Reviews by Scott Macdonald

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

  Review preview for Star Trek: First Contact

  The film is tightly and crisply edited with nothing wasted on frippery or dull speeches.

  A hectic chase back through time as the Borg try to stop humans from making first contact with alien life, and Captain Picard and his crew try to stop the Borg.
• 
  Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)

  Review preview for Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

  An enormously satisfying adventure, made with skill and care.

  A training cruise for Kirk turns deadly with the return of an old enemy.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

  Lucas takes a pleasingly lengthy time to explore his worlds and well-sketched and realised characters.

  Lucas's Star Wars origins story returns to the big screen in 3D.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones (2002)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones

  Narrative seeds are sown for future Episodes, but at a cost of entertainment.

  Obi-Wan and Anakin are put in charge of protecting the Naboo senatoress after an attempt on her life.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge Of The Sith

  Revenge Of The Sith is a reminder of what made the original trilogy so good; character driven stories, along with a pot-boiling plot keeping things in check.

  Anakin's personal struggle against the Dark Side becomes more difficult as rebellious robots and an enemy within threaten to topple the Republic.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope (1977)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope

  Few can deny the great storytelling of Lucas' true first episode of his space-opera.

  Cult space opera.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

  It is a spectacular, brilliantly realised piece of moviemaking

  Superior sequel, to Lucas's space hit.
• 
  Star Wars: Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi (1983)

  Review preview for Star Wars: Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

  The best-looking and orchestrated space battle ever committed to film.

  Finale to the space saga.
• 
  Sweet Mother (2008)

  Review preview for Sweet Mother

  Great performances and assured direction

  A story about a black family in a violent city
• 
  Step Up (2006)

  Review preview for Step Up

  There is hardly a moment that does not resort to cliché, formula or stock characters.

  Another high school dance number.
• 
  Stone Of Destiny (2008)

  Review preview for Stone Of Destiny

  A brief trip into shortbread-tin Scotland.

  If Ealing were still alive... they'd probably grab this script and run with it!
• 
  The Story Of The Weeping Camel (2003)

  Review preview for The Story Of The Weeping Camel

  Beautifully textured photography and restrained camerawork allow us to appreciate events, as they would happen.

  The harsh, romantic lives of men and animals in the Gobi desert.
• 
  The Substitute (2006)

  Review preview for The Substitute

  The substitute of the title is a delirious, rictus-grinning comic creation.

  Comedy about the supply teacher from hell. Showing at the EIFF as part of European Shorts 1.
• 
  The Sun (2004)

  Review preview for The Sun

  A fascinating film, rich in unspoken detail.

  One of Emperor Hirohito last days before the Japanese surrender in 1945.
• 
  Superbad (2007)

  Review preview for Superbad

  I honestly wish I'd written this movie, and I suspect a handful of people my age feel the same way.

  An ode to friendship in the final night of high-school leads to a party never to be forgotten.
• 
  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.
• 
  Superman Returns (2006)

  Review preview for Superman Returns

  Clever writing by Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. It's also the finest popular entertainment since King Kong.

  The Man of Steel returns to save lives - but can he salvage his own?
• 
  Tahrir: Liberation Square (2011)

  Review preview for Tahrir: Liberation Square

  Director Stefano Savona very simply invites us to stand witness.

  Documentary on the Egyptian revolution.
• 
  Tales From Earthsea (2006)

  Review preview for Tales From Earthsea

  I never dreamed I would write 'tiresome' and 'Studio Ghibli' in a sentence without an odd number of negatives in it.

  A young prince is caught up in a titanic struggle of sorcerers.
• 
  Taxi (2004)

  Review preview for Taxi

  There is not a single shred of a reason for anyone to pay money to see this movie. Save your cab fare and walk on by.

  American remake of French action comedy about a racing cab driver and a silly cop.
• 
  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.
• 
  That Peter Kay Thing (2000)

  Review preview for That Peter Kay Thing

  Solid entertainment.

  Series of mockumentaries from the stand-up comedian.
• Thunderbirds (2004)

  Review preview for Thunderbirds

  A complete waste of time.

  Live action kids adventure, based on the long running UK puppet TV show.
• 
  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.
• 
  TMNT (2007)

  Review preview for TMNT

  The Turtles movie that I'd have loved as a boy.

  The heroes in a half shell are back on the big screen.
• 
  Tondo, Beloved: To What Are the Poor Born? (2011)

  Review preview for Tondo, Beloved: To What Are the Poor Born?

  The single most striking thing about this film is the soundscape.

  A deprived family's day-to-day survival in Manila.
• 
  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.
• 
  Transformers (2007)

  Review preview for Transformers

  It is not content merely to be moronic; it embraces this quality like a virtue.

  Robots in disguise!
• 
  Troubadours (2011)

  Review preview for Troubadours

  The film is crammed full of archive footage, talking heads and some cracking music.

  A documentary about the singer/songwriter boom in late Sixties Los Angeles.
• 
  True Romance (1993)

  Review preview for True Romance

  Another victim of the style over substance genre.

  An earnest young comics geek goes on the run with an inexperienced hooker and an accidentally acquired suitcase full of cocaine - Christopher Walken's cocaine...
• 
  The Truth (2006)

  Review preview for The Truth

  Co-writer/director George Milton keeps a solid hand on the tone, if not the script.

  Darkly comic self-help murder mystery in the Scottish Highlands.
• 
  The Terminator (1984)

  Review preview for The Terminator

  James Cameron's masterpiece. A lean, brooding, violent and unforgettable experience from a director hungry for success.

  Relentless cyborg tries to alter a planet's future by changing one woman's past.
• 
  Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

  Review preview for Terminator 2: Judgment Day

  Terminator 2 is a wonderful sequel, dramatically satisfying and a fine entertainment.

  A Terminator robot comes back in time to protect a boy from another, more advanced killer robot.
• 
  Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)

  Review preview for Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

  Terminator 3 is technically splendid, but uninvolving - a film without real human bite. Its characters are bland cyphers, unlike Cameron's well-drawn roles.

  Third installment in the Terminator franchise has robot Arnie fighting a metallic woman.
• 
  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.
• 
  Titanic (1997)

  Review preview for Titanic

  It wears its heart on its sleeve, with pride, and delivers exactly what it promises - a startlingly realised film, an extravaganza for the eyes, ears and the heart.

  An epic disaster movie, with added passion and icebergs. Re-released for its 25th anniversary.
• 
  Tokyo Story (1953)

  Review preview for Tokyo Story

  It's a heartbreaking film. I look at Tokyo Story, and I see moments of my own life, or potential future life reflected.

  Yasujiro Ozu's masterpiece about the indifference of families.
• 
  Toy (2008)

  Review preview for Toy

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

  A toy reveals unexpected powers.
• 
  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.
• Underworld: Evolution (2006)

  Review preview for Underworld: Evolution

  The much promised rubbery rumpy-pumpy raises laughs, instead of passion.

  The vicious mythology of wars between Vampires and Lycans continues.
• 
  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.
• 
  Venus (2006)

  Review preview for Venus

  O'Toole is simply remarkable. He reinvents himself once again, stealing the breath away with his learned quicksilver wit and charisma.

  Love, with catheters, for an ageing act-or who is seduced by the beauty of passion’s young promise.
• 
  Virgin Forest (2012)

  Review preview for Virgin Forest

  The documentary-style diary is interspersed with striking single shots of nature.

  Thoughts and confrontations about family history at the home of the director's deceased grandmother.
• 
  Vertigo (1958)

  Review preview for Vertigo

  My pick for the greatest film ever made.

  A detective becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman who reminds him of someone else.
• 
  Wah-Wah (2005)

  Review preview for Wah-Wah

  Shot almost entirely on location, Wah-Wah looks positively delicious.

  A boy grows up in a broken family as the winds of change blow through Swaziland.
• 
  Wedding Daze (2006)

  Review preview for Wedding Daze

  The movie is so rotten, so lazy and so ineffective - it can only lower the IQ, or raise the critical barrier for anyone who sees it.

  Hopeless romantic comedy about imperfect beings.
• 
  When A Stranger Calls (2006)

  Review preview for When A Stranger Calls

  Driven to the edge, where sentences silently suicide, this uneventful, thoughtless and infantile pap has beaten me.

  Babysitter is stalked by mysterious phone caller.
• 
  White Noise: The Light (2007)

  Review preview for White Noise: The Light

  A dreary looking film, without any visual or storytelling flair.

  A man sees soon-to-be-dead people.
• 
  The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

  Review preview for The Wizard Of Oz

  The Wizard Of Oz has something fresh and intangibly pure for me every time I see it.

  Swept away to a magical land, young Dorothy sets out to find the wizard who can help her get home, meeting some unusual friends along the way. Out on IMAX reissue.
• 
  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.