Sunday, January 20, 2013
Cliches eclipse acting in 'Mama,' and violence crumbles 'The Last Stand."
January. Everyone knows it is when the mediocre to the truly awful hobble off to die a quick death after beating each other senseless for a quick buck in the box office arena. When a film gets slated for release it is because there are no other contenders to fight for those dollars, or it won't survive any other time anyway. After all, everyone with any sense is scrambling to see the Oscar nominees. So one approaches January movies with a mix of optimism and dread. Two genre-specific movies are being released this week. If you are a fan of horror or ultra-violent action flicks, the studios are expecting you to gravitate away from those Oscar-nominated and towards these unproven offerings. The Last Stand is a "comeback" vehicle for Arnold…
Monday, January 14, 2013
Director Kathryn Bigelow overlooked for Oscar in Best Director category.
Zero Dark Thirty, which brought in $24 million in its first two days of wide release, has been lauded worldwide and almost universally as an impressive piece of filmmaking, a movie that is anything but formulaic. It is always very different for those of us who live within the Washington area. Our experience of anything political is amplified. The headquarters of the CIA, FBI, and of course, the White House, are all within driving distance. It is, therefore, nearly impossible not to have heard about the controversy surrounding this film. Find Zero Dark Thirty in or near Ashburn via Moviefone. Senators Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) denounced the film, for its depiction of torture. “We believe …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Academy Award nomination successes and snubs.
The 85th Academy Awards … these Oscar noms are full of the biggest surprises and snubs in a while, although there are still going to be some complete shoe-ins. Let's get to it! Will Affleck forever pay for Gigli? Argo and Zero Dark Thirty are both movies that have been highly lauded, with multiple nominations. That doesn't happen in a vacuum. What sense does it make for the directors not to get nominated as well? I speak of Ben Affleck of Argo and Kathryn Bigelow of Zero Dark Thirty, the latter of whom's exclusion is truly shocking. These directors spend the entire time the film is being made manipulating the end result and aiding the actors in getting their best performances. Without them, those wonderful movies wouldn't exist. Is it …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The great, the bizarre and the awful.
The box office receipts didn't automatically match studio expectations in 2012. For once, some of the most lauded movies took money away from the mediocre ones. [Looking for a movie nearby this weekend? Check out Moviefone's listings in/near Ashburn.] This year we saw superheroes, grown-up movies, genre mash-ups and cartoons scoring places at the top of the box office. Much was made about big flops, from the divisive John Carter and ridiculous Battleship, both of which starred the same unlucky actor. This topsy turvy year in the world of film is likely to lead to some interesting shifts in focus for actors and filmmakers alike. Out of respect and a hope for healing I'm sure we all wish for the families involved in Colorado, Cinema Siren …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Santa brings a very mixed bag to blockbuster franchise.
This holiday, with the expected blockbuster franchise The Hobbit (it has already broken records for midnight release of a movie more than two-and-a-half hours long) Santa brings a very mixed bag. First, let's talk about the coal-worthy aspects of the An Unexpected Journey. Unless you are a slave to technology, spend most of your days playing video games or crave seeing the next big thing, avoid the mercifully limited number of screens (10 percent) showing it in 3D filmed at 48 frames instead of the usual 24. Find out where it's playing in/near Ashburn. Director Peter Jackson argues the high frame rate technology gives the movie a sense of reality, like "looking into the real world." Unfortunately, while it brightens the often-muddled look …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The holidays are a great time to get a head start on Oscar viewing!
December is Oscar time. Filmmakers need to get their movies under the wire so they'll be in contention for this year's awards. Consequently this month is a weird mix of crowd-pleasing mediocrity and painfully long masterpieces that mix horribly with a need for fluff. But what is a movie lover to do? Gotta see them! Check out what's playing near Ashburn on MovieFone. Having only viewed two of these films (Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook), I'm as in the dark (as it were) as you all are about how truly great these movies are, and how they measure up to each other as far as acting and scripting are concerned. All I know is what I hear, and I'm hearing a lot. All the critics associations are putting together their lists of bests, and they …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Cinema Siren's top picks for 2012.
Last year I offered my top 10 Christmas cartoons for the first time. As an animation art gallery owner of 25 years, and an animation historian, I have been studying and enjoying them a long time. What an uproar I caused! I got a veritable avalanche of emails about the cartoons I "couldn't possibly overlook." While I stand by all last year's excellent offerings, I do have some amendments this year. Here is the list with some considered additions and subtractions. The cartoons listed below are all classics and are wonderful opportunities for holiday viewing with friends and family. You can enjoy them while chomping down highly caloric peppermint bark, or swilling down highly spiked eggnog! #10. Arthur Christmas - 2011 Such a new movie…
Friday, October 5, 2012
Feel like a movie? See what's playing near Ashburn and buy tickets online.
Residents looking for a movie near Ashburn can find information about new movies, buy tickets and see which theaters are closest by visiting Moviefone. See movies near the 20147 and 20148 ZIP Codes here.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Feel like a movie? See what's playing near Ashburn and buy tickets online.
Residents looking for a movie near Ashburn can find information about new movies, buy tickets and see which theaters are closest by visiting Moviefone. See movies near the 20147 and 20148 ZIP Codes here.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Check out what's playing near Ashburn this week and get tickets online.
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Friday, September 14, 2012
Residents looking for a movie near Ashburn can find information about new movies, buy tickets and see which theaters are closest by visiting Moviefone. See movies near the 20147 ZIP Code here.
joe brewer
6:06 am on Monday, January 14, 2013
Spoiler alert In the end the pos dies. more ›