Sunday, February 25, 2007

YOU'RE A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE GOD! A small movie out worthy of your attention is Starter for 10, which they're having difficulty marketing and figuring out how to sell. While they've done their best to sell it as a standard issue British Romantic Comedy, it's more a coming of age movie about Brian Jackson (James McAvoy, best known to American audiences as Mr. Tumnus from Narnia or the guy tormented by Forest Whitaker in Last King of Scotland), a working class kid in England who goes to college, where he pursues his goal of becoming "clever." And how does he do this? By playing University Challenge--hence piquing my interest. While there, he's torn between his hot blonde UC teammate (rather inaccurate, based on my experience) and a politically active brunette, as well as his old working class friends. It's a tender and touching flick, made all the moreso by the soundtrack--the movie's set in the 80s, and the soundtrack is full of great 80s songs (The Cure, The Smiths, Kate Bush, Tears For Fears, and a most memorable use of Motorhead). Well worth checking out, and pretty much unquestionably the top in its limited genre of "Comic Movies Featuring Academic Competitions As Major Plot Points."

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