Scratch

Just saw this film at a local film festival near Toronto Canada. Not good at all. Too many people are calling themselves film makers now. The story had promise, but the lack of action and the mediocre attempt at comedy took this story into a black hole. I wish people would pick one or the other... action, or comedy. Yes black humor is entertaining, but Scratch was not that at all. Scratch was a film makers attempt to try and put together a movie that lacked that cutting edge. It's the look that everyone wants, but no one usually achieves. I miss the films of the late 80, and early 90's... those day are gone I guess. Maybe they can fix this film in a second edit? Who knows! If anything, they should try and have the films color fixed. Who ever was in charge of lighting needs to have a career change.

I was pleasantly surprised how good this film is. A gangster heist film with elements of comedy, I actually laughed quite a bit during the film. The performances of actors were excellent. This little gem is truly worth watching. From the moment the film started it kept the energy level high and kept me intrigued of whats coming next. I also enjoyed the soundtrack that accompanied this movie. I never heard most of the songs on it and would like to have my hands on it. Without giving out any spoilers its hard to give a desciptive review, but I can say that in today's age most films that are made basically are unwatchable, "Scratch" will keep you watching and enjoying it...

I call them workhorse movies. It all starts with a script, then someone likes the script and works extra hard to get the movie made. Sometimes that's the same person; sometimes that's a few people. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I usually have fairly low expectations going into a workhorse movie. I've seen my fair share, from guys putting together abstract animated shorts to teams building action/adventure international romps. And sometimes, these are just the right vehicles to showcase a writer's style, or a director's edge, or an actor's chops.

Here we have Scratch, a full-length independent film that wants to be bigger than its budget and, for the most part, does pretty well. As a workhorse movie, it's top-notch. It's written and directed by a guy named Maninder Chana and it stars nobody you've heard of but maybe somebody you'll see one day. Sure there are a few plot holes here and there. Sure there are some editing hiccups. Sure some of the acting isn't DeNiro in Raging Bull. At the end of the day, though, none of that stuff really matters; it all really comes down to that ever-elusive, hard-to-define term 'entertainment.' If the audience laughs a little, or cries a little, or really just cares a little, then the film is a success. Scratch delivers. It's darkly funny and even a bit interesting, once you get over the aforementioned downfalls. The leading woman is attractive and holds her own. I really liked Gigi and the Russians; their interplay made the movie for me. The twist was OK. I guess I didn't see it coming, but I also think it was more of a trick than a twist.

Stuff blows up. People curse a lot and die. It looks like high-quality production. The score is on-point. The acting isn't terrible. The writing is good, and great in spots. The directing is clean and cool. It wants to be like Usual Suspects or Reservoir Dogs or even Snatch. But it isn't those. It's as close to those as National Treasure is to Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the end, that's pretty damn good.

The great thing about independent films is that you never really know what to expect. Obviously being accepted into a film festival speaks measures to the potential quality but even then, a lot of what makes a movie good or not really is in the eye of the beholder. But Scratch was an all around fun movie. I like dark comedy because it allows the audience to experience a dramatic and often difficult experience with a light comedic delivery. Its serious but at the same time its not… The end credits excerpt is a perfect example of that, and Scratch delivered in its entertainment value.

Fun, easy to follow along and believable story lines, all brought together by a talented cast of interesting and engaging characters really kept my husband and I engaged and happily entertained!!

Saw this at a film festival recently near Toronto. The cast was really strong for a low-budget yarn and some were on hand for a q&a afterwards. Without getting into spoilers, the story has several twists and turns along the way and bounces at times between action and comedy. The film is kind of is split in two this way, which I can see working for some but not every audience member. So there is a different kind of rhythm to it, which worked for me. The black humour is sometimes hit and miss and it could have done with some faster pacing, but I enjoyed it for what it was. No real deep message here but a fun ride with an unexpected conclusion. 7ish out 10.