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Glasgow Film Festival · 2008

Glasgow Film Festival 2008

Glasgow 2008

Programme

57 films · 57 reviews

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All About Eve

Review preview for All About Eve

There is so much to admire in All About Eve, even for those too young to be drenched in nostalgia for the spectacle of Bette Davis unleashing her sharp tongue.

Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
An aging star is challenged by a ruthless younger actress.

(Country: US; Year: 1950; Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Writer: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the story 'The Wisdom of Eve' by Mary Orr.; Stars: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates, Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter, Walter Hampton)

Full review

Angel (The Real Life of Angel Deverell)

Review preview for Angel

Lucy Russell in particular puts in a fascinating and nuanced performance.

Susanna Krawczyk · 4 out of 5
The life story of a self-obsessed young woman determined to succeed as a romance novelist at the beginning of the 20th Century.

(Country: UK, Belgium, France; Year: 2007; Director: François Ozon; Writer: Martin Crimp and François Ozon, based on the book by Elizabeth Taylor.; Stars: Romola Garai, Sam Neill, Lucy Russell, Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Rampling, Jacqueline Tong) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

La Antena (The Aerial)

Review preview for La Antena

Sometimes cinema tickles the senses, sometimes it tugs at the heartstrings, sometimes it exercises the intellect – but La Antena transmits to all three at once.

Anton Bitel · 4.5 out of 5
Dystopian fairytale about a 'city without a voice'.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2007; Director: Esteban Sapir; Writer: Esteban Sapir; Stars: Valeria Bertuccelli, Alejandro Urdapilleta, Julieta Cardinali, Rafael Ferro, Raúl Hochman, Ricardo Merkin, Sol Moreno, Gustavo Pastorini, Carlos Piñeiro, Florencia Raggi) , Official site

Full review

The Bank Job

Review preview for The Bank Job

The fun in the film comes from the heroes' banter, and one can't help but think that watching them take a bus trip to Alton Towers might have been just as enjoyable.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The true story of a group of bank robbers who stole more than they'd bargained for.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Roger Donaldson; Writer: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais; Stars: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Alki David, Michael Jibson, Richard Lintern, David Suchet, Peter De Jersey) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Bunny Chow

Review preview for Bunny Chow

What might sound vibrant or at least quirky on paper ends up falling very flat on screen.

Anton Bitel · 2 out of 5
A group of Johannesburg stand-up comedians take a roadtrip to perform at a rock concert.

(Country: South Africa; Year: 2006; Director: John Barker; Writer: John Barker and David Kibuuka, based on the story by Joey Yusuf Rasdien and Salah Sabiti; Stars: David Kibuuka, Kim Engelbrecht, Kagiso Lediga, Joey Yusuf Rasdien, Jason Cope, Keren Neumann, Salah Sabiti, Angela Chow, David Kau, Andy 'Admiral' Kasrils, Danny K, Darlington Michaels, Tiisetso Sefatsa, Jakkie Groenewald, Charlene Karen Hayes, Tasmin van der Spuy, Tim Horwood, Vuyisa 'Breeze' Yoko, Louw Venter, Rob van Vuuren)

Full review

Caramel (Sukkar Banat)

Review preview for Caramel

The story of five women working in and around a Beirut beauty salon may not, at first glance, seem especially intriguing, but Caramel is something special.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
A glimpse into the lives of five women working in and around a beauty salon in Beirut.

(Country: France, Lebanon; Year: 2007; Director: Nadine Labaki; Writer: Rodney El Haddad, Jihad Hojeily; Stars: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Elmasri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle Aouad, Sihame Haddad, Adel Karam, Aziza Semaan, Fatmeh Safa, Dimitri Staneofski) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Cassandra's Dream

Review preview for Cassandra's Dream

Allen's most morally challenging work since Crimes And Misdemeanors, this takes what is in essence a simple story and finds depths within it which will continue to haunt the viewer long after the closing credits have rolled.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Two brothers in need of money are confronted with a terrible proposition.

(Country: US, UK; Year: 2007; Director: Woody Allen; Writer: Woody Allen; Stars: Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Sally Hawkins, Tom Wilkinson, Hayley Atwell, John Benfield, Clare Higgins, Philip Davis) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

The Cottage

Review preview for The Cottage

Taken as a straightforward comic horror movie, this feels too derivative and clichéd. Taken as homage or pastiche, it's not nearly funny, knowing or camp enough.

Susanna Krawczyk · 2.5 out of 5
When wannabe big-time crooks kidnap a gangster's daughter and hole up in a remote cottage, they find there are scarier people out there than the mob.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Paul Andrew Williams; Writer: Paul Andrew Williams; Stars: Dave Legeno, Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison, Doug Bradley, Georgia Groome, Reece Shearsmith, Steve O'Donnell, Johnny Harris)

Full review

Charlie Bartlett

Review preview for Charlie Bartlett

Yelchin is a charismatic and believable anti-hero, smart but insecure and neither a walking wisecrack-machine nor a stereotypical ‘mixed-up kid’.

Jeff Robson · 4 out of 5
A bright but troubled rich kid unexpectedly finds himself in the American ‘public school’ system – and finds a novel way of beating the bullies.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Jon Poll; Writer: Gustin Nash; Stars: Anton Yelchin, Kat Dennings, Robert Downey Jr, Hope Davis, Tyler Hilton)

Full review

Children Of Glory (Szabadság, Szerelem)

Review preview for Children Of Glory

This is not a very nuanced view of the situation, but it really doesn’t pretend to be.

Susanna Krawczyk · 4 out of 5
The Hungarian revolution as seen from the perspective of its water polo heroes.

(Country: Hungary; Year: 2006; Director: Krisztina Goda; Writer: Joe Eszterhas, Éva Gárdos; Stars: Kata Dobó, Iván Fenyö, Sándor Csányi, Károly Gesztesi, Ildikó Bánsági, Tamás Jordán) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Consenting Adults

Review preview for Consenting Adults

The whole movie has a slightly flat “filler episode of a BBC political drama” feel to it.

Susanna Krawczyk · 2 out of 5
The story of John Wolfenden and the legalisation of homosexuality in England.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Richard Curson Smith; Writer: Julian Mitchell; Stars: Charles Dance, Sean Biggerstaff, Paul Kendrick, Samantha Bond, David Bamber, Haydn Gwynne)

Full review

Crazy Love

Review preview for Crazy Love

It has been a long time since I’ve heard such an affecting tale of abuse.

Susanna Krawczyk · 4 out of 5
Documentary about a man who mutilates the woman he claims to love.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens; Writer: Dan Klores; Stars: Jimmy Breslin, Burt Pugach, Linda Pugach)

Full review

Dark Victory

Review preview for Dark Victory

In contrast with today's studiously dignified portrayals of the dying, Bette Davis' portrayal of Judith as angry and confused is perhaps more honest, more humane.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A young heiress diagnosed with terminal brain cancer must decide how to spend her last few weeks of life.

(Country: US; Year: 1939; Director: Edmund Goulding; Writer: Casey Robinson, based on the play by George Emerson Brewer Jr and Bertram Bloch.; Stars: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers)

Full review

Death Proof (Grindhouse, Deathproof)

Review preview for Death Proof

Death Proof is as much an experience as it is a movie for those who love movies.

Scott Macdonald · 5 out of 5
Quentin Tarantino's glorious grindhouse send-up.

(Country: USA; Year: 2007; Director: Quentin Tarantino; Writer: Quentin Tarantino; Stars: Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell, Michael Parks, James Parks, Quentin Tarantino) , Official site

Full review See: Who Dares Wins

Diary Of The Dead

Review preview for Diary Of The Dead

Romero has started all over again as though his other films exist in some parallel universe. Just to prove anything a younger director can do, he can do better, the whole thing is shot cinema-vérité style.

Tony Sullivan · 4 out of 5
Film students try to record the end of civilisation as they know it when the dead begin to walk. Plus read our with George A Romero.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: George A Romero; Writer: George A Romero; Stars: Michelle Morgan, Joshua Close, Shawn Roberts, Amy Ciupak Lalonde, Joe Dinicol, Scott Wentworth, Philip Riccio, Chris Violette, Tatiana Maslany, Nick Alachiotis, Matt Birman)

Full review See: George A Romero talks zombies, religion and genocide in Karlovy Vary , George A Romero interview about Diary Of The Dead

El Baño Del Papa (The Pope's Toilet, ño del Papa)

Review preview for El Baño Del Papa

There is an energy to this low-budget film

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A man tries to build a public loo to cash in on a Papal visit.

(Country: Uruguay, Brazil, France; Year: 2007; Director: César Charlone, Enrique Fernández; Writer: César Charlone, Enrique Fernández; Stars: César Troncoso, Virginia Méndez, Mario Silva, Virginia Ruiz, Nelson Lence, Henry De Leon, Jose Arce, Rosario Dos Santos, Hugo Blandamuro)

Full review

Far North

Review preview for Far North

An absorbing, disturbing and exceptionally composed filmic fable.

Paul Griffiths · 4 out of 5
A stranger enters the world of two isolated, nomadic women.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Asif Kapadia; Writer: Asif Kapadia, Tim Miller; Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Krusiec, Sean Bean, Gary Pillai) , Official site

Full review See: Director Asif Kapadia interview on Far North

Funny Games

Review preview for Funny Games

Haneke once again delivers intellectual, challenging and bravura filmmaking.

Paul Griffiths · 4 out of 5
English language remake of the ice-cold horror about a family held hostage by a pair of preppy youngsters. Plus read our with producer Chris Coen.

(Country: France, US, UK, Italy; Year: 2007; Director: Michael Haneke; Writer: Michael Haneke; Stars: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Siobhan Fallon, Arno Frisch, Boyd Gaines, Devon Gearhart, Robert LuPone, Linda Moran) , Official site

Full review See: Producer Chris Coen interview about Funny Games remake

Four Minutes (Vier Minuten)

Review preview for Four Minutes

This is a brilliant work, capable of speaking to a variety of audiences.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
A young prisoner receives piano lessons which change her life.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2006; Director: Chris Kraus; Writer: Chris Kraus; Stars: Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, Richy Müller, Jasmin Tabatabai, Stefan Kurt, Vadim Glowna)

Full review

Garage

Review preview for Garage

Garage is one of the most depressing films I have seen in a long time, a scathing indictment of the way we treat the mentally subnormal, but it's enlivened by its own brand of dark humour.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The life of a lonely petrol station attendant is changed forever when he is befriended by a bored teenager.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2007; Director: Lenny Abrahamson; Writer: Mark O'Halloran; Stars: Pat Shortt, Conor Ryan, Anne-Marie Duff, John Keogh) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Honeydripper

Review preview for Honeydripper

Although Danny Glover gets first billing and delivers a complex, compelling performance, this is really an ensemble piece, with great work all round.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The owner of a run-down bar, struggling to compete with the arrival of a jukebox across the road, gambles everything on a star who may not even turn up.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: John Sayles; Writer: John Sayles; Stars: Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Charles S Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Clark Jr, Mable John, Stacy Keach) , Official site

Full review See: Interview with John Sayles about Honeydripper

I Served The King Of England (Obsluhoval Jsem Anglického Krále)

Review preview for I Served The King Of England

Menzel has crafted a visual extravaganza.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
The history of Prague recounted through one man's story, full of glamour and danger.

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia; Year: 2006; Director: Jirí Menzel; Writer: Jirí Menzel, based on the novel by Bohumil Hrabal; Stars: Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch, Martin Huba, Mari Labuda, Milan Lasica) , Trailer

Full review

The Inheritance

Review preview for The Inheritance

Road movies come with clichés attached. Thanks to dialogue that strips convention to the bone, they have no effect here because they wouldn’t survive the verbal onslaught.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
Two brothers who hate each other drive to Skye to search for their dead daddy's money.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Charles Henri Belleville; Writer: Tim Barrow; Stars: Fraser Sivewright, Tim Barrow, Imogen Toner, Tom Hardy) , Official site

Full review

In Search Of A Midnight Kiss

Review preview for In Search Of A Midnight Kiss

This is a dark, perverted, gritty, romantic comedy that, like a new relationship, comes with big indie warts-and-all.

Chris · 3.5 out of 5
Lonely in the run-up to New Year, a young man decides to post a personal ad to find someone with whom to spend that special midnight moment.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Alex Holdridge; Writer: Alex Holdridge; Stars: Scoot McNairy, Twink Caplan, Ann Chatterton, Cindy Drummond, Nic Harcourt, Justin Huen) , Official site

Full review

Juno

Review preview for Juno

The proverbial buzz surrounding Juno is, like, totally justified.

Paul Griffiths · 4 out of 5
A teenager finds her own way of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

(Country: US, Canada, Hungary; Year: 2007; Director: Jason Reitman; Writer: Diablo Cody; Stars: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Eileen Pedde, Rainn Wilson, Daniel Clark, Darla Vandenbossche) , Official site

Full review See: Interview with Jason Reitman about Thank You For Smoking and Juno

Joy Division

Review preview for Joy Division

The soundtrack is, of course, superb, and the television appearances and bootleg live videos testify to how charismatic Joy Division were as live performers.

Daniel Hooper · 4.5 out of 5
An in-depth biographical account of the legendary Manchester band.

(Country: US, UK; Year: 2007; Director: Grant Gee; Writer: Jon Savage; Stars: Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Tony Wilson, Annik Honore)

Full review

King Corn

Review preview for King Corn

The gentle pace and even-handed curiosity of King Corn will come as a shock to many viewers, especially in light of its disturbing subject matter.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Two friends plant an acre of corn and investigate how it grows, its history and its destination.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Aaron Woolf; Writer: Ian Cheney, Curtis Ellis; Stars: Earl L Butz, Ian Cheney, Curtis Ellis) , Official site

Full review

Lars And The Real Girl

Review preview for Lars And The Real Girl

Every performance in it is perfect.

Anton Bitel · 4.5 out of 5
A quiet young man falls in love with a woman who is perfect in every way - except that she's inflatable.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Craig Gillespie; Writer: Nancy Oliver; Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson, Nancy Beatty, RD Reid, Joe Bostick, Liz Gordon, Nicky Guadagni, Doug Lennox, Karen Robinson, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Billy Parrott, Sally Cahill) , Official site

Full review

The Last Mistress (Une vieille maîtresse)

Review preview for The Last Mistress

Quirky directorial touches – such as Vellini’s blowing of smoke rings, or a dimming of sound at key moments - put the audience into the head of the protagonist and help us connect us fully with the characters.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Exploration of aristocratic fidelity in 18th Century France.

(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Catherine Breillat; Writer: Catherine Breillat, adapted from the novel by Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly; Stars: Asia Argento, Fu'ad Ait Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Claude Sarraute, Yolande Moreau, Michael Lonsdale, Anne Parillaud, Jean-Philippe Tesse)

Full review

Lonesome Jim

Review preview for Lonesome Jim

Some excellent performances and some gorgeous opening shots raise Lonesome Jim above average gentle-indie-dark-comedy standards.

Max Crawford · 3.5 out of 5
Struggling to make it on his own, a young man moves back into his parents' house, with ensuing awkwardness.

(Country: US; Year: 2005; Director: Steve Buscemi; Writer: James C. Strouse; Stars: Casey Affleck, Kevin Corrigan, Mary Kay Place, Seymour Cassel, Rachel Strouse, Sarah Strouse, Rick Duplissie, Liv Tyler)

Full review

Margot At The Wedding

Review preview for Margot At The Wedding

Margot ought to be a plum rôle, but Kidman withers it to a prune.

Anton Bitel · 2 out of 5
A neurotic woman undermines her whole family and her sister's impending marriage.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Noah Baumbach; Writer: Noah Baumbach; Stars: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zane Pais, Jack Black, John Turturro, Flora Cross, Ciarán Hinds, Halley Feiffer, Michael Cullen, Enid Graham, Sophie Nyweide, Justin Roth)

Full review

Michou D'Auber

Review preview for Michou D'Auber

This is Depardieu's strongest performance for years.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
The story of an Arab boy fostered in a conservative French village during the Algerian War.

(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Thomas Gilou; Writer: Jean Cosmos, Thomas Gilou; Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, Samy Seghir, Mathieu Amalric, Medy Kerouani, Mohamed Fellag)

Full review

Mister Lonely (Mr Lonely)

Review preview for Mister Lonely

The glorious sight of a flying nun, an image Korine has said was one of his inspirations for the film, is both a moving and a joyous one.

Paul Griffiths · 3.5 out of 5
Celebrity lookalikes get to know one another whilst a crazy old priest takes nuns flying.

(Country: UK, US, France, Ireland; Year: 2007; Director: Harmony Korine; Writer: Harmony Korine, Avi Korine; Stars: Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, James Fox, Werner Herzog, Anita Pallenberg) , Official site

Full review

My Blueberry Nights

Review preview for My Blueberry Nights

Aesthetically this film is an absolute joy to watch. Somehow though, my satisfaction with the story didn’t match my sensory pleasure.

Emma Slawinski · 3.5 out of 5
A heartbroken woman travels across America in search of love.

(Country: Hong Kong, China, France; Year: 2007; Director: Wong Kar Wai; Writer: Wong Kar Wai, Lawrence Block; Stars: Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

My Brother Is An Only Child (Mio fratello è figlio unico)

Review preview for My Brother Is An Only Child

A tough, compelling tale of just how unhappy families can get, given the wrong circumstances.

Jeff Robson · 4 out of 5
Two brothers growing up in small town Italy in the 1960s devote themselves to opposite ends of the political spectrum. Then they both fall in love with the same girl.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2007; Director: Daniele Luchetti; Writer: Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli, Daniele Luchetti; Stars: Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Diane Fleri, Massimo Popolizio, Angela Finocchiario) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

My Nikifor (Mój Nikifor)

Review preview for My Nikifor

My Nikifor rises above the average biopic because it seems to have a real purpose to the telling of its tale, a purpose which goes beyond simply documenting the life of a famous person.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Biopic of the legendary naive painter Nikifor Krynicki.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2004; Director: Krzysztof Krauze; Writer: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze; Stars: Krystyna Feldman, Roman Gancarczyk, Jerzy Gudejko, Jowita Miondlikowska, Lucyna Malec)

Full review

Outlanders

Review preview for Outlanders

The personal story is recounted against a cityscape that leaves bare the warmth of human kindness.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
The fate of illegal immigrants on a London building site.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Dominic Lees; Writer: Jimmy Gardner, Dominic Lees; Stars: Jakub Tolak, Przemyslaw Sadowski, Alexis Raben, Shaun Dingwall, Joe Tucker, Olegar Fedoro, Damon Younger, Michael Klesic, Shaban Arifi, Gergo Danka) , Official site

Full review

Planet Terror (Grindhouse)

Review preview for Planet Terror

Glorious, a hilariously stupid zombie fest that spoofs and honours grindhouse so much better than the tenuously related Death Proof.

Ben Sillis · 4.5 out of 5
Survivors take on infected zombies in the second part of the double-bill formerly known as Grindhouse.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Robert Rodriguez; Writer: Robert Rodriguez; Stars: Freddy Rodríguez, Rose McGowan, Marley Shelton, Josh Brolin, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Michael Parks, Jerili Romeo, Tom Savini, Rebel Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo) , Trailer

Full review

Redacted

Review preview for Redacted

Unlike most of the films about Iraq, Redacted portrays a military that’s a catchall for the uneducated and unsocialised; and while many may find this offensive, it’s perfectly in line with the draft-deferring lowering of recruitment standards.

The Exile · 4.5 out of 5
Controversial story, asking where, in the censored war in Iraq, do we find the truth? Plus read what Brian De Palma said about the film - and the redaction of it, .

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Brian De Palma; Writer: Brian De Palma; Stars: Izzy Diaz, Robe Devaney, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Kel O'Neill, Ty Jones, Zahara Al Zubaidi, Patrick Carroll) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: Brian De Palma on Redacted at the New York Film Festival

[Rec] (Rec)

Review preview for [Rec]

An engrossing and very terrifying experience.

Daniel Hooper · 4 out of 5
A news crew get trapped in an apartment block with a deadly virus and something else...

(Country: Spain; Year: 2007; Director: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza; Writer: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, Luis Bardejo; Stars: Manuela Velasco, Javier Botet, Manuel Bronchud, Martha Carbonell, Claudia Font, Vicente Gil, Maria Lanau, Carlos Lasarte, María Teresa Ortega, Pablo Rosso, Pep Sais) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: Q&A with Jaume Balaguero about REC , Q&A with Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza about Rec

Savage Grace

Review preview for Savage Grace

Always engrossing, at times decidedly uncomfortable viewing, Savage Grace is accomplished cinematic storytelling that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Paul Griffiths · 4 out of 5
Accomplished telling of a real life upper class family's disturbing meltdown.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Tom Kalin; Writer: Howard A Rodman; Stars: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Elana Anaya, Simon Andreu, Anne Reid) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

She Wanted To Be Burnt

Review preview for She Wanted To Be Burnt

A bold, disturbing and powerful montage.

Dylan Matthew · 4 out of 5
A woman wakes to a living nightmare.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Ruth Paxton; Writer: Ruth Paxton; Stars: Kim Chapman)

Full review

Soft

Review preview for Soft

This is clever writing, smart filmmaking and excellent acting. It grasps your nerve endings and gives them a twist.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
Youth Gang Terrorises Suburbia. Winner of European Film Academy Short Film Prix UIP.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Simon Ellis; Writer: Simon Ellis; Stars: Jonny Phillips, Matthew O'Shea, Michael Socha) , Official site

Full review

Special People

Review preview for Special People

By keeping the central theme simple, Edgar and his team are free to explore the nature of the relationships and the characters in the classroom alongside bigger themes such as attitudes to disability from within the community and without.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A film-maker faces comic consequences when he tries to make something 'real' with a group of disabled teens.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Justin Edgar; Writer: Justin Edgar; Stars: Dominic Coleman, Robyn Frampton, Sasha Hardway, David Proud, Jason Maza)

Full review See: Interview with Justin Edgar about Special People and the BBFC

Shotgun Stories

Review preview for Shotgun Stories

The slow-burning Arkansas vista is beautiful and harrowing at the same time, a panorama interrupted only by tractors dotting the horizon, but one where a car parked in the wrong place can attract a mob of pitch fork bearing men.

Ben Sillis · 4.5 out of 5
Blood ties and vengeance in rural Arkansas.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Jeff Nichols; Writer: Jeff Nichols; Stars: Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Natalie Canerday, Glenda Pannell, Lynnsee Provence, G Alan Wilkins, Michael Abbott, Jr, Travis Smith)

Full review

Son Of Rambow (Son of Rambow: A Home Movie)

Review preview for Son Of Rambow

The script sizzles with humour, but more importantly, like Danny Boyle's Millions, it carries an emotional weight.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
Delightful comedy about childlike imagination and love of the movies.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Garth Jennings; Writer: Garth Jennings; Stars: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Zofia Brooks, Neil Dudgeon, Tallulah Evans, Adam Godley, Diane Leach, Paul Ritter, Sam Spivack, Jessica Hynes, Eric Sykes) , Official site

Full review See: Garth Jennings interview about Son Of Rambow , Sundance Film Festival 2006: Day 7 , Sundance Film Festival 2007: Day 6

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Review preview for The Spiderwick Chronicles

One of the best children's films for years.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Moving to a creepy old house after their parents split up, three children encounter a dangerous but enchanting supernatural world.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Mark Waters; Writer: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles; Stars: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise Parker, Joan Plowright, Nick Nolte, David Strathairn) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Them

Review preview for Them

As a picture of Polish society specifically it becomes even more interesting.

Susanna Krawczyk · 5 out of 5
A documentary exploring the use and meaning of political symbols.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2007; Director: Artur Zmijewski; Writer: Artur Zmijewski)

Full review

Thieves (Ladrones)

Review preview for Thieves

Thieves suffers from a story which is really too slight for its length, but explores its metaphorical aspects in some depth.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A youth taught to steal in early childhood finds himself resorting to it almost compulsively as he searches for his mother.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2007; Director: Jaime Marques; Writer: Juan Ibáñez, Enrique López Lavigne; Stars: Juan José Ballesta, María Valverde, Patrick Bauchau, María Ballesteros)

Full review

Teeth

Review preview for Teeth

Lichtenstein takes the myth of vagina dentata and gives it a kitsch horror/comedy makeover, to surprisingly smart and sassy effect.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A virgin's anatomical quirk means she bites off more than she can chew.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein; Writer: Mitchell Lichtenstein; Stars: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Vivienne Benesch, Lenny Von Dohlen, Ashley Springer, Josh Pais, Nicole Swahn, Julia Garro) , Trailer

Full review See: Sundance Film Festival 2007: Day 3

Unrelated

Review preview for Unrelated

An object lesson in less is more, it makes an absolute virtue of its small cast and diminutive budget.

Paul Griffiths · 4 out of 5
A middle-aged woman holidays with her bourgeois friends in Tuscany. Plus read our with Joanna Hogg.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Joanna Hogg; Writer: Joanna Hogg; Stars: Kathryn Worth, Tom Hiddleston, Mary Roscoe, David Rintoul, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Harry Kershaw, Michael Hadley, Emma Hiddleston, Leonetta Mazzini)

Full review See: Interview with Joanna Hogg about Unrelated

We Are Together (Thina Simunye)

Review preview for We Are Together

There are moments of joy, so sublime you feel your heart swell with the sound of the children’s voices and segments of sadness as sharp as a scalpel.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Life in an African orphanage where the children are united by a love of singing.

(Country: UK; Year: 2006; Director: Paul Taylor; Writer: Slindile Moya, Paul Taylor; Stars: Children of Agape, 'Grandma' Zodwa Mqadi, Zwai, Paul Simon, Alicia Keys) , Official site

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Water Lilies (Naissance Des Pieuvres)

Review preview for Water Lilies

This is focused filmmaking, not so much elegiac as lyric.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
Love and sex become urgent issues for the young members of a sychronised swimming team.

(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Céline Sciamma; Writer: Céline Sciamma; Stars: Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adele Haenel, Warren Jacquin, Christelle Baras) , Official site

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What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?)

Review preview for What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?

Towering performances from two of the twentieth century's greatest stars, a mercilessly witty script and direction which pulls no punches - quite simply the greatest melodrama of its era.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Two sisters, a former child star and a now disabled Hollywood actress, are bound together by co-dependency and mutual resentment.

(Country: US; Year: 1962; Director: Robert Aldrich; Writer: Lukas Heller, based on the book by Henry Farrell.; Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono)

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XXY

Review preview for XXY

Darin... again proves that he can break your heart with a look, conveying unspoken emotion with a glance that taps you into his pain.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
Coming of age drama about an intersex teen.

(Country: Argentina, France, Spain; Year: 2007; Director: Lucía Puenzo; Writer: Lucía Puenzo; Stars: Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, Martín Piroyansky, Germán Palacios, Lucas Escariz, Luciano Nóbile, Carolina Pelleritti)

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You, The Living (Du Levande)

Review preview for You, The Living

If Andersson is good at using the visual to create links, then he accompanies this with a strong aural sense.

Daniel Hooper · 4 out of 5
Surreal, dreamlike, and darkly comic sketches about life and death.

(Country: Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway; Year: 2007; Director: Roy Andersson; Writer: Roy Andersson; Stars: Jessika Lundberg, Elisabet Helander, Björn Englund, Eric Bäckman, Leif Larsson, Ollie Olson, Kemal Sener) , Official site , Trailer

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Zombie Strippers!

Review preview for Zombie Strippers!

Not quite enough braaaaaains to go round.

Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
You need a one liner after reading the title?

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jay Lee; Writer: Jay Lee; Stars: Jenna Jameson, Robert Englund, Roxy Saint, Joey Medina, Shamron Moore, Penny Drake, Jennifer Holland, John Hawkes, Jeannette Sousa, Whitney Anderson)

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