Reviews by George Williamson

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  The Legend Of Fong Sai-Yuk (1993)

  Review preview for The Legend Of Fong Sai-Yuk

  Fortunately the elaborate back-story is more than a springboard for the action sequences - which are some of the very best you’re likely to see - and actually stands up as comic glue for the proceedings - even if some of the humour is lost in translation.

  A folk hero takes on a ruthless emperor.
• 
  HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror (2010)

  Review preview for HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror

  A unique experience and profoundly enjoyable.

  A lavish audio production of one of HP Lovecraft's classic tales of terror.
• 
  Humpday (2009)

  Review preview for Humpday

  A mumblecore masterpiece.

  Two old friends take male bonding a little too far.
• 
  Unmade Beds (2009)

  Review preview for Unmade Beds

  Strives for profundity but instead grates irritatingly.

  Two young foreigners find romance in the vibrant, artistic underground of London's East End.
• 
  The Boat That Rocked (2009)

  Review preview for The Boat That Rocked

  A depressingly mainstream plot played out by one dimensional pantomime heroes and villains.

  The story of a boat-based pirate radio station which the government tries to ban.
• 
  Eden (2008)

  Review preview for Eden

  This film is adapted from a stage play by Eugene O'Brien and has made the transition to screen very smoothly.

  The disintegration of a marriage.
• 
  A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers (2007)

  Review preview for A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers

  While the lighter sections are wonderful to watch, the film doesn't fare as well when dealing with more serious portions of the story.

  Cultural and generational gaps explored by aging Chinese man visiting his daughter.
• 
  The Upsetter: The Life Of Lee Scratch Perry (2008)

  Review preview for The Upsetter: The Life Of Lee Scratch Perry

  The Upsetter is must see film for fans of Dub and Reggae who want to learn about the roots of the music as told by one of its forefathers.

  Documentary focussing on the Jamaican music producer.
• 
  Summer (2008)

  Review preview for Summer

  Summer is sublime.

  Now a carer for his dying friend, a former prisoner laments the way that he has frittered away his life.
• 
  Dummy (2008)

  Review preview for Dummy

  While the movie has some interesting ideas, the acting from the leads really lets it down.

  A coming of age drama about two young brothers whose mother dies suddenly, leaving them to fend for themselves.
• 
  Fear(s) Of The Dark (2007)

  Review preview for Fear(s) Of The Dark

  Fear(s) of the Dark is a collection of great animations, but while each of its chapters are great, the overall film doesn't gel brilliantly.

  Ten animations from the dark side.
• 
  The Order Of Myths (2008)

  Review preview for The Order Of Myths

  The Order of Myths is more than a look at the celebration of Mardi Gras, it's a deep gaze into the history and the people of Mobile.

  Using dual Mardi Gras parades, The Order of Myths delves into cultural exploration and integration in a community still stuck in tradition.
• 
  sleep furiously (2007)

  Review preview for sleep furiously

  If you've a personal interest in the lingering death of culturally stagnant Welsh valley communities then this may be interesting, otherwise it's best avoided.

  Rural Wales faces change from all sides as the population ages.
• 
  Red Awn (2007)

  Review preview for Red Awn

  While the events unfolding may be rather depressing, the film remains compelling.

  A father and son attempt to repair a relationship damaged by the former's absence.
• 
  Pageant (2008)

  Review preview for Pageant

  Pageant is a little more mainstream than might have been hoped, but it's still an entertaining portrait of some wonderfully larger than life characters, a mind blowing amount of effort and an incredible desire to win.

  An in-depth look at drag queens in preparation for the Miss Gay America.
• 
  Summer Hours (2008)

  Review preview for Summer Hours

  Superficially Summer Hours is an examination of the emotional fallout from the death of a loved mother, but digging deeper reveals insightful comment on nostalgia, mortality, property and family.

  Drama about a priceless art collection and a family's decision about how best to use it, for both memory and intrinsic worth.
• 
  Superhero Movie (2008)

  Review preview for Superhero Movie

  Superhero Movie follows almost exactly in the footsteps of its forebears, the Scary Movie films; this time the parody is aimed at the bloated belly of comic book hero movies.

  A parody of the superhero genre.
• 
  Mongol (2007)

  Review preview for Mongol

  Mongol charges onto the screen from the beautifully desolate steppes, leaving clouds of dust, severed limbs and burning yurts in its wake. This is a classic epic.

  Biopic covering the early life and battles of the man who, as Genghis Khan, would go on to conquer half the known world.
• 
  Patti Smith: Dream Of Life (2008)

  Review preview for Patti Smith: Dream Of Life

  Some sections of the film feel like a soapbox for her to stand on, to proselytize her personal politics; to bolster her image as a radical poet.

  Intimate portrait of the icon.
• 
  Cassandra's Dream (2007)

  Review preview for Cassandra's Dream

  Woody Allen is responsible for many favourite films and a fair number of questionable ones; Cassandra's Dream is by far his worst yet.

  Two brothers in need of money are confronted with a terrible proposition.
• 
  Smart People (2008)

  Review preview for Smart People

  Smart People is definitely well acted and enjoyable, but aside from keen performances from Quaid and Page there's nothing that really elevates.

  Can a little romance and a bit of brotherly bonding help a self-absorbed professor confront his life?
• 
  Speed Racer (2008)

  Review preview for Speed Racer

  At times the neon-tinged speedfreak race sequences are CGI-sublime, utterly divorced from realism, a loving reinterpretation of the garish original anime series; but they can't hide a litany of tedious cliches.

  Family values versus corporate dirty tricks in futuristic motor racing spectacular.
• 
  How Is Your Fish Today? (2006)

  Review preview for How Is Your Fish Today?

  A fascinating film for anyone interested in China or progressive documentary filmmaking.

  Critical documentary in dramatic camouflage?
• Mirrorball|Fresh Tracks (2006)

  Review preview for Mirrorball|Fresh Tracks

  This year's selection is emminently missable.

  Apparently the best the promo industry has to offer. Looks like they're in trouble.
• Mirrorball|Global Selection (2005)

  Review preview for Mirrorball|Global Selection

  Rarely will you see a collection of music videos so widely varied and yet of such consistently high quality.

  A very fine selection of the best and most innovative of global music videos this year.
• Mirrorball|Made In Japan (2006)

  The coolest and craziest videos that the Japanese promo industry has to offer.
• 
  Next Door (2005)

  Review preview for Next Door

  The production design is fascinatingly intricate - the endless dimly lit corridors of the girls' flat are beutifully grubby and claustrophobic - and the music is aptly menacing.

  Dumped by his girlfriend and seduced by his neighbours, John is beginning to lose his mind.
• 
  Jindabyne (2006)

  Review preview for Jindabyne

  The plot of Jindabyne is interpretable on myriad levels; the racial conflict between the slighted aborigines and the white population, personal values versus tribal ties, trust between husbands and wives.

  A close-knit Australian community is rocked when four men discover a murder victim’s corpse and do nothing about it.
• 
  The Treatment (2006)

  Jake Singer needed a shrink, but now could he be driving him crazy?
• 
  Gretchen (2006)

  An awkward teenager seeks revenge for a broken heart.
• 
  Black Sheep (2006)

  Five stories of bad taste and humour on the streets of Berlin.
• 
  Before The Music Dies (2006)

  Modern music is going to hell in a handbasket - or so this documentary would have us believe.
• 
  Art School Confidential (2006)

  An artist learns to adapt his vision to the world around him.
• 
  Twelve And Holding (2005)

  Review preview for Twelve And Holding

  The performances from the central three child actors are refreshingly good.

  A tragic accident changes the course of three children's lives.
• 
  The Benny Hill Annual 1976 (1976)

  The bawdy comic institution, or chronic British embarrassment, returns.
• 
  Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003)

  Japanese high school kids are forced to hunt down a dangerous renegade, or die.
• 
  Monsieur Hire (1989)

  Review preview for Monsieur Hire

  Patrice Leconte is an enduring master of French cinema, coaxing the absolute best from well-seasoned players.

  A middle-aged outsider becomes obssessed with a woman.
• 
  The Other (1972)

  Review preview for The Other

  What might once have been seen as a dark and mysteriously chilling tale of rural horror feels ridden with cliches.

  A pair of twins dabble with the supernatural in the backwoods of 1930s New England.
• 
  Primer (2004)

  Review preview for Primer

  Made on a budget of $7000, this is an incredible achievement.

  Two garage engineers, working with super conductors, stumble across a side-effect that opens infinite opportunities for time travel.
• 
  Miracle In Milan (1950)

  Review preview for Miracle In Milan

  Special effects are obviously dated, but their quaintness only adds to the film's charm.

  An allegorical neorealist fantasy examining social dynamics in post-war Italy.
• 
  The Devil And Daniel Johnston (2005)

  Review preview for The Devil And Daniel Johnston

  Daniel's music is heard throughout, adding immeasurable depth to his story.

  Biographical documentary about an underground singer/songwriter extraordinaire.
• 
  Mirrorball - Fresh Tracks 2 (2005)

  Review preview for Mirrorball - Fresh Tracks 2

  Memorable videos include Evan Bernard's inspired A-Z of drugs stereotypes promo for Soulwax - it's an alphabetic cornucopia of narcotics and their effects.

  The second selection of new promo videos from Mirrorball.
• 
  Mirrorball Best Of The Best (2005)

  Review preview for Mirrorball Best Of The Best

  A fantastic nostalgic trip.

  The second selection of new promo videos from Mirrorball.
• 
  Mirrorball Made In Japan (2005)

  Bizarre and brilliant creations from the Far East.
• 
  Mirrorball Animation (2005)

  Review preview for Mirrorball Animation

  A longer review than I planned, but that's only because there is simply so much good stuff in this collection of animated shorts that anything less wouldn't have done it justice.

  A collection of the best animated music videos that 2005 had to offer.
• 
  Saltire Society Award For Short Documentary (2004)

  Review preview for Saltire Society Award For Short Documentary

  These are all good films - some traditional, some genuinely different and new.

  A collection of the best of Scottish short documentaries from the last year competing for the Saltire Society Award
• 
  Before The Flood (2004)

  Documentary charting the relocation of the people of Fengjie, a city that will shortly be submerged beneath the Yangtze river.
• 
  Night Watch (2005)

  Review preview for Night Watch

  Heredia is fresh and perfectly cast as the hyperactive rent boy and his vital energy really pushes the film along, making up for the fairly ordinary cinematography and shaky camera work.

  A streetwalker roaming the streets of Buenos Aires meets long dead friends.
• 
  Weekdays (2005)

  Review preview for Weekdays

  The dialogue is sparse and when the characters do speak, it's clunkily written, laden with insipid profundities, and often badly delivered.

  An unknown woman goes about her daily life - clubbing, fucking and lunch with grandma.
• 
  Frankie (2005)

  Review preview for Frankie

  Fabienne Berthaud's film meanders between dissonant, ethereal scenes in the sanatorium and the frenetic action of a photographer's studios... the contrast between these two worlds is absolute.

  A fashion model crumbles beneath the incessant pressure of an ugly industry.