Reviews by Owen Van Spall

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Crossways (1928)

  Review preview for Crossways

  Serves as a useful reminder of how dark, explicit, cynical, and sophisticated silent cinema could be.

  After a fight over the affections of a geisha, a young man is racked by guilt, convinced he has committed a terrible crime.
• 
  Drive (2011)

  Review preview for Drive

  Drive is cool. Really cool. In fact this will probably be the coolest film you will see this year.

  A stuntman who moonlights as a wheelman finds he is the target of a hit.
• 
  Dear God No! (2011)

  Review preview for Dear God No!

  Pretty much the first thing we see is one of the bikers grinding his hog's spinning rear wheel into the corpse of a dead nun, the blood drenching the spokes.

  A biker gang on the run seeks refuge in the wrong log cabin.
• 
  Death Row (2012)

  Review preview for Death Row

  Bleak, stripped down and haunting.

  Series of portraits of inmates on Death Row.
• 
  Democrats (2014)

  Review preview for Democrats

  At turns inspiring and troubling, Democrats is ultimately a fascinating study of the dangerous grassroots work that changing a harsh political system requires.

  Documentary tracks power brokers in Zimbabwe who are trying to compose a new constitution.
• 
  Dinosaur 13 (2014)

  Review preview for Dinosaur 13

  What Miller’s film conveys is how fierce the battle became for Larson as he and his team fought to keep the dinosaur bones.

  A documentary about the legal disputes surrounding the discovery of the world's most famous tyrannosaurus rex fossil.
• 
  The Dirties (2013)

  Review preview for The Dirties

  The Dirties... has two leads who work well with each other and whose naturalism and likeability draws us in

  Two best friends are filming a comedy about getting revenge on the bullies at their high school. One of them isn't joking.
• 
  Doctor Strange (2016)

  Review preview for Doctor Strange

  The most mind-bending, spectacular visuals of the entire series.

  A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
• 
  Don Jon (2013)

  Review preview for Don Jon

  Despite the seemingly grim subject matter, Gordon-Levitt goes the upbeat route with his debut feature.

  A porn-obsessed man tries to give up the one-night stands when he meets a woman whose appeal might exceed his fantasies.
• 
  The Do Gooders (2013)

  Review preview for The Do Gooders

  Lebna constantly pokes and prods, arguing that the director too often sees the situation through a white western lens.

  An acutely personal documentary on the complexly political issue of Western aid programmes in Palestine.
• 
  Dragon (2011)

  Review preview for Dragon

  It is really Yen's show and martial arts action is therefore on the cards.

  A qi expert detective is suspicious when a seemingly ordinary paper maker fights off notorious bandits.
• 
  The Echo Of Astro Boy's Footsteps (2010)

  Review preview for The Echo Of Astro Boy's Footsteps

  With Ohno off screen, the audience is left to piece together an initial reading of this enigma of a man from a variety of conflicting and contrasting recollections.

  A documentary looking into the secret behind the disappearace of the sound designer who helped make Astro Boy a cult cartoon star.
• 
  Enter The Void (2009)

  Review preview for Enter The Void

  Visually and aurally arresting, and frustrating, in equal measure.

  A psychedelic journey into the afterlife.
• 
  Excision (2012)

  Review preview for Excision

  It's wrong, but it's fun, and at times touches on some heavier issues such as alienation and the suburban experience.

  A disturbed and delusional high school student with aspirations of a career in medicine goes to extremes to earn the approval of her controlling mother.
• 
  The Expendables 2 (2012)

  Review preview for The Expendables 2

  The Expendables 2 has the cast you feel the first one should've had - though Steven Seagal is really needed to complete the alignment of the planets - but it fails to craft anything really unique on its own with these assets.

  A mission goes awry for the Expendables when the death of a colleague leads to a quest for revenge.
• 
  Electrick Children (2012)

  Review preview for Electrick Children

  This low-key coming of age drama pokes gently into questions of faith, temptation, family and belonging.

  A sheltered Mormon girl believes her unexplained pregnancy must have been caused by listening to rock music.
• 
  Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films (2014)

  Review preview for Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films

  A breezy, captivating and balanced tale of a studio whose rise and fall is perhaps the only story actually more bizarre than the plots of the films that came out of it.

  Examination of exploitation cinema.
• 
  End Of Watch (2012)

  Review preview for End Of Watch

  Sit back and enjoy the ride with LA's finest.

  Two young cops are hunted by a vicious drug cartel.
• 
  The Expendables (2010)

  Review preview for The Expendables

  This is a giant, proud B-movie, the kind of movie that Hollywood doesn’t put into multiplexes much any more.

  A group of mercenaries is hired to overthrow a dictator.
• 
  Fading Gigolo (2013)

  Review preview for Fading Gigolo

  Good intentions and an interesting (though weird) core idea are not matched by the execution.

  A bookseller persuades a florist to have a threesome for money in an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of New York
• 
  The Farewell (2019)

  Review preview for The Farewell

  Wang proves adept at slowly and gently building up the onion layers of this family as more and more of them come into each other’s orbit.

  A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family’s decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.
• 
  Filly Brown (2011)

  Review preview for Filly Brown

  As Majo, Gina Rodriguez's zest, combined with some genuinely catchy tunes performed by Rodriguez herself, helps paper over the cracks.

  A Latino girl counts the cost of becoming a rising hip-hop star.
• 
  First Reformed (2017)

  Review preview for First Reformed

  First Reformed ends up being a satisfying meditative echo rather than a simple replay of Schrader greats.

  Thriller centring on an ex-military chaplain who has lost his son and a member of his church who is grieving for her husband.
• 
  For No Good Reason (2012)

  Review preview for For No Good Reason

  Hunter S. Thompson and the crazy stories of what the pair got up to in the USA are an obvious highlight.

  The life and art of Ralph Steadman.
• 
  French Cancan (1954)

  Review preview for French Cancan

  A vivid technicolour medley that touches on the intense relationship between art and the artiste, while showcasing some dazzling costumes and dance routines in true homage to the Belle Epoque.

  A club impresario makes a laundry girl the star of his can-can revival show.
• 
  Fright Night (2011)

  Review preview for Fright Night

  What's noticeable about Gillespie's version is how little really has to change to make it work.

  Is horror movie addict Charley Brewster’s suave new nextdoor neighbour Jerry Dandridge really an evil vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths?
• 
  Finding Fela! (2014)

  Review preview for Finding Fela!

  Though Gibney’s film has an interesting figure at its heart, the film never really feels like it is giving either strand of Kuti’s life: the music and the politics, enough attention.

  Documentary about a renowned Nigerian Musician who inspired many people in the music scene including Bob Marley and James Brown.
• 
  Finding North (2012)

  Review preview for Finding North

  Filmmakers Jacobson and Silverbush keep it fast and straightforward.

  Documentary examining the hunger crisis threatening America.
• 
  Foxcatcher (2014)

  Review preview for Foxcatcher

  Bennett Miller has secured his place at the forefront of directors who excel at character studies.

  The story of wrestling stars Mark and Dave Schultz and their poisonous relationship with John du Pont.
• 
  From Up On Poppy Hill (2011)

  Review preview for From Up On Poppy Hill

  Deserving of special mention is the fantastically lush animated vision of Yokohama.

  A new friendship and the prospect of romance are thrown into disarray by a shocking revelation.
• 
  Fury (2014)

  Review preview for Fury

  Ayer’s film doesn’t really have the script or plot to back up all the hardware.

  A battle-hardened sergeant takes a crew on a deadly mission in the last days of the Second World War.
• 
  The Ghost Cat And The Mysterious Shamisen (1938)

  Review preview for The Ghost Cat And The Mysterious Shamisen

  Scratchy and distorted though the sound and image might be in places, the warping of tones and blurring associated with old film here actually enhances the atmosphere.

  Supernatural revenge beckons after a woman commits a jealous murder.
• 
  Guilty Of Romance (2011)

  Review preview for Guilty Of Romance

  The director's trademark vivid cinematography and willingness to explore extremes in tone and content are present and correct here and make Guilty Of Romance as much a frustrating and intensely riveting viewing experience as his other creations.

  Third episode of Sono's 'Hate trilogy' tells the story of two women, within the framework of a detective narrative.
• 
  God's Pocket (2014)

  Review preview for God's Pocket

  It struck me how well Slattery handles the shifts in tone from hard boiled to hilarious throughout.

  A man tries to find out how his stepson died against the backdrop of blue-collar Philadelphia.
• 
  Green Days (2010)

  Review preview for Green Days

  With its warm, rich palette, Green Days is drenched in an unashamedly nostalgic glow.

  Animation about a term in the life of a group of school pupils.
• 
  Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

  Review preview for Guardians Of The Galaxy

  Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy is good fun.

  A pilot is tracked by bounty hunters after stealing a mysterious orb.
• 
  The Guest (2014)

  Review preview for The Guest

  Slick, tense, darkly funny and very genre-aware.

  A man inveigles his way into a family home by saying he is a friend of a dead soldier.
• 
  Hanna (2011)

  Review preview for Hanna

  The truth is that this genre mash-up attempt ends up feeling more unintentionally hilarious and hysterical than impressive or refreshing.

  A teenager raised to be a killing machine, goes on a mission across Europe.
• 
  Hello Carter (2013)

  Review preview for Hello Carter

  Too many jokes fall flat coming from the mouths of a very talented cast.

  One man's quest to win back his ex takes him on a series of adventures through London
• 
  Hail Satan? (2019)

  Review preview for Hail Satan?

  Intriguing and often rib-ticklingly funny.

  A look at the intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple is calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?
• 
  Half The Picture (2018)

  Review preview for Half The Picture

  Despite its conventional approach, Adrion’s doc reveals itself to be a comprehensive and important study

  Successful women directors tell the stories of their art, lives and careers - and the inequalities that have held them back.
• 
  Hereditary (2018)

  Review preview for Hereditary

  I personally found Aster’s film incredibly unsettling, one of the closest approximations to the kind of nightmares that really shake me that I have seen on film recently.

  After their reclusive grandmother passes away, the Graham family tries to escape the dark fate they've inherited.
• 
  The Housemaid (2010)

  Review preview for The Housemaid

  Steamy, bold entertainment with a dark sense of humour and a lush setting.

  Remake of the 1960 classic about a man's affair with the family's servant.
• 
  The Hunt (2012)

  Review preview for The Hunt

  An intense performance from Mads Mikkelsen, who is an actor rarely bettered when it comes to playing men in savage situations.

  A much loved teacher's world is shattered when a pupil accuses him of sexual molestation.
• 
  The Hunting Ground (2015)

  Review preview for The Hunting Ground

  Even if Dick took away the interviewees and voiceovers from this film, the statistics alone would make for startling reading.

  Investigation of rape on US university campuses - and the institutional cover-ups.
• 
  The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014)

  Review preview for The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

  More combat means less time for character interaction, and by the third act, Jackson has already shoehorned in more characters than the film can handle.

  Bilbo and his pals do battle at the Lonely Mountain as the trilogy draws to a close.
• 
  The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)

  Review preview for The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

  The film, surprisingly, pulls back from extreme gore and specific scenes of insane surgery.

  A mad doctor plans to graft people together so that they form a crawling monstrosity, and two unfortunate American girls fall into his clutches.
• 
  Hunt To Kill (2010)

  Review preview for Hunt To Kill

  Strangely entertaining fun.

  A border patrol agent takes on a group of criminals who are holding his daughter hostage.
• 
  Ill Manors (2012)

  Review preview for Ill Manors

  Though it is flawed and uneven and can't escape the wide shadows of the London gangsta/hood films of the last few decades, Ill Manors does showcase a bold and confrontational directing style and subject matter

  Youth crime drama, set on a London council estate.
• 
  The Imposter (2011)

  Review preview for The Imposter

  A film and a story where you can't afford to be out of the conversation.

  In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears from his home in San Antonio, Texas, but three and a half years later he is found alive thousands of miles away in Spain with a shocking story of kidnap and torture... but all is not what it seems in this tale that is truly stranger than fiction.