Author: Will Harris

No-one is ever going to accuse “Thank God It’s Friday” of actually being a good movie, but in addition to being an occasionally silly artifact of the late ‘70s, it’s an enjoyable ensemble flick…and one that, interestingly, takes place almost entirely in and around one discothèque: The Zoo. The subplots are legion, so it’s probably best that none of them are terribly complicated. Let’s see…to start, you’ve got the late Ray Vitte playing DJ Bobby Speed, who is on the verge of his big live-remote break when he discovers that the Commodores, who are to perform at the Zoo, are…

Arthur “Killer” Kane, bassist for glam-punk pioneers the New York Dolls, often found his onstage manner described as “statuesque.” Not because he was a towering figure, though some would say he was that as well, but because was, indeed, the embodiment of a living statue; he rarely moved a muscle that wasn’t required in the process of playing his instrument. (Good thing the band’s frontman, David Johansen, regularly stalked the stage like a panther on the prowl.) In the new documentary, “New York Doll,” Kane’s life is given the once-over by director Greg Whiteley, an idea instigated by the surviving…

No one asked for this. No one wanted this. It’s one of the most unnecessary sequels in recent memory that didn’t go straight to video. And, yet, the director and producers of the film have done a vaguely respectable job of trying to make “Basic Instinct 2” seem respectable. It’s of no use, of course; it still isn’t very good. The original “Basic Instinct,” released in 1992, was a decent thriller, but, ultimately, it’s remembered almost exclusively for the fact that Sharon Stone spread her legs and gave audiences a quick glimpse of – to use a technical term –…

While the name George Martin has become synonymous with the Beatles as the man behind the scenes and, by most reports, is generally considered to be the only true “fifth Beatle,” a name which – outside of music geeks and Beatlemaniacs – rarely raises an eyebrow is Geoff Emerick. As it happens, however, from Revolver onward, Emerick arguably had as much to do with the Fab Four’s success in the studio as Martin did; he engineered almost all of the band’s later recordings and was directly responsible for a great many of the sonic experiments that put the band on…

“You are very mistaken if you think that I don’t know your audience. I grew up in Roswell, Georgia. I cut my teeth in the south and my first road gigs ever were in Augusta, Charleston, Baton Rouge, and Louisville. I remember them very well, specifically because of the audience. I remember thinking (occasionally, not all the time) ‘what a bunch of dumb redneck, easily entertained, ignorant motherfuckers. I can’t believe the stupid shit they think is funny.’” – David Cross, “An Open Letter to Larry the Cable Guy” When I was in college in Danville, Virginia…famed as the site…

Perhaps the oddest thing about the release of “Never Enough,” Jeff Apter’s 300-plus page biography of the Cure, is that, well, there’s not any particular reason for it to come out right now. There’s no new Cure album, the band isn’t really touring (a charity show on April 1 hardly constitutes a tour), and the news page on their official website gives no indication that new material is en route anytime soon. Well, if nothing else, this means the book will remain up to date for a few months or so. Apter’s certainly done his research, having amassed endless quotes…

Jen Trynin. Jen Trynin. Damn, why does that name sound so familiar…? Well, unfortunately, it’s probably because you’ve seen her debut album, Cockamamie, as you’ve flipped through the used or cut-out bins at your local record store; it pops up so often that if you concentrate really hard, you might even be able to summon in your mind’s eye the cover photo of Ms. Trynin lazing on her back, with a red chair up in the right hand corner of the shot. Plus, if you heard it, you’d most likely know her single, “Better than Nothing,” except, of course, you’d…

There are very few individuals in Hollywood who have been directly connected to so many classic comedies as Harold Ramis. Not to run through his entire résumé right here, but you’d be hard-pressed to beat a track record which includes participating in “Animal House,” “Meatballs,” “Caddyshack,” “Stripes,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” and “Analyze This,” among many, many others. Ramis’ most recent movie is “The Ice Harvest,” which arrives on DVD on February 28th. He found 8 to 10 minutes – give or take – to sit down…or possibly stand up, we’re not sure…and discuss that film, as well…

Given that Vin Diesel’s previous foray into the world of comedy was the relatively-excruciating “The Pacifier,” it was easy to figure that any future endeavors in the genre would be equally lightweight. But, then, who would’ve expected he’d team up with legendary director Sidney Lumet (“Network,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Serpico”) on a biopic of mobster Jackie Dee DiNorscio? And, to get down to brass tacks, even with the Lumet factor in place, the question remains: who would’ve expected any Vin Diesel film to turn out to be legitimately good, especially when there’s a fart joke within the first ten minutes?…

No matter what the product, one should always be armed with a certain amount of trepidation when approaching an item where the word “unauthorized” figures into its description. In the case of Lydia Criss’s autobiography, however, it’s easy for that one little word to get lost in the shuffle of her absolutely incredible personal collection of casual snapshots of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and, of course, Peter Criss. Lydia and Peter Criss first met in 1966, and although it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, it at least bore a decent resemblance to the concept. For Peter’s part,…