Movie Reviews by Cinema Siren

Five Movies with Oscar Buzz

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 …

• Photos (5)

Opening This Weekend in Kingstowne: 'Prometheus' and 'Snow White'

Patch takes a look at the movies playing at the Kingstowne 16 this weekend.

The following movies are playing this weekend at the Kingstowne 16 cinemas. New this week: Chernobyl Diaries Six adventurous tourists hire a guide to take them to the town abandoned in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. chernobyldiaries.warnerbros.com Chernobyl Diaries: Everyday Horror Flick (CSIcon.org) Madagascar 3 The zoo animals, who are still trying to get home, end up in Europe and join a circus. www.madagascarmovie.com  Madagascar 3 Runs Away to the Circus (LATimes.com) Prometheus A creepy alien movie prequel from Ridley Scott. www.prometheus-movie.com Sci-Fi Prequel Sacrifices Storytelling for Beauty (OregonLive.com) Snow White and the Huntsman A twist on the traditional Snow White fairy tale for adults, starring Kristen Stewart, …

• Videos (4)

Opening This Weekend in Kingstowne: 'For Greater Glory'

Eva Longoria and Andy Garcia fight a war in early 20th century Mexico

This weekend in movies playing in Kingstowne, Eva Longoria and Andy Garcia fight against the Mexican government for their religious rights. For Greater Glory Eva Longoria steps off Wisteria Lane and channels The Power and the Glory, joining Andy Garcia in a battle against a secularizing Mexican government in a film based on the real-life Cristero War. http://www.forgreaterglory.com/ "Senseless Action" (San Francisco Chronicle) See the trailers for this movie in the media box to the right. -----------  Also playing in Kingstowne this weekend: The Avengers A group of superheroes, including The Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man, must fight a menace to humanity--if they can stop fighting each other.  www.marvel.com/Avengers Avenging Marvels…

• Videos (1)

Opening This Weekend in Kingstowne: 'Dark Shadows'

Dark Shadows and other movies playing at the Kingstowne Regal 16 this weekend.

This weekend in movies playing in Kingstowne, Johnny Depp plays a vampire. Dark Shadows Johnny Depp stars as vampire Barnabus Collins in Tim Burton's comedic homage to the campy '60's drama of the same name. darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com Undead in the 1970s (San Francisco Chronicle) See the trailers for this movie in the media box to the right. -----------  Also playing in Kingstowne this weekend: The Avengers A group of superheroes, including The Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man, must fight a menace to humanity--if they can stop fighting each other.  www.marvel.com/Avengers Avenging Marvels (Metro Weekly) The Cabin in the Woods Five friends go to... (wait for it)... a cabin in the woods in this horror flick. www.…

•  1 Comment
• Videos (1)

Opening This Weekend in Kingstowne: 'The Avengers'

The Avengers and other movies playing at the Kingstowne Regal 16 this weekend.

This weekend, a team of superheroes comes to Kingstowne. The Avengers A group of superheroes, including The Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man, must fight a menace to humanity--if they can stop fighting each other.  www.marvel.com/Avengers Avenging Marvels (Metro Weekly) See the trailers for this movie in the media box to the right. -----------  Also playing in Kingstowne this weekend: 3 Stooges A comedy starring the nyuk-able Larry, Curly and Moe. www.threestooges.com Review: ‘Soitanly’ and Stinker (San Francisco Chronicle) The Cabin in the Woods Five friends go to... (wait for it)... a cabin in the woods in this horror flick. www.discoverthecabininthewoods.com Reviews: A Genre-Busting, Blood-Soaked Must-See (Patch) Joss Whedon’s Inside …

• Videos (1)

Opening This Weekend in Kingstowne: 'Pirates,' 'Raven' and More

New movies and movies still playing at the Kingstowne Regal 16 this weekend.

This weekend, four new movies hit the screens in Kingstowne, including a murder mystery with John Cusack and a new animated children's film. The Raven Set in Baltimore in 1849, this serial murder mystery movie is based in part on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven.” John Cusack stars. http://www.facebook.com/theravenmovie Review: Once Upon a Drama, Dreary (ChicagoTribune.com) The Pirates! Band of Misfits An animated movie from Sony Pictures about pirates who are pretty lousy at their jobs. www.thepirates-movie.com Reviews: (ChicagoTribune.com) With 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits,' the Treasure's in the Details Crew Sets Sail without the Laughs (LexGo.com) Safe A young girl is pursued by the Russian mob. Her father, whose life was destroyed by the…

• Videos (4)

The Cabin in the Woods: A Genre-Busting Blood-Soaked Must See

Movie has a built-in fan base of Joss Whedon followers.

If you are a horror fan, you must see “The Cabin in the Woods.” If you aren't a horror fan but like your movies full of surprises, or your movie genres scrambled like eggs, you must see “The Cabin in the Woods.” Joss is boss. Or so say his devoted fans, many of who make up the group of Joss Whedon fans known as "Whedonites" and "Whedonistas" in the "Whedonverse." You don't hear about directors like Hitchcock and Tarantino having fans called "Hitchcockers" or "Tarantinites", and both those directors have a strong cult following. That's saying something.   The new yet long-awaited genre-busting horror flick "The Cabin in the Woods" has a built-in fan base just by having been co-produced and co-written by their Geek God Whedon. But for the …

• Photos (1)

Hammer and Radcliffe Are Back in Black

Radcliffe chooses wisely with 'The Woman In Black' as his first post-Potter film

Dan Radcliffe, the boy who lived, has officially become a man on film. You may go see his new film "The Woman in Black" to see your favorite wizard, but very quickly you'll forget all that and focus on Radcliffe's impressive work in this surprisingly engaging and character-driven Gothic ghost story.   From his first scene, we know Arthur Kipps is haunted, tortured by the memories of his wife's death in childbirth. He longs for rest, acceptance of his lot, and answers to why such random cruelties exist. He is detached from daily life, and clearly searching for some way to numb the pain, but must soldier on for the sake of his son.  As a solicitor needing to prove he deserves to keep his position, he is sent to a remote village, where he …

• Photos (1)

Your Choice for Best Motion Picture

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.

• Photos (2)

Review: Movies to Inspire You in the New Year

There's something for everyone in this mix of 'oldies but goodies' and new to theaters and DVD films.

First, let Cinema Siren end this year by thanking readers and sending out appreciation to you. You who have become so loyal and have taken my opinions and suggestions to heart. Some of you have come to visit my alter ego Leslie at ArtInsights in Reston just to say "Hi." How wonderful!   Moving on. Forget about the films of dark intensity members of the Academy tend to favor at Oscar time. There'll be plenty of those movies mentioned and recommended in January.   As the new year begins, take a moment, no matter how the year has been for you, to pat yourself on the back for still being here, and for all the good you've done. Remember, even if it wasn't one of your better years, it could always be worse. If it was particularly great, start …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (7)

Leslie Combemale

10:12 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012

Sue!! Happy New Year! It was bound to happen eventually that my peeps would find me! Thanks for the positive message and you should check out the other reviews "Cinema Siren" has done for Patch~ maybe i'll push you into a theatre a bit more often!   more ›