Tomorrowland will open your eyes wide

Tomorrowland brings us to Yesterdayville. Writers Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird and director Bird select the Worlds Fair, Flushing, N.Y., 1964, to focus the attention on young inventor Frank Walker and his kindred guide Athena. I was there! The thought stirred me in the surprisingly well-attended first matinee Friday in a Regal Cinemas theater in…

It might not be perfect, but ‘Pitch 2’ hits the right notes

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. You know the famous Gershwin song, from the musical Porgy and Bess, and since done so well by so many. And you know the feeling of which George and Ira composed. Warm wind’s a waftin’, the gentle scent of blooms are in the air … Life is good. Not…

‘The D Train’ runs the horror of a high school reunion right off the rails

“The D Train” is all about how far you’d let yourself go to make up for past horrors. And what new atrocities you may unleash in your soul and your life when you discover the answer to that question. Written and directed by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, this comedy starring Jack Black, James Marsden,…

No irony-ing needed

The T-shirt caught my eye with a corner of olive peeking from the bottom of the shelf pile this warm and sunny Friday morning in Syracuse after a winter of neglect. My dear wife Karen had purchased it for my before my layoff from the big daily. Why, yes, I wore it to go view…

Hello! Trailers reveal three movies I can’t wait to see

I’ve spent enough time lamenting the state of movie trailers in our day and age, those teasers they throw on in the theaters at the announced start time of the featured show in hopes of getting you to come back again and again and again. Too long. Too many. Too revealing. Well lookee here. Today…

Avengers find Ultron formidable, but they’re still a marvel

You don’t just try the waters of the Avengers franchise by sticking your big toe into the pool a little bit. I joined the all-ages throng that filled the big theater at the Regal Cinemas at Syracuse’s mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA for the Sunday matinée of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” not…

The Blog of Funny Names goes to the movies

It’s my monthly turn on the wheel of writers with sharp oberservational eyes over at The Blog of Funny Names. I’m speaking of King Dave, and Arto, and Kerbey, and Fannie, and Liz, and Mark. Not myself. Over there, I’m the Other Mark, the Markie come lately, the newest scribe on the block. Here’s how…

‘The Age of Adaline’ adds up too easily

From the start, I wanted to really like “The Age of Adaline.” A woman who won’t age because of a lightning strike following a car accident … well, I won’t go all spoiler on you, but you can read Film Review blog at the Syracuse New Times site by clicking the link below. http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/may-grow-old-waiting-action-age-adaline/ I…

When favorite actors turn in stinkers, I ___

Fill in the blank in the headline above, please and thank you. Oh, Kevin James. Why in the world would you do this to yourself? My Long Island guy, fellow Mets fan, dude who grew up down the same block from me in Suffolk County, funny fellow all those years on TV show “The King…

Pacino packs a subtle punch in ‘Danny Collins’

Sometimes our great actors can seem to be merely playing themselves. My, that can become tiring. Jack Nicholson as Jack Nicholson, anyone? Arch that eyebrow. Unleash that expression of disgust. Sorry, Jack. Al Pacino has done that to me at times. Not in “Danny Collins.” He’s not a cop or a crime figure or anywhere…