The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a film based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Emily Danforth, is directed and co-written by queer American-Iranian filmmaker Desiree Akhavan. This Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning indie tells a story that takes place in 1993 chronicling the misadventures of Cameron (Chloe Grace Moretz), a teen placed in a …
cinema siren review
Cinema Siren Reviews: Ant-Man and The Wasp & Sorry To Bother You
There are two wonderful movies coming to theaters this weekend, one by a huge studio, Marvel’s Ant-Man and The Wasp, and the other by a first time writer/director, being distributed by independent company Annapurna called Sorry To Bother You. Both will take you to a completely other world, and both are great diversions depending on …
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Review- Fallen Franchise
In 1993, the wonder-filled, exciting, dino-tastic film Jurassic Park came to theaters, creating a franchise and fans around the world. I was one of them, and to this day, I love that movie. In fact, John Alvin, a film artist I represent in my other life as gallery owner of ArtInsights in Reston Town Center, …
RBG Review: This Doc Shows Ruth Bader Ginsburg Giving Superhero Realness
I’m sure you all have heard about how audiences assembled for Avengers: Infinity War. The Marvel superhero movie has broken the record for the biggest opening weekend ever. This weekend, another film, which features the closest thing to a real superhero we have in the US, is opening, and will make a great companion piece, …
Lean On Pete Review: Elegiac, Heartbreaking, and Great
Lean on Pete is by acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years), and is based on the novel by Willy Vlautin. The story is centered on fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer), who is new to Portland, Oregon, having been brought by his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel). Ray’s life starts falling apart, but Charley’s starts looking up …
A Quiet Place Movie Review: Some Sweet and Seriously Scary Shhhhhhhhh**
The new way, apparently, to break into Hollywood’s directors A-list, is to make a metaphoric tale dressed as a genre film. John Krasinski helms the new horror release A Quiet Place, after trying his hand with several episodes of The Office, the show in which he starred, and the 2016 indie feature The Hollars. He …
Ready Player One Review: For a fun ride, toss the book aside
Are you, like me, a huge fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One? Are you going to see the movie? Well, abandon all memory of the book, all ye who enter here. The filmmakers behind this week’s major release Ready Player One, including King of the Hollywood hill, Steven Spielberg, understandably had to make some …
Tomb Raider & Flower Movie Reviews: Of Cinematic Daddy Issues and Self-destruction
Opening in our area this and next weekend are two films that seem very unlike each other, given that one is a small indie film with an up-and-coming ingenue, and the other is led by an Oscar winner in the prime of her career. Upon further inspection however, Flower, starring Zoey Deutch, and Tomb Raider, …
Call Me By Your Name Review: A Transcendent Tale of Two Men in Love
This weekend, Call Me By Your Name, the spellbinding meditation on coming-of-age as a gay young man in 80s rural Italy lands in art houses around the country. It is a lyrical, mesmerizing, experience at the cinema that numbers among the best movies of the year. It is also one of the most moving portrayals …
JUSTICE LEAGUE: An Entertaining Mess
If you’ve been watching films of the DC Comics Universe directed by Zack Snyder, and you like them, you know what to expect with Justice League. There are lots of explosions, protracted fight scenes, and dour superheroes. Sometimes those of us who are fans wish for a little more levity. For better or worse, Joss Whedon …