macduffthegaul Reviews

Stella (II) (2022)

So Disappointing

[5/10 · 12 June 2023]

Oh Dear, I really wanted to like this film. The theme is interesting, the cast includes some distinguished names and it was filmed in an area I know well. But to say Stella is pedestrian is an insult to pedestrians. The theme of a Jewish refugee seeking work in a country house run by a rabid fascist in the 1930s should be fascinating and charged with drama and stress. But I'm afraid the combination of an undisciplined script with weak dialogue, frequently amateurish acting, single level directing and lazy editing results in a movie with few low or high spots and at least thirty excess minutes. What was required was a team of script editors who knew what makes a film pull the audience along with it and creates pace and emotional excitement. I'm afraid neither are present here and you are left wondering at the end, what actually changed over the previous two hours. Such a shame to see excellent actors like Gary Lewis make a perfunctory appearance, spew out unrealistic propaganda and then disappear. Some reasonably good cinematography, but the opportunity to establish the action in a beautiful rural landscape was largely missed.

Granite Harbour (2022– )

Bitterly Disappointing

[4/10 · 2 December 2022]

Like many Scots I had high hopes of Granite Harbour, only to have my expectations dashed within the first few minutes. To say the script is creaky is an understatement - it is a prime example of how a lack of continuous re-writing at the pre-production stage results in a disaster. This is certainly not helped by a narrative which is wholly unoriginal, and a bunch of lead actors who are clearly out of their depth. It takes an old pro like Dawn Steel (Monarch of the Glen) to show that you can indeed polish the odd t**d if you are experienced enough. Most of the cast here are not, and therefore cannot wring any conviction out of dud dialogue. It was like watching painting by numbers. On the plus side it was pleasant enough to see Aberdeen, shot both on the ground and from the air. But good technicals are not going to save this car crash. In rating it 4 out of 10 I'm being generous; it could have been so much better.

The English (2022)

So Derivitive

[6/10 · 15 November 2022]

Apart from the fact that the lead character is a woman, The English is unoriginal, rather a tribute to the work of Serge Leone and in particular to Once Upon A Time in the West. In other words the cinematography mimics Leone, the music is second class Morricone and the story is OUATITW crossed with The Wild Bunch. All these films deal with the Old West meeting the New West, and so far The English has nothing new to add. Yes, it's good that the series appears on TV (previously screens would have been too small to capture the wide vista shots) but that is no reason to heap acclaim on a series which is merely keeping keeping abreast of new technology. I had high hopes of The English and was disappointed, not least by the modern fashion of making the narrative obscure beyond belief.

The Rescue: 54 Hours Under the Ground (2022 TV Special)

So Authentic

[9/10 · 5 November 2022]

As a retired caver and former member of a cave rescue team I found this programme quite outstanding. Rarely if ever has caving been so convincingly shown at such a high technical level. Even though one knows the outcome of this rescue, it is hard to imagine how challenging it must have been. But equally challenging is assembling a record of the rescue with such authenticity. I assume that all the footage was shot at the time by members of the rescue teams, but stand corrected if that was not the case. Whatever, the incredibly high technical standard of the underground filming was astounding, especially when compared with earlier 16mm caving docs, and footage shot on head cams. The rescue is very effectively intercut with interviews and commentary, primarily from the surface and underground rescue co-ordinators. Only when I read the credits on IMDB did I realise that the part of George the vuctim was played by an actor. Or was he......? An outstanding achievement.

Life and Death in the Warehouse (2022 TV Movie)

Repeat ASAP

[10/10 · 13 March 2022]

Harrowingly good, so honest. Makes you feel guilty using Amazon et al. Brilliant script, great cast. Craig Parkinson especially good as the sinister manager 'devoted to the customer and the team'. Let's hope the BBC repeat it in a much more prominent slot. Deserves at least one BAFTA award too.

The Souvenir (2019)

No Sense of Purpose, Audience or Pacing

[4/10 · 24 January 2022]

Despite an excellent cast and above par cinematography, this film is self indulgent and does little for the reputation of Britain's film schools in the 1980s. Where is the sense of urgency, the awareness of audience or the proper development of character? The bad boyfriend is a hollow shell who never seems to go to work. Tilda Swinton is disgracefully under-used but brings life to an otherwise lifeless piece.

Beep (I) (2021 TV Movie)

Wow, this is brave......but it works

[9/10 · 13 March 2021]

I'm not sure whether this is a pilot, a series or a one off, but whatever it is, it works!. Setting a comedy in a hospital room where the father is in a coma and various family members gather round him is pretty dark, but two things make it happen. One is sparkling casting and performances, the other is a crisp, witty and deadpan script ('didn't know there were no pavements on a motorway'). Siobhan Redmond as the mother is magisterial as always, and Paul Higgins is outstanding as the unwanted visiting priest. Odd to see him perform so skilfully without the customary potty mouth. The humour is in the great tradition of 'The Office' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and is certainly none the worse for that. Well one BBC for commissioning it.

Lad: A Yorkshire Story (2013)

A Hard-to-Forget Tribute to Yorkshire Dales Life

[9/10 · 18 February 2021]

This is quite simply a beautiful little film, superbly performed, with excellent cinematography which deserves a much wider release. If you like understated coming-of-age movies and adore the Yorkshire Dales, this is unmissable

Hatton Garden (2019)

Textbook Guide to How It Should be Done

[10/10 · 30 October 2020]

There have been numerous other versions of this true life heist, but none gets anywhere near the quality of this one. Thanks to a sharp screenplay, outstanding direction and superb acting, Hatton Garden is gripping, amusing, entertaining but most of all creates lots of tension despite the fact that the events are so well known. Seeing two well known Scots actors holding their own as Londoners against the rest of the cast was very satisfying. And it was nice to see Timothy Spall working with his erstwhile Auf Wiedersehen Pet colleague Christopher Fairbank again, albeit briefly. Full credit, too, to the two lighting cameramen who created a really claustrophobic atmosphere in the bowels of the safe vault. Loved it when the guys were almost too big to get through the drill hole. Great stuff.

The Measure of a Man (2015)

France's Answer to Ken Loach's I Daniel Blake

[9/10 · 19 October 2017]

If Ken Loach and his team didn't see this movie before making I Daniel Blake I'd be amazed. Not in any way a copy, The Measure of a Man takes the same sympathetic look at ordinary people's grim tortured lives as I Daniel Blake. I came to this film completely cold and was immediately gripped by its grittiness, its cinema verite style and its quite outstanding performances. Particularly memorable, the horrific 'Big-Brother-Is -Watching-You' CCTV security system in the supermarket which pries into every detail of anyone either shopping or working on the premises, especially on the tills. No one is beyond suspicion,it seems. When the film's protagonist,a security guard, arrests a succession of shoplifters and till staff, the tension between his need to do his job correctly and his sympathy for his 'victims' is incredibly gut wrenching. This film says an awful lot about how the world of work and the world of unemployment REALLY work with refreshing and moving honesty.

Force Majeure (2014)

Blatant Pitch for Competition Awards

[5/10 · 29 February 2016]

Have just watched this movie on Netflix and was initially enthralled but very quickly became disorientated and bored. This was largely due to the 'flat' pacing and the complete lack of a single sympathetic character. I'm not averse to long-held camera shots, but there seemed to be far too many irrelevant sequences which added nothing to the film e.g. the flying of the drone at night (highly dangerous!). Other inconsistencies included the bad driver on the coach at the end, and the lunacy of skiing in a white-out. Surely the lifts would have been closed in such conditions? At the conclusion of the movie my first thought was that the director was pitching for a screening at Cannes or the Academy awards. And,lo, I was right. On the redeeming side, the location work was superb and the avalanche did look pretty real.