Author: Steve DiMatteo

If you’re thinking of classic frat comedies, Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds and Old School no doubt come to mind. Many movies have tried to join those three on the pedestal, only to fall short for any number of reasons. But will Neighbors one day be able to complete the Mount Rushmore of this genre? An early indication is that it certainly stands a chance (because a legacy can rarely be formed after one weekend in theaters). But in terms of quality, Neighbors gets just about everything right that’s needed to earn consideration as one of the best. Perhaps the most glaring knock against Neighbors, though, is…

Space Jam is a celebrated film, as it should be, but few give its soundtrack the love it deserves, especially since it’s the greatest movie soundtrack of all time. Before you try to question it, stop yourself and save your breath because nothing has – nor will – ever come close to matching its brilliance. For 14 songs, you are peppered with hits, each one a powerful bullet of music straight to your heart and mind. Seal kicks it off with “Fly Like An Eagle.” Need to elevate your game to the next level? Buckle up for “The Winner” or…

When you have a sitcom starring Ken Marino and Casey Wilson, and it was created by David Caspe, can anything really go wrong? If it’s on NBC, it can. However, Caspe and company will attempt to break the curse held over the network and create a show that isn’t just a critical darling that barely lives to see each season (if it even gets to see one), but is a ratings success as well. That show is called Marry Me. If the trailer for this show – which has already been given a series order – is any indication, the jury is…

It’s common knowledge that Point Break is one of the best movies of all time. To think that it could be remade is blasphemous, but that has never stopped Hollywood before. In fact, a remake was actually hurtling towards becoming a reality, until Gerard Butler finally wised up and realized you can’t duplicate perfection. Dropping out of this disaster is the best career move he’s made in years. Point Break exists perfectly in the 1990’s vacuum where it was born, when action movies were almost always wacky and often gleefully unaware of it. Now, everything has to wink and nudge you to make…

I’ve always been of the belief that the second half of The Simpsons’ existence hasn’t necessarily been worse than its true golden age (think seasons 4-10), just different. While the plots are often not as poignant – it’s hard to find a lot of new things to say after so many years – the show has never lost its pace or penchant for rapid-fire joke delivery that, despite what many people want to believe, still hits way more than it misses. But in the show’s Lego episode last Sunday, the classic atmosphere of the show was evident to even the most hardened…

Chicago was recently named America’s funniest city, thanks to a study by the University of Colorado at Boulder. Rounding out the top ten were Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Portland, Ore., New York, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle. Research suggested that because Chicago residents make jokes about the weather, that automatically makes them the funniest. This is why CBS rules the comedy world right now. America can’t be trusted to figure out what’s funny. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that DMX used the lowest number of unique words within his first 35,000 lyrics. But that doesn’t mean I’m…

We all knew that artificial intelligence would end up being the downfall of humanity, thanks to the Terminator franchise. And now, we have indisputable proof that Stephen Hawking has finally seen those movies. In The Independent, Hawking warns that while perfecting AI could be the best thing to ever happen to humanity, it could also be our last achievement. Ending war, disease and poverty sure are enticing notions, but the distinct possibility of “technology outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand” is too much to simply brush aside. Plus, you’ve seen how…

In the May issue of Scientific American, there is an article that speculates about the possible harmful effects of e-cigarettes, which, of course, have been touted as the healthy alternative to actual cigarettes. If that surprises you, then consider this your reminder that everything – no matter what it is and especially if you enjoy doing it – is going to kill you. The story does make some good points, though: No one really knows what propylene glycol – a chemical found in everything from soft drinks and salad dressings to shampoos, antiperspirants and look, antifreeze! – does to the…

Our society is built on constraints. You can’t do this. You can’t say that. Most of the time, we lead a suffocating existence. But every so often, we are afforded opportunities to break free of those constraints, and we must seize them with every ounce of ourselves. That being said, there will be times in your life when no one else is home and you need to use the bathroom. Though if you live by yourself, well, you’re one of the blessed ones. And if you pull this off with others around, you are not of this planet. But when you are…

Some might see this as China at its worst, stifling freedom by banning its citizens from seeing certain American television shows. Except when one of those shows is The Big Bang Theory. Clearly, the Chinese government sees what a black hole of comedy this seemingly endless sitcom is, and it finally decided to take action. Sohu.com, which had the exclusive online broadcast rights to The Big Bang Theory in China, was given instructions to remove the show, along with a handful of others, including The Good Wife, NCIS and The Practice. While it’s unclear why the Chinese would ban the other shows – surely they…