Reviews by Scott Macdonald

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Gone (2007)

  Review preview for Gone

  An unrelentingly dull exercise in inept thriller-mongering.

  More trouble in the outback for packpackers.
• 
  A Good Woman (2004)

  Review preview for A Good Woman

  A cheerful, well-produced film that overstays its welcome.

  Film adaptation of Lady Windemere's Fan.
• 
  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.
• 
  Gretchen (2006)

  Review preview for Gretchen

  [Collins'] story and screenwriting need a lot of work - at present, they resemble a collection of strung together sketches.

  An awkward teenager seeks revenge for a broken heart.
• 
  Hail (2011)

  Review preview for Hail

  Hail essentially tells the story of going straight, and is filled with knowing details, acidic and authentic writing.

  The true story of a man who, fresh out of prison, tries to make a new start.
• 
  Heidi Kim at W Hong Kong Hotel (2010)

  Review preview for Heidi Kim at W Hong Kong Hotel

  The mysteries are infinite.

  A beautiful woman reclines mysteriously in an anonymous hotel. What is her secret?
• 
  Hell And Back Again (2011)

  Review preview for Hell And Back Again

  The photography is sumptuous throughout - we often forget that this is a documentary, such is the quality of the footage.

  A documentary examining one soldier's experiences after he is taken out of action by a serious injury.
• 
  Henry V (1944)

  Review preview for Henry V

  Shakespeare's most popular history... lashings of style, wit and theatrical skill, all shot in Glorious Technicolor.

  Laurence Olivier brings his own dramatic touch to Shakespeare in a stirring tale of battle against the odds.
• 
  Here, Then (2012)

  Review preview for Here, Then

  An interminable, frustrating film

  An low-key and enigmatic portrayal of the alienation, disillusionment and loss of direction that have become widespread among young people in contemporary China.
• 
  Hairspray (2007)

  Review preview for Hairspray

  Hairspray is a sincere, thoroughly entertaining romp; bursting with boundless energy, inventive choreography and performances that quite simply delight.

  A big-budget remake of the John Waters classic, with a teenage hair hopper rebel becoming a star even without a dainty figure.
• 
  Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)

  Review preview for Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

  This is an entertaining enough movie, although there are missed opportunities.

  It's darker now and Voldemort is close. Can Harry triumph at the Tri-wizard Tournament and save the world?
• 
  Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004)

  Review preview for Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

  It's such a pleasure to see a real children's film by a real filmmaker.

  Harry returns to Hogwarts to find he is being pursued by the escaped murderer Sirius Black.
• Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)

  Review preview for Herbie: Fully Loaded

  Blandly inoffensive childrens entertainment that lacks creativity.

  The Love Bug VW Beetle is saved from the scrapyard by high school heartthrob Lindsay Lohan.
• 
  High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

  Review preview for High School Musical 3: Senior Year

  The writing is unanimously superfluous bubblegum dribble. Yet Zac Efron displays a startling magnetic star quality and rises above it.

  Big-screen outing for the Disney Channel kids.
• 
  A History Of Violence (2005)

  Review preview for A History Of Violence

  The unique signature of the film is its stunning mood, created by Peter Suschitzky's cinematography and the uniform excellence of the cast.

  Violence begets violence in a study of retribution and small town defiance.
• 
  Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

  Review preview for Howl's Moving Castle

  Miyazaki finally frustrates.

  A magical tale in a troubled kingdom on the brink of war.
• 
  The Holyrood Files (2005)

  Review preview for The Holyrood Files

  A superbly constructed and solid amalgamation of evidence and opinion

  Expose of the building of the Scottish Parliament.
• 
  Home For The Weekend (2012)

  Review preview for Home For The Weekend

  A haunting, well-directed piece of cinema.

  A family reunion becomes difficult as secrets are revealed and frustrations expressed.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Invader (2011)

  Review preview for The Invader

  Sawadogo gives a potent, revealing performance which is sadly wasted in a story without impulse or direction.

  A immigrant struggling to fit into Belgian society becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman.
• 
  The Incredibles (2004)

  Review preview for The Incredibles

  The best film of 2004 - and the best superhero movie ever!

  The family life of superheroes, living incognito in the 'burbs, while saving the city from destruction.
• 
  Infiltrators (2013)

  Review preview for Infiltrators

  A full picture of the nuts and bolts of people smuggling.

  This documentary follows the efforts by various Palestinians to cross the 7m high wall that separates the Palestinian Territories from Israel.
• 
  The Interpreter (2005)

  Review preview for The Interpreter

  The solemnity of the actors' fine performances cannot hide the shallowness of the story.

  A political thriller at the UN headquarters in New York.
• 
  Into The Blue (2005)

  Review preview for Into The Blue

  The appeal of the film is as obvious and as shallow as Alba-in-a-bikini and Walker's chiselled six-pack.

  Underwater treasure evokes a moral dilmma for fit diver.
• 
  In Her Shoes (2005)

  Review preview for In Her Shoes

  One of the years best and most underrated films.

  Sex, shopping and eating. What more could you ask for? Jimmy Choo stilettos?
• 
  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.
• 
  Jackass 2 (2006)

  Review preview for Jackass 2

  It gave me a sum total of four large belly laughs, a couple of outright chuckles and a whole lot of burying my head in my hands in shock/distaste/pain.

  More dangerous stunts, obscene humour and general silliness from the Jackass gang.
• 
  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.
• 
  Jesus Christ Saviour (2008)

  Review preview for Jesus Christ Saviour

  Jesus Christ Saviour is more a challenging and interesting curio for fans of Kinski and Herzog's collaborations than a movie in its own right.

  Klaus Kinski (so immortally captured in Werner Herzog's My Best Fiend) gives a showstopping performance with a defiant monologue.
• 
  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.
• 
  Judge Dredd (1995)

  Review preview for Judge Dredd

  A simple piece of mindlessly gratifying entertainment.

  Comic-book adaptation of 2000AD hero.
• 
  Jurassic Park (1993)

  Review preview for Jurassic Park

  Extraordinarily exciting and often disturbing PG-rated stuff.

  A trip to a dinosaur theme park turns deadly.
• 
  Just Like Heaven (2005)

  Review preview for Just Like Heaven

  A love story that, despite my sincerest cynicism, allowed me to invest for the slender 90-minute runtime.

  Ghostly love story that explores the difference between bumping into furniture and walking through walls
• 
  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.
• 
  Killer Joe (2011)

  Review preview for Killer Joe

  Friedkin has fun seeing how far he can push the envelope with swift, bloody violence and frequent full-frontal female nudity.

  Life-insurance crime thriller.
• 
  Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight (2007)

  Review preview for Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight

  The animation is exquisitely timed for terrific comic impact.

  A businessman reaches the end of his tether.
• 
  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.
• 
  Knocked Up (2006)

  Review preview for Knocked Up

  Judd Apatow has marked himself out as the leader of the pack when it comes to delivering effortless and believable raunchy comedy.

  Comedy about an unplanned pregnancy after a one-night stand.
• 
  Laid Off (2006)

  Review preview for Laid Off

  Zam Salim's direction and control of his short tale is exemplary

  Being dead is a killer.
• 
  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.
• 
  The Last House On The Left (1972)

  Review preview for The Last House On The Left

  A deliberately cruel and vicious experience.

  The attackers of two teenage girls inadvertently take refuge with their parents and face a terrible revenge.
• 
  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.
• 
  Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

  Review preview for Leaving Las Vegas

  Cage and Shue transform [their characters] into believable people you feel you could talk with - transcending the usual boundaries of the screen and your heart.

  A sensational, if doomed romance between a prostitute and a suicidal drunk.
• 
  Lady Vengeance (2005)

  Review preview for Lady Vengeance

  Park's delicious sense of storytelling doesn't take long in presenting itself and the humour, as you might expect, is of the gallows variety.

  Revenge is ugly and intricately planned in South Korea. Now out to own as part of the Vengeance Trilogy box set.
• 
  The Last Mitterand (2005)

  Review preview for The Last Mitterand

  Michel Bouquet delivers a revelatory, award-worthy performance.

  A French President at the end of his life struggles to find meaning and clarity.
• 
  The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005)

  Review preview for The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse

  The character-based comedy mostly works as well as it does on the show, but the laboured and frequently infantile storylines make the film fall flat on its face when it's not half way up its own arse.

  Convoluted comedy from TV-based series that questions the meaning of reality.
• 
  The Longest Day (1962)

  Review preview for The Longest Day

  Crumbles under it's own epic intentions and lack of cohesion.

  An epic exposition of the D-Day landings, with a host of well known faces.
• 
  Look At Me (2004)

  Review preview for Look At Me

  The performances are delightful.

  A young woman finds herself torn between idolising her father and hating him for his indifferent attitude towards her.
• 
  The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)

  Review preview for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

  It's the sheer manipulative skill of [director] Jackson and [editor] Selkirk that they nurture each story thread and bring them to a satisfying head.

  Final part of Peter Jackson's Middle Earth trilogy.
• 
  Losing Myself: Stewart (2006)

  Review preview for Losing Myself: Stewart

  Inspiring, effective and wonderfully evocative

  Artist's reflection on past and present, in spite of dementia.