Monday, January 28, 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 …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Patch is happy to consider opinion articles for publication. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, January 23
The following opinion column was submitted by John Harrison, a former teacher at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and a professional lecturer. Although gun control proponents call all homicides "murder," they are not. Murder is an illegal killing; homicide is a killing of one human by another. According to the FBI, in 2010 there were almost 700 justifiable homicides, most with a gun. Law enforcement accounted for about 400 of those; citizens killed about 300. Police usually acted after a crime; citizens usually acted to stop a crime in progress. According to statistics collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans overall are far less likely — down 28 percent…
Tuesday, January 22, 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 a January 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 have recently been released. If you are a fan of horror or ultra-violent action flicks, the studios are expecting you to gravitate away from those Oscar-nominated movies and toward these unproven offerings. "The Last Stand" is a supposed …
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. It's 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 …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Pets help you tackle your effort to lose weight, reduce stress and other resolutions.
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Shirlington released the following note this week about how pets can help be a part of your new year’s resolution plan. “Resolving to adopt a shelter pet will not only improve the quality of life for that animal, but will also enhance your own,” according to the shelter. Read the full letter from the Animal Welfare League below: Lose Weight, Get Healthy: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pets can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness. Nearly 13.6 percent of Arlingtonians are obese, compared to the 24 percent national average. Adopting a dog as a workout partner can provide that needed motivation for daily exercise. …
Monday, January 7, 2013
Patch is happy to consider opinion articles for publication. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
- OPINION
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Monday, January 7
The following opinion column was submitted to Patch by new Arlington Chamber of Commerce Chairman David DeCamp. For my initial opportunity to write in this space I will open with a theme to help us all thrive. Be attentive, wherever you are, for opportunities to help another chamber member. Imagine the power of this pleading. If each of the hundreds of Arlington Chamber of Commerce members helped just three other chamber members every couple of weeks the results would be huge and powerful. Multiply this kind of goodwill and imagine how it will come back around. We can help our friends accomplish their goals. And people who care about us would have our backs and help us accomplish our goals. To be more specific, we can use our personal and …
Monday, December 31, 2012
Ride through the winter? Yes you can. Just be careful about it.
Icy roads and snowy paths. They’re not here yet, but they’re coming. We almost had them this past weekend. While riding in Arlington’s winter conditions does require a bit of extra effort and care, it’s still quite doable. There are plenty of great resources for learning more about winter riding. A couple of years ago I wrote about dealing with extended darkness, the potential for slick surfaces, and extra debris on the streets. The Washington Area Bike Forum continues to be a great place for Arlington-specific cold weather clothing and equipment advice. There’s plenty of discussion of the question of when to use studded tires (ice) or big knobby tires (snow) for the neophyte at the forums. I’m done belaboring the plowing issue — well, …
Monday, December 24, 2012
Arlington County temporarily shuts down a major walking/cycling commuter route with no detour.
No doubt many regular readers of this column will be expecting me to tee off on last week’s inexplicable and unannounced closure of a very busy part of the Custis Trail — with no detour. It sent cyclists and pedestrians onto Lee Highway against traffic. The drivers themselves had no warning that the lane in front of them would be filled with cyclists and pedestrians simply trying to get to their own destinations. It was more than half a day before the county, in response to complaints, put a detour in place. Some, quite understandably, see this as a failing of Arlington County to follow through on its promise to be a cycling- and walking-friendly community. And, I suppose, in a way it is a failure. But it’s not a failure of intent. I’m …
Great acting makes you join in their crusade.
The filmmakers want to ask, "Will you join in their crusade?" After much promotion and fanfare, a new musical film interpretation of "Les Misérables" is opening nationwide on Christmas Day. For you non-Mis folk, this is the story of Prisoner 24601, Jean Valjean, who breaks parole, is hunted relentlessly by Inspector Javert and encounters various troubled and impoverished characters in post-revolutionary France. Based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, it is beloved by generations of musical theatre fans. A musical version of the movie was a risky undertaking, but now promises a huge pay-off to the studio, cast and crew, thanks largely to a career-topping job by several of the lead actors. The endless marketing about the actors singing live…
Monday, December 17, 2012
Almost three years after a major snow storm closed Arlington's main commuter trails for more than a week, the county still doesn't have a plan to deal with snow on our trails.
Clearing snow from Arlington's primary trails became a topic of public conversation again last week. Arlington County's Department of Environmental Services (i.e., the department of transportation) hosted a public chat on Facebook about Arlington's snow plowing and removal plans. Among other things, DES staff explained how they prioritized streets, who was responsible for sidewalks, and which streets depend on VDOT for plowing. When a number of Arlington residents — myself among them — asked about Arlington's plans to clear trails, DES said they had no plans to clear trails, and that in any event, it was the responsibility of the Department of Parks and Recreation. In other words, we've had zero progress on the matter since the last time I…
Rob
2:56 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
This might be my favorite line by the "professor" 'The authors of the Second Amendment were well aware of the risks associated with essentially allowing every able-bodied citizen to have a weapon, but they thought that the risks to free men of not having such weapons was worse.' Ironic since slaves were not allowed to firearms and historical evidence shows that the 2nd Amendment might have been … more ›