Movie Review: Something Borrowed

In the last few years, I've come to expect chick flicks--and I mean that variety of chick flick where the story focuses on female leads, not the romance variety--to be either drama-heavy angst or comedies wherein the women are petty and vicious to each other and we're supposed to laugh accordingly while nodding sagely about how women are ridiculous.

Opening Friday, May 6th, Something Borrowed is not that kind of story! Woohoo! (Thank goodness because my feminist side was really feeling abused.) Based on the best selling book Something Borrowed, starring Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love, He's Just Not That Into You) and Kate Hudson (Bride Wars, Almost Famous), explores the complicated relationship between two best friends who really care for each other and the fallout that occurs when a love triangle develops. It is a deceptively simple plot but it's not exactly typical and it's rife with questions about what happens when you put other people's feelings ahead of your own. Darcy's (Kate Hudson) fiance is Dex (played by Colin Egglesfield, Melrose Place) who happens to be a long time friend of Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) from law school and also the object of her secret crush. As the wedding approaches, not to mention Rachel's thirtieth birthday, emotions run high, alcohol is imbibed and something happens between Dex and Rachel. Yes, I mean sex. It turns out Dex was harboring some longtime crushing himself. The characters are left to deal with the crisis of not wanting to hurt other people, but still wanting to explore their own feelings. John Krasinski (The Office, It's Complicated) plays the other best friend, Ethan, who figures out what is happening all too quickly and provides an outside perspective, sometimes measured and sometimes not, as he struggles with the situation himself.

This all sounds incredibly heavy handed and I bet you're thinking this must be one of those chick flicks full of the dramatic angst, but it's actually not. The movie is a romantic comedy, with some fun moments by supporting characters Ethan, obnoxious but charming caveman Marcus (Steve Howey), and the lovestruck Claire (Ashley Williams), who all provide needed insight from unexpected places. The movie deftly blends great dialogue (really great!), humor, and real life dilemmas with very believable characters. (And you know, I'm kind of hard on those chick flicks.) I felt like these characters could easily be people I knew in real life making the same mistakes. No one in this movie is an innocent, but no one is purposely vindictive either. There is very little glossed over about the ugliness of betrayal but it also is balanced by sweetness. It was a very realistic and honest look at relationships. Even the ending is grounded in realism, because while it ends on a happy note you're still left with a touch of queasiness at the road the characters took to get there. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and found its take refreshing.

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This Is The Coolest Commercial I've Ever Seen

Wow. This is awesome.



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Twisted Sister, "We're Not Gonna Take It"

From 1984, here's Twisted Sister with "We're Not Gonna Take It."

Enjoy!

Top 19 Superhero Movies

This week, we ranked our 19 favorite superhero flicks. Did yours make the cut? Find out below!

19. Kick-Ass

18. X-Men

17. Batman Returns

16. Blade

15. Hancock

14. Mystery Men

13. X-Men 2

12. Watchmen

11. The Crow

10. Unbreakable

9. Spider-Man

8. Batman Begins

7. Superman II

6. Superman

LAST CHANCE! Win Passes To The Festival For Humanity!

Last Chance to Enter! The Drawing Will Be Friday, May 6th

We're giving away a pair of four-day passes to The Festival For Humanity music festival to two Culture Brats readers! What's The Festival For Humanity?

It's the only place to see Cracker, Soul Asylum, The Misfits, The New Pornographers, Good Charlotte, Third Eye Blind, John Popper, Rebbie Jackson, From Good Homes, Sister Hazel, and a ton of other bands on one stage!

It's also a place where people can give back, as more than twenty charities will be present at the Humanity Village.

The concert is May 27-30, 2001 at Mountain Creek in Vernon, New Jersey. To enter, just send us an email. That's it. Easy as pie.

So what are you waiting for? Send us an email and maybe we'll see you at The Festival For Humanity!

The Fine Print
1. You must be 18 or older to enter.
2. You will be registered to receive the Culture Brats newsletter, a twice-monthly missive of awesomeness.
3. We will draw two winners. Each winner will receive a pair of four-day passes to the festival.
4. That's it.

Is This What Figure Skating Is Always Like?

Seriously? Is it always this odd?



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Eva And Her Virgins, "Hammer"

From 2010, here's Eva And Her Virgins with "Hammer."

Enjoy!

Unpackaged: Our Interview With Adam Goren

Atom & His Package marked the end of an era for me. There was a time when I would hang out at record stores, soaking in the music, flipping through the bins, waiting for something new to hit me. Nowadays, family, jobs, and commitments get in the way. Free time dries up. I no longer have time to hit the local record store to find something new.

Anyway, back in the day, I was in this combo record/skateboard board when the following song came through the speakers:



The next song, "Well Fed Fucking Sequencer," was equally as good, so I ran up to the desk and pointed at the stereo and asked, "Can I buy that?" The clerk sold it to me. I drove around that day, listening to the CD nonstop. Later that night, I found out that he had just released A Society Of People Named Elihu, so I ordered that as well. I was an instant fan.

There was a time when I discovered music this way. I had three main sources: MTV, the college radio station, and what I heard/found at record stores. But not anymore. MTV is dead, the record stores have been replaced by Walgreen's, and the college radio DJs all seem to be trying to out-hip each other by playing obscure and unlistenable crap. I think Atom & His Package was my last record store find.

I recently interviewed Adam Goren of Atom & His Package and TV Casualty. We talked about his punk cover band, Atom & His Package, teaching, kids' music, and how he rates albums. Sadly, I also discovered that were I to wander into a record store in the future, I'd be unlikely to find any new Atom & His Package music.

Below is a transcript of our conversation:

You're currently playing in a band called TV Casualty, which seems to be an all-star punk cover band.
That's a generous way of describing it. We are future Hall Of Famers, except for Dan who has been convicted of lying to the grand jury for steroids and stuff. We just did a Black Flag show.

Right. How did that turn out?
It was fun. It's nice to do something that's completely recreational. We have a good time learning songs. We have a good time hanging out and fun playing. It's definitely much easier to learn lots of great songs that you love rather than trying and write songs.

Real Life Super Mario Bros

One day, I will part ways with Culture Brats and launch the coolest tumblr ever, CoolOrWeirdSuperMarioBrosStuffFoundOnTheWeb.com. Until then, you'll just have to indulge me:



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Dear Nintendo, GIMME

Nintendo is partnering with classic shoe company Converse to make these special edition Chuck Taylor All-Stars.



The catch? Right now they're going to release them only in Japan. BOO. If anyone wants to send me a pair of American women's size 6 shoes, I'll totally love you forever.

Zelda shoes with link on green canvas would also be cool. (HINT HINT NINTENDO.)

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