Reviews by David Graham

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Wiener-Dog (2016)

  Review preview for Wiener-Dog

  Wiener-Dog is a Solondz film through and through – there's still no-one daring to be quite so acerbic and inhumane towards his characters while keeping them grounded in a sense of relatable experience.

  Portmanteau film about the owners of a dachshund.
• 
  The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

  Review preview for The Town That Dreaded Sundown

  A frequently impressive but occasionally problematic experience.

  Sixty-five years after a serial killer terrorised a small town... the murders begin again.
• 
  Stalled (2013)

  Review preview for Stalled

  These two British upstarts show just how much can be done when you're brave enough to keep things intimate.

  A janitor is trapped in the toilets when a zombie outbreak strikes the office party.
• 
  Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014)

  Review preview for Transformers: Age Of Extinction

  The reality of enduring this 165-minute car-wreck is depressing in the extreme.

  A mechanic hooks up with Optimus Prime as alien robots trick humans into hunting down the Autobots.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Sacrament (2013)

  Review preview for The Sacrament

  Gene Jones makes one of the most enigmatic and appalling cult leaders you'll ever see.

  Two young reporters visit a secretive religious group.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  22 Jump Street (2014)

  Review preview for 22 Jump Street

  Ideal summer entertainment.

  Schmidt and Jenko go undercover at a college.
• 
  Re-Animator (1985)

  Review preview for Re-Animator

  If Re-Animator doesn't get your blood pumping, you're already dead.

  Students decide to resurrect the dead in this much-loved comedic take on the work of HP Lovecraft.
• 
  Sabotage (2014)

  Review preview for Sabotage

  It doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts, but there's still enough salty brio to Sabotage to keep it eminently watchable.

  A corrupt drug task force find themselves on a hit list.
• 
  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.
• 
  Concussion (2013)

  Review preview for Concussion

  A brilliant central performance from Robin Weigert.

  A frustrated woman secretly becomes a lesbian escort.
• 
  Next Goal Wins (2014)

  Review preview for Next Goal Wins

  Next Goal Wins will hit the back of the net with even footie-phobic viewers.

  The world's worst football team shoots for the stars.
• 
  Last Days On Mars (2013)

  Review preview for Last Days On Mars

  A stunning doom-laden score manages to imbue even underwhelming moments with a sense of both unease and unexpected pathos.

  Astronauts working on Mars gradually fall prey to a mysterious force.
• 
  The Raid 2 (2014)

  Review preview for The Raid 2

  The biggest kick up the cinematic arse you're likely to get this year.

  Picking up where the first film left off, The Raid 2 follows Rama as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and expose the corruption in his own police force.
• 
  The Legend Of Hercules (2014)

  Review preview for The Legend Of Hercules

  It’s all so straight-faced and humourless as to feel redundant, especially with such a bland protagonist.

  The legendary hero is torn between love and the duty to fulfill his destiny.
• 
  Video Nasties: Draconian Days (2014)

  Review preview for Video Nasties: Draconian Days

  The sense of a community growing up in defiance of such nonsensical conservatism makes the second half hugely rousing.

  The story of censorship in the British home video industry.
• 
  Killers (2014)

  Review preview for Killers

  Its shock tactics never feel cheap and its cerebral bent should see it transcend the torture porn ghetto.

  An accomplished but bored serial killer takes a journalist who is drawn to murder under his wing.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Stuff (1985)

  Review preview for The Stuff

  As wilfully messy as all of Cohen’s work but his wicked sense of humour, budget-enforced ingenuity and ability to draw off-kilter performances from unlikely thesps shines through.

  When a dessert starts taking on a life of its own, it spells trouble for the local populace.
• 
  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
• 
  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

  Review preview for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

  It’s not altogether successful, but it’s refreshing to see Landon taking the franchise in new directions.

  After the death of his neighbour, a young man comes to suspect that a demon is after him.
• 
  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.
• 
  Kill Your Darlings (2013)

  Review preview for Kill Your Darlings

  Krikodas should be wary of letting his style run rampant over material that could have been both resonant and disturbing given some restraint.

  A murder brings together the young writers of the beat generation.
• 
  Oldboy (2013)

  Review preview for Oldboy

  The veteran director brings more than enough to the table to make his version well worth watching.

  A man who spent 20 years in solitary confinement sets about looking for vengeance.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Philomena (2013)

  Review preview for Philomena

  This will have even the bitterest viewer sobbing into their popcorn.

  The true story of an Irish Catholic woman who decides to find her son more than 50 years after she was forced, as an unmarried mother, to give him up for adoption.
• 
  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

  Review preview for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

  TCM2 was never going to match its predecessor’s intensity but it does achieve a debauched delirium all of its own.

  Leatherface and family torment a radio DJ in a bloody comedy sequel to the horror classic.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  No One Lives (2012)

  Review preview for No One Lives

  Sealing the deal is a bravura turn from Evans, always charismatic but here downright deadly, acing his American accent and conveying ice-cold menace throughout.

  Robbers on the run carjack a killer with a hostage on board.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  We Are What We Are (2013)

  Review preview for We Are What We Are

  Ambyr Childers conveys the pressure the world-weary Iris is under brilliantly, while Julia Garner shines as the otherworldly Rose.

  A cannibal family faces an uncertain future following a bereavement.
• 
  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.
• 
  Insidious Chapter 2 (2013)

  Review preview for Insidious Chapter 2

  Dropping the demonic angle in favour of a more clichéd serial killer back-story proves a major mistake – it scuppers all ambiguity and feels like a step back from the bedlam of the original.

  A haunted family seek to discover the secret of why they are so vulnerable to malicious spirits.
• 
  Riddick (2013)

  Review preview for Riddick

  Diesel's as cool as usual, but should really know better by now.

  Marooned on a planet full of monsters, Riddick must face off against mercenaries and issues from his past.
• 
  You're Next (2013)

  Review preview for You're Next

  For better and worse the majority of the action is dominated by Step Up 3D wonder-woman Sharni Vinson, an impressive physical presence as Erin but not exactly the world's greatest actress.

  During an anniversary celebration a family home is invaded by would-be killers, but they didn't count on a new girlfriend with fierce survival instincts.
• 
  Spring Breakers (2012)

  Review preview for Spring Breakers

  There’s so much undeniable artistry on display that it’s impossible to write it off as mere trash masquerading as avant-garde, or vice-versa.

  Four college students form an unlikely allegiance with a drug dealer.
• 
  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.
• 
  I Want Your Love (2012)

  Review preview for I Want Your Love

  The emphasis on pretentious bohemian characters robs the film of some of its potential appeal.

  A gay man spends his final night in San Francisco before moving back to the Midwest.
• 
  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.
• 
  This Is The End (2013)

  Review preview for This Is The End

  Treading a fine balance between self-referential smugness and earnest likeability, the core duo of Baruchel and Rogen get things off to a good start.

  A group of celebrities attending a party at James Franco's house are suddenly confronted with the Apocalypse.
• 
  The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)

  Review preview for The Last Exorcism Part II

  Ashley Bell is outstanding once more.

  Down and out in New Orleans, young Nell discovers she is still being followed by a demon.
• 
  The Stone Roses: Made of Stone (2013)

  Review preview for The Stone Roses: Made of Stone

  The selection of songs shows an insider’s fervour.

  Rock-doc on Manchester indie rock pioneers The Stone Roses.
• 
  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.