My wife and I watched the Scottish film “Sunshine on Leith” last night.  For us it was a hidden gem.  Not a widely publicized film in North America, although it screened in the special presentation section of the Toronto Film Festival in 2013.

It only went in to theatrical release in North America in early 2015 and DVD release is just out.

Leith refers to a district to the north of Edinburgh, Scotland lying at the mouth of the Water of Leith.   The movie is taken from the stage musical in which a story is built around the songs of the Scottish pop group The Proclaimers.

Great story, good music and after seeing the film I definitely will visit Edinburgh, what a beautiful city.

Not a Review!

This post is just about me sharing my experience about the film, as both my spouse and I really enjoyed it.  First it’s a real life drama, feel good entertainment and unlike many musicals the songs are not constructed to support the story, in fact just the opposite.

General Observations about Movies

Thinking about today’s blog topic I wondered what are the attributes of a good movie.

Obviously the entertainment value is very targeted to the likes and dislikes of the viewer, that being said I find it really interesting that the ratings on film review site Rotten Tomatoes often (like 9 times out of 10) match my own thoughts.  Of course the type of movie I watch at any time is a filter for choosing, that is a thriller, romance, heavy social theme, etc.   But, if the genre appeals to me I find the Rotten Tomatoes rating is often on target.

My conclusion would be that basic attributes of a good movie; actors, story, cinematography, etc  are good measures and these things form the underpinnings of the overall average score of a film on Rotten Tomatoes.  Thus on the whole the ratings provide a good indicator of whether the movie will be enjoyed or not.

Sunshine on Leith scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.