All articles by Tim Grierson, Senior US critic – Page 75
-
-
-
-
ReviewsThe Greatest
Dir: Shana Feste. US. 2008. 98mins.The Greatest charts the uneasy journey people must undertake in the face of grief, but first-time filmmaker Shana Feste can’t quite fully bring this emotionally delicate drama to fruition. A tearjerker about a middle-aged couple coping with the loss of their ...
-
ReviewsThe Killing Room
Dir:Jonathan Liebesman. US. 2008. 93mins.Unremittingly gripping and unnerving, The Killing Room transforms a simple premise into a almost unbearably tense experience. As a departure from his gory 2006 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director Jonathan Liebesman squeezes every little ounce of mind-game intrigue from the ...
-
-
-
Reviews
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Dir: Steve Carr . US. 2009. 87mins. A depressingly strained comedic riff on Die Hard, Paul Blart: Mall Cop mixes fat jokes, a sappy romantic subplot and hostages-in-a-mall action elements without much verve or wit. As his first starring vehicle after playing second-fiddle to bigger box-office names in recent films, ...
-
-
-
Reviews
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Dir: Scott Derrickson. US. 2008. 105 mins.Rarely has an alien invasion (or the possible eradication of humanity) seemed less gripping than in The Day The Earth Stood Still, a sluggish reboot of the 1951 science-fiction classic starring Keanu Reeves as an ambassador for the invading extra terrestrials. Updating the 'message' ...
-
Reviews
Transporter 3
Dir: Olivier Megaton. US/UK/France. 2008. 103 mins.A perfunctory action film which drives around in noisy circles but goes nowhere, Transporter 3 is neither compelling enough nor outlandishly goofy enough to leave much of an impression. Series star Jason Statham supplies ironic cool as the titular tough-guy courier, but first-time director ...
-
-
Reviews
Defiance
Dir: Edward Zwick. US. 2008. 129 mins.In trying to add a new chapter to the long history of films made about the Holocaust, Defiance can barely move a narrative muscle without bumping into another, better movie that covers some of the same ground. Based on the true story of three ...
-
Reviews
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman . US. 2008. 97 mins.Kinky, sexy, gory and campy, Repo! The Genetic Opera may be an unwieldy mess, but it's a fun unwieldy mess. Based on a Los Angeles theatrical piece, this futuristic rock opera will annoy those unwilling to meet it halfway, as its shamelessly ...
-
Reviews
Saw V
Dir: David Hackl. US. 2008. 92 mins.Halloween staple Saw's serial killer Jigsaw died two episodes ago, so Saw V is forced to move supporting characters to centre stage and supply new twists to events that occurred in previous films, making it mostly of interest to franchise fans. In some ways, ...
-
Reviews
Max Payne
Dir: John Moore. US. 2008. 100 mins.As shiny and hollow as its used shell cases, Max Payne doesn't have much to offer beyond a recycled noir attitude and a progressively violent story that plays out rather predictably. Based on the popular video game of the same name, this action-thriller starring ...
-
Reviews
Igor
Dir: Tony Leondis. US. 2008. 86 mins.Sweet-natured but saddled with strained wisecracking humour and over-busy plotting, children's animated feature Igor never quite manages to shake off a feeling of familiarity that extends from the story's archly hip tone to the misunderstood, lovable main character of a hunchback trying to escape ...
-
ReviewsReligulous
Dir: Larry Charles. US. 2008. 100mins.A blunt satiric object applied to delicate subject matter, Religulous is a consistently funny if one-sided putdown of society’s blind devotion to its many religious faiths. In the hands of Borat director Larry Charles and American political comedian Bill Maher, the ...
-
Reviews
Traitor
Dir: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. US. 2008. 113 mins.Just as the war on terror has forced lumbering, outdated government agencies to adapt, sometimes awkwardly, to a new kind of enemy, so too does the old-fashioned Hollywood thriller Traitor strain to confront a newfangled action-suspense vehicle with conventional storytelling techniques. A solid lead ...