Movie Review: American Reunion

Yes, they're back.  Again.  For those of you in my age bracket, you probably remember the summer of '99 very fondly and how the original American Pie shocked you and made you pretty much roll on the floor in laughter.  For it's time it was quite the raunchy movie.  And it has now spawned (cause that's what happens when you... um... you know... hey, it's perfectly natural) three sequels (at least three that made it to theatres).  This one continues the story, 13 years on.

Apparently everyone forgot to have a 10 year reunion, so someone decided to hold one for their 13th.  Pretty much all the characters from the first three have returned, even if just for a short while, including some holdouts from the 3rd movie (American Wedding).  All of their lives have changed: Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have a boy (who doesn't really figure into things), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is married and pretty much house-whipped, Oz (Chris Klein) is a TV star, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is.. well, that's part of the fun of the movie, and Jim's dad is sadly single after Jim's mom passed away.  Stifler is (Seann William Scott)... still Stifler.

As a 4th addition in a series, American Reunion isn't actually all that bad.  It has both raunchy and endearing moments, which is what, in my mind really stood out in the original.  Though it's not really a ground shattering film, it did have me in quite a bit of laughter at times.  For those of you who haven't seen the first three, many of the jokes will likely go over your head.  By 1999 standards this movie goes places that would be shocking, but after movies such as The Hangover and it's sequel this isn't all that shocking - though one part of it made me more disgusted than one part of Wedding.

Eugene Levy really does steal the show as Jim's Dad in his scenes and definitely adds to the awkwardness that really makes this movie.  Way to support the home team, eh? (FYI, check his IMDB page to see his hometown and you'll understand my comment).

So if you want a good laugh and a nice walk down memory lane (a lot of the music is from the 90s as well) this is definitely worth a few dollars or pounds.  If you get offended easily (hahaha, that's two movies in a row I've said this) I wouldn't go see this.  If you don't like full frontal nudity (of the male variety) then I would also recommend you don't see this.

I give this two thumbs up (sorry, that's also an in-joke).

Movie Review: Project X

It's been a while since I saw this, so things aren't so fresh in my mind at the moment.

Project X is about three boys (Thomas, Costa, and JB) who throw a birthday party when one of their parents go away for the weekend. The boys aren't exactly popular and are trying to use the party to change that. It begins with the boys planning the party and going all over to get. My first warning to you is that if you can't handle excessive bad language and crudeness, don't even bother. You'll get offended in the first 30 seconds or so. Anyone who's seen the trailers for this movie will be forgiven for not being nervous for the boys, since you'll know that the party does happen and that people do show up.

Basically what follows would be the proverbial "Gong Show." People arrived, get drunk and do crazy stuff. It sounds boring (and to some it would be), but it has it's funny moments (for example, the over-the-top security guards).

Throughout the story there is a love triangle (when is there not?) as the party escalates into utter chaos. The ending is a bit over the top, but I think that's the point. This is definitely a movie that caters to the imaginations of teens and others slightly older, so don't expect much in the way of insights into life, but be ready to see some things you just thought you'd never see.

The acting is fairly well done. I found the boys to be completely believable, though why any of them would be friends with Costa is beyond me, but that's the way highschool goes I guess. I heard a rumour that the boys were cast through some sort of contest, though I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up so I could be completely wrong.

Anyway, if you like crude humour (American Pie, Hangover, etc.) then you'll probably enjoy this. It's one of a recent group of found footage films (Cloverfield, Chronicle) that I personally enjoy. So there you have it. Not for everyone, but definitely worth it if you can stomach the juvenileness of the whole thing.