Reviews by Paul Griffiths

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Salvage (2008)

  Review preview for Salvage

  Thematically there’s a little marrow in these foraged, splintered bones and the committed playing from McIntosh gives them some lumps of meat, but the tendons that would hold them together are cotton thin.

  A divorced mum faces trouble when a military experiment goes wrong.
• 
  The Descent: Part Two (2009)

  Review preview for The Descent: Part Two

  This delivers the kind of disappointment you always fear a sequel to a great first film will.

  The survivor of the first film is forced to lead a rescue party in search of her missing friends.
• 
  A Serious Man (2009)

  Review preview for A Serious Man

  A fine example of the uniquely offbeat, demonstrative, allusive cinema that only Joel and Ethan Coen can deliver.

  Black comedy about a professor whose life starts to unravel.
• 
  The Exploding Girl (2009)

  Review preview for The Exploding Girl

  A minor mumblecore treat.

  Two long-time confidants negotiate feelings and friendships during their college break.
• 
  Up In The Air (2009)

  Review preview for Up In The Air

  A quick script and sharp performances all round help deliver an enjoyable, if ultimately sentimental commentary of the times.

  George Clooney stars a corporate downsizing expert who, faced with being grounded, makes one last trip in a bid to convince his employers to keep him in the air.
• 
  The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)

  Review preview for The Men Who Stare At Goats

  An enjoyable if uneven feel-good swipe at both US military and human endeavours.

  A reporter stumbles on the story of a lifetime when he meets a former 'psychic soldier'.
• 
  45365 (2009)

  Review preview for 45365

  45365 proves visually delightful and while it may romantically honour the everyday and find beauty in the individual, but it saves a dispiriting, melancholic tone for the whole

  Documentary charting life in a small American town.
• 
  Ander (2009)

  Review preview for Ander

  Simple messages, simply but warmly told.

  When a rural farmer injures himself he develops an unlikely friendship with the farmhand he hires to help.
• 
  Dean Spanley (2008)

  Review preview for Dean Spanley

  This is a U-rated family film with more tasty stuffing in it than most of the dressed Christmas turkeys that get released at this time of year.

  A dean recounts tales of his past life... as a dog.
• 
  Home (2008)

  Review preview for Home

  This enticing tale of spiralling humour and darkness is an accomplished debut.

  Change knocks on a French family’s front door when a motorway opens up outside their house.
• 
  Nights And Weekends (2008)

  Review preview for Nights And Weekends

  This film really touches you, in a way that isn't anywhere near as mawkish as that may sound.

  A twenty-something couple struggle with a long-distance relationship.
• 
  The Project (2008)

  Review preview for The Project

  Despite the important message, you're left with the feeling that it hasn't actually told us anything new or created anything fresh.

  Fictional tale of naïve filmmakers trying to make a documentary about inner-city New York.
• 
  No Through Road (2008)

  Review preview for No Through Road

  This grisly Australian torture horror ably shows that you don’t need all manner of fiendish contraptions to deliver on the jumps and jolts.

  A violent nightmare begins when a man finds a terrified woman hiding in his wardrobe.
• 
  The Fourth Man (2007)

  Review preview for The Fourth Man

  An intelligently wrought and visually textured thriller.

  After awaking from a coma, an amnesiac man investigates who shot him at point blank range.
• 
  Flick (2007)

  Review preview for Flick

  There's enough style and aplomb to give this the makings of a minor cult classic and a suitable addition to the rotting canon.

  Ghoulish grindhouse flick about a Memphis cop who is called in to help solve a string of Welsh murders.
• 
  Gardens Of The Night (2007)

  Review preview for Gardens Of The Night

  A testament to harrowing real-life experiences.

  A harrowing account of child abduction and survival.
• 
  Veils (2008)

  Review preview for Veils

  A neat twist that brings more sonority than the seemingly simple set up would suggest.

  Will a young bride and groom’s marriage bridge their cultural divides?
• 
  Heavy Load (2008)

  Review preview for Heavy Load

  A moving, entertaining and inspiring documentary that really is about what happiness can be, punk or no punk.

  On the rocky road with punk band Heavy Load.
• 
  We Dreamed America (2008)

  Review preview for We Dreamed America

  If you’re interested in the rise of New British Country music then this is a doc for you.

  Documentary charting the rise of New British Country Music.
• 
  Funny Games (2007)

  Review preview for Funny Games

  Haneke once again delivers intellectual, challenging and bravura filmmaking.

  English language remake of the ice-cold horror about a family held hostage by a pair of preppy youngsters. Plus read our exclusive interview with producer Chris Coen.
• 
  The Escapist (2008)

  Review preview for The Escapist

  Proficient entertainment that marks debut writer/director Wyatt out as a filmmaker to watch.

  A prison inmate must break out to make amends with his dying daughter.
• 
  Timber Falls (2007)

  Review preview for Timber Falls

  If you go down to the woods today, that’s one way to avoid Timber Falls.

  A couple’s camping trip turns into a gruelling nightmare.
• 
  The Flight Of The Red Balloon (2007)

  Review preview for The Flight Of The Red Balloon

  A contemplative and visually dulcet experience.

  A busy mother’s young boy attracts the attention of a large balloon.
• 
  Mister Lonely (2007)

  Review preview for Mister Lonely

  The glorious sight of a flying nun, an image Korine has said was one of his inspirations for the film, is both a moving and a joyous one.

  Celebrity lookalikes get to know one another whilst a crazy old priest takes nuns flying.
• 
  U2 3D (2008)

  Review preview for U2 3D

  If you are a fan, or enjoy new cinematic encounters, this is an intermittently awesome experience.

  The Irish mega-band take it to the Imax.
• 
  Jumper (2008)

  Review preview for Jumper

  Despite its winning formula of talent, concept and visual execution, Jumper feels like a slightly anaemic first instalment.

  A young man discovers he has the ability to teleport and that a secret society wants to kill him for it.
• 
  Juno (2007)

  Review preview for Juno

  The proverbial buzz surrounding Juno is, like, totally justified.

  A teenager finds her own way of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.
• 
  The Savages (2007)

  Review preview for The Savages

  There are incisive moments of poignancy, but this is a pleasurably modulated and intelligent comedy throughout.

  A brother and sister must cope with their elderly father’s increasing care needs.
• 
  Reservation Road (2007)

  Review preview for Reservation Road

  Reservation Road is really only ever going from A to B and, despite the offer of some intriguing ideas, never moves far from its initial premise.

  Two fathers cope with the consequences of tragedy.
• 
  Saturn In Opposition (2007)

  Review preview for Saturn In Opposition

  Moving and stimulating in turns, perhaps because of the potent espresso of Italian acting talent it serves up, Saturno Contro is an effective European ensemble piece.

  A group of friends in Rome discover than happiness is transient and grief a great healer.
• 
  The World Unseen (2007)

  Review preview for The World Unseen

  Brave new territory and worth a watch.

  Romantic drama amid the social constraints of Fifties South Africa.
• 
  I Am Legend (2007)

  Review preview for I Am Legend

  Quality science fiction let down by a heinous, politically work-shopped ending.

  In the aftermath of a devastating plague, the last man left must fight off those who are no longer human like him.
• 
  Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

  Review preview for Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

  Sadly, this Emporium is less than wonderful and the more you look past its colourful packaging, the emptier you find the box.

  Can a magical toy shop survive the loss of its creator?
• 
  Perfect Creature (2007)

  Review preview for Perfect Creature

  An admittedly brave shift away from the standard expectations but there’s not really that much of any weight or innovation going on to be pondered.

  Vampires and humans are co-existing peacefully, until the killings start.
• 
  Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go (2007)

  Review preview for Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go

  A simple, moving documentary.

  Documentary following the lives of children suffering severe emotional trauma.
• 
  Far North (2007)

  Review preview for Far North

  An absorbing, disturbing and exceptionally composed filmic fable.

  A stranger enters the world of two isolated, nomadic women.
• 
  In Memory Of Me (2007)

  Review preview for In Memory Of Me

  Enthralling, mesmeric, austerely picturesque and approachably profound filmmaking.

  A man tired of his superficial life decides to join the priesthood but finds a web of deceit in the monastery which makes him question his faith.
• 
  Jetsam (2007)

  Review preview for Jetsam

  A well-polished calling card for writer/director Simon Welsford.

  An unconscious woman washes up on a beach, with intrigue in tow.
• 
  Unrelated (2007)

  Review preview for Unrelated

  An object lesson in less is more, it makes an absolute virtue of its small cast and diminutive budget.

  A middle-aged woman holidays with her bourgeois friends in Tuscany. Plus read our exclusive interview with Joanna Hogg.
• 
  Vexille (2007)

  Review preview for Vexille

  This might be familiar fare, but Fumihiko Sori and his team pull it off with sufficient visual aplomb to keep things highly entertaining.

  In 2077, Japan’s secretive, advanced bio-technology could pose an unimaginable threat.
• 
  La Influencia (2007)

  Review preview for La Influencia

  Not nearly as gruelling as it sounds, this is eventually a glass-is-half full film, as long as you seek out a positive way of looking at it.

  Depression overwhelms a single mother as she struggles to cope with everyday life.
• 
  A Man's Job (2007)

  Review preview for A Man's Job

  A Man's Job uses its simple story to probe a number of prevalent but subdued contemporary issues.

  An out-of-work father tries his hand at male prostitution to keep supporting his family.
• 
  Savage Grace (2007)

  Review preview for Savage Grace

  Always engrossing, at times decidedly uncomfortable viewing, Savage Grace is accomplished cinematic storytelling that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

  Accomplished telling of a real life upper class family's disturbing meltdown.
• 
  Eastern Promises (2007)

  Review preview for Eastern Promises

  Committed filmmaking from Cronenberg but only sporadically compelling, this just doesn't deliver on all its promises.

  An idealistic young midwife inadvertently stumbles across a crime syndicate trafficking prostitutes.
• 
  The Singer (2006)

  Review preview for The Singer

  The Singer is a healthy reminder of the unequivocal natural force that Depardieu can summon when he's in focus and on target.

  A nightclub singer falls in love with a much younger woman.
• 
  Good Luck Chuck (2007)

  Review preview for Good Luck Chuck

  A lame romantic sex comedy that overcooks its meagre ingredients to be a very underdone American Pie.

  A young man struggles to keep a girlfriend when every woman he sleeps with promptly falls in love with someone else.
• 
  Ghost In The Shell 3: Solid State Society (2007)

  Review preview for Ghost In The Shell 3: Solid State Society

  G.I.T.S.3 once again merits its sci-fi credentials by being punchingly relevant to today in its view of tomorrow.

  The latest feature length instalment of the renowned anime series.
• 
  The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

  Review preview for The Bourne Ultimatum

  Greengrass and Gilroy show how Bourne is still as invigorating and as relevant as ever.

  The chase goes on for the rogue CIA assassin in his search for recognition and revenge.
• 
  Duelist (2005)

  Review preview for Duelist

  Disappointing overall, but the sustained flashes of visual brilliance will stay with you long after the film has finished.

  A police agent investigating a conspiracy becomes obsessed with the mysterious stranger who keeps getting in her way.
• 
  Shrek The Third (2007)

  Review preview for Shrek The Third

  A sprinkle short of the magic dust.

  Is the third time a charm for Mike Myers' green ogre?