Monday, January 7, 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. 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. Out of respect and a hope for healing I'm sure we all wish for the families involved in Colorado, Cinema Siren isn't going to spend much time on the movie event in 2012 that made the most newspapers. Any one …
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! 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 all influence how the Oscars go. So far, these are …
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Of the nine nominees announced by the Academy, which is your pick for the Oscar?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced nine films in the category of Best Motion Picture for 2011. They are: Oscar nominations are made weeks before the Golden Globes, so those awards don't influence the Academy's picks. "Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood," said a guest on Today. That, and the fact the average age of Academy voters is over 60, may have influenced the decisions. Need to see the films? Here's a list of theatres in southern Fairfax County and Alexandria: Kingstowne 16 Cinema Arts Regal Potomac Yards Stadium 16 University Mall Theatres AMC Hoffman Center 22 The 84th Academy Awards will be broadcast live Feb. 26 on ABC.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
With a little forethought, a rainy day can be a great adventure.
All this talk about Hurricane Irene has me thinking about indoor things to do with my family this weekend. As a little kid in Texas, I had the opportunity to experience some pretty fantastic weather. My fascination with weather comes from my dad, who has a special knack for capturing the excitement and novelty of storms. It was fun, and I hope to pass that fascination on to my kids. So, what is there to do on a stormy day? I say go with it, make it your weekend theme. With storms come wind. So, if there are any nice (lightning free) periods, go outside and fly a kite. Or, stay inside and make a wind chime out of string, a metal coat hangar and random clanky objects such as spoons and pie tins. For the smaller kiddos, have them scribble…
