Saturday, April 13, 2013
Rated R for language, violence, nudity.
Director Danny Boyle, fresh off being dubbed a national hero for his triumph directing the Olympic ceremonies in London, took another big directorial risk with his new release Trance. It is a frenetic, haunting genre-bender that grabs hold of and keeps your attention from its first moments to its last with such force you'll feel like you're falling through Alice's rabbit hole after being hurled into it by two burly six-foot bunnies in kilts. This cinematic journey is one filled with confusion, illusions, violence and moral ambiguities, and not a head trip everyone will be willing to surrender to or appreciate. Much like the somewhat similarly convoluted Inception, it is a love it or hate it kind of flick. Whether it will be enjoyable for…
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The 3D enhancements make it worth seeing again on the big screen.
Once again we are at an old vs. new and purist vs. innovator crossroads. Why in the world would anyone go out to see Jurassic Park in the theatre for $12+ when they can snuggle at home and watch it on their own 40-inch HDTV? What could make this release worth the time of movie fans out there when my own Siren spouse couldn't be cajoled into seeing it with me at the multiplex? It all comes down to the experience. We haven't seen Jurassic Park in the movie theaters since its release in 1993. They could have rereleased it without the new bells and whistles and I'd have been halfway there. With all the mediocre new 3D releases depending on the new technology to fill the gap of good story, I really wanted to see one of the favorites of my…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Mount Vernon Unitarian Church will host three events.
Three free activities this weekend — a tour, a film, and a lecture — sponsored by the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church (MVUC) in Alexandria will commemorate Holocaust remembrance week, April 7 to 14. The theme for the 2013 observance is “Never Again: Heeding the Warning.” A special Saturday morning tour of the Holocaust Museum and a Monday evening lecture at the church will be given by Dr. Daniel L. Cohen, an MVUC member, a docent for executive tours at the Museum, a medical doctor, and senior partner with Martin, Blanck & Associates a health care consulting firm in Alexandria. Dr. Cohen has given presentations on Nazi eugenics programs at universities on both sides of the Atlantic and to the Academy of Medicine of Washington, DC. He will …
Sunday, March 31, 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 …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Fun happenings in and around Northern Virginia Friday, March 29-Sunday, March 31.
It's Easter weekend, and still spring break for many in Northern Virginia. Time to have a little fun! We've rounded up some area weekend events — be sure to get out there and play! Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Annandale: Easter Bunny at Fair Oaks Mall: George Mason University, Fairfax: Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton: Farther Afield: Know of another event this weekend in Northern Virginia others should know about? Feel free to tell other readers about it in the comments box below.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Summer is right around the corner, and a variety of area camps offer fun and learning for kids of all ages.
Before you know it, the last bell of the 2012-2013 school year will ring and your kids will have more than two months of school-less days. To keep your kids active in sports and activities and educationally challenged during their long summer vacation, now's the time to sign up for one or more summer camps that include everything from science and sports to performing arts. Here's a quick line-up of a few area summer camps scheduled in the Greater Alexandria area: Arcadia Farm Camp This year, Arcadia Center for Sustainable Agriculture will offer its second annual Farm Camp for kids between the ages of six years old and 12 years old. Camp will run from July 8 to Aug. 2. Kids will have the opportunity to learn more about farming and food. …
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Fun things to do in and around the area Friday, March 22 to Sunday, March 24.
Looking to get out and about and have a little fun this weekend? Patch has you covered — there are lots of events for every interest. Know of something else neat going on around town? Tell all of our readers by adding it in the Comments box below. Have a great weekend! Kite Festival - A Celebration of Spring Come fly a kite in the pastures. Write with a quill pen, play 18th-century games, sample hearth cooking, climb on a modern fire truck, purchase colorful kites and spring plants. Bring a picnic or buy one here. Rain Date: Saturday, March 30. Saturday noon to 5 p.m. at Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road, Lorton; for more information, call (703) 550-9220 Admission: $10 adults, $6 ages 6-18, $2 ages 2-5, $25 family admission Piccadilly …
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
Fun events in and around Northern Virginia Friday, March 15-Sunday, March 17.
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? We've found a bunch of happenings, courtesy of Fairfax County and other outlets taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in and around Fairfax County. Know of another fun event? Feel free to mention it in the comments box below. Have a great weekend! Katie & Logan Acoustic Duo Enjoy your Friday evening or Saturday afternoon with live music at Paradise Springs Winery, the closest winery to Washington DC and the first in Fairfax County. After a hard week at work, relax with a picnic, good friends, and a great bottle of wine. Featuring live music every Friday evening until 9 p.m., and every Saturday from 2-6 p.m. Artists include acoustic acts, pianists, jazz bands, banjos, or other various forms. …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The Cappies review 'The Wiz'.
by Rachel Mayman of Langley High School St. Stephens and St. Agnes School’s production of The Wiz brought to life a soulful musical which puts a unique spin on a classic tale about a girl in shiny slippers trying to get home to Kansas. The enthusiasm and versatility of the cast "brought the house down," so to speak, while teaching a valuable lesson about discovering who you are and what you truly need to be happy. The creators of The Wiz intended to revamp L. Frank Baum’s classic musical The Wizard of Oz and center it around African-American culture. With music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and a book by William F. Brown, the Broadway production of The Wiz opened in 1975. The fervent musical represented America’s progress towards equal …
Mary Ann Barton
8:52 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Thanks George, we'll add it to our larger summer camp guide that will be up on the site soon. more ›