Reviews by Paul Griffiths

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  6 Plots (2012)

  Review preview for 6 Plots

  There is hardly a true note struck and since we are given no reason to like, let alone care for them, there is simply no tension surrounding their imperiled survival.

  A high-school kid finds herself embroiled in a deadly game after her friends are buried alive.
• 
  A Road Stained Crimson (2012)

  Review preview for A Road Stained Crimson

  Tetsuhiko Nono’s remarkable Japanese indie debut signals him as a cine-literate writer and director of verve, invention and visual panache.

  A former hitman trying to live a quiet life finds himself blackmailed at the same time as a boy arrives in desperate need of his guidance.
• 
  The Hidden Hand (2012)

  Review preview for The Hidden Hand

  It is left for the viewer to decide, although by giving his documentary such a cabalistic title, it is clear where Carman stands.

  A guide to theories of alien contact with Earth.
• 
  City Slacker (2012)

  Review preview for City Slacker

  City Slacker plays its set up for breezy rom-com laughs against the backdrop of a carnivorous corporate banking culture.

  An ambitious, successful woman seeks an unambitious, unsuccessful man to be a house husband.
• 
  Portrait Of A Zombie (2012)

  Review preview for Portrait Of A Zombie

  The requisite staples are undead and present and while tasty chutzpah abounds, ultimately the film doesn’t deliver a totally satisfying meal.

  A family is ostracised by the local community after deciding to care for a son who has become a zombie, whilst his pregnant girlfriend still hopes the local priest will marry them.
• 
  Kill Me (2012)

  Review preview for Kill Me

  The moments of satisfying personal drama and suspense are built slowly rather than thumped out with high intensity.

  A suicidal teenager agrees to help a murderer on the run if he will kill her afterwards, but as they flee, he finds himself beginning to care for her.
• 
  Love Tomorrow (2012)

  Review preview for Love Tomorrow

  After the hard to swallow entrée and adagio, these variations do lead us to a satisfying coda.

  Two dancers get talking on an escalator and gradually find themselves embarking on a relationship.
• 
  Poetry (2010)

  Review preview for Poetry

  Poetry is by turns a serene and haunting piece.

  A grandmother discovers poetry and begins to reassess the world around her.
• 
  The Fourth Dimension (2012)

  Review preview for The Fourth Dimension

  Fawns completes the troika with a ringing emotional pop.

  Triplet of short films, conforming to a fixed 'creative brief'.
• 
  Fallen Art (2004)

  Review preview for Fallen Art

  The animation is well textured and the story’s pace satisfyingly builds up to the ghoulish pay off.

  Danse macabre look at the madness of war.
• 
  Mary Marie (2010)

  Review preview for Mary Marie

  Despite its missteps, there is substance in Mary Marie and indie dauntlessness in conjuring something from so little.

  Two sisters' love for one another becomes destructive.
• 
  Dendera (2011)

  Review preview for Dendera

  In truth, although the story sets up Dendera in contrast to the traditional male norm, there’s little new empowerment or deeper understanding gained.

  A sequel to The Ballad of Narayama by Imamura's son Daisuke Tengan: the old women sent up the mountain to die instead plan a revenge attack on the village below.
• 
  Contagion (2011)

  Review preview for Contagion

  After a compelling start and a long, immersive second act, sadly Contagion starts to peter out towards the end.

  A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.
• 
  X: Night Of Vengeance (2011)

  Review preview for X: Night Of Vengeance

  Writers Jon Hewitt and Belinda McClory chalk out a fine line between seedy entertainment and social commentary - and then stomp all over it as their slick film embraces the urban sleaze as much as holding it up for judgement.

  Two women experience one ugly night that will change their lives together.
• 
  Black Pond (2011)

  Review preview for Black Pond

  An intriguingly idiosyncratic debut.

  An ordinary family are accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table.
• 
  Savage (2011)

  Review preview for Savage

  The unrelenting poverty trap of the underclasses that is exposed is no barrel of laughs, but this low-budget indie provides some compelling performances and insights.

  Kim grew up in a criminal family in the Swedish countryside. He now wants to make up for his crimes but can he escape his past?
• 
  Flutter (2010)

  Review preview for Flutter

  Borg's assured direction and the cinematography of Christopher Ross (of darker Eden Lake and London to Brighton fame) maintain a noir-like chiaroscuro style throughout.

  John is a professional gambler but when he meets a beautiful and mysterious new bookie his life starts to spiral out of control.
• 
  Body Temperature (2011)

  Review preview for Body Temperature

  This is a low-budget two-hander indie that takes its time to create and dwell in its protagonist’s psychological space.

  A social loner finds himself torn between a bizarre old love and something new.
• 
  A Thousand Kisses Deep (2010)

  Review preview for A Thousand Kisses Deep

  The plotting is bold and deliberately structured yet, given the small cast and high drama of the set up, this is an oddly cold affair.

  Caught in a timeless world of passions and betrayals, Mia searches for the truth behind a mysterious woman's death.
• 
  Another Earth (2010)

  Review preview for Another Earth

  A close, thoughtful and unexpectedly moving film.

  On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a tragedy irrevocably alters the lives of two strangers.
• 
  Turnout (2011)

  Review preview for Turnout

  Self-aware and as on the make as its lead, it’s an accomplished lowbudget debut.

  A small-time dealer's plan to make some quick cash backfires.
• 
  Colombiana (2011)

  Review preview for Colombiana

  We’re asked to shimmy up huge drainpipes of disbelief, over and above the basic premise, which means you care little about what’s going on when the chunky exposition tries to set you straight.

  A young woman, after witnessing her parents' murder as a child in Bogota, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin.
• 
  Knuckle (2011)

  Review preview for Knuckle

  Palmer successfully captures the abundant passion, charisma and loyalty of those involved, yet inescapably through the prism of the community shows a wider, bleaker picture.

  An 12-year journey into the brutal and secretive world of Irish Traveler bare-knuckle fighting.
• 
  Farewell (2009)

  Review preview for Farewell

  Director and co-scribe Christian Carion, adapting from Serguei Kostine’s book, smartly distills the global Cold War politicking into Froment and Grigoriev’s tense relationship.

  A spy finds himself in danger when he decides to leak documents that could lead to the downfall of the Soviet Union.
• 
  Treasure Of The Black Jaguar (2010)

  Review preview for Treasure Of The Black Jaguar

  Aside from capturing the stand-in Californian scenery well, Bruce has fun with his RED camera’s angles and speeds, whips up woozy montages, splashes the colours around and edits with a Hot Fuzz intensity.

  Two boys discover easy money is just a mirage in this desert-based caper.
• 
  Archipelago (2010)

  Review preview for Archipelago

  Hogg has been praised for her bravery in making films about the contemporary middle class and she has certainly succeeded again here, sedately unfolding a web of universal issues with a deceptive simplicity.

  Fractures appear in a family during an idyllic getaway.
• 
  Blessed Events (2010)

  Review preview for Blessed Events

  Waiting for the chop, as it were, makes for a captivating and disquieting watch, an experience which Stever herself describes as sitting through a horror film.

  A woman's life changes dramatically after she unexpectedly discovers that she's pregnant.
• 
  A Family (2010)

  Review preview for A Family

  A journey from time immemorial, played out in a contemporary drama with sensitivity and an eye that will not flinch from the pain that is involved.

  A Danish woman's planned move to New York is complicated by the discovery that she is pregnant and her father is dying.
• 
  It's Your Fault (2010)

  Review preview for It's Your Fault

  The picture is a claustrophobic, intimate jumble... The terrific sound design is instrumental as well.

  When a single mother takes her injured son to the hospital, the suspicions she encounters turn her world upside down.
• 
  Happy Few (2010)

  Review preview for Happy Few

  The moneyed, beautiful bourgeoisie cooly emoting the eloquent travails of a menage á quatre.

  Life becomes complicated when two respectable Parisian couples decide to start sleeping together.
• 
  Guilty Pleasures (2010)

  Review preview for Guilty Pleasures

  A feel-good recognition that nobody’s perfect, despite the ideal lifestyles we’re marketed.

  A documentary about a convention for romance novel enthusiasts who dream of making the Mills & Boone story come true.
• 
  The Book Of Masters (2009)

  Review preview for The Book Of Masters

  Overall, East meets West with mutual respect, but this debut is still an uneven, mismatched effort.

  A young stonecutter is sent on a mission by an evil queen who intends to sacrifice the beautiful princess who has captured his heart.
• 
  Conviction (2010)

  Review preview for Conviction

  We shouldn’t feel so obviously manipulated and steered away from everything else towards the leads’ performances.

  Based on a true story, this drama tells of a sister's struggle to prove her brother's innocence.
• 
  Africa United (2010)

  Review preview for Africa United

  Africa United is a simple, feel-good road movie that seems comfortable with its shortcomings.

  A group of children try to reach South Africa in time for the World Cup.
• 
  USB (2010)

  Review preview for USB

  Shutaro challenges us to stay with this quietly brutish character.

  A young man agrees to participate in a dangerous experiment in order to pay off his debts.
• 
  Autumn Adagio (2009)

  Review preview for Autumn Adagio

  Autumn Adagio approaches the deeply personal with respect and penetrating sensitivity.

  A nun rediscovers her emotions.
• 
  Hi! Otsuka Drugstore (2010)

  Review preview for Hi! Otsuka Drugstore

  The direction shows flair, picking out striking visual lines and depth in the most ordinary of locations, all awash with over-saturated video colours.

  A bullish drugstore owner befriends a schoolgirl with a hopeless crush on a boy.
• 
  Incredibly Small (2010)

  Review preview for Incredibly Small

  With a slender premise, set up and resolution, the fact that its small ideas can resonate so well afterwards is a minor triumph.

  A guy, a girl, a 300 square foot apartment – let the fight begin.
• 
  Helena From The Wedding (2010)

  Review preview for Helena From The Wedding

  While the characters might amuse and irk, they certainly don’t touch us.

  Dissection of marriage in modern-day America.
• 
  Legacy: Black Ops (2010)

  Review preview for Legacy: Black Ops

  The real star here is creator Eromose.

  A former special agent holed up in a hotel room in the aftermath of a failed Eastern European mission grows suspicious of his brother's political success.
• 
  The 7th Dimension (2009)

  Review preview for The 7th Dimension

  The 7th Dimension is a terrific hoot at times. Shame it never wanted to be.

  Bible-based cyber-conspiracy.
• 
  7 Days (2010)

  Review preview for 7 Days

  There’s undoubted style and polish from Grou here, but the disjointed whole doesn’t stand up to the weight of its own pretensions.

  A doctor seeks revenge by kidnapping, torturing and killing the man who murdered his young daughter.
• 
  Resurrecting The Street Walker (2009)

  Review preview for Resurrecting The Street Walker

  A strangely compelling and, at times, disturbing watch.

  A wannabe filmmaker becomes obssessed with an unfinished snuff film.
• 
  Knight And Day (2010)

  Review preview for Knight And Day

  It all feels too professional, too clean, too choreographed.

  A car mechanic finds herself on the run with an AWOL Superspy.
• 
  Inception (2010)

  Review preview for Inception

  There is more than a nod the very art of storytelling - a neuro-noir fantasy this may be, but with its plucky band travelling to the underworlds and back it’s also as classical as it can get.

  DiCaprio's dream spy takes on the ultimate inside job.
• 
  Marathon (2010)

  Review preview for Marathon

  The dialogue is so laden with blunt exposition and little else that time and again it just rings false, a discredit to the real events it seems to be trying to tick off.

  Biopic about former US poet Laureate William Meredith and his partner Richard Harteis.
• 
  Someone Else (2009)

  Review preview for Someone Else

  Someone Else marks Newall as a filmmaker with evident talent.

  A woman recounts her fear of being watched.
• 
  Instant Swamp (2009)

  Review preview for Instant Swamp

  The real charm and humour comes from the characters’ feisty interplay.

  When a woman has a run of bad luck and her mother falls ill, she finds out that her family might not be everything she assumed it was.
• 
  Phobia (2008)

  Review preview for Phobia

  A nice riff on Asian horror’s ethereal connections subtly loops the episodes together, but the simple morality tales make for an uneven whole.

  Portmanteau horror.
• 
  The Disappearance Of Alice Creed (2009)

  Review preview for The Disappearance Of Alice Creed

  For the most part it’s a clever, solid script with a quirky take on the femme fatale role.

  A claustrophobic thriller about a kidnap where all does not go according to plan.