Saturday, March 23, 2013
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, February 22, 2013
The 85th Academy Awards air Sunday night on ABC.
Every year we watch the Oscar nominees and presenters trot down the red carpet to sit through a night where we expect them to accept their victory or defeat with equal aplomb. As laypeople, we judge their designer dresses, make up and hair, their speeches and bemoan or cheer those who win as confusing or richly deserved. We all look forward optimistically, hoping these awards will further our favorite actors, directors and other filmmakers' careers. Whether they do or not, we are always in for a mix of boredom, surprise, pretension and earnestness. Is this year going to offer anything we don't already expect? Let's take a look at the nominees, and my take on who will walk away with what…Patch is holding a virtual Oscar party you can …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
'Zom-com' film rated PG-13 for zombie violence and language.
No, it's not an ode to necrophilia. It is a charming and whimsical movie that goes deeper than anyone would expect about connectedness, trust and a willingness to change. I never thought I'd say "this zombie flick is a great date movie," but now I have. As a matter of warning, it should be rated "Z" for brain-eating zombies. Still, a large cross-section of movie lovers will enjoy it, making it a far better choice February 14th than that new Diehard (coming out that day! Wah?), for everyone from girlfriends hanging out and Twihards, to couples who don't mind a bit of edge in their flicks. Playing at Kingstowne 16 and the AMC Hoffman 22. To all those who have heard or bought into the press about it being a wannabe Twilight clone, I say yes…
Saturday, January 26, 2013
R-rated film released Friday in movie theaters nationwide.
Sometimes a movie is just...bad. We can all watch it and see what they had in mind, how the pitch went, how the director and producers signed on, and talked some pretty big stars into taking part. And we can see the whole thing derail through to post production, delayed release, and as we watch the finished product with an ever-dwindling vestige of hope. Such is the case for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Why Cinema Siren is reviewing this movie at all is a fair question. I go on record as saying there is always a chance a good movie will find its way to the multiplex in January. Not the ones that were in limited released in LA and New York in December to qualify for the Oscars….Those are the movies everyone is busying themselves …
Monday, January 21, 2013
Cliches eclipse acting in 'Mama,' and violence crumbles 'The Last Stand."
January. Everyone knows it is when the mediocre to the truly awful hobble off to die a quick death after beating each other senseless for a quick buck in the box office arena. When a film gets slated for release it is because there are no other contenders to fight for those dollars, or it won't survive any other time anyway. After all, everyone with any sense is scrambling to see the Oscar nominees. So one approaches January movies with a mix of optimism and dread. Two genre-specific movies are being released this week. If you are a fan of horror or ultra-violent action flicks, the studios are expecting you to gravitate away from those Oscar-nominated and towards these unproven offerings. The Last Stand is a "comeback" vehicle for Arnold…
Monday, January 14, 2013
Director Kathryn Bigelow overlooked for Oscar in Best Director category.
Zero Dark Thirty, which brought in $24 million in its first two days of wide release, has been lauded worldwide and almost universally as an impressive piece of filmmaking, a movie that is anything but formulaic. It is always very different for those of us who live within the Washington area. Our experience of anything political is amplified. The headquarters of the CIA, FBI, and of course, the White House, are all within driving distance. It is, therefore, nearly impossible not to have heard about the controversy surrounding this film. Senators Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) denounced the film, for its depiction of torture. “We believe the film is grossly inaccurate and misleading in its …
Friday, November 9, 2012
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 …
Saturday, October 20, 2012
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 …
Friday, March 30, 2012
Cinema Siren recommends PG film for families with children ages 7 and up.
"Mirror Mirror" is the first and lighter of two movies based on the tale of Snow White to be released this year. It's a charming, sweet, albeit flawed little confection, worth seeing if you love inventive production and costume design, but especially if you have a soft spot for the work of director Tarsem Singh, who supplies some moments of visual brilliance his fans have come to love. When a movie lover walks into a film helmed by Singh, they might have certain expectations. This artistic, controversial director is known for visually stunning yet incomprehensible movies like "The Fall," "The Cell," and most recently, "Immortals." He became famous with the music videos "Hold On" by En Vogue, and "Losing My Religion" for R.E.M., which won …
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Co-founder of Studio Ghibli co-wrote screenplay based on 'The Borrowers'.
"The Secret World of Arrietty," the latest offering from the wildly popular Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, is being released in the United States in partnership with the Disney Company. First released in Japan on July 17, 2010, the North American version makes its debut Friday. A tiny girl lives with her mother and father. She and her dad "borrow" all they need for their tiny home on the grounds of a sick human boy's grandmother and curious housekeeper. The boy comes to stay and discovers Arrietty, spurring fear and upheaval in the little household, a house that has a strict rule of staying undiscovered by their hosts. The movie is a charming and slow attentive study of a friendship that teaches two budding youths—albeit of …
Chris Munchak
12:56 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
Only one day away! I think all of your predictions are spot-on. Kind of tired of Anne Hathaway myself, but who can say she doesn't deserve her recent accolades? Good luck, Oscar nominees! more ›