Reviews by Leanne McGrath

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Astro Boy (2009)

  Review preview for Astro Boy

  The intricate detail of the colourful computer animation will wow viewers.

  Science-fiction, CGI animation tracing the adventures of a young robot with super powers.
• 
  Atomised (2006)

  Two lonely brothers struggle to come to terms with life.
• 
  Amelia (2009)

  Review preview for Amelia

  The script is weak, relying heavily on travelogue-style scenes of Earhart’s flights, passages from her diaries and newsreel footage and headlines.

  Biopic of pilot Amelia Earhart.
• 
  An African Election (2011)

  Review preview for An African Election

  The documentary is well balanced and never presents either party in a more favourable light than the other.

  Documentary charting the 2008 presidential election in Ghana.
• 
  Blackmail (1929)

  Review preview for Blackmail

  The Master of Suspense's first talking picture is the template for many of his later masterpieces.

  A young woman and her detective lover are blackmailed after she kills a man who tries to rape her.
• 
  Black (2009)

  Review preview for Black

  The breaking of genre boundaries is surreal but one of many enjoyable elements of Black.

  After a bank heist goes south, the surviving robber tries to get rich quick in Senegal, only to fall foul of a millionaire who is morphing into a snake and gaggle of other weirdos vying for power.
• 
  Casualty: Series 2 (1987)

  The lives and loves of staff and patients at a busy casualty department... injected with a healthy dose of politics, racism and more blood than a
• 
  Colonel Redl (1985)

  An ambitious young army officer rises to the top of the military, but politics and blackmail make his world come crashing down.
• 
  The Code (2009)

  Review preview for The Code

  Ridiculous doesn’t quite cover it.

  A renowned thief enlists the help of a petty thief to pull of one last heist.
• 
  La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009)

  Review preview for La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

  While the result is visually flawless, the film is often very confusing.

  Documentary steps behind the scenes of one of France's cultural institutions.
• 
  Despicable Me (2010)

  Review preview for Despicable Me

  Funny, clever and beautifully animated with memorable, imaginative characters.

  A super-villain plots to steal the Moon.
• 
  Dog Sweat (2010)

  Review preview for Dog Sweat

  Shot in an unobstrusive, ‘cinema verite’, documentary style, the film never pushes its politics down the viewer’s throat, rather presents a picture of the conflicts ordinary people deal with daily.

  Six Iranian youngsters rebel against Islamic rule in Tehran.
• 
  Do It Again (2009)

  Review preview for Do It Again

  It may be a little self-indulgent but any music fan will appreciate and share his joy.

  A documentary following a middle aged journalist's quest to reunite The Kinks.
• 
  Elena Et Les Hommes (1956)

  Review preview for Elena Et Les Hommes

  Although there is a heavy political story, the film lightens the tone with plenty of music and comedy, particularly slapstick.

  A Polish princess tries to persuade a lovestruck general to carry out a coup in 1880s France. Currently out to own as part of the seven-disc Jean Renoir Collection.
• 
  The Eye... Infinity (2005)

  Five teenagers witness terror when they try to see ghosts.
• 
  Fear Eats The Soul (1974)

  Review preview for Fear Eats The Soul

  Fassbinder's camerawork is nothing short of masterful.

  Touching romance between a lonely widow and an immigrant worker.
• 
  Fear Of Fear (1975)

  Review preview for Fear Of Fear

  Fassbinder’s technical skill is, as always, flawless.

  A German housewife fears she is going insane following the birth of her second child. Out to own now on the RW Fassbinder Commemorative Collection: Vol 2.
• 
  Friday The 13th (2009)

  Review preview for Friday The 13th

  Butchers the memory of the Eighties horror classic as brutally as any of its victims.

  Jason Vorhees is back... and he's angry.
• 
  From Time To Time (2009)

  Review preview for From Time To Time

  This haunting ghost story is an old-fashioned family film that will delight both kids and adults. S

  Ghostly goings on ensue when a youngster is sent to live with his grandma at Green Knowe.
• 
  Guys And Dolls (1955)

  Review preview for Guys And Dolls

  A bit long and doesn't have the polish of classic musicals.

  The Broadway musical of crooks, gamblers and a Sally Army sergeant, called Sarah.
• 
  Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (2008)

  Review preview for Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

  The animation is excellent - computer generated 3D in muted tones for granny’s world, vibrant colour in 2D for the fairytale.

  A bedtime story is a lot more grim than a little girl expects.
• 
  H6 - Diary of A Serial Killer (2005)

  Review preview for H6 - Diary of A Serial Killer

  This Spanish serial killer is a twisted combination of all of Hollywood's greatest psychos - clever, cold, calculating and seriously sick in the head.

  A killer gets out of jail and starts hacking up prostitutes with a chainsaw... all in God's name, of course.
• 
  Hard Luck (2006)

  Review preview for Hard Luck

  It is a jumble of influences from other, far better flicks and as a whole it is confusing and irritating.

  A former gangster's road to redemption is disrupted by drugs cash, bent cops, a sassy stripper and strange serial killers.
• 
  Heroes: Season One (2006)

  Review preview for Heroes: Season One

  The scripts are tight and engaging, the characterisation in-depth, the acting exemplary and the action and effects more than impressive.

  A group of people discover they have special abilities – and fate soon draws them together to save the world.
• 
  How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

  Review preview for How to Train Your Dragon

  Beautifully written, animated and executed.

  A young viking becomes an unlikely dragon master.
• 
  House Of Bamboo (1955)

  Review preview for House Of Bamboo

  This was the first Hollywood film shot on location in Japan and Fuller makes the most of the opportunity.

  A comic book romp about a rat pack-type gang who run Tokyo's post-war underworld.
• 
  Invictus (2009)

  Review preview for Invictus

  Matt Damon gives one of the best performances of his career.

  Nelson Mandela's attempt to unite his nation with the help of the rugby world cup.
• 
  Imagine That (2009)

  Review preview for Imagine That

  There is plenty of toilet humour for the kids but adults will struggle to raise a smile.

  A struggling executive gets some help from his daughter's imaginary world.
• 
  I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured: Identity Crisis At The Cape Of Good Hope (2009)

  Review preview for I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured: Identity Crisis At The Cape Of Good Hope

  The narration is informative, detailing the major segregation policies of Apartheid to cater to a mass audience and not just those with existing knowledge.

  examination of the legacy of Apartheid in South Africa from the viewpoint of the Cape Coloured, the majority population.
• 
  Kismet (2008)

  Review preview for Kismet

  The movie, which has its roots in the film noir genre, moves at a very slow but steady pace and director Abdullah Oguz keeps things tense throughout.

  This Turkish crime drama follows a married couple whose island break turns into a bloody nightmare.
• 
  The Last Days Of Emma Blank (2009)

  Review preview for The Last Days Of Emma Blank

  Offers lashings of humour alongside its damning critique of greed and manipulation.

  An elderly woman drives her 'servants' to distraction as they wait for her to die.
• 
  The Last Kiss (2006)

  Review preview for The Last Kiss

  This is almost a chick flick for guys.

  Four friends panic at the approach of their 30th birthdays.
• 
  The Last Wheel (2009)

  Review preview for The Last Wheel

  There is no dialogue, just strong visuals.

  A tattoist offers prisoners a chance at freedom.
• 
  Letter For The King (2008)

  Review preview for Letter For The King

  Has a refreshing, low-tech approach and does not rely on special effects or 3D to impress viewers, focusing instead on the story.

  A medieval teenager has to undertake a quest before he can become a knight.
• 
  Little Red Riding Hood (1997)

  Review preview for Little Red Riding Hood

  Sinister, stylized and sexually-charged.

  A black comedy version of the classic fairytale.
• 
  A Little Trip To Heaven (2005)

  Review preview for A Little Trip To Heaven

  Director Baltasar Kormakur’s gripping thriller is inspired by classic noir - the cinematography is as bleak as the story and there is no neat happy ending.

  An insurance investigator probes the suspicious death of a conman whose sister and dodgy hubby inherit $1million after his demise.
• 
  The L Word (2005)

  Review preview for The L Word

  Has plenty to satisfy gay and straight, male and female audiences.

  The loves, lusts and laughs of lipstick lesbians in LA.
• 
  Love Happens (2009)

  Review preview for Love Happens

  The most romantic thing about this movie is the lovingly shot images of Seattle.

  A florist falls for a bereaved self-help guru... but will love blossom?
• 
  Miami Vice (2006)

  Review preview for Miami Vice

  Miami Vice is definitely style over substance.

  Cop duo Crockett and Tubbs ditch their 80s pastel suits to crack - pardon the pun - down on a gang of ruthless drug dealers in style.
• 
  The Making Of A Film Idol (2005)

  Review preview for The Making Of A Film Idol

  This hilarious documentary is car crash viewing at its very finest.

  Documentary about a talent competition to find extras for a gangster film.
• 
  Merchant Of Four Seasons (1972)

  Review preview for Merchant Of Four Seasons

  A heartbreaking depiction of a man driven over the edge by an uncaring society.

  Tragic tale of a put-upon fruit seller in post-war Germany.
• 
  Morocco (1930)

  Review preview for Morocco

  The chemistry between Dietrich and Cooper sizzles.

  A womanising soldier in the Foreign Legion falls for a sultry nightclub singer. Out to own as part of Marlene Dietrich: The Collection 18-disc box set now.
• 
  Molly's Way (2005)

  Review preview for Molly's Way

  Mairead McKinley is a sensation as Molly.

  A young Irish woman goes to Poland to search for the father of the child she is carrying.
• 
  Moonlight Mile (2002)

  Aftermath of a murder as parents and fiance come to terms with their loss and the future. Out to own on October 2 as part of The Jake Gyllenhaal Collection box set.
• 
  Music In Darkness (1948)

  Review preview for Music In Darkness

  Music In Darkness' real strength is its visuals.

  A soldier blinded by gunfire learns to live with his disability when he falls in love.
• 
  Music On Hold (2009)

  Review preview for Music On Hold

  It’s not an original scenario but Music On Hold’s charm is in its characters and humour, not its plot.

  A charming but predictable romantic comedy about pretence, pregnancy, piano and plagiarism.
• 
  The Nameless (1999)

  A distraught mum gets a call from the daughter she thought was murdered five years ago and sets out to find her - but instead discovers indescribable evil.
• 
  The Niklashausen Journey (1970)

  Review preview for The Niklashausen Journey

  But while visually striking at times, narratively the film often plods along and the revolutionary rants tend to get repetitive.

  A shepherd claims the Virgin Mary has ordered him to start a revolution against the Church and upper classes. Out to own now on the RW Fassbinder Commemorative Collection: Vol 1.
• 
  The Omen (2006)

  Review preview for The Omen

  Richard Donner's seminal spine-chiller from the Seventies should have been left well alone, instead of transformed into a laughable excuse for horror, with all the chills of a red hot poker.

  The Antichrist rises again to terrify a new generation and bring about the Apocalypse... now
• 
  The Proposal (2009)

  Review preview for The Proposal

  Follows a standard rom-com formula and there won’t be anything you haven’t seen a hundred times before.

  In order to get leave to remain in the US, a boss bullies her assistant into agreeing to marry her.