Thursday, April 4, 2013
Winners of the 11th Congressional District competition will have work displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
Calling all high school artists: Friday is the deadline for U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th)'s annual High School Art Contest, which offers local students a chance to have their art displayed in the U.S. Capitol. All public, private and home-schooled high school students in Connolly's 11th Congressional District are eligible to enter artwork in the competition, "An Artistic Discovery." Students can drop off their pieces at Connolly's Annandale or Prince William District Offices. All information, including the student entry and release form, must be completed by Friday. “This annual contest provides a unique opportunity for young artists in Fairfax and Prince William to join with other students from across the nation to showcase their …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Ciara McAvoy, a highly successful woman working in the film art industry, is one of the newest artists being represented at the gallery.
When it comes to the biggest names in film art, you might expect to find galleries that carry it in New York or Hollywood—but the owners of ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery call Reston their home. "We opened the gallery in Reston Town Center only a year after [RTC] opened, before it became such a destination,” said co-owner Michael Barry. “Being near Dulles, it's convenient to those coming here from other parts of the world. We have clients in England, France, Japan, and all sorts of other places, so we needed to be close to an international airport." "The East Coast made more sense for that reason, and I have roots in the Washington area,” said co-owner Leslie Combemale. “I know about the sophisticated group of art collectors …
Saturday, March 30, 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 …
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Frenetic fun, Stone Age family-style. Three starfish.
Looking for a showing? The Croods is playing at Tysons Corner AMC or Reston Town Center Stadium (it's not playing at Angelika Film Center or Regal Fairfax Towne Center). 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 …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Horror, Suspense, Romance, Comedy — what will movie-goers want to see? Find out what's playing in the Vienna area this weekend.
This week's noted new releases from Cinema Siren are The Call, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Stoker and Upside Down. The Call and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone are playing at the AMC Tysons Corner 16. Stoker and Upside Down are both playing in downtown DC at the Landmark E-Street Cinema. Watch the official trailers for all four movies in the media box to the right. ----- I'm sitting outside the Verizon Center, once again fighting for parking this week with the sports fans next door to my screening movie theatre. It reminds me, even when it matters, sometimes the winning team is a fluke, sometimes it's well deserved… As Cinema Siren is meant to "guide you through a sea of celluloid," I'd like to direct you toward the more deserving…
Sunday, March 10, 2013
How the wizard came to be the man behind the curtain.
Oz the Great and Powerful is playing on two screens this weekend at the AMC Tysons Corner 16. It is also playing on two screens at the Angelika Film Center. Watch the official trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful in the media box to to the right. ----- "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 …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
... doesn't amount to a hill of beans.
Jack The Giant Slayer, which was slated for last summer and tellingly sat on the shelf until now, is exceedingly straight-ahead, uninventive and laden with special effects. It leaves the audience feeling like it spent an evening at an expensive restaurant expecting to taste some delicious, innovative dish only to find themselves digesting a bland, flavorless Betty Crocker casserole. Not only is the cuisine uninspired, ultimately, it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Something new? Not hardly. Jack buys beans, a stalk grows into the sky, where a land of giants just biding their time for another chance to take over the world below awaits. There is the addition of a princess who yearns for adventure, runs away from the castle and the tool of…
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Join us at 7 p.m. Sunday to discuss the 85th annual Academy Awards in a Patch live chat with our movie critic Cinema Siren.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Join us at 7 p.m. Sunday to discuss the 85th annual Academy Awards in a Patch live chat with Cinema Siren.
Who will hit the red carpet in style? Is Ben Affleck still being punished for Gigli? Who's going to take the Best Picture award home? Join area Patch columnists and editors as we chat about the Oscars starting at 7 p.m. Sunday. [Find more details about Sunday night's award show, including what channel it airs on locally by clicking here.] Expect a bit of snark, a few jokes, some questioning of the Academy's choices, and more. Put on your finest — or just your pajamas — and accompany us virtually to the red carpet at 7 p.m. and the awards at 8:30 p.m. for some Oscars live chat fun. Enter your email address in the Cover It Live box above to get an email reminder for the live chat and don't miss a minute. For a look at all of this year's …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Still celebrating Valentine's Day? Play these tunes from famous movies.
Cinema Siren is a big fan of love. There's nothing more wonderful than being around those in love. It brings everyone around them up, even if the experience can be a bit of a sap-fest. Anytime I can play Cupid with a well recommended rom-com movie or charming little cafe for a Paris visit, I'm right there for it. I'm back from London just in time to help the romantically inclined or challenged. Sadly, Valentine's Day is only once a year. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared to do the aural equivalent of tossing rose petals at our significant others, or put ourselves in a loving and romantic mood. I've put together a collection of scores very specifically chosen for romantic interludes. For that time you've spirited away to a bed …
