Reviews by David Graham

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  21 & Over (2013)

  Review preview for 21 & Over

  If you can find humor in casual racism, drunk driving and people being gored by marauding buffalo, this may be the film for you.

  Turning 21 the day before a vital medical school interview, our hero pops out for just the one beer, with predictable consequences.
• 
  22 Jump Street (2014)

  Review preview for 22 Jump Street

  Ideal summer entertainment.

  Schmidt and Jenko go undercover at a college.
• 
  50/50 (2011)

  Review preview for 50/50

  Like several genre-splicing and convention-lampooning comedies of late, the film tries to have its cake and eat it, but this can leave both sides of the recipe feeling half-baked.

  An original story of friendship, love and survival - and finding humour in the most unlikely places.
• 
  The 99 Unbound (2011)

  Review preview for The 99 Unbound

  The 99 Unbound might just about cut the mustard after school on CBeebies but its low budget and rudimentary design are cinematically embarrassing.

  An animated adaptation of Naif Al-Mutawa's comic strip 'The 99', this is an action packed adventure story, full of intrigue, conflict and diversity.
• 
  African Cats (2011)

  Review preview for African Cats

  Jackson really does attack his narration with all the relish of a new father indulging his kids at bedtime.

  A documentary following two big cat families through the hardships of life in the wild.
• 
  After Earth (2013)

  Review preview for After Earth

  It’s not over-the-top enough to be so bad it’s good, and the occasional scenes of genuine tension aren’t enough to make up for the meandering action.

  A millenium after humans abandoned earth, a father and son find themselves stranded there.
• 
  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

  Review preview for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

  It just all feels like too much of what we expect and not enough we haven't seen before.

  More adventures for Peter Parker's alter-ego.
• 
  Amer (2009)

  Review preview for Amer

  A totally idiosyncratic creation, something that deserves to be relished for its bravado refusal to play by the rules.

  A surreal look at three stages of a woman's life, drawing heavily on the giallo tradition.
• 
  Anonymous (2011)

  Review preview for Anonymous

  If Emmerich doesn't quite hit all his targets dead-on, he should at least be commended for trying to take his career and chosen genre down a less obvious route while remaining crowd-pleasing.

  A star-studded British cast graces Roland Emmerich's exploration of the contested authorship of Shakespeare's works.
• 
  Apollo 18 (2011)

  Review preview for Apollo 18

  An undeniable technical achievement.

  'Found footage' reveals the truth about why NASA never returned to the Moon.
• 
  Arrietty (2010)

  Review preview for Arrietty

  The first thing that will strike you is how absolutely lush it is visually; the pastel landscape is utterly iridescent by day, and star-dusted luminous by night.

  Studio Ghibli's reworking of an English classic about very small people trying to make their way in the world.
• 
  Attractive Illusion (2012)

  Review preview for Attractive Illusion

  The characters are vivid and full of life in a way that a traditional script might not convey.

  In search of a better life, a boatful of Nigerians wash up on the shores of Greece and head for Athens. There they embark on a precarious new life.
• 
  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

  Review preview for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

  A good example of the contents of tins doing exactly what they say.

  The president has a stake in a deadly game.
• 
  All Stars (2013)

  Review preview for All Stars

  All Stars is a well-intentioned addition to its genre but fails to transcend its trappings.

  Two kids plan to stage a dance show to save their youth club from closure.
• 
  The American Scream (2012)

  Review preview for The American Scream

  Stephenson's eye picks up all kinds of telling detail to build a life-affirming picture of these individuals' heroic foolhardiness.

  Three Massachusetts families pepare haunted houses for Halloween.
• 
  Angel And Tony (2010)

  Review preview for Angel And Tony

  That they make such a fascinating pair is down to Delaporte's spare but beautifully observed script, and the brilliantly understated performances by Clotilde Hesme and Gregory Gadebois.

  A touching portrayal of love against the odds.
• 
  Bad Grandpa (2013)

  Review preview for Bad Grandpa

  The dynamic between Knoxville and Niccoll is definitely the film’s trump card, and both of them excel in exponentially bittersweet roles.

  A fictional grandpa transports his fictional grandson across the US, playing pranks on real strangers.
• 
  Bad Neighbours (2014)

  Review preview for Bad Neighbours

  There's something unconvincing about Seth Rogen playing a responsible adult that undercuts much of the comic tension in Bad Neighbours.

  A couple with a new baby get into a dispute with the frat boys who have moved in next door.
• 
  Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

  Review preview for Battle: Los Angeles

  There's absolutely nothing here that hasn't been done before and better.

  Aliens attack Los Angeles and a marine platoon is called upon to stop them.
• 
  The Bay (2012)

  Review preview for The Bay

  There's some fun to be had among the commotion of the outbreak, but it all seems too stretched to really bite deep as either satire or schlock.

  Chaos breaks out in a small town in the wake of an ecological disaster.
• 
  Ballast (2008)

  Review preview for Ballast

  Ballast is absorbing because it bravely avoids dramatic cliches to deliver a more positive experience than might be expected.

  An emotionally frayed family find their lives torn apart in a small Mississippi Delta town.
• 
  Bridesmaids (2011)

  Review preview for Bridesmaids

  Every bit as polished and appealing as its predecessors.

  Despite her best attempts to be a model member of the bridal party, an unlucky-in-love singleton finds herself rapidly becoming the ’maid of dishonour’.
• 
  Between 2 Fires (2010)

  Review preview for Between 2 Fires

  A riveting film with a huge amount of depth and a brilliantly deceptive narrative.

  How far would you go to protect your daughter? Would you become a refugee?
• 
  Big Bad Wolves (2013)

  Review preview for Big Bad Wolves

  Definitely one of this year’s most accomplished thrillers.

  Two vigilantes kidnap a suspected child-killer.
• 
  Big Miracle (2012)

  Review preview for Big Miracle

  Big Miracle isn't going to win any awards for originality or become anyone over 12's favorite film, but it serves its purpose sincerely and does what it does extremely well.

  A group of volunteers race to save three whales trapped by ice.
• 
  Bullet To The Head (2012)

  Review preview for Bullet To The Head

  Bourbon Street and its surroundings have rarely seemed so authentically seedy.

  A New Orleans hitman and a Washington DC detective join forces to get revenge on the man who killed their partners.
• 
  Bully (2011)

  Review preview for Bully

  Hidden camera footage provides especially distressing evidence of the extent of the physical abuse.

  A documentary about some of the devastating effects of school bullying in the US.
• 
  By Day And By Night (2009)

  Review preview for By Day And By Night

  It's a powerful concept that isn't really done full justice.

  Gattaca meets THX1138 meets Blade Runner...
• 
  The Call (2013)

  Review preview for The Call

  Berry’s spirited performance really anchors the film, but unfortunately her character’s unbeievable actions also sink it towards the end.

  A 911 operator who receives a call from an abducted teenager realises she may be the only person who can help.
• 
  The Caller (2010)

  Review preview for The Caller

  Despite appealing leads and the subtle creepiness of the escalating phone-calls, director Matthew Parkhill can't make the pieces fit, leaving the audience hanging in frustration rather than in suspense.

  When the past comes calling, don't pick up the phone...
• 
  Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

  Review preview for Cannibal Holocaust

  Cannibal Holocaust is perhaps the ultimate example of a film that eats itself; it will be debated and misunderstood for years to come.

  A rescue team recovers found footage shot by a documentary team that set out to investigate lost cannibal tribes.
• 
  Cassadaga (2011)

  Review preview for Cassadaga

  It's refreshing to see a young woman in a horror movie with various potential weaknesses who still emerges as a strong, upbeat individual.

  A deaf art teacher struggling with bereavement seeks refuge in a spiritualist community only to encounter a ghost bent on vengeance.
• 
  The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)

  Review preview for The Cat O' Nine Tails

  Never quite stands out or comes together the way some of the director's best work does.

  A newspaper reporter and a blind puzzle expert team up to try and solve a string of murders.
• 
  Carrie (2013)

  Review preview for Carrie

  Without the murky melodrama of the original, this new Carrie is reduced to the sort of thing you could actually show in high school.

  A bullied girl with a deeply religious mother begins to lose control and discovers that she has telekinetic powers.
• 
  The Change-Up (2011)

  Review preview for The Change-Up

  It's an unbridled pleasure to see Bateman off the leash for once.

  A harried husband and father finds himself in the body of his freewheeling, promiscuous best friend.
• 
  Chronicle (2012)

  Review preview for Chronicle

  Manages to impress through nifty direction on a relatively low budget, slow-burning performances from promising newcomers and a thoughtful, perceptive script.

  Gaining superpowers exposes three friends to dangerous temptations.
• 
  Compliance (2012)

  Review preview for Compliance

  This may not be a traditional horror film but it burrows into your brain and under your skin in the same way as the most disturbing genre flicks.

  A drama based on the real life case of fast food restaurant employees who abused vulnerable young people on the orders of a stranger on the phone who claimed to be investigating shoplifting.
• 
  Conan The Barbarian (2011)

  Review preview for Conan The Barbarian

  Fans of this type of fare will find plenty to like, but the final article remains a bit of a missed opportunity, never quite climbing the spectacular heights the character deserves.

  The legendary Cimmerian warrior battles to save the land where he lives from an encroaching evil force.
• 
  The Conjuring (2013)

  Review preview for The Conjuring

  If it sometimes feels like Wan's falling back on the tricks of the trade, he's also often able to spin something unexpected out of the familiar.

  A family find that their new rural home is already occupied - by something supernatural.
• 
  Cheap Thrills (2013)

  Review preview for Cheap Thrills

  Katz keeps the suspense simmering masterfully, alternating between building dread and releasing tension through uncomfortable mirth

  Two friends trying to drown their sorrows meet a bored married couple who engage them in a series of increasingly bloody and dangerous bets.
• 
  Chef (2014)

  Review preview for Chef

  As if it's not bad enough that Chef is marinated in sticky sentiment, Favreau's occasional attempts to sprinkle in heavy-handed drama make for a stodgy mix.

  A chef trying to recover his flagging reputation finds inspiration in romance.
• 
  Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

  Review preview for Chernobyl Diaries

  An efficient if inauspicious directorial debut with a horror thriller enlivened by spectacularly oppressive location work but hampered by faddish cliches tailored towards its tech-savvy teen target audience.

  Young holidaymakers get more than they bargain for when they hire an "extreme" tour guide who takes them to the abandoned town where the Chernobyl nuclear reactor employees used to live.
• 
  Chimpanzee (2012)

  Review preview for Chimpanzee

  Disney's predictable attempt to impose a narrative and to anthropomorphise the animals leads to some stodgy story-telling.

  An orphan chimp struggles to survive and gradually grows in social status.
• 
  Citadel (2012)

  Review preview for Citadel

  Anchored by a sincerely anguished turn from talented young Welsh star Aneurin Barnard.

  A bereaved, agoraphobic single father is beseiged by hooded teenagers who may not be quite human.
• 
  Cockneys Vs Zombies (2011)

  Review preview for Cockneys Vs Zombies

  The real comedic heart of the film is with the still-kicking Brit-veteran oldies.

  Bank robbers fight their way out of zombie-infested London.
• 
  Combat Shock (1984)

  Review preview for Combat Shock

  Praised in some quarters for young writer/director Buddy Giovinazzo's virulent veracity, it's the sort of unapologetic scuzz-fest whose ultra-low budget becomes a serendipitous badge of honour.

  A Vietnam veteran struggles to cope with post-traumatic stress.
• 
  Concussion (2013)

  Review preview for Concussion

  A brilliant central performance from Robin Weigert.

  A frustrated woman secretly becomes a lesbian escort.
• 
  Contraband (2012)

  Review preview for Contraband

  What should simply be a diverting no-brainer is made considerably harder to swallow by the script's shallow handling of some unsavoury subject matter.

  Action thriller about a reluctant smuggler.
• 
  Cosmopolis (2012)

  Review preview for Cosmopolis

  While Pattinson is to be commended for taking on such an un-commercial vehicle - to which he definitely does no disservice - it all seems a bit too calculated, more posturing than penetrating.

  Chance encounters threaten to tear a billionaire's life apart as he travels across Manhattan.
• 
  Cruising (1980)

  Review preview for Cruising

  Aided by a bug-eyed, intensely committed turn from Al Pacino, Cruising is a startling and haunting film.

  A detective goes undercover in New York's gay S&M scene to try and catch a serial killer.