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The Unfortunate Rise of Dumbed-Down Hollywood Comedies

by Kurt Thurber

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Lowbrow comedy. Lowbrow comedy who? It’s lowbrow comedy everywhere because it’s easy to write and cheap to produce. The entertainment industry is bigger than ever. Therein lies the problem: Hollywood has produced lowbrow comedy for every generation, and it now has the capability to produce dumbed-down movies in every genre tenfold.

‘Parker,’ ‘Side Effects’ Arrive on DVD, Blu-ray

by Forrest Hartman

It would be nice to see Jason Statham try something more demanding than his standard, tough-guy role. Still, he has so thoroughly perfected the part that it’s easy to enjoy his performances. In “Parker,” Statham goes back to the well, playing the title character: a professional thief with an interesting code of ethics. In an early scene, Parker says he won’t steal from people who can’t afford it, won’t hurt people who don’t deserve it and always follows through on a promise.

The Smiths Saved His Life: An Interview With Simon Goddard

by Loren DiBlasi

For many of us-- and this includes those who haven’t dedicated the better part of our careers to Manchester’s mightiest quartet-- that feeling was first generated in 1983 with The Smiths’ debut performance on Top of the Pops. Still, this iconic appearance is one of the most discussed and dissected moments in televised music history. For Britain, it was a fittingly bold introduction to the band that would forever mold popular music.