The past week’s offering from Union Films has seen Dreamworks’ Dragons do battle once again, the One Direction boys melt hearts (…or ears, depending on your inclination), and Michael Fassbender take to the stage as an eccentric pop front-man. Along with the introduction of an extra special treat in the form of a free ‘Throwback Thursday’ screening of The Dark Knight, it has certainly been an exciting week for Union Films.
The upcoming week has more movie goodness in store for film fans, with screenings of The Fault in Our Stars, Secret Sharer, Earth to Echo and the X-Men series for the first movie marathon of the semester.
The Fault in our Stars, Tuesday 14th at 7pm
Josh Boon’s adaptation of John Green’s critically acclaimed novel, The Fault in our Stars, follows the budding romance of teenagers Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters despite the cancer that is claiming Hazel’s life.
What sets this rom-com apart from others, is its efforts to explore the often overlooked experience of teenagers dealing with cancer. A confident screenplay and commendable acting from its two leads proved to be a winning combination as the film secured the number one spot at the UK box office on its opening weekend, beating off stiff competition from Hollywood heavyweights, 22 Jump Street and Maleficient.
Secret Sharer, Wednesday 15th at 7:30pm
another literary adaptation, inspired by the novella The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad, famed for his seminal text Heart of Darkness. The directorial debut from Peter Fudakowski, the film is beautifully shot and tells the story of a Polish sea captain Konrad, who is tasked with steering a rusting cargo ship from the Gulf of Thailand to Shanghai. The initially simple mission quickly escalates thanks to a mutinous crew and the arrival of a mysterious stowaway, played by Cloud Atlas’ Zhu Zhu.
X-Men Movie Marathon, Saturday 18th from 2pm
The first of our famous Movie Marathons of the year is upon us with the X-Men Movie Marathon! Five of the X-Men movies featuring the entire team are being shown for your viewing pleasure for only £10 (or £5 for Premiere Pass holders)!
Back in 2000, Bryan Singer’s X-Men, introduced to the big screen Professor Xavier’s beloved team of gifted mutants: Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue and, of course, Wolverine. X-Men established Marvel’s superheroes as a profitable box-office hit, paving the way for the succession of films, from a variety of studios, that we are now very familiar with. Along with its sequel, X2, X-men was pivotal in bringing credibility to the superhero film, by proving that they could deliver engaging and meaningful narratives, as well as action-packed spectacle. Watch the full mutant story unfold in one sitting, from Matthew Vaughn’s thrilling Cold War set prequel, X-Men First Class, all the way up to Singer’s recent return to the franchise, X-Men: Days of Future Past, the perfect ending to the marathon.
Earth To Echo, Sunday 19th at 5pm
After all of the action yesterday, we tone things down for our next film: Earth To Echo. The film features kids Tuck, Munch and Alex who go on a search for the source of some weird mobile phone messages when their parents and the authorities ignore them. What they find is a mysterious being from another world who desperately needs their help.
A truly charming film with a wonderful cast and exciting story it is the perfect antidote for the weekend.
X-Men: Days of Future Past, Sunday 19th at 8pm
Couldn’t make it on Saturday? Or you only have time for the latest film in the series? Then fear not: we have another screening perfect for you.
Arguably the best entry in the franchise yet, Days of Future Past ties together the ‘young’ and ‘old’ X-Men casts in an ambitious time travelling plot. With the rise of the sentinels exterminating mutants, and the humans who help them, Wolverine is sent back in time to help change the past to save the future.
The film also helpfully re-aligns the X-Men film universe, paving the way for the eagerly anticipated upcoming, X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, to be released in 2016.
Tickets for all of the aforementioned screenings can be purchased from the SUSU Box Office. Make sure you keep up to date with everything Union Films at our website, Facebook and Twitter feeds.
