Sunday, May 5, 2013
Film kicks off the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Let's face it. Those of you who are interested in films like "Iron Man 3" and have waited through a year of comic book conventions dressed as your favorite Marvel superhero do not need Cinema Siren to tell you whether to head out to keep one of Hollywood's biggest studio franchises alive and Robert Downey Jr. out of the poorhouse. You already have your tickets. It's the souls who usually stay home with a glass of wine watching "Downton Abbey" and occasionally go to the multiplex only for the most-hyped and well-reviewed blockbusters the studio wants to charm into theaters. ["Iron Man 3" is now playing at Regal Ballston Common 12.] With its mix of magnetic superstar power, exciting action and strong character development, "Iron Man 3" has a…
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Patch is happy to consider opinion articles for publication. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
The following opinion column was submitted by U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va. Moran is a member of the Congressional Autism Caucus. We recognize the month of April as Autism Awareness and Understanding month. Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is the fastest growing serious developmental disorder in the United States, affecting nearly two million Americans. One in 88 children is on the autism spectrum by age 8, and boys are five times more likely to have an ASD. A new survey by the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the instance of ASD may actually be higher. And here in Northern Virginia, we are experiencing the prevalence of ASD firsthand. Arlington Public Schools released a report showing a 52 percent increase in enrollment of …
Monday, April 22, 2013
As Arlington warms up, so does progress on cycling infrastructure.
Winter not only takes a lot of people off their bikes, it also put a lot of the improvements to cycling infrastructure on pause. Striping is harder to apply, new construction is harder to manage in the cold, and labor is often scarce. But spring brings back the work, and Arlington’s got a number of bike-related projects on tap. Last month, Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) finally expanded to Columbia Pike. This long-awaited expansion will help extend the range of Arlington’s existing CaBi network, providing something of a middle ground between its well-established locations in Crystal City and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Two of the new stations are along Columbia Pike, and one is near the Gunston Community Center. As the year progresses, the …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Trance, directed by Danny Boyle, is 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. | See What is Playing at the AMC Courthouse Plaza 8 | 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 …
Monday, March 25, 2013
The animated movie is set in prehistoric times.
The computer-animated feature The Croods 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. | See What is Playing at the AMC Courthouse Plaza 8 | "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 …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Patch is happy to consider opinion articles for publication. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
- OPINION
-
Tuesday, March 19
The following opinion column was submitted to Patch this weekend by Ken Robinson, president of the Woodbury Heights Condominium Association, regarding Arlington County's planned year-round homeless service center. Links added by Patch. It’s too bad Arlington undertook this expensive project without a lot of consideration of the alternatives. The county, for example, could have issued a request for quotations to provide homeless services — and contracted with one of the proven, national shelter operations such as the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, or Volunteers of America. Arlington would not have needed to buy and build a shelter and kit-out offices for its preferred vendor, A-SPAN. Arlington could have rehabilitated the existing …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Cinema Siren gives film three out of five starfish.
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. "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. | See What Other Movies Are Playing at the AMC Courthouse Plaza 8 | 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 …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Patch welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, accuracy and brevity.
- OPINION
-
Thursday, March 7
The 2013 No Fear in Love Race Committee would like to thank the George Mason University Arlington/Fairfax Campus and the wonderful Arlington community. Because of your kind contribution, we are closer to our goal of awarding a 16- to 24-year-old dating violence survivor a one-year scholarship to attend Mason. We would like to especially thank the Communication Department for sponsoring/advertising the race; Josh Cantor/Transportation Services for donating shuttle services to and from Arlington; Marilyn Clark for marketing the event on both campuses; the Arlington Holiday Inn for hosting the pre-race/reception activities; Cardinal Bank for donating the awesome T-shirt bags; Silver Diner, P.F. Chang’s, Uncle Julio's, and Sport & Health for …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Patch is happy to consider opinion articles for publication. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
- OPINION
-
Wednesday, February 20
The following opinion column was submitted by state Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington. The Virginia General Assembly will soon enact legislation that directs the State Corporation Commission to perform plan management functions for participation in a federal health benefits exchange (HBE) program. The exchange will function as a virtual marketplace where families can shop and compare insurance policies, with the help of a consumer navigator, to find the appropriate policy for their needs. Thanks to new rules, shoppers in the exchange can be assured that any policy they purchase will cover important categories of care, including mental health, pre- and post-natal care, and prescription drug coverage. But, if Governor McDonnell has his way…
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Zombie film is rated PG-13 for zombie violence and language.
No, Warm Bodies 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 the AMC Courthouse Plaza 8 To all those who have heard or bought into the press about it being a wannabe Twilight clone, I say yes, …
Ed
4:26 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
C.D. I must disagree...it is not so obvious..how about: 1. For Fairlington residents to be able to show of their beautiful community to family and friends while taking a leisure bike ride...unless you own and have many bikes at your disposal. 2. For Fairlington residents to ride to Shirlington bus hub and commute to work by public transportation instead of driving into D.C. - therefore preventing… more ›