly awaited ‘Metropolisis’ on Friday. This is one of my favourite films, however, I would much rather watch this film in the comfort of the cinema. However, just like concert tickets for popular groups, tickets for Metropolisis sold out very quickly, so I will probably end up watching it at home.