Saturday, August 18, 2012
Delightfully Not for the Norms
This movie is not for the normal, usual, run-of-the mill cartoon movie fan. No. If your kids who are less fans of Mickey Mouse and more fans of Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas, or your tweens prefer Dr. Who to the Whos in Whoville, or if your family decorates more for Halloween than for Christmas, this is your kind of movie. If this sounds like you, you will be able to relate to and feel sympathy for the hero of ParaNorman. He is not like everyone else. He has trouble fitting in. So many of us horror movie lovers, and fans of zombie, vampire and slasher movies, can relate. Until lately, those kinds of interests just weren't cool. But Norman has another thing against him. He sees dead people. Toward the beginning of the story, this …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The annual festival of original films will be hosted at the Workhouse Arts Center.
The fourth annual Clifton Film Fest, featuring talent from Robinson Secondary School students to experienced filmmakers alike, takes place on Saturday, July 21. “I love that the community comes together for this,” said Dani Weinberg, who founded the event and organizes it each year. “Anyone can see videos on YouTube, but this gives families the chance to see the films on the big screen.” Twenty-two films will be shown this year at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, according to Weinberg. The festival was initially held in Clifton, but moved to the arts center as participation grew. “Every year the films gets better, the technology gets better and more people participate,” said Weinberg. Hardy's BBQ food truck, Reggae music by Jah Works …
Friday, June 8, 2012
R-rated film opening this weekend is spectacular, spotty, yet satisfying.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus got in big trouble for handing over the secret of fire to mere mortals. In modern day, he represents the quest for human knowledge and achievement. Of course, he wound up tied to a rock and having an eagle peck his guts out every day. Apparently the team who embarks on their own quest for knowledge in the spacecraft that supplies the title of Ridley Scott's highly anticipated new film hadn't gotten the foreshadowing memo. For them, asking questions about human origin, and actively seeking answers, is the beginning of Bad Things happening, but then we audience members, who are privy to Ridley's dark horrific alien past, know that going in. Much has been made of keeping the plot under wraps. "Prometheus" is …
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.
James Cullum
11:20 am on Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saw it last night for myself, and I think the film could have been loads better. The dialogue stunk, none of the characters were likable and the conclusions made by the principals about the main villains are drawn too quickly. There is no sense of reality, and you don't even care about the ship, which is named Prometheus. It has no real personality of its own and neither does its crew. The whole … more ›