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 …
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 …
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Review of latest James Bond film.
In its 50th year, there is much at stake for the Bond franchise. So many great movies, producing such a cultural icon, they want to create a movie worthy of release in the anniversary year. Something mediocre or forgettable just wouldn't do (ahem, Moonraker, I'm talking to you…). They have their past and their future to think of. They don't want to be asking "Will Bond live to die another day?" By showing due respect to its pedigree, adding some exciting new elements, featuring a great script, acting, and production design, Skyfall rises to the top as one of this year's best films, Bond or otherwise. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) helms the story wherein a madman (of course) winds up with the hard drive that reveals …
Time for a living dead history lesson.
So you say you love zombies. Maybe you routinely use the quote: "They're coming to get you, Barbara," and you've dressed up three years in a row for the local Zombie Walk. And yet…you've never heard of Lucio Fulci, the Italian director who made three of the best zombie movies ever. When I saw the new Angelika Mosaic Theatre featured an onscreen viewing of The Walking Dead season premiere, I figured it was time for a living dead history lesson. Welcome to the "School of Rot." For the first time in Cinema Siren column history, I asked a zombie expert, my friend Douglas E. Winter, to help pick 10 movies that are perhaps less known by late-coming fans of the undead, yet required viewing for any true zombiephile. Doug is the horror critic and …
7:10 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
only sorta zombie, but quite entertaining... "Bad Taste".. zombie-like flesh-eating aliens... "film" made by Peter Jackson (LOTR fame) more ›
Panoramic vistas take your breath away.
PARIS — This week, Cinema Siren is writing from France, land of unpasteurized cheese, Jerry Lewis obsession, well-behaved dogs in restaurants and a great appreciation of auteur film directors. I'm here for the opening of a Star Wars toy exhibit at the Louvre that involves some film art friends of mine. Nowhere would there be a better place to speak of the gorgeous piece of animated film-making that is Frankenweenie than where there is in fact no literal translation for "director's cut," because it wouldnt occur to the French that there would be any other version of a film. Tim Burton is really the very definition of auteur, in that he has a very clear vision for his film-making, a recognizable stylistic stamp that fans embrace and revere…
Film has its roots in Virginia.
Just opening on the big screen is Lawless, the story of three brothers who made and ran moonshine in Franklin County, VA. It is based on a book by local novelist Matt Bondurant with a screenplay written by Nick Cave. This indie release, directed by Aussie John Hillcoat, brings together a stellar cast in what ultimately is a beautifully filmed ultra-violent action drama but a missed opportunity to go deeper. What we get is a temporarily diverting two hours, but a film that doesn't really stay with you or scream "classic'" after the credits roll. One thing does stay with you long after the twitch-inducing violence recedes from your memory: the acting. Tom Hardy as the laconic and mythically indestructible head of the family is compulsively …
With the release of the film Bully, Cinema Siren takes a look at documentaries seeking to help make the world better for children. Bully's rating was changed from "unrated" to "PG13" on Friday.
The Weinstein Co. has made the choice to open the new documentary Bully on April 13th, the same day as Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods and Luc Besson's Lockdown, hoping to appeal to the more sophisticated and socially aware film goers. In advance of this release, Cinema Siren thought to create a list of documentaries aiming to help children grow up in a more joyful world—a list of movies important to their welfare and safety. These are not necessarily movies for children to watch, but rather those that have made or are trying to make a difference in their lives. It is fascinating to me that I found so much controversy in my research for this list. It seems most documentaries encounter some kind of resistance, or have issues. In the …
12:28 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012
Leslie! Thanks, I just got the press release this morning in my email...Perfect! Glad to see that, and as you see, I put info from the press release in there. Interesting that they normally don't allow a change to go into effect in less than 30 days and for this movie they made an exception. more ›
Watching the Oscars? Join us in some local commentary on the fashion, the films and more.
Join area Patch columnists and editors as we chat about the Oscars. Who will hit the red carpet in style? Will the last in the Harry Potter series see some love from the Academy? Will the amazing Gary Oldman receive his first Oscar? Expect a bit of snark, a few jokes, some questioning of the Academy's choices, and more. Put on your finest and accompany us at 6 p.m. Sunday for some PatchChat 2012 Oscars fun. For a look at the films nominated, check out one of Siren's recent columns, OSCARS 2012: The Super Bowl of the Film Lovers Set.
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5:22 pm on Saturday, March 3, 2012
oops. http://short-jokes-quotes.com/joke/index.php/dark-vader-does-the-angelina-jolie-leg-pose/ more ›
Great acting keeps us wide 'Awake.'
While the new midseason replacement drama Awake doesn't premiere until March 1, NBC is already releasing the complete first episode for online viewing. That kind of thing is the opposite of a "cold opening," meaning they have a strong expectations for its success, and expect word of mouth to increase the season premiere's numbers. Bold assessment of long term value, I'd say. Is that choice also fodder for cynical critics to rip it to shreds? At the very least, you have to be curious about a new drama that features so many acting heavyweights; Jason Isaacs, in addition to being known for his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, is a BAFTA award winning actor. Cherry Jones and B.D.Wong have multiple Tony awards between…
7:11 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012
Kathleen: I knew I'd seen her in something else great! She's been one of my favorites for a while now. I'm so lad to see actors hopping back as forth from tv to stage and keeping fans in both... more ›
POLL: Weigh in with your choices for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress; Academy Awards chat on Patch will start in time for red carpet coverage at 7 p.m. ET on ABC
Watching the Oscars Sunday night? Grab your popcorn and your laptop. Patch is rolling out the red carpet on Academy Awards night with a live blog that will start just before ABC's red carpet coverage at 7 p.m. This year's 84th annual Academy Awards, hosted by comedian and actor Billy Crystal, begins its broadcast on ABC at 8:30 p.m. "Oscars Red Carpet Live" will begin at 7 p.m. Patch columnists—movie critic Leslie Combemale and Fort Hunt Patch columnist Beth Jarvis—will co-host the live chat on Patch with an assist from Patch editors who also love the Oscars. Patch readers are encouraged to join in on their commentary of films, personalities and fashions. Both Combemale and Jarvis have been big fans of movies and the Academy Awards for …
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5:32 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
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