Reviews by David Graham

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Curse Of Chucky (2013)

  Review preview for Curse Of Chucky

  After a couple of increasingly camp comedy-horrors, it's refreshing to see the air of menace return to this series.

  The demonic doll returns to wreak havoc within a dysfunctional family that’s regrouped for a funeral.
• 
  The Dance Of Reality (2013)

  Review preview for The Dance Of Reality

  Brontis really does steal the show, offering a multi-layered, sensitive performance that begs the question why we haven't seen more of him over the years.

  The director looks back at his childhood in Chile.
• 
  Dark Skies (2013)

  Review preview for Dark Skies

  A surprisingly engaging mystery thriller, anchored by convincing performances and a confident build-up of suspense.

  Something is haunting the Barrett family residence and it seems to be after the Barretts themselves.
• 
  The Day (2011)

  Review preview for The Day

  Aarniokoski shows real flair for staging visceral, splattery action.

  Survivors travelling through a post-Apocalypse world take refuge in a remote farmhouse and face a showdown with mutant cannibals.
• 
  Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

  Review preview for Dawn Of The Dead

  Dawn Of The Dead is an astounding work that holds up to this day.

  During a zombie apocalypse, a small group of survivors seeks refuge in an abandoned shopping mall.
• 
  Day Of The Dead (1985)

  Review preview for Day Of The Dead

  It's rare for such a talky movie to be so exciting, but the wired performances combine with the visceral effects and confident direction to create an utterly absorbing experience.

  Trouble flares in a small military base where some of the last survivors of a zombie apocalypse are holding out as scientists search for a solution.
• 
  Deadly Blessing (1981)

  Review preview for Deadly Blessing

  For all its flaws though, old-school horror fans should get a kick out of Craven's employment of classic slasher tropes in an unusual setting, not to mention a genuinely spooky James Horner score.

  A woman finds herself a victim of superstition after her husband dies in an accident.
• 
  The Dead Undead (2010)

  Review preview for The Dead Undead

  The film becomes one long anti-climax

  A group of youths get caught up in a war between vampires and zombies.
• 
  Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2 (2011)

  Review preview for Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2

  Even though it might not seem obvious to discerning adults, lots of care and attention to detail has been lavished upon this film.

  Two brothers have to deal with their parents' attempts to persuade them to be best friends.
• 
  Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2010)

  Review preview for Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

  The film's biggest disappointment is that it just isn't very scary.

  A girl starts to hear voices in the hidden basement of a mansion her father is restoring.
• 
  Dredd (2012)

  Review preview for Dredd

  Pete Travis works hard to bring John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's apocalyptic vision to life.

  In the violent dystopia of Mega City One, only the judges can keep order.
• 
  Drive Angry (2011)

  Review preview for Drive Angry

  The film gleefully rips off everything from genre classics like The Terminator to recent upstarts such as Shoot 'Em Up, but manages to do it with a tongue so firmly in cheek that you should be too busy grinning to care.

  A man escapes from Hell to try and rescue his baby granddaughter from a cult that intends to sacrifice her.
• 
  Deadly Impact (2009)

  Review preview for Deadly Impact

  This film just flounders from one uninspired location to the next, with set-pieces that could be interesting were they not handled in such a ham-fisted fashion.

  A cop with a troubled past tries to track down an assassin.
• 
  Dead Man Down (2013)

  Review preview for Dead Man Down

  Dumb Men Dead would be a more apt title.

  A woman seeking revenge seduces a crime lord's lieutenant.
• 
  The Devil Inside (2012)

  Review preview for The Devil Inside

  As hackneyed as the plot may be, the film remains engaging if not exactly riveting throughout.

  A woman goes in search of the truth about her mother, who allegedly killed three people during an exorcism 20 years ago.
• 
  The Dictator (2012)

  Review preview for The Dictator

  Like the best comedy, it's both wilfully stupid and deceptively clever, pushing buttons you may not expect.

  A Middle Eastern dictator is summoned before the UN Security Council in relation to concerns about his nuclear weapons programme.
• 
  The Divide (2011)

  Review preview for The Divide

  The film's strongest suit is, somewhat surprisingly, its rich vein of gallows humour.

  A group of survivors from an unexpected attack on an apartment block hide out together, but discover they can't trust each other.
• 
  The Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013)

  Review preview for The Dyatlov Pass Incident

  It’s not entirely successful but it’s gripping entertainment that maintains a sense of mystery right up to its insane everything-but-the-kitchen-sink climax.

  Five young filmmakers investigate the mysterious disappearance of a group of hikers in a remote mountain pass.
• 
  The Eagle (2011)

  Review preview for The Eagle

  Macdonald proceeds to let his narrative grind to a halt from which it never recovers.

  A Roman soldier tries to retrieve his legion's lost emblem from the Pictish hordes.
• 
  Easy A (2010)

  Review preview for Easy A

  Emma Stone really holds the film together, an immensely likable lead even when things get a little too indulgent.

  Modern take on The Scarlet Letter, sees a high school student use rumours to advance herself.
• 
  Epic (2013)

  Review preview for Epic

  The early stretch strikes a nice balance between surprisingly mature human scenes and the soaring spectacle of the Leaf-people’s lives.

  A teenager shrunk to the size of the leaf people in her father's garden must fight evil forces to save the world.
• 
  Escape Plan (2013)

  Review preview for Escape Plan

  Despite admirably attempting to appear otherwise, Miles Chaplin and Jason Keller’s script is transparently stoopid, but mostly in the best way.

  When a security expert is framed and trapped in the world's most secure prison, he will need all his skills - and more - to make his escape.
• 
  Essential Killing (2010)

  Review preview for Essential Killing

  The cinematography is jarringly stunning, with episodes of pursuit and suspense broken up by breathtaking vistas of harsh landscapes.

  An interrogated man goes on the run.
• 
  Evidence (2011)

  Review preview for Evidence

  Throughout it all, the requisite nausea-inducing camerawork and ear-piercing shrieking will have you wishing this was one found footage flick that had stayed lost.

  A found-footage film about a group of young people making documentary in the Los Angeles canyons and encountering something primitive and terrible.
• 
  Faster (2010)

  Review preview for Faster

  Ultimately a curious hybrid that admirably tries to transcend its genre trappings but sadly falls short of its noble intentions.

  An ex-con aims to avenge his brother's death while avoiding a hitman and the lawman determined to bring him in.
• 
  For A Good Time, Call... (2012)

  Review preview for For A Good Time, Call...

  Despite being occasionally misjudged, Travis' film maintains its sparkle and warmth thanks to its outstanding leads and sparky script.

  Odd couple flatmates get into the phone sex business in a cheerfully smutty comedy.
• 
  Friends With Benefits (2011)

  Review preview for Friends With Benefits

  It's the sort of film that couples should enjoy equally; there's serious eye candy whatever your preference, and the film's energy and good humour is infectious.

  Two ambitious young people find that sleeping together with no emotional complications is trickier than they anticipated.
• 
  The Funhouse (1981)

  Review preview for The Funhouse

  The Funhouse is a cult classic that has languished in obscurity for far too long.

  Four friends find themselves in peril after deciding to spend the night inside a carnival house of horrors.
• 
  Filth (2013)

  Review preview for Filth

  It's sad to see McAvoy's raving, raging talent gone to waste on something so patchy.

  An amoral, junkie police officer will do anything - and break any rule - to win back the affections of his wife and child.
• 
  Fire In Babylon (2010)

  Review preview for Fire In Babylon

  The thrilling archival clips and charismatic talking heads alone would make a fabulous documentary in the most traditional sense, but the judicious use of music really brings the film alive.

  A documentary about the golden age of West Indian cricket.
• 
  The First Grader (2010)

  Review preview for The First Grader

  There is plenty of intriguing historical backdrop to this story, and Chadwick manages to incorporate much of it without losing focus on the very personal subject at the film's centre.

  The story of an 84-year-old Kenyan man's fight for education and equality.
• 
  First Position (2011)

  Review preview for First Position

  An immensely involving and engaging experience.

  A documentary following a group of kids through tough ballet training.
• 
  Forever Loved (2011)

  Review preview for Forever Loved

  Forever Loved is at its best when it avoids embellishment.

  An examination of the stories of Filipino migrants around the world, and one man's journey to find his missing emigrant wife.
• 
  Frankenhooker (1990)

  Review preview for Frankenhooker

  It's all so lovingly trashy that it's impossible not to go along with the anything-goes vibe.

  After his girlfriend is decapitated, a former medical student aims to build her a new body from pieces of streetwalkers.
• 
  Frozen (2013)

  Review preview for Frozen

  Frozen will definitely please festive-minded families but it’s not quite the classic it could have been.

  The beauty and danger of ice exposed in an animated musical tale of royal siblings and treachery behind the throne.
• 
  Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance In 3D (2011)

  Review preview for Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance In 3D

  Cage here continues the recent return to his legendary loony best.

  Johnny Blaze returns as the Ghost Rider, who must stop the devil taking human form on earth.
• 
  G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

  Review preview for G.I. Joe: Retaliation

  It’s all likely to bore even the teenage boy target audience who’ll have outgrown the eponymous toys by the time they might stand a chance of being diverted by this tripe.

  The GI Joes face a double thrat - from COBRA and from their own government.
• 
  The Grey (2012)

  Review preview for The Grey

  The Grey is essentially a Boy's Own film for adults, but its air of genuine menace transcends the sort of schtick that often sinks the genre

  Following a plane crash in the remote Arctic, the survivors must face off against a pack of wolves.
• 
  Grudge Match (2013)

  Review preview for Grudge Match

  It’s wobbly on its feet, but it’s definitely got heart.

  A pair of ageing boxing rivals take on a final bout
• 
  Girl Most Likely (2012)

  Review preview for Girl Most Likely

  Initially seems to be another quirkily neurotic chick-flick, but soon reveals itself to be surprisingly good-natured and insightful.

  After her life collapses around her a woman is forced to move back in with her mother, and clashes ensue.
• 
  Gummo (1997)

  Review preview for Gummo

  Gummo rewards repeated viewings like little else; there is so much to be gleaned from every vignette and even more from the film as a whole.

  Bored teenagers wander round their suburban neighbourhood.
• 
  Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

  Review preview for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

  It might not be designed to win any of this season's awards or linger in the memory, but this is a hell of a lot more fun than other recent fairy-tale reboots.

  The famous brother and sister team take revenge for their childhood trauma.
• 
  Hatchet 2 (2010)

  Review preview for Hatchet 2

  While director Adam Green hasn’t really changed the formula at all for his sequel to 2006's retro slasher, he has tightened it up in every way to deliver a markedly more effective ride.

  The survivor of the first film returns to the swamp to wreak revenge on the undead madman who killed her family.
• 
  The Hangover: Part II (2011)

  Review preview for The Hangover: Part II

  This could easily have built upon the ragged genius of its predecessor but instead settles for wheeling out the same old tricks.

  After their bachelor party went hilariously wrong, this time the Wolfpack find themselves heading to a wedding in Thailand...
• 
  Here Comes The Boom (2012)

  Review preview for Here Comes The Boom

  Mixed messages and crass stereotyping combine with an underwhelming script to add up to a pretty lightweight experience.

  A teacher takes up mixed martial arts to try and raise the money to save extra curricular activities at his school.
• 
  Hobo With A Shotgun (2011)

  Review preview for Hobo With A Shotgun

  The sort of movie that Rob Zombie should have made by now and will no doubt wish he had.

  A hobo hops from a train with dreams of a fresh life in a new city, but instead finds himself trapped in an urban hell.
• 
  Horrible Bosses (2011)

  Review preview for Horrible Bosses

  Jennifer Aniston is an absolute revelation, burning up the screen in her sleaziest and possibly funniest performance to date.

  Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.
• 
  Hugo (2011)

  Review preview for Hugo

  referential re-enactments of everything from Harold Lloyd to Fritz Lang will massage the ego of the informed but like most modern remakes, these scenes lack the heart and soul of their inspirations, and aren't imaginative or exciting enough out of context

  Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
• 
  The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)

  Review preview for The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)

  Six's meta-sequel seems calibrated to make those torture porn devotees let Sadly, neither Six's ideas or execution are enough to make the climactic orgy of suffering anything other than boring and unbelievable.

  Inspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter, disturbed loner Martin dreams of creating a 12-person centipede and sets out to realize his sick fantasy.
• 
  Hop (2011)

  Review preview for Hop

  Hop is ultimately more accomplished than it might need or reasonably be expected to be.

  After accidentally running over the Easter bunny's son, an unemployed man is forced to get involved in the egg delivery business.