Reviews by Paul Griffiths

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

  Review preview for Akeelah and the Bee

  This is all about building on a blueprint of predictability and then going for the heartstrings as much as possible.

  Young Akeelah learns more than letters on the way to the National Spelling Bee.
• 
  Aardman's Darkside (2006)

  Review preview for Aardman's Darkside

  For animation aficionados there’s plenty here to watch and take notes from, rewind and take more notes.

  Forget your Creature Comforts - this is Aardman animation for over-15s only.
• 
  Autumn Adagio (2009)

  Review preview for Autumn Adagio

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

  A nun rediscovers her emotions.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Angel-A (2005)

  Review preview for Angel-A

  Sadly, the non-stop nature of the Besson film machine still seems to be affecting his quality control.

  Paris & philososphy, black & white, rom & com.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Big Bang Love: Juvenile A (2006)

  Boy meets boy in a surreal prison for convicted murderers.
• 
  Black Book (2006)

  Paul Verhoeven returns to Europe for an epic wartime tale.
• 
  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.
• 
  Branded To Kill (1967)

  Japanese surrealist hitman tale from the 1967.
• 
  A Better Tomorrow II (1987)

  Review preview for A Better Tomorrow II

  The plot is generally weak and at times would verge on the incomprehensible if you hadn’t seen the first Tomorrow.

  John Woo’s 80s gun-toting, triad-splattering sequel.
• 
  Black Christmas (2006)

  Review preview for Black Christmas

  There are only a couple of jolts, assisted by a screamishly loud soundtrack, and as for the gore rating, it is laughable compared to other recent horror releases.

  Remake of the original festive 1974 slasher horror flick.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005)

  Review preview for The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

  A tender, temperately dramatic look at a young person exploring his burgeoning feelings and adolescent sexuality.

  Low budget, endearing look at a young boy’s first crush.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Chorus (2004)

  A French music teacher brings new meaning to the lives of his troubled charges.
• 
  The City Of Violence (2007)

  Review preview for The City Of Violence

  Despite some crunching, frenetic fight scenes in the denouement, City of Violence is unfortunately a lacklustre affair.

  Casinos and corruption in Korean crime thriller.
• 
  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.
• 
  A Comedy Of Power (2006)

  Review preview for A Comedy Of Power

  A polished, satisfyingly involving whole that avoids any mainstream trappings and credits the audience with intelligence and maturity.

  Investigating fraud amongst France's fattest fat cats.
• 
  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.
• 
  Creep (2004)

  Review preview for Creep

  Smith's screenplay is solidly constructed to deliver well-above-average scares.

  A Brit chiller that will drag you down the tube, screaming and kicking.
• 
  CSA: The Confederate States Of America (2004)

  What if the American south had won the Civil War?
• 
  Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)

  Dave Chappelle holds a once in a lifetime free street party in Brooklyn.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

  Review preview for The Devil Wears Prada

  Despite the costumes being ab fab, darling, the plot's no blazing trendsetter.

  A young journalist struggles to survive in the cut-throat world of fashion.
• 
  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.
• 
  Dear Frankie (2004)

  Mother of a nine-year-old deaf boy pays a stranger to be dad for a day.
• 
  Death Line (1972)

  Review preview for Death Line

  Could be a treat for discerning genre fans.

  Cult horror re-emerges after 30 years down the tube.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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 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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Feed (2005)

  Easy queasy flick about big being beautiful.
• 
  Fearless Hyena (1979)

  Review preview for Fearless Hyena

  Chan delivers a martial arts film of truly dazzling fight sequences that proves his physical and technical prowess, whilst injecting something very un-Lee, something very Chan. The humour.

  A gem from Jackie Chan’s fast-punching back catalogue.