Reviews; Film: September 2004 Archives

A nice unexpected bit of entertainment on Sunday night - a showing of the 1920s classic Battleship Potemkin in Trafalgar Square, with a new soundtrack provided by the Pet Shop Boys.

I say unexpected because Sean spotted the advert at 715pm and thirty mins later we were by the famous fountains waiting for the show to start just forty five mins later.

Reviews of the music mostly have been mixed - but I enjoyed it - everone continues to reassert the greatness of the film itself.

It's a hugely powerful story line (it's interesting to see just how much actors in silent films act with their face - an art lost in the 'talkies') with some beautiful shots and some great fast cutting to generate the necessary pace.

If you get a chance to see it - without or without the PSB soundtarck - DO IT!

A word of warning - don't waste two hours of your life on this terrible film. It may well star 24's Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert,) but her proven acting abilities are wasted in this film.

Considering the fact that the poster features her on it and no one else, it's rather odd therefore that Cuthbert's flirty and cutsey persona (the films only redeeming feature,) enjoys suprisingly little screen time. Instead a series of other characters - almost all totally unlikeable - dominate. This is a film which is morally moribund and for a self-styled high-school comedy it's rather lacking in the joke department too. American Pie this most definately ain't.

Bottom of the class - and then some. But don't worry Elisha - we still love you! Just pick something funnier/more dramatic/interesting next time!