Category Archives: true story

Outlaw King a Scottish Tale From the History Books

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Co-written and directed by David Mackenzie, Outlaw King follows Robert the Bruce, played by Chris Pine. His life is transformed from defeated noble to a king to an outlaw as he struggles to reclaim medieval Scotland from occupation. Ambushed and reduced to a handful of supporters, Robert resolves himself to strike back against King Edward of England’s mighty army.

Robert is among the Scottish nobles who submitted to the occupying English King, Edward, played by Stephen Dillane.  A marriage is arranged between Robert and Elizabeth de Burgh, played by Florence Pugh, a daughter of Edward’s ally.

An unnerving peace seems the only way forward which Robert and his family reluctantly accept. His relationship with his wife is feisty as they get to know each other. But crippling taxes, relentless force, men and boys being coerced under obligations of the feudal system to fight for King Edward only strengthen the rising rebellious emotions amongst the Scots.

Major events trigger a change in the overall climate of Scotland. The death of the family patriarch Bruce Senior, played by James Cosmo, news of the brutal demise of former rebel leader William Wallace, and finally the murder of Robert’s rival John Comyn, played by Callan Mulvey.

With the help of the Scottish Church – including Bishop Lamberton, played by Paul Blair, Robert resolves to become king and try to unify a divided country – many of whom do not want more war and are opposed to him because of their own blood ties.

If you know your Scottish history, you know the outcome of the story. I can give you a hint, though, it is one of the greatest comeback stories in history. “…I couldn’t shake the feeling that the period between 1304 and 1307 was where the most extreme things were happening – and this is what we have focused on. We conflated some characters and events in the interests of drama and time, but we have broadly been very faithful to the recorded history or this timeframe,” explained Mackenzie.

The Netflix produced movie will hopefully turn out to be a movie worth watching. So much of Scotland’s yesteryear events are page turners in historical books.

Scottish director Mackenzie whose body of work includes Hell or High Water and Young Adam is an excellent choice for this epic movie. Here are a couple of clips from Outlaw King. Nothing like the trailer but poignant in terms of key points in the movie’s storyline.

 

Lifetime Movie “Whitney”

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Whitney Houston will always be one of the greatest singers of her generation and beyond. Her untimely death shocked the world, but didn’t surprise the few who knew her so well. In the made-for-television movie Whitney, directed by Angela Bassett and released by Lifetime, we are shown, as spectators, the rise and fall of a beloved celebrity.

Basset’s take on the movie is told in a heroic way, and it deserves to be seen by those who entered the fandom for Whitney’s voice and acting talent and who felt deep sorrow over her demise. Watching the movie, I was drawn into the story by Anastas Michos’s cinematic talent, with his long, silent shots that kept the drama raw in an artsy way. The movie felt incredibly real and often ugly,

Basset remains objective throughout the movie, and I wondered whether the Houston family sanctioned it. The director didn’t slam the legend, but let the story unfold, so I could see what happened to Whitney.

Yet, I still felt empty at the end with unanswered questions. What destroyed her life? What were the factors involved? Was it her husband’s immoral lifestyle that influenced her?

Any fan of this multi-talented star will enjoy this movie despite the lack of real details.

There are a couple of issues to consider when viewing this movie. It appears the scenes are reenactments, yet there is no backstory and no foreshadowing. As a result, the movie lacks character development that indicates how Whitney became the celebrity who accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  We are not given a hint as to why and how she started taking drugs. I would have liked to have seen Basset take this into consideration because the story would have been more interesting. Of course, it is hard to get into an individual’s soul, but I am sure Whitney’s close friends and family could have provided key information.

Yaya DaCosta as Whitney is brilliant, and she has mastered Whitney’s mannerisms. Her singing is flawless and believable, with Deborah Cox’s vocals performed well. Arlen Escarpeta, who plays Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby, nails the part as a celebrity.

Viewers might quickly blame Bobby for Whitney’s demise, and rightly so. He was the man in her life who should have protected her from the evils of stardom. Most of us wish he had protected her, or wish she had found refuge elsewhere in the arms of a religion or a true friend who knew how to help her.