You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat is London’s film quiz extraordinaire. Held monthly at various locations across the city, I’ve been coming to the Upstairs at the Ritzy one for the last two years. It’s a celebration of film fandom, impressively delivered and all in all, great fun. A perfect subject for my 500^th review.
The hallmark of Bigger Boat is the professional way it’s delivered, in particular the fantastic video montages that are expertly cut together. One such montage heralds the start of the quiz, combining dramatic, zooming in shots of various film heroes against stirring music. Other montages form part of the quiz itself. The quiz is generally hosted from the upper floor of the venue, with speakers and a screen in the lower floor keeping teams downstairs in the loop.
The quiz format is the same every time. It’s split into two halves. There’s a picture round, a soundtrack round for films beginning with a pre-​advertised letter, a trailer round for recent trailers, an observation round, a themed dialogue round, a round on a pre-​announced person or theme from film, among many others.
The questions can be pretty tough. Even with prior research of the themes advertised before hand, to have a chance of winning you have to have knowledge of some pretty old and/​or cult films, or have someone on your team who does. The best I’ve ever done is come third, not that I take it too seriously or anything.
Still, the case of You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, it really is about taking part rather than necessarily winning. Whether it’s to acquaint yourself with fellow fans of film (and pit your knowledge against theirs), catch up with your team mates or get the competitive juices going over a beer, You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat is a load of fun. Tickets (£10) often sell out in advance, so make sure you book yours in good time.