Cameo

Not been as frequent a punter here in the last couple of years as their membership benefits changed (used to love the free double bills), so I’ve let mine lapse but it’s still my favourite cinema ever. The mix of films is varied with the addition of some blockbusters/​mainstream movies of late which can divide patrons. Kinda miss the wider seats in Screen One for a bit of a curl up but the new ones don’t leave me with a numb erse (and still plenty of leg room), so change can sometimes be good. Bar is cosy, pints can be taken into the cinema and staff are pleasant. It was an ongoing tradition for many years for us to see It’s a Wonderful Life early evening on Xmas Eve but they’ve kinda dropped this slot the last couple of years which is a real shame. However for true film fans it is a little haven that harks back to the silver screen. So ditch the soulless multiplex and spend your pennies here and let’s see if it’ll last another 100 years.

Great cinema in the cultural heart of Edinburgh. They show a large variety of films, both blockbusters (I’ll be seeing Spectre here) and classics/​foreign films. The student membership is a great deal, with some free movies and significant discounts on all other screenings. :)
The bar on site is also so gorgeous, really beautiful surroundings to enjoy a drink in.

The Cameo is a lovely place to see a film. It is such a pleasure to see an old-​style theater still around, too. The seats were comfortable and the ambience is very nice. I was brought here on a date (aw) but I will definitely be returning on my own and suggesting it to friends for movie dates. Also I love being able to bring in a beer to watch a movie, magical. They even had Brooklyn Lager that reminded me of my NYC roots :-)

O Cameo é um cinema para aqueles que gostam de filmes não tão Hollywoodianos e blockbusters. Filmes pequenos ou independentes que não passam nas grandes salas são bem recebidos aqui. A casa tem sempre uma programação legal e festivais vez ou outra.
Se você gosta de design gráfico, recomendo passar no cinema para ver o letreiro –daqueles antigos que não se vê mais… E para pegar o folheto com a programação, que tem design lindo, de muito bom gosto! Além de ver os cartazes pendurados na entrada do cinema.

I have always thought about coming here, though it never actually happened until this summer.
The cameo is small and inconspicuous from the exterior, but walk in and you’re in the glamerous cinema experience of the past. My boyfriend and I didn’t see the best film in the world, but the seats were comfortable and reclining, the screen room was small and cosy, and it had that independent cinema feel.
As a student I joined the Picture House slackers club, from now on I can get cinema tickets for £5 and a few awkwardly timed screenings for free!
Next time I will definitely try out the cameo bar or the cute little shop at the entrance which sells retro sweets and popcorn.

Solid spot to catch a world cup game on a big screen but come early because some seats are better than others.

I’ve always liked the Cameo but have found myself going a lot less often in the last couple of years & so probably getting the bare minimum out of my membership.
This is mainly due to it’s programming mirroring that of the local Cineworld far too closely (even before Picturhouse Cinemas cane under that chain’s umbrella). As a member there too I’m not likely to pay to see something at the Cameo when I’ve technically already done so at the multi-​plex. Competing head-​to-​head in the arthouse market with The Filmhouse should be more what the Cameo’s about.
The place has had a re-​fit of late and last night’s trip to screen 2 was my first since that was completed. Having rotated the room through 45 degrees the screen is now in the southern wall with the new (in some cases double occupancy) seating arranged in 3 rows. The screen is bigger than the previous one and even sitting in the middle row it felt that it was too close. I’m also not convinced that sitting at the ends of any of the rows wouldn’t leave you seeing less than the full screen. I’ll be back though so time will tell.

I am passionate about films and whenever I fancy a jaunt to the cinema, I’ll always check the Cameo first. It strikes a perfect balance between current releases, independent and classic movies.
It’s not the overpriced, clinical, sterile cinema you’d expect from a Vue, Odeon, Cineworld ect. and is all the better for it. It has a reassuring, classical, well preserved art-​deco interior.
As soon as you set eyes on the café area and it’s cinephilic décor, you know you are somewhere that has an appreciation for film.
Which also extends to the friendly staff who also seem knowledgable and genuinely interested in talking about movies the cinema is screening.
Even if you aren’t going to see a movie, the bar is a relaxing space to be. They have a good range of beers and wines (which, more importantly, you can also take into the cinema with you) and good coffee.
The bar menu also offers a good selection of freshly prepared food including delicious soups from Union of Genius and their own bread.
Evenings also often consist of themed TV/​movie marathons, film quizzes, music bios and one-​off screenings.
And Edinburgh institution and rightly so.

I’ve been to see many films here. Thus I sampled all screens.
This is an «old school» kind of cinema. They’re part of the Picture House group of independent film houses all over Europe. Quintin Tarantino called this his favourite cinema when showcasing his Dead Proof grind house film.
This Is one of the very few cinemas where you can buy a beer in the bar and take it in with you to see your film (in a plastic cup). As I mentioned, I’ve sampled all viewing rooms. The big one is grand and is set up like a proper theatre, with massive curtains and arches. The smaller screens are what shows the difference. They are more like an (big) home cinema with around 60 seats. Though the sound is extremely good the screen in those smaller ones are certainly no IMAX. Don’t expect anything more than an truly exceptional experience ;o)
My few gripes is that the seats may have been comfortable in the 70’s but ergonomics has moved on since then and they are closely situated to one another.
They have special weekends and join in with the EIF the Edinburgh International film festival. You also have the opportunity to become a member which gives you discounts and all sorts of special offers.
This place is «cracking like a peanut!»

The Cameo is lovely. The décor, the bar, everything. You can buy a pint of sausage rolls (complete with pint glass!) which made me giggle. I think I’d travel to the Cameo to see a film every now and then because of the nice ambience. The walls are decorated with film posters from yesteryears and it has a really nice homely feel. It’s comparable to Glasgow’s GFT but I’d say the Cameo is a lot more spacious and modern as opposed to the GFT’s classic, lived in feel. I’ll be back, Cameo!

Yay! I’m a fan indeed. I am a loyal Cameo customer and have been going to Edinburgh’s arguably quirkiest (and definitely smelliest) cinema for many years.
With respect to the nasal offensiveness, it’s definitely on its way out. The cinema refurbed its ladies’ loos last year and that’s made a big difference, and their drains and pipes have been less stinky of late. I wonder if they’ve finally cleared up the problem?
My issue with Cameo is the little things. The last three or four times I’ve been here small (but vitally important) things have hacked me off. The lack of staff on the counter, the lack of information on screening formats, the misinformation regarding café offerings, etc etc. These are small quibbles that have slowly built up to rub me up the wrong way. And I decided not to renew my membership when the cinema binned its (legendary) Sunday double bills. What the?!
But despite these issues, I do want to support the Cameo. It’s a stalwart of the city and I really hope it starts to pick itself up again and become the shining beacon of brilliance it once was for cinema-​goers.
There are some fabulous special events to treasure, like All Night Horror Madness, and you can come here for live theatre and ballet performances. There’s also the Cameo’s atmosphere — it just feels like a beat-​up, loved and slightly whiffy member of Edinburgh’s family. I really love the Cameo and hope it gets better with age, not worse.

As cinemas go this one has style.
The Cameo has a proper old timey looking screen, with curtains and awning and all that jazz. But check which screen your film is in! There’s also smaller screens that fit less people (by far) and can be a bit annoying.
The price is pretty alright and there’s a bar on the premises, so you can have a tipple while you watch your movie. Not bad.
There’s often pretty cool shows on, they do specials around Hallowe’en and Christmas/​New Year which are worth a look. They also screen ballet and West End shows occasionally. There’s a fantastic selection.
The Cameo is a tad dingy. There’s a smell… they’re slowly dealing with it it seems but it’s ever lingering. probably in the giant curtains. There’s a fund going to help refurbish the place and the differences between now and three years ago are clear. The toilets have been upgraded but I’m not a huge fan of practically going outside to Tollcross if I have to pee during my film.
I really do like the Cameo, it’s my favourite cinema in Edinburgh for it’s charm and the clear love of film the staff display, but it is a bit dingy and has a fair bit of refurbishment to go.

Surely you’ve been to or at least heard of the Cameo. It’s definitely an Edinburgh institution.
Cameo snubs its nose at the expensive frills embraced by the cinema-​goliaths. Everything seems to be done as a «fuck you» to the Vues and Cineworlds, done with this seedy-​glamorous charm that makes you feel like you’re part of the club just by being there.
Aside from all that, though, they play some f’ing AWESOME movies. The sunday double-​bills hit the mark regularly and some of the movie feature nights are an absolute gas. Tip for young players: go see ‘The Room’ if you ever get the chance.
In fact, go see any movie here played in cinema 1, that gorgeous room makes anything amazing. I would even go see a double-​bill featuring ‘Transformers 2′ followed by ‘Spiderman 3′ if it was in cinema 1. Maybe.

This place is great for anyone who loves good old fashioned cinemas!
I went for the first time the other night to see The Muppets… it was like being in the actual Muppet theatre, so good!
The seats are comfortable, there is loads of leg room and I was happy to see that even as early as 8.30pm during half term, there were no children in the screen. (I’m glad that a new generation are being introduced to the Muppets, just not on my watch!)
Overall, I had a great evening at Cameo and will definitely be keeping an eye out from the bus to see what is on the board in future!

Went last night and had a blast. They were showing Singin’ in the Rain. Oh my. I love that movie.
I had a really easy experience, and enjoyed the independent venue vibe. Also, really comfy seats and intimate showing (compared to many!).
Never went to the bar, but easy to go for a pint across the road when you’re done! Perfect date night :)
plus student discount! I believe 11.60 for 2 student tickets :)

I love this place. The hubs and I first came here last month and saw Cameron Crowe’s documentary on Pearl Jam «Twenty». The movie was amazing. The theater was packed but there really isn’t a bad seat in the house so it wasn’t a problem. And there we sat, enjoying great film and music with our beer and wine. Yes, I come from America where you cannot bring beer or wine or, frankly, anything that you did not fork over an arm and a leg for at the concession stand. So when we got here and you could buy beer, wine, etc. at the bar, we were all in!
We went back this past weekend and saw Midnight in Paris. We also ended up signing up for their membership which is super affordable (only a few pounds more than it is for all the free tickets you get with it) and you get discounts on everything and free double movies on Sundays. Totally worth it if you ask me.
And yes, Midnight in Paris had been out in cinemas for several months but, if you’re not in a rush (which we weren’t) and want to pay cheaper ticket prices (yay!) then go here! The character of the building, lobby, and theatres have a lot of beautiful character and the bar is a nice place to hang out before/​after the movie.
Also, the seats are super comfy!

By far my favourite cinema! Where the Cineworld’s and Odeon’s of this world may be a mecca for big blockbuster movies, this is the ideal place to visit for those more obscure movie going experiences.
They offer a regular Sunday double-​bill (free for membership holders), as-​well-​as special screenings for senior citizens, parents and even a regular autism-​friendly screening, which is something I’ve never seen offered at any other cinema. They also play host to live Met. Opera and Ballet for the culturally inclined, and if you keep an eye out on the web site, there’s even an All Night Horror experience that I highly recommend for anyone who loves a bit of ‘Flesh for Frankenstein’ or ‘Evil Dead;…they even go out of their way to find movies on 35 mm print for a more authentic experience.
My first trip to the Cameo was for a special showing of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’; everyone got dressed up and brought toast to throw at the screen; they wouldn’t appreciate this kind of thing in many of the larger chain cinema’s!
There are a lot of complaints from other reviewer’s about the smell and the facilities on offer; it’s worth noting that they are currently in the middle of an extensive refurbishment, and there has been a great deal of improvement in recent months. The ladies toilets have been rebuilt and modernised, and I understand the gents aren’t too shabby either. Any lingering smell in screen one is dissipating and not so noticeable any more, so you can eat your popcorn without worrying about your personal safety!

It’s no big secret that I’m somewhat of a cinema buff and probably spend more time a week staring open mouthed at the silver screen than you do eating hot dinners (what is it about hot dinners that makes them a relevant point of comparison to everything?!).
The Cameo then… well… it’s alright isn’t it? As far as independent/​arthouse cinemas go, the Cameo has a couple of nice tricks up its sleeve. First is the membership which will set you back £30 a year but gives you discounted rates on tickets as well as concessions and also includes three free tickets to any movie or your choice (which goes some way to discounting the membership price.
The second thing the Cameo has up its sleeve are the double bill Sundays where they’ll show two semi related movies back to back; the first usually being a recent movie which is nearing the end of its run and the second something vaguely related to the first (for example today they showed Machete followed by Planet Terror). The good news with these double bills is that they’re the price of a regular ticket OR free if you’re a member (again knocking a few quid off of that ticket price). There’s no obligation to stay through both and it can be a good way of killing a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The final thing that the Cameo has up its sleeve is a bit of personality. They’ll happily show films from a while ago, just because and the staff are all friendly enough. There’s a nice café/​bar attached to the side and in general it’s a pretty good place to see a little something hich isn’t showing at the multiplexes.
The bad? Only three screens, of which two are minuscule. They’ve always been pretty empty when I’ve been stuck in them though so it’s never been a huge issue, but I can imagine them being pretty uncomfortable when full. The big screen is pretty cool though and regularly packs out.
There’s been some renovation work done recently and the gents toilets have seen no end of improvements; from Jen’s comments though it would appear as though the ladies’ haven’t been done yet or have been neglected completely so pee with caution!
I’m not all too sure why but I always choose to visit the Cameo over the Picturehouse, despite them being equidistant from where I live. It’s not THE BEST small cinema ever, but it’s certainly a good one.

I’d read the sterling reviews of this place by my fellow Unilocaler’s so I was compelled to see for myself just what the Cameo had to offer.
It’s an old fashioned cinema that puts on a number of films, from intelligent blockbusters to B Movies, world cinema and cult classics. It’s been an independent cinema since the 50s and plays a huge role in the Edinburgh Film Festival.
Cinemas that have remained unscathed since the arrival of the multiplex get my vote any day of the week, and with its old seats and embellished interior design on the ceiling, it truly is a window into cinema culture of the past. But what makes me respect this cinema infinitely more is the fact they are now running showings of The Room, which in case you didn’t know is a cult classic because it’s so crap. It’s built up a following of Rocky Horror proportions and is best watched in a setting like this since audience participation is apparently something to behold. It’s next showing on the 31^st and I would urge you to go watch it — it has to be seen to be believed.

These old-​school cinemas just have so much more charm than the big chains, like the Odeon along the street. When you step through the door, under the big neon board outside which proudly announces all the films currently on show and into the lobby, you feel as though you’re walking into a picure house in the 1950s. But in a good way.
They have a mix of current blockbusters on show, like Inception, alongside arty and foreign films to suit the high-​brow types. The downside though, is that with it being a smaller independent cinema it has much fewer films on show as the bigger ones do.

It’s impressive that the Cameo manages to charm you with its Edwardian theme, red velvet decorations and overall arthouse cinema style when usual cinema goers just want to laze in a chair and stair at a screen.
The Cameo is pretty unique as far as cinemas go, showing a decent handful of classic and foreign films and even offering Q & A nights with certain directors/​script writers.
The usual ice cream, pop corn, drinks etc are all top notch here, cementing itself as a true cinema lovers haunt.