Godzilla apparently lost the fight for screen time

When you remake a classic like “Godzilla,” you’re going to give the scaly beast plenty of star power, right? That’s what I thought, even though the monster mash didn’t make my review list this summer. Then I caught the Cinema Blend story by Mike Bracken writing of the Honest Trailers clip that picks on the…

Another weekend where everybody feels Irish

Dancers with a high step. Singers of Celtic rock. Singers with traditional strings. Spirits and spirit. The Syracuse Irish Festival was again sponsored by Guinness last Friday and Saturday, and it was pretty evident that the people it drew to downtown’s Clinton Square felt pretty darn Irish about the whole thing. In March, St. Patrick’s…

I can smell the September flowers

It’s a good day to step out and appreciate what I’ve got here with my dear wife Karen in our home in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Syracuse. In the hourglass front-yard garden, the roses are celebrating September with another cycle of blossoms. Pink and white, side by side. The violet peeking out belongs to…

‘The Identical’ isn’t an Elvis impersonator, really

Everything in “The Identical” screams Elvis Presley. The South. The 1950s, teen growing up with faith wanting to sing rock and soul and R ‘n’ B. But it’s not supposed to be, is it? Except they casted as the main character(s) Ryan Wade/Dexter Hemsley one Blake Rayne, who looks like a cherubic young Elvis and…

A turnaround season ends too soon

I didn’t get to a Chiefs playoff game. After all these years of no postseason baseball play here in Syracuse, we got one-and-done. I had to catch the score on my iPad. A 7-6 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox in the third game of the International League’s first round was the final note of…

Why we like our neighborhood walks

As Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle were completing a big loop around our street in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood the other day, we encountered a project obviously completed just moments prior. In fact, the gentleman who’d done the grunt work was still putting away his spade, his wheelbarrow, the tools of his good…

‘The Jungle Book’ gets selfies, courtesy of Favreau

Jon Favreau put a selfie on his Facebook page a trio shot, with he, Bill Murray and a 10-year-old, all grinning like best buds. They’re on location shooting a live-action version of “The Jungle Book” for Disney, which will be release in October 2015. Favreau will direct, and newcomer 10-year-old New Yorker Neel Sethi, will…

Ellie B got the skunk shot right between the eyes

I relaxed for a moment too long after dusk fell last night, typing on the recliner my weekly film news blog that will be posted a bit later this morning on syracusenewtimes.com as my dear wife Karen relaxed with a bit of TV. Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle came inside from out back at a…