Change Your Image
fantasticmrq
He is probably best known for founding the Glasgow Filmmakers Alliance with Scottish actor Andrew O'Donnell. He was also the Head of Post Production at Quick Off The Mark Productions in Glasgow from 2009 to 2016.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Cows, Cash & Cover-ups? Investigating VCJD (2019)
An eye opener to the continuing crisis we face with VCJD
A very informative documentary that explores the mad cow disease epidemic for the 1980s and 1990s and questions wether the threat has ever gone away. I remember the crisis when I was younger and beef was absent from our household for some time as fear grew amongst the public about contacting VCJD. It was fascinating to hear from the families who had lost loved ones to VCJD and their ongoing concerns with modern day food production and the fear of deregulation of the industry that could emerge after Brexit. Macleans documentary should be seen by all and should be a wake up call to investigate how our ever increasing food demands are met and to fight for tougher standards to ensure that the food on our shelves is safe to eat.
Enora (2016)
Best Short film of 2017
I know this is probably classed as a 2016 given its release date but 2017 seemed to be its year and I was lucky enough to see it when I was on the judging panel for the 2017 Raptor Filmz Short Film Festival. The film is simply flawless. A wonderful and moving story that fits the genre perfectly. Beautiful cinematography and an extremely talented cast and crew bring this film to life and I can't think of another short film I saw in 2017 that could top this one. Not to be missed folks.
Where Do We Go from Here? (2015)
McPhail takes his place at the top table of Scottish Filmmaking.
I must admit, I had my reservations about this film. Up until this point, John McPhail and his team had been the top dogs of short filmmaking and it was a concern whether the same momentum would transfer to a feature length project. However, I'm glad to say I was wrong to be concerned and that McPhail did not disappoint and instead excelled with this delightfully charming story.
On a technical note, the film is relatively flawless. McPhail has once again delivered a solid script that keeps the audience in stitches from start to finish as well as bringing them close to tears in some very moving moments especially in the films opening montage. The film has been beautifully shot by Grant McPhee and further enhanced in grading by Jon Bruce. My only gripe with the film was a few editing issues but on the whole it was an impressive job from McPhail.
The casting of the film was spot on. For me, Alison Peebles completely stole the show as Joan and was brilliant in scenes opposite Richard Addison and Deirdre Murray where her characters comedic timing was perfect. Lucy-Jane Quinlan as Jen was another excellent choice and it was a shame to see she missed out on the Best Actress accolade at the 2015 Sydney Indie Film Festival. Lastly but by no means least, a special mention should go out to Tyler Collins in the lead role as James. For an American Actor to not only perfect a Scottish accident but deliver the lines in a natural way that a Scottish audience can relate to is an outstanding achievement and shows how talented and diverse an actor he is.
Compliments should also be paid to the Andrew Lanni and Lauren Lamarr in their positions of the films producers. There are people who for some reason criticise filmmakers who work with the same cast and crew on a regular basis but bugger it, if it works, it works and this film is a prime example of how a close knit team can work so well together and produce incredible results.
I was very fortunate to catch this film at its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival in what was essentially a home crowd for John McPhail. The extended applause at the end of the film as the credits went up the screen highlighted for me our industries overwhelming admiration for McPhail's talent as a filmmaker. He has done himself and his team proud with this film and I hope it becomes the springboard that propels McPhail and co onto bigger projects in the industry.
A Practical Guide to a Spectacular Suicide (2014)
A Welcome Addition To Scottish Comedy Features
It is hard enough in this industry to keep an audience laughing for 10 minutes never mind 85. However, the team behind 'A Practical Guide to a Spectacular Suicide' have excelled in the task in hand and created a welcome addition to the field of Scottish comedy.
The film centers around Tom Collins and his bid to pull off the most spectacular suicide in history. Whilst this may seem like an unusual topic to base a comedy round, the writers deal with the subject in a light hearted way that keeps the audience relaxed and captivated by the story surrounding the main character.
The acting in this production is first class and I was surprised to learn that the lead role of Tom was portrayed by the films writer, Graeme McGeagh. For someone who isn't trained in the field of acting, Graeme did a tremendous job throughout the film despite the heavy burden of being a leading character in a feature film. His comic timing and charisma is prefect for this role and he would be highly sought after if he ever decided to go into acting full time. The film is also pleasantly complimented by the supporting cast such as Annabel Logan, Patrick O'Brien and Ray Crofter whose scenes with McGeagh are very laugh out loud moments.
The film is relatively flawless in its technical achievement. As an editor, I only picked up on a few slips in the cutting of the film but nothing that deterred me from enjoying the film. The reason the film lost a star for me, is the carnival scene. For some reason, I felt it was extremely out of place in the film although it did tie in with an earlier section of the film.
Behind every great film, is a great leader in the form of the director and I think Graham Hughes has done an outstanding job with this film. Directing a feature is no easy task but Graham has beautifully crafted a thoroughly entertaining film that would not look out of place in a run at mainstream cinemas across the country. He thoroughly deserved his nomination at the 2014 Edinburgh Film Festival (Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature) for this film and he will certainly be a name to look out for in the future as his career progresses.
With rumours of a nod from the Bafta Scotland Awards its fair to say that 'A Practical Guide to a Spectacular Suicide' has earned itself a place in the history books and will be enjoyed for years to come.
The Lost Purse (2012)
A Superb piece of Scottish Filmmaking
I first saw this film as part of the Raptorz Film Festival in Glasgow and was captivated by its simplicity in telling a delightful story. Colin Ross Smith deserves great credit for his direction in this film and its really hard to describe how well he has executed this without giving away any of the story which I really don't want to do. What I will say is having also seen "Sandwich' (another short directed by Smith) he is certainly one of the most exciting Scottish directors working in the Independent film industry. In addition to this, I have always believed that editors make the best directors in film and Smiths work compiling this piece together has further strengthened this notion.
The film also benefits from exceptional acting performances from Declan Michael Laird and Rachel Wile. In particular Laird's performance is outstanding and one that can only truly be appreciated by seeing the film. To put it simply, Declan Michael Laird is a name I'm sure we will all come to know in years to come as his remarkable talents are explored further by the industry.
In summary, "The Lost Purse' is simply a delightful and appealing film which restores our faith in independent filmmaking.