Saturday, March 30, 2013
Elvis, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Alfred Hitchcock fill this Easter collection.
Last month, I got a chance to meet Ben Mankeiwitcz, the Turner Classic Movies host and curator, who is actually from the DC area, and was here promoting this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, running from April 25-28 in Hollywood. If you haven't heard, they have a festival, and Cinema Siren can attest to the fact that they feature both great movies and great guest stars. This year, they'll include Polly Bergen, Ann Blyth, Mel Brooks, Jane Fonda, Mitzi Gaynor, Tippi Hedren, Max Von Sydow, Eva Marie Saint and Mickey Rooney, just to name some of my favorites. When I talked to Mankeiwitcz, he said those who attend are some of the most knowledgeable movie fans in the world, but surprisingly diverse in age. He said one fan who expertly …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Frenetic fun, Stone Age family-style. Three starfish.
The Croods, the new 3D computer-animated feature release from DreamWorks Animation, is the story of a prehistoric family who take a road trip out of necessity. Patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) spends every day protecting his family by alternately leading them on life-endangering family hunting trips and terrifying them into staying in their tiny cave-home with stories about everything in the outside world being potentially deadly. "Never not be afraid," he says. Daughter Eep (Emma Stone) believes that's no way to live. Her sense of adventure carries her father away from the cave and her dad's controlling nature, much like any teen looking to figure out who they are. Everything changes when their cave is destroyed in the dramatic earth …
Friday, March 15, 2013
Horror, Suspense, Romance, Comedy — what will movie-goers want to see?
I'm sitting outside the Verizon Center, once again fighting for parking this week with the sports fans next door to my screening movie theatre. It reminds me, even when it matters, sometimes the winning team is a fluke, sometimes it's well deserved… As Cinema Siren is meant to "guide you through a sea of celluloid," I'd like to direct you toward the more deserving teams of filmmakers releasing something this busy week at the multiplex. With spring break upon us, this early March weekend offers an odd mix of genres, with each vying for the top spot at the box office. Best of luck to them, they'd be replacing or be added to a top 10 where only two have even 50 percent positive reviews, and some of which are so bad they should be benched like…
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Cinema Siren gives film three out of five starfish.
"I don't want to be a good man, I want to be a great one!" This declaration by James Franco as the title character of Sam Raimi's new Disney prequel could just as easily be a hope of the director's as well. Is the movie great? Is it even good? Oz the Great and Powerful is entertaining and you could do worse than to spend your time watching this interpretation of L. Frank Baum's world flash flowers and toss monkey wings in your face. But the weaknesses of it make me walk all the way to the dark edge between recommendation and warning to ponder throwing my ruby shoes into the abyss. Uh oh. Cinema Siren is damning with faint praise here, especially if you know how much sparkly shoes mean to a girl... This movie tells the story of how the …
Friday, March 1, 2013
Doesn't amount to a hill of beans; 2 out of 5 starfish.
By the time the bombastic yet tragic minor-keyed Lord of the Rings-type theme music swelled to accompany Jack The Giant Slayer's climactic battle scenes, I was tempted to flamboyantly roll my eyes in slow motion. I couldn't have cared less. This new release, that was slated for last summer and tellingly sat on the shelf until now, is exceedingly straight-ahead, uninventive and laden with special effects. It leaves the audience feeling like it spent an evening at an expensive restaurant expecting to taste some delicious, innovative dish, only to find themselves digesting a bland, flavorless Betty Crocker casserole. Not only is the cuisine uninspired, ultimately, it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Something new? Not hardly. Jack buys …
Friday, February 22, 2013
The 85th Academy Awards air Sunday night on ABC. Who do you think will take home an Oscar this year?
Every year we watch the Oscar nominees and presenters trot down the red carpet to sit through a night where we expect them to accept their victory or defeat with equal aplomb. As laypeople, we judge their designer dresses, make up and hair, their speeches and bemoan or cheer those who win as confusing or richly deserved. We all look forward optimistically, hoping these awards will further our favorite actors, directors and other filmmakers' careers. Whether they do or not, we are always in for a mix of boredom, surprise, pretension and earnestness. Is this year going to offer anything we don't already expect? Let's take a look at the nominees, and my take on who will walk away with what…Patch is holding a virtual Oscar party you can …
Join us at 7 p.m. Sunday to discuss the 85th annual Academy Awards in a Patch live chat with Cinema Siren.
Who will hit the red carpet in style? Is Ben Affleck still being punished for Gigli? Who's going to take the Best Picture award home? Join area Patch columnists and editors as we chat about the Oscars starting at 7 p.m. Sunday. [Find more details about Sunday night's award show, including what channel it airs on locally by clicking here.] Expect a bit of snark, a few jokes, some questioning of the Academy's choices, and more. Put on your finest — or just your pajamas — and accompany us virtually to the red carpet at 7 p.m. and the awards at 8:30 p.m. for some Oscars live chat fun. Enter your email address in the Cover It Live box above to get an email reminder for the live chat and don't miss a minute. For a look at all of this year's …
The 85th annual Academy Awards will air Sunday on ABC 7 WJLA — and you can tune in to Patch to chat live about the Oscar winners and the red carpet. (Don't worry: there's still time to catch Oscar nominated movies at a theater near you).
Hollywood glitz and glamour will step out to hit the red carpet Sunday night as the 85th annual Academy Awards take over Tinsel Town. The annual Oscars, hosted this year by Seth MacFarlane, start with the red carpet at 7 p.m. on local affiliate ABC 7 WJLA. The awards will begin immediately after at 8:30 p.m. See all Oscar nominees here. WJLA's Arch Campbell and Cynne Simpson will be covering the show live from Hollywood. Lovers of the annual award show can play My Picks and predict who they think will win on the Oscars website. Players can challenge their friends and watch the game update in real time during the show. Not in Hollywood? Join Patch for an Oscars Live Chat Looking to discuss which designer gown is the best, or who should'…
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Still celebrating Valentine's Day?
Cinema Siren is a big fan of love. There's nothing more wonderful than being around those in love. It brings everyone around them up, even if the experience can be a bit of a sap-fest. Anytime I can play Cupid with a well recommended rom-com movie or charming little cafe for a Paris visit, I'm right there for it. I'm back from London just in time to help the romantically inclined or challenged. Sadly, Valentine's Day is only once a year. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared to do the aural equivalent of tossing rose petals at our significant others, or put ourselves in a loving and romantic mood. I've put together a collection of scores very specifically chosen for romantic interludes. For that time you've spirited away to a bed …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Inspired by a trip this weekend to London to see 'Macbeth,' performed by James McAvoy, Cinema Siren showcases her favorite films influenced by the Bard.
LONDON — Cinema Siren is writing from London this week, and preparing to see James McAvoy in Macbeth at Trafalgar Transformed. A fan of his work for years, I jumped at the chance to see a new and exciting version of the play put together by the famous British stage director Jamie Lloyd with production design by Soutra Gilmour, who won the 2012 Evening Standard award for Best Design. It got me thinking about the many cinematic versions of Shakespeare's work in film history. Shakespeare never goes out of style, as witnessed by the recent release directed by Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus in 2012. Joss Whedon is about to release a home movie version of Much Ado About Nothing (no kidding, it was filmed at his house) on June 7, starring his usual …
Dave Webster
2:20 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
I predict the obnoxious Seth McFarlane will be a flop. more ›