Graeme Strachan

@The_reviewist

Graeme Strachan is a writer, editor, and journalist based in Edinburgh. He has been a critic and reviewer for over 15 years in areas including theatre, video games and restaurant critique; and likes to dabbles in film and television production. He lives in hope for the day where he finds a more profitable use for his Classical Studies degree than obscure questions in a pub quiz.

https://reviewism.wordpress.com

Reviews: 69

Other Articles: 0

The Blackout: Invasion Earth

A shamelessly gung-ho alien invasion movie, with a distinctly Russian twist

Mouchette

An abstract study of poverty and domestic drudgery

Tremors

Still as fresh, as fun, and as hilarious as the day it was made

Josep

An occasionally touching, and often harrowing experience

Schoolgirls

A soulful and realistic, if broadly unsatisfying, portrayal of 1990s Spanish adolescence

Versus

Cult classic looks dated but remains a landmark of lo-fi excess

Trial By Fire

Good performances let down by workmanlike pacing and unimaginative structure

Cinema Paradiso

Glorious film delights in all that is magical about the cinema

Dead Slow Ahead

An uncanny and dreamlike vision of an everyday technological wonder

Five Easy Pieces

A ground-breaking, era-defining classic of American cinema

The Painted Bird

This bleakest of war films becomes monotonous through sheer, dragging sadness

Lucky Grandma

Everyone should have a grandma like this

A Place Among the Dead

Messy faux-documentary with the feel of a student art project

Cold Light of Day

A dull and plodding experience

La Llorona

Surprisingly low-key and yet still effective

The Spirit of the Beehive

A sombre and beautifully stark howl against fascism

Max Richter’s Sleep

A contemplative and semi-somnolent experience

The New Mutants

The sad death knell of a long-running franchise

Tenet

Proof that Christopher Nolan’s own strengths are sometimes his greatest weaknesses

Host

A gleefully fun nugget of new horror cinema

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Worthy, but not exemplary, addition to Mexican horror cinema

Sputnik

Grippingly entertaining low-fi Russian sci-fi horror

The Witch in the Window

Contemplative human drama laced with the supernatural

The Last Days of American Crime

The Showgirls of action movies