The Scottish Tale

Enough already!!! This movie is pretty stinky. The scots' accents are not very convincing, the yanks can't act, the dialogue is creaky, the skunk is stuffed, and the jokes are weak. The only nice thing I can say about it is that it's not quite bad enough to make you stop watching. Oh, yeah, and I like the cheap film stock. To top it all off, the music is by Ed Bogas! Ever play an accolade game from the mid 80's and you'll recognize his work, especially in the "dancing" scene. Sorry, Mack, this bites.

It's always interesting to see movies of self-discovery. What I mean by self-discovery is that it is a movie of a person who does not know what they are meant to be, and then finds themself in their own way. This is such a profound story that I have seen it told in many ways, and in many forms. In this way, it is a genre in itself.

Sadly, most of these movies are failures in the box office. This is truly a tragedy, for all movies, even the ones that fail still have a message to say, even though it may be a deep and metaphoric one, like mentioned in a quote of the Scottish Tale. I assume, however, that over time people will grow to understand the true meaning of movies that may not be popular, but still have a timeless story to tell. For the genre of self-discovery is still an important one.

Yes, the actors are not famous, the lighting may be off, some of the characters may not act perfect, and there may be awry moments, but does that truly matter? How a movie is determined should depend on the quality of its story and its actors, regardless of how famous the actors are or how well the technical properties of the film are presented. What makes this movie so great is that it focuses on stories of modern day life with modern day people--not a story about perpetuated truth or about things that only happen in movies because we may never see them in our lifetimes.

Mack Polhemus has a true talent. If people do not enjoy it now, future generations will understand what it truly means. This is destined to be a classic in it's on way.

It's always satisfying to see a film succeed without the help of Hollywood. This simple and sweet film feels comfortable enough in its own quirky skin to allow for an obviously fake skunk (think CADDYSHACK "Gopher") to enter the picture. The best thing is that it only adds to the independent spirit of the movie. I like to see independent films because they don't always have to be so perfectly precise in their genre. There is a nice blend of comedy and sweet romance. I hope Polhemus gets a chance to make another movie. I'd be interested to see what he does next. I loved the Director's Statement on the video at Hollywood Video. The Director himself makes an appearance and interviews a couple who end up insulting him and beating him up. That was probably my favourite part!

While the aesthetics are not near the level of master directors such as Kieslowski or Wong Kar Wai, Mack Polhemus does a capable and insightful job of capturing the tribulations of two families. The movie is based very loosely on Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Polhemus demonstrates the mastery that he possesses of Macbeth by interpreting it towards a more modernized version of a 90's like story. It is very evident that this was shot for a very little amount of money; however, it does not necessarily affect the quality of the picture itself. In fact, one might attain a more homegrown feel that is welcome into a delightful little movie as this. In no way is this movie a masterpiece; yet, it accomplishes a couple of tasks. 1) it displays what it wants to say 2) has a couple of memorable scenes 3) introduces a welcome debut to a director who could be headed for better things with more resources and experience (which is what the scottish tale will do for him).

This film was very hard to watch. The film quality was comparable to a home movie, and I had a good laugh when the fly was buzzing about in a scene with Beth and her father. The lighting in most scenes was so poor that the actor's faces were obscured. The film lacked transitions between scenes and ideas, requiring the audience to constantly adjust to the awkward gaps. The Scottish accents were painfully bad and the acting was pretty stilted. I kept waiting for something interesting or unique, and was only rewarded with a 400 foot tablecloth attached to a wedding dress. It was amusing that Beth had to hold her head carefully to support the awkward headdress. Except for a few of the older actors (Beth's parents), the cast and producers clearly do not have a future in the film industry.