It’s a wonder the world even sees Love and Mercy

Brian Wilson led one messed up life. Love and Mercy made me cringe at the thought of what the genius behind the music of the Beach Boys had to go through to get what was inside his head inside of mine. Written by Oren Moverman and Michael A. Lerner and directed by Bill Pohlad, this…

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…

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…

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…

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…