Pride - an unlikely alliance

Pride is a great little British film, directed by Matthew Warchus, written by Stephen Beresford, and based on a true story. It takes place in 1984 Great Britain, filled with the fashion, music and the current blue-collar strikes. This is also the era when many gay men started to contract AIDS.

Young and out Mark gets the idea for an unlikely new alliance. From that crazy idea is born "lesbians and gays support the miners." They start to collect donations of money, food and clothing from other gays and lesbians which they send on to the miners and their families.

This film is entertaining, touching and funny. Veteran actor Bill Nighy plays Cliff,  an older man on the miners' side, who finally comes out of the closet. The story is not without conflict as some of the miners take issue with their supporters. But other support comes on board when a fundraiser is organized and proves to be successful.

The cast includes Dominic West (as Johnathan), Imelda Staunton (as Hefina), Ben Schnetzer (as Mark) and Paddy Considine (as Dai), Andrew Scott (as Gethin), Faye Marsay (as Steph), Jessica Gunning (as Sian) and George MacKay (as Joe).


Here's a link to an article about the original Mark --Mark Ashton.

Some scenes from this film:

Some quotes from this film:
"I can't change my style. It has to be a style of firm leadership. One isn't here to be a softie. You're here to be a good, firm leader."---Margaret Thatcher

"Two, four, six, eight, is that copper really straight?!"---protesters' chant

"Give it to the lesbians. They love a banner."---Mark

"We're collecting for the miners and their families."---Mark

"This a gay and lesbian group. And we are unapologetic about that!"---Mark

"This money you've raised, it's all from gays and lesbians?"---Dai

"Truth told, you're the first gays I've ever met in my life."---Dai

"And you're the first miner I've ever met."---Mark

"You know I had you down as many things but prejudiced was never one of them."---Sian

"Listen, if one in five people is gay, then one in five miners must be too, right? So that's at least a fifth of you who's pleased to see us!"---Mark

"If it wasn't for those people over there, your lot would still be in the nick."---Dai

"Listen here see. We don't mind the gays and the lesbians,  that's find. But don't  you dare be bringing people from North Wales down here."---Hefina

"We could never drum up this kind of publicity in a million years!"---Mark

"When someone calls you a name...you take it and you own it."---Mark

"If we were normal, this is when we'd kiss."---Steph



The official trailer for Pride:

Toast, a film about food

This film, directed by S.J. Clarkson is somewhat based on the youth of Nigel Slater, food writer, who was born and raised in Wolverhampton, England.

Nigel is portrayed by two actors Oscar Kennedy as a boy and Freddie Highmore as a teen.

Ken Stott, who has recently been in The Hobbit films,  portrays his curmudgeonly father who scoffs at anything different. Victoria Hamilton is very sweet as Nigel’s mother who can’t cook. Whenever there was a failed dinner, there was always toast as an option. His mother couldn't ruin toast. 

There's one funny scene in which Nigel is getting excited over a cookbook and his father interrupts him!

Josh, (played by Matthew McNulty) a man who works in a garden nearby teaches Nigel about all kinds of things in addition to the wonders of composting and gardening.

After Nigel’s mother dies, his father hires Joan (portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter who I think is very good as this character) as a cleaner who starts to do cooking for them too. Unlike his mother, she’s a very good cook.

After his father moves them to a new home in the country, a  kind of food war starts between Joan and Nigel. I will never look at LemonMeringue Pie again in the same way after seeing this film.

A part-time job at a local pub leads Nigel to meet a young man who encourages him to change his life. 

Visually, this film is a wonderful journey in 1960's Britain with the food, fashion, cars and music (okay this is an audio part of the film journey, LOL!)

Some Quotes from this film:

“My mother was always averse to fresh produce. I’m Nigel. I’m 9 years old and I’ve never had a vegetable that didn’t come in a tin.”---Nigel

“It must have been the lack of nutrients that gave my father his fiery temper. He was not a sweet man despite a very sweet tooth.” ---Nigel

My mother’s sweet nature made up for her inability to cook or even make a sandwich.”---Nigel

“When you’re deprived of something, it makes you all the more hungry for it.”---Nigel

“She scrubbed, polished and bleached her way into our lives.”---Nigel about Mrs. Potter (Joan)

Here are some scenes from this film: 

Here's the trailer for this film: