Thursday, April 4, 2013
A list of shows this summer at the Bristow amphitheater, including Maroon 5, Depeche Mode, Rob Zombie, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band and more.
Spring isn't just a great time to get outside — it's a great time to get outside and enjoy a concert. The Jiffy Lube Live Bristow amphitheater has already announced more than a dozen shows this spring and summer. Here's a quick list with ticket information ("on sale" dates reference general admission, special advance ticket packages are sometimes available). Which show are you excited about? Already got tickets? Tell us in the comments section below!
The cafe's menu will be offered throughout art classes at the studio.
The former Garden Kitchen in Occoquan will now house the Cheers Art Studio as well as the Secret Garden Cafe. The new studio will begin offering classes on April 13. "Cheers Art Studio brings a unique blend of paint, wine and fun to Northern Virginia," studio owner Gina Hunt said. "At Cheers Art Studio anyone can be an artist, while enjoying a favorite drink, a favorite snack and good company." Local artists will teach each class how to paint, and guests can take their work home at the end of the evening. The Secret Garden Cafe's menu will be offered to studio guests throughout the classes. "Guests can choose from a variety of wine, beer and food or arrive early to eat dinner prior to the class in The Secret Garden Café’s secluded …
Arts Alive! 2013 will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at 10960 George Mason Circle in Manassas.
Friday, March 29, 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.
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 …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Woodbridge used book superstore shows off the TARDIS for March 30 premiere.
Doctor Who returns to BBC America at 8 p.m. March 30. 2nd & Charles at 2904 Prince William Parkway is providing some love for The Doctor with a homemade version of the TARDIS, the iconic blue British telephone box made famous by the cult classic TV show about an eccentric regenerating alien time lord. We're told the display was a collaborative effort by several staff members. There's a lot of Doctor Who memorabilia, both new and used, inside the large used bookstore — much of it in the TARDIS theme, along with a few Doctor Who sonic screwdrivers (ask a fan). The show journeyed to the Washington D.C. of President Richard Nixon's era for a Season 6 episode, "Day of the Moon." Are you as excited about Doctor Who's return as the folks at 2nd…
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Horror, Suspense, Romance, Comedy — what will movie-goers want to see?
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 teams of filmmakers releasing something this busy week at the multiplex. With spring break upon us, this early March weekend offers an odd mix of genres, with each vying for the top spot at the box office. Best of luck to them, they'd be replacing or be added to a top 10 where only two have even 50 percent positive reviews, and some of which are so bad they should be benched like…
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Cinema Siren gives film three out of five starfish.
"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 the dark edge between recommendation and warning to ponder throwing my ruby shoes into the abyss. Uh oh. Cinema Siren is damning with faint praise here, especially if you know how much sparkly shoes mean to a girl... This movie tells the story of how the …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Doesn't amount to a hill of beans; two out of 5 starfish.
By the time the bombastic yet tragic minor-keyed Lord of the Rings-type theme music swelled to accompany Jack The Giant Slayer's climactic battle scenes, I was tempted to flamboyantly roll my eyes in slow motion. I couldn't have cared less. This new release, that 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 …
Sunday, February 24, 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 …
