tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

I'm interested in Pirate Radio for two reasons - it stars Tom Sturridge, who is making a lot of waves for his performance on stage back in the UK (tMF will have more of that and Sturridge's possible rise into the Top 50 rankings later.) and of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is always a wonder to watch - whether he plays the villain or a tortured soul or an investigator or any other role, he simply rock!

About the Movie: Pirate Radio is the high-spirited story of how 8 DJs love affair with Rock n Roll changed the world forever. In the 1960s this group of rouge DJs, on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. By playing Rock n Roll they were standing up against the British government who did everything in their power to shut them down. The band of rebels is lead by The Count, played by the Academy Award Winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin the boss of Radio Rock, Gavin the greatest DJ in Britian, Midnight Mark, Doctor Dave and Young Carl who comes of age amidst the chaos of sex, drugs and rock n roll. The film features an unbelievable selection of music including The Beatles, The Stones, Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens just to name a few. The film is laugh out loud funny and speaks to the rock n roll rebel in all of us.

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I have yet to read a favorable review of the movie, but this one seem quite appropriate to quote:

And as for the cast? Well, the good news is that from top to bottom the ensemble is comprised of talented individuals who look like they're having a sea-faring ball. Unfortunately, the bad news is that there's so many of them viying for screen time that each one is undercooked and ends up feeling like those background faces we expect to pop up every now and then. . However, while it might not hit the comedic highs to which we're used to, as a love-letter to popular Sixties music and the rebellious stations that nourished starving fans, The Boat That Rocked does, for lack of a better word, rock. Having stated time again that his true love (actually) is music, Curtis' passion blaringly comes across as we're treated to a host of retro-classics. From Bowie to the Stones, from Jimi Hendrix to Cream, this is one feel-good playlist that demands some serious foot-tapping. [ read more ]

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On Tom Sturridge: The only compliment, perhaps, about the release of the film is the amount of buzz bestowed on Sturridge, which I simply relish. Here are some portion of a profile written for him by The Telegraph:

• Aged 23, Sturridge is about to appear in his fourth major film: set in the 1960s, The Boat That Rocked is a Working Title ensemble comedy written and directed by Richard Curtis. Landing the part was 'a beautiful moment', not only for Sturridge's career. 'I was in my old flat,' he says. 'My flatmate and I were about to be evicted so we had this big meeting on our kitchen floor - because we had a very small kitchen - saying, "We've got to sort our lives out. We have to get jobs. We have to get some money. Things have got to change." 'Sturridge says that he wasn't sure the film's casting director liked him - or the big beard he was wearing at the time - but Curtis tells a different story: 'We probably saw 70 people for this part over about two months so it was a big relief when we met Tom. He's handsome, but also quirky and charming. We were pretty sure when he walked out of the room that we'd found the right guy.'
• Sturridge had not done comedy before, which added to the feeling that he was slightly out of his depth - but that was exactly what was required for his character. 'From my point of view it was about a boy sent to live among his heroes, and that was pretty much what I was doing there. I didn't feel I really had to act, I was just reacting to their genius. It was all genuine because I really was in awe of them. I learnt so much just from observation.' In particular, Sturridge found Curtis 'an impressive and extraordinary person. Working with someone who genuinely believes that the most important things in the world are friendship and love and music, was inspiring.' Curtis's kindness spread through the set, Sturridge says - as did his vast knowledge of 1960s music. 'We would be playing a song during filming and he'd know the album, the garden it was recorded in and what they were drinking on that Tuesday.' [ read more ]

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What's on your mind? What are your impressions upon seeing the trailer for Pirate Radio? Are you a Tom Sturridge fan? Let us know what you think!
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