Reviews by Scott Macdonald

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Home Movie (2010)

  Review preview for Home Movie

  Seems to convert someone else's memories to someone else's acid flashbacks.

  An exploration of family memories now distorted.
• 
  Arsenic (2011)

  Review preview for Arsenic

  Purposefully constructed, and to this point well-made.

  A contemplation of the fallibility of memory, especially as we age.
• 
  Jitters (2010)

  Review preview for Jitters

  This is a relationship drama, simple and direct. It’s well-acted and the script speaks volumes and none of it appears lost in translation.

  A refreshing coming of age story which plays like an Icelandic Skins.
• 
  Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure (2011)

  Review preview for Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

  The movie also has much to say about this none-too-subtle take on voyeurism, and the nature of unexpurgated creativity uninhibited by copyright.

  Two men record their loudmouthed neighbours, share their foul ramblings, and accidentally make them into underground stars.
• 
  Fast Romance (2010)

  Review preview for Fast Romance

  A deeply derivative string of spew-inducing Inciting Incidents and plot contrivances aiming for the weakest in rom and com.

  Can just three minutes with a stranger change the course of your life, forever?
• 
  Jane's Journey (2010)

  Review preview for Jane's Journey

  Frequent languid pacing and an occasional tendency to rehash similar points and stories lends the film a roughshod quality. Technically it's excellent.

  A documentary exploring the life of groundbreaking primatologist Jane Goodall.
• 
  Laputa: Castle In The Sky (1986)

  Review preview for Laputa: Castle In The Sky

  The film is a visual treat, boasting a well-realised steampunk aesthetic and inventive visual flourishes.

  A girl with a mysterious pendant and a young boy team up to unravel the secret of an castle in the sky.
• 
  Peepli Live (2010)

  Review preview for Peepli Live

  A very large cast, outstanding production values and a solid story cement the reality of the situation, and no character's motivations go unexamined.

  Social satire about not-very-suicidal but desperate farmer.
• 
  The Karate Kid (2010)

  Review preview for The Karate Kid

  Jaden Smith instinctively knows how to act for the camera - and is evolving into one of the most natural child-performers I've seen in a very long time.

  After moving a to China, a bullied boy discovers a new approach to life as he learns kung fu.
• 
  Gravity (2009)

  Review preview for Gravity

  Gravity is a reasonably skillful and elegant thriller, working well as a piece of visceral moviemaking.

  A bank clerk finds himself drawn into the criminal underworld after a shock to the senses.
• 
  Vacation! (2010)

  Review preview for Vacation!

  One of the most stunningly banal films I have seen in decades.

  Four young friends go on a trip to the seaside.
• 
  Baby (2010)

  Review preview for Baby

  Make no mistake, this is an immensely creepy picture.

  A young woman invites in a stranger who has followed her home.
• 
  Native Son (2009)

  Review preview for Native Son

  This is one of my favourite performances of the year.

  Lonely farm-hand finds someone to be close to.
• 
  The Pizza Miracle (2010)

  Review preview for The Pizza Miracle

  Features a nice, if melancholy score and excellent photography.

  A son returns to say farewell to his dead father.
• 
  The Sentimental Engine Slayer (2009)

  Review preview for The Sentimental Engine Slayer

  Omar Rodriguez-Lopez gives us a sensational taste of his talents in front of and behind the camera.

  A lonely young man muses on murder.
• 
  The Rebound (2009)

  Review preview for The Rebound

  A sweetly understated addition to the romantic comedy genre.

  A young New Yorker finds himself smitten with the single mother next door, despite a challenging age difference.
• 
  Outcast (2010)

  Review preview for Outcast

  For much of its runtime, Outcast may be the best British horror film since The Descent.

  Beasties, romance, black magic, comedy and horror - sounds like it's got it all!?
• 
  SoulBoy (2010)

  Review preview for SoulBoy

  Ultimately, SoulBoy is a strange, lifeless work.

  A coming-of-age tale mixed in with the genesis of Northern Soul.
• 
  Superhero Me (2010)

  Review preview for Superhero Me

  Steve Sale is an engaging and funny host, and he doesn't let his movie's technical weakness get in the way of an entertaining time.

  A documentary about superheroes with the potential to make valiant efforts in the ongoing battle to save the world.
• 
  Toy Story 3 (2010)

  Review preview for Toy Story 3

  A dazzlingly confident and magical picture.

  When their owner grows up and leaves home, his toys have to adapt to a new way of life in a day care centre.
• 
  22 Bullets (2010)

  Review preview for 22 Bullets

  Jean Reno is unflappably cool. There's not much more to it.

  Jean Reno stars as a retired gangster out for revenge for a brutal assassination attempt.
• 
  Blank City (2009)

  Review preview for Blank City

  Ultimately, this is your basic talking heads documentary, interspersed with footage that redefines cinematic cool.

  Documentary on the DIY independent film movement that emerged in tandem with punk rock and No Wave in late Seventies downtown New York.
• 
  The Last Rites Of Ransom Pride (2009)

  Review preview for The Last Rites Of Ransom Pride

  A rather dull action Western.

  Outrageous comedy Western about a young woman taking her murdered lover back to his home to be buried.
• 
  Thunder Soul (2010)

  Review preview for Thunder Soul

  Expertly made, passionately enthusiastic, one of the best films of the year.

  A tribute to the Kashmere Stage Band, looking at their remarkable history and the influence of Conrad "Prof" Johnson, who turned a school band into a worldwide sensation.
• 
  The People Vs George Lucas (2010)

  Review preview for The People Vs George Lucas

  A rather affectionate fanboy love-in and whingefest.

  A documentary looking at the arguments for and against each part of the Star Wars series and its creator.
• 
  Evil In The Time Of Heroes (2009)

  Review preview for Evil In The Time Of Heroes

  There's a dozen reasonable ideas, none of which are developed into fruition.

  Rather difficult to sum up in a one-liner - a barmy Greek zombie flick meets Doctor Who.
• 
  World's Greatest Dad (2009)

  Review preview for World's Greatest Dad

  A pitch-black satire on our selective memories of death and the deceased.

  A comedy about a high school poetry teacher who learns that the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy.
• 
  Crying With Laughter (2009)

  Review preview for Crying With Laughter

  Much of the plot reads as a barely tempered collection of cliches, but in the hands of writer/director Justin Molotnikov, and McCole's runaway success, becomes a highly effective character study and a well-constructed psychological thriller.

  Black comedy about a comedian whose past is unearthed.
• 
  Thirst (2009)

  Review preview for Thirst

  Park presents familiar vampiric tropes in a fresh and interesting way.

  A man is turned into a vampire by an experimental medical treatment.
• 
  The Missing Person (2008)

  Review preview for The Missing Person

  There may not be much beyond the surface, but it's a fine surface

  Neonoir about a private eye charged with following a man presumed dead after 9/11.
• 
  Mad, Sad And Bad (2009)

  Review preview for Mad, Sad And Bad

  I can't understand why anyone put this film into production.

  Comic portrait of a family in meltdown.
• 
  Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee (2009)

  Review preview for Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee

  The heavily compressed timescale does not compromise the feel of the talented cast locked into their grungy grooves

  Improvised mockumentary about rock and roll - shot in five days.
• 
  Sweet Mother (2008)

  Review preview for Sweet Mother

  Great performances and assured direction

  A story about a black family in a violent city
• 
  Akbulak (2008)

  Review preview for Akbulak

  A pleasant hymn to old-fashioned simple memories

  Eight years after moving from Russia to Germany, 17-year-old Olja spends her summer holidays with her grandmother in a Russian village.
• 
  Down The Rabbit Hole (2009)

  Review preview for Down The Rabbit Hole

  An evocative mood-piece, strikingly photographed.

  Romanian drug trafficking and young infatuation.
• 
  Crescendo (2008)

  Review preview for Crescendo

  An amusing little oddity, with well-sketched characters

  An odd musical troupe for a farmer's wife
• 
  Capturing Space (2008)

  Review preview for Capturing Space

  Capturing Space simply doesn't do what its title suggests.

  A small mood-piece on Kensington's famous landmark - Trellick Tower
• 
  Toy (2008)

  Review preview for Toy

  It's a bit repressive, with omnious music and no dialogue.

  A toy reveals unexpected powers.
• 
  By The Grace Of God (2009)

  Review preview for By The Grace Of God

  This is a tiresome movie, squeezing a 15-minute story into an intolerable 37 minutes.

  A blue-blooded German plots to meet the Queen, leading to a personal crisis.
• 
  Kirran And The Hatchmaker (2008)

  Review preview for Kirran And The Hatchmaker

  We get a very personable mixture of who Kirran is, and what his dreams are.

  Documentary about a boy trying to create a new breed of chicken.
• 
  Ant & Len (2009)

  Review preview for Ant & Len

  Insubstantial to say the least.

  Short about a vanishing alien.
• 
  The Black Dog's Progress (2008)

  Review preview for The Black Dog's Progress

  A heartrending animated feature

  Flip books tell the disturbing story of the black dog.
• 
  Albert's Speech (2008)

  Review preview for Albert's Speech

  A rather crummy cop-out ending spoils the good-natured laughs

  A look at a best man's plight from the inside out.
• 
  Follow The Master (2009)

  Review preview for Follow The Master

  This is a lovely film. Almost no moment of it is without some kind of sincere affectionate pleasure of its own creation.

  Edinburgh-based filmmaker creates a road movie like no other.
• 
  Terribly Happy (2008)

  Review preview for Terribly Happy

  An effective and well-made entertainment which slowly gets its hooks into you.

  When a town cop is reassigned to a provincial beat, he finds that rather than inflicting order on the locals, they have a disturbing affect on him.
• 
  Full Employment (2008)

  Review preview for Full Employment

  A one-joke movie, but it's a good joke

  Short film about the future of employment.
• 
  Tony (2009)

  Review preview for Tony

  Peter Ferdinando is excellent as the titular character.

  A lonely oddball comes under scrutiny after a child goes missing.
• 
  North By Northwest (1959)

  Review preview for North By Northwest

  It's a nonsense, but when the storytelling is this good it doesn't matter.

  A case of mistaken identity and false accusation sees an innocent man go on the run from the CIA and a criminal gang.
• 
  Observe and Report (2009)

  Review preview for Observe and Report

  I found myself half-laughing at moments of acidic and keenly observed characterisation before being blasted with horrific crassness and vicious violence.

  Mall cop comes off his meds, and the world had better watch out!
• 
  I Love You, Man (2009)

  Review preview for I Love You, Man

  Ultimately, I felt really good watching it.

  Repressed bloke needs a best man, but finds his best friend.