Every Sunday, Gill delves into his archive of over 800 movie reviews and randomly selects three for your enjoyment! Here are this week’s…
Project X
I actually had pretty high expectations for this movie, and was hoping for a good party movie, an interesting use of the found footage gimmick, and a bit of a rollercoaster that’d start hitting the big hills once the party at the centre of the film starts spiraling out of control. Unfortunately, what I got was a meandering celebration of douche-y bro culture. No likeable characters, the comedy didn’t get me laughing, and the craziest parts of the film were all shown in the trailer. I’m kinda scared of the implication that this is the norm for young people of this day and age. Typing that makes me feel old, so this movie gets a few negative points for that as well.
1.75 out of 5
Rat Race
A group of randomly selected people are selected to take part in a race where the winner gets one million dollars, and they all run into crazy stuff along the way. Rat Race is a surprisingly fresh madcap comedy that delivers lots of laughs by being not only over-the-top ridiculous but clever in its joke setups. The cast is full of good comedic talent, and I’d say about 90% of the gags hit home. I don’t want to give away any of the punchlines here, though, so all I will say is that Rat Race is great if you like the absurd. Think Cannonball Run.
3.25 out of 5
The Boat That Rocked/Pirate Radio
A fun little feel-good British comedy that doesn’t really go anywhere, but you won’t care. Pirate Radio (or The Boat That Rocked, depending on where you are in the world) follows the crew of a floating radio station in the 1960s as they defy the censorship of rock and roll by broadcasting from the high seas where they can’t be caught. The film plays out more like a series of events rather than having an overarching plot, but it works because you end up feeling like you’ve just been living on the ship with all the wacky characters. The cast, including Bill Nighy, Chris O’Dowd, Nick Frost and Ralph Brown, is genuinely loveable and you can feel the comraderie between them. The soundtrack, as you’d expect, is terrific. It’s not deep or even particularly thought-provoking, but it’s lots of fun, and when the credits roll, you’ll want to put on the kinks and go sailing.
3.25 out of 5
See you next Sunday for three more thrilling short reviews!