Gamerz

Ralph (Finbow) is a nerdy Glasgow boy just starting out at university, living with his gran and trying to avoid run-ins with former friend turned ned, Lennie (Young). Though used to escaping into his own fantasy world, joining a role playing group at uni sets up a love triangle between Ralph, Lennie and elf princess Marlyn (Stewart) that forces Ralph into the real world. Beautifully filmed on location around Glasgow and shot with a panache that really doesn't betray its meagre budget, Gamerz may be the funniest Scottish movie since the heyday of Bill Forsyth. The gaming action sequences are presented as a stunning shadow-play that recalls Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, visualising for the audience what would otherwise be unwatchable scenes of the team actually playing Dungeons and Dragons in real time. Long on laughs, it is occasionally short on plot, the pace slackening slightly as it passes the midway point, though a jaunty Aberfeldy soundtrack keeps it moving. And any film that features a credit for burpers and farters has got to be alright. [Paul Greenwood]