Useful Movie Reviews: Midnight in Paris and The Green Lantern

Want to know if a movie is worthwhile, but hate blah-blah lengthy reviews? Me, too. I keep it short and sweet so you can get on with your life and into the theater.

Review: DC does it again. And by it I mean throws away another franchise from their storied canon. Too much exposition followed up by…meh. I was so bored. Reynolds is great, too, which makes it such a bummer.

Verdict: See it…in theaters if you are a hardcore Lantern fan or on Netflix as part of a bad super hero movie marathon with your friends.

Review: Woody Allen sticks to his formula and produces some adorable, funny moments (if only slightly, and intentionally, pedantic). Shh, don’t tell, but I am in love with fictional Ernest Hemingway and non-fictional Michael Sheen.

Verdict: See it…on Netflix, because I think Allen movies are the cinematic equivalent of comfort food. So they are best watched in your living room where you can spread out and enjoy the dialogue.

Useful Movie Reviews: Super 8, Friends With Benefits and others

Want to know if a movie is worthwhile, but hate blah-blah lengthy reviews? Me, too. I keep it short and sweet so you can get on with your life and into the theater.

Review: Best dialogue for (and acting by) chillins since The Goonies. (Damn you for making me miss LOST, J.J. Abrams!)

Verdict: See it…in theaters today.

Review: Pretty frickin adorable, very frickin funny. (Damn you for making me love you, Justin Timberlake!)

Verdict: See it…in theaters July 22

Here are a few more (already in theaters)

Review: Groovy. (Kevin Bacon is kind of awesome.)

Verdict: See it…a few times

Review: The Hangover, Part Boo (When will you bitches let Justin Bartha be in a movie?)

Verdict: See it…on Netflix…if you hate yourself.

Love Review: Banned Books Week Edition

At little junkies, we want to set you up with the best of the best so you’ll never be lonely. This week stop (!) in the name of love, and check out a good book:

Name: The written word.
Alias(s):  Book/Magazine/Article/Newspaper/Encyclopedia/Letter/Journal
Occupation: Educating/Entertaining/Enlightening/Inspiring/Challenging/Supporting
Residence: Libraries/Schools/Bookstores/The Internet/My Bookshelves/Pretty Much Everywhere

In honor of the last day of Banned Books Week our “Love Connection” and “Retro Review”  have joined together and had a beautiful baby “Love Review”.  While the name may seem like it came straight out of an US Weekly celebrity baby cover story, BBW has really reminded us just how much we love to read and where that love came from.

Growing up my mom always encouraged me, and my sisters, to read.  She instilled in us that if you could read, you could do anything.  I don’t recall my mother ever being too worried about what we were reading.  I had great freedom in the books I chose to read.  Later on in life, after reading The Perks of Being A Wallflower, I would realize that was because our parents had taught us to be a filter, not a sponge, as we go through the world.

WTF Friday: 10 Things I Hate About Unwanted Movie Remakes

In light of recent movie to movie remakes (Footloose, Fame, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, The Karate Kid, etc.) and movie to Broadway ideas coming to pass (Sleepless in Seattle, Heathers, Shrek, American Psycho, Legally Blond, Spiderman) it really shouldn’t surprise me that a 10 year old movie has been made into a bastardized version of itself on ABC Family.  With that said, I guess I’m not so much surprised anymore as I am disappointed.  If you are going to take a movie that is just 10 years old, whose original fan base is only in their mid twenties to early thirties, it better be damn good.

While the essence of many of the characters is there (and their names, whoopee!), the overall plot and heart of the movie has been lost.  Since we are barely three 30 minute episodes into the ten episode run of the summer I’ve compiled a list of 10 things I hate about the show (original right?) in the hopes that the next 7 start to find their stride.

Love Connection: No Doubt

At little junkies, we want to set you up with the best of the best so you’ll never be lonely. So, stop (!) in the name of love, and check out:

Name: No Doubt
Occupation: Ska/Reggae/Rock/Punk/Pop/Electro band of merry men and girl
Residence: Presently touring, so…everywhere

Likes: Bob Marley, horn sections, wacky dancing, wackier fashion, and taking a break from each other.
Dislikes: Taking a break from each other, lack of hair bleach, and being pigeon-holed in a particular genre.

Junkies, it’s been a looooong five years since No Doubt shut it down, and Gwen went off to disco-pop to the sound of her own drummer. But fret no more, because the band is together again, on tour over the summer with plans to jam and gather inspiration for a new album!! I was at the July 5th show in St. Paul, MN and it was a-maze-ing!  Bedouin Soundclash was the first opening act. Who, you may have asked? Well they’re the awesome and oh-so muffiny Reggae, Rock, Punk and Soul fusion band from Canada that has stolen my rasta-come-lately heart twice now. (Yeah, I said Canada, Reggae, and awesome in the same sentence). They were perfect compliment for No Doubts’ Rock Steady phase with a pinch of Tragic Kingdom.

Next on the bill? Paramore. For what better lead up to the monstrously iconic female powerhouse, Gwen Stefani, than Tennessee’s own spunky vocalist Haley Williams? Any good Twilight fan would have gushed over Paramore’s Decode finale, and I was glad to see two strong female artists dominate an energy packed show. Oh and guitarist, Josh Farro’s on stage gymnastics (with instrument in hand, btw) were pretty sweet, too.

On to the main event. Bios might say the gang is approaching (or at) 40′s door, but that can’t be true! They’re still in their early twenties, and I am still a pre-tween with a way too kick ass taste in music than most of my comrades were allowed. Gwen, Tony, Tom, and Adrian bounced off of the walls with the energy of a pack of six year olds on Pixie Sticks. I felt like I was listening to the Tragic Kingdom album for the first time all over again, danced it up, jumped about, and ate up every joy-filled second of the set list which included Gwen doing a dozen push-ups before tearing up Just a Girl, and a Paramore/Bedouin Soundclash assist on a cover of Adam and the Ants’ Stand & Deliver.