Project X [2012]
June 2, 2012 Leave a comment
A lot of times, while I’m watching a bad movie, several questions arise: “What the hell is that?” or better yet: “What the hell were they thinking?” That’s exactly what I asked myself while suffering through “Project X”, which is anything but funny, as some might lead you to think. I think “tragic” would be a more appropriate word, “pathetic” even. But not funny. I can’t imagine who the filmmakers envisioned as their target audience. Is it a date movie? Hell no. It’s really not for teenagers either, unless they happen to be on crack. But that’s another story. Following in the footsteps of “The Hangover” (a solid movie by the way, unlike this “horror”), the plot follows a bunch of idiots who decide to throw their shy pal a 17th birthday party he’ll never forget, while his parents are away for the weekend. There’s no point in my telling you more than that, because the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, and its resolution is even harder to swallow. One can’t blame the actors, who do their best, but even they aren’t very appealing, because their characters are paper-thin to begin with, and the material they have to work with here is hopeless. I’ve been told the movie plays best with teenagers. That’s an insult teenagers should not be forced to endure, especially teenage girls who has to suffer the foul-mouthed profile of the “typical” high-school boys shown here. The only positive thought I can derive is that this movie will never eclipse “The Hangover” or even “Superbad”. That’s why I felt a surge of happiness when this party finally ended. “Project X” suddenly stops, and I felt nothing except relief. This crap joins “One for the Money”, “Ghost Rider 2″, “Mirror Mirror”, “The Devil Inside” and “Battleship” on my list of worst movies of the year so far.
Rating: 1.5/4






Part of me doesn’t even want to tell you that “Hysteria” is a movie about the invention of the electric vibrator. My guess is, you’ll laugh and stop reading. Not so fast. There’s a promising premise on the boil here, and screenwriting team Stephen Dyer and Jonah Lisa Dyer make sure you get a history lesson out of it. Of course part of it is fictionalized, but the story is based on true events. Really it is. Hugh Dancy plays the doctor behind this invention. When we first meet him, it’s1880, and he is continually losing jobs. Then he lands a position as assistant to Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Price), who specializes in manipulating a woman’s uterus to produce “paroxysms”, or the release of nervous tension. The method consists of having them lay down on a table, bare legs parted, as he manually massages their privates. It is strictly therapeutic he says, but we all know what the idea behind this procedure is. What the women know however, is that they are really into it (go figure). No more spoilers from me. Cheers to Dancy for making it hilarious at times, especially when he learns how hard work it is massaging women’s privates all day. The supporting cast includes Felicity Jones (“Like Crazy”) as Dr. Dalrymple’s daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal as his “other” daughter, and Rupert Everett in a funny role as Dancy’s wealthy pal. ”Hysteria” is not great, by any measure, but I found it diverting, and pretty entertaining. That’s a welcome combination in my book. And remember: it is strictly therapeutic!

