What would you do to fight a class system?

The novel of Vernonica Roth will be brought to the big screen this weekend with the tense “Divergent.” Teens will fight for their lives and the good of all in this futuristic Chicago. The makers expect success; there’s already plans for two more films. The trailer shows a lesson for sticking up for what makes…

Tyler Perry champions empowerment for single moms

There’s a lot of good work that went into “The Single Moms Club.” Tyler Perry pushed hard as writer and director to show the world that women can find strength, power and great relationships if they open the door to some unlikely friends. Diversity is good in the world of this movie. Five very different…

Time traveling with an animated dog and Greek Gods

When I was a kid, you couldn’t pull me away from the cartoon spectacular that was “Rocky and His Friends.” In one good chunk of time, I’d get the title squirrel, a moose by the name of Bullwinkle, and a smart dog and silly kid. That last pairing would be Peabody and Sherman. The Dreamworks…

It’s time for Syracuse to flaunt the importance of local music again

There’s no national music scene without local music. There’s no international music superstars without local music. Simply stated: Every musical journey has to start in somebody’s garage. Or bedroom. Or living room. Much of the time, they start to jam with a neighbor. Or classmate. If they get confident, they’ll play out in public at…

‘Winter’s Tale’ requires too much of a leap

A horse is a horse, of course, of course. Except that in ‘Winter’s Tale,’ the evil Pearly, played with true darkness by Russell Crowe, calls it a dog. And so it goes in this fantasy that also stars Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay as fated lovers in chase of a miracle. The story jumps…