Friday, May 3, 2013
Sequels, reboots and aliens to dominate theaters.
Big, loud blockbusters tend to draw the summer crowds, it's been said, and 2013 may have the biggest and loudest yet. But will the summer be even bigger and louder? Patch has put together this guide to help you plan your summer movie watching schedule. Check out Moviefone to find the theaters and times in your area. May Movies While summer may not technically begin until Friday, June 21, 2013, Hollywood is getting a jump on things, with some big openings in May. Iron Man 3 - Friday, May 3 (PG-13) The third installment of the franchise that has already brought in more than a billion dollars finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) battling an enemy out to eliminate Stark’s friends and family. Star Trek: Into Darkness - Friday, May 17 (PG-13) …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Nation's Capital features prominently in three Best Picture nominees.
Three Academy Award nominees for Best Picture prominently feature Washington, DC: Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and, of course, Lincoln. While serving as a location for major films is nothing new to Washington, DC, I can't think of another year in which so many DC-centric movies have been nominated. The Washington Post described each movie as "an engrossing, superbly crafted story that plunges viewers into otherwise opaque and unknowable worlds made distant by time, secrecy or both" and believe film attendees will be pleased that the films "enthusiastically celebrate institutions more often mired in dysfunction and public malodor." Argo, the Ben Affleck-directed tale of a CIA mission to rescue Americans caught up in the 1979 Iranian hostage …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
'Django Unchained' is a great, but ultra-violent genre buster.
If at this point in the season, dear reader, you are still hankering for Hallmark holiday rom-coms or your umpteenth viewing of "Rudy", let me suggest you give this review nothing more than a scan and toss away any thoughts of seeing Quentin Tarantino's latest. If however, you passed the worst dysfunctional family holiday in recent memory, "Django Unchained," the spectacularly politically incorrect and beautifully acted mash-up of revenge fantasy and spaghetti Western may be the perfect antidote. If you are a fan of the director's work, able to quote the lawn storage line from Pulp Fiction, run—don't walk—to your nearest theatre. You'll be talking about this movie for months to come. I can't see why anyone is remotely surprised at …
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Great acting makes you join in their crusade.
The film makers want to ask you, "Will you join in their crusade?" After much promotion and fanfare, a new musical film interpretation of Les Misérables is opening nationwide. For you non-"Mis" folk, the story is 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. The 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 has also …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Your guide to movies premiering now through Christmas Day in Germantown.
With many offices closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day and the kids out of school, going to the movies tends to be one of the more popular holiday-season events, and Hollywood is unleashing some serious star power to end 2012 and welcome 2013. Patch has put together this handy guide to all of the great year-end movie releases that are playing at Regal Cinemas Germantown Stadium 14. In theaters now Movie: The Impossible Stars: Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor What it’s about: A couple vacationing in Thailand with their three sons who get caught in the 2004 tsunami. Rating: PG-13 Movie: Jack Reacher Stars: Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall What it’s about: Cruise plays the role of Jack Reacher (the hero of many Lee Child books) as a former …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The holidays are a great time to get a head start on Oscar viewing!
December is Oscar time. Filmmakers need to get their movies under the wire so they'll be in contention for this year's awards. Consequently this month is a weird mix of crowd-pleasing mediocrity and painfully long masterpieces that mix horribly with a need for fluff. But what is a movie lover to do? Gotta see them! Having only viewed two of these films (Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook), I'm as in the dark (as it were) as you all are about how truly great these movies are, and how they measure up to each other as far as acting and scripting are concerned. All I know is what I hear, and I'm hearing a lot. All the critics associations are putting together their lists of bests, and they all influence how the Oscars go. So far, these …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Fifth and last in the blockbuster film series debuts, based on novels by Stephenie Meyer. Rated PG-13.
Regal Germantown Stadium 14 is showing"Breaking Dawn Part 2" practically around the clock Friday and Saturday. The film debuted Thursday night to large crowds. The big finale of the Twilight Saga needs no help from anyone beyond their fans, thank you very much. You need but look to the scores of Twihards who lined up at movie theaters around the world over a week before the premiere. These fans can rest easy. Director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls) gives them exactly what they expect. For the rest of the planet, it feels cliched and fangless until a rousing last act climbs so over the top it makes it almost worth the price of admission. The plot centers on concern that the old guard of vampires in charge, the Volturi, may…
Friday, November 9, 2012
Review of latest James Bond film.
In its 50th year, there is much at stake for the Bond franchise. So many great movies, producing such a cultural icon, they want to create a movie worthy of release in the anniversary year. Something mediocre or forgettable just wouldn't do (ahem, Moonraker, I'm talking to you…). They have their past and their future to think of. They don't want to be asking "Will Bond live to die another day?" By showing due respect to its pedigree, adding some exciting new elements, featuring a great script, acting, and production design, Skyfall rises to the top as one of this year's best films, Bond or otherwise. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) helms the story wherein a madman (of course) winds up with the hard drive that reveals …
Friday, August 3, 2012
Go see 'sweet' indie documentary 'Searching for Sugar Man' instead.
In the 1980s and '90s, there was a select group of bodybuilders or athletes-turned-actors including Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme who starred in action flicks of wildly inconsistent quality. The greatest of these actors was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Moviegoers flocked to see him flex his considerable physical and less-toned acting muscles in classics like Terminator, and shlock like Running Man. The original 1990 release Total Recall was one of his most successful and well-reviewed efforts. Based on Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," it became a cult favorite for its impressive special effects, largely contributed by famed Hollywood FX bad boy Rob Bottin. It was Bottin, for example, who came up …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Will you be there at midnight? Do you have your tickets for the IMAX show? Let us know in our poll and in the comments section.
The newest Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, premieres Thursday at midnight across the country, and it seems fans are eagerly anticipating its arrival. The midnight IMAX showing at the AMC Loews Georgetown 14 is sold out for opening night, as are the 7 and 11 p.m. IMAX shows for Friday, July 20. The Regal Majestic Cinema 20 and IMAX theater in Silver Spring is already sold out for their IMAX show at midnight on Thursday, according to Melvina Braganza, an employee with the theater. Braganza said the Silver Spring theater’s regular, non-IMAX midnight showing on Thursday sold out, so the theater opened three more midnight shows that are selling quickly. Batman fans in Germantown, there's still hope. Tickets were still avilable at Regal …
MGP
8:12 am on Saturday, May 4, 2013
Oh and by the way, "42" was awesome: baseball, history, love story...authentic and moving. It's still in theaters and definitely worth the price of admission. more ›