hopscotchee: dominic west score: 98 rating: R time: 120 minutes
woo-wee!! wee-woo!! someone call the fire department, because pride is too hot to touch!! sizzlin' at the top of our twinsAF hopscotch rank with a 98, we just about got our new favorite movie!! telling the true story about the unique alliance that formed in 1984 between the gay and lesbian activists and the striking miners in wales, pride is an instant feel-good with lovable characters and one-liners, which shine themes of acceptance, community, and equality that speak true against prejudices today. to sum up, it is a twinsAF must watch!!
instantly loving this film for its lgbtqia+ representation and the fact that it also starred the youngster, george mackay, in it, we were already in for a treat but woah!! nobody told us that this movie would exceed our already-high expectations!! it's probably safe to say that the first thing that caught our critical eye was the work of the set department. filling our screen with beautiful pops of color from all aspects of the rainbow, the locations and backgrounds spoke so much of the characters' open-mindedness and unconfined attitude (unlike (spoiler) the lack of color we see at *the narrow-minded karen* aka maureen's house). for example, the frequent meet up and brainstorming space that was the library was boosted with so much color. from yellows, to reds, to blues - both light and dark - the set design team crafted it exquisitely. and although we mentioned above the great psychological connection that this has to the characters, the coloring in this film also playfully symbolizes the picture's title. after all, have you seen the flag?!?!
the next thing that our eyes adored was the shot composition. huge shout out to the director(s) of photography and cinematographer(s)!! our favorites from this movie always involved the location/landscape wide shots - mostly when we were following the yellow bus as it drove place to place. the specialty to these shots came from the stunning scenery that was scouted (extra major snaps 🤌🤌🤌🤌). and it wasn't just picking great locations, although that did help, it was the magnificent allure that the landscapes had to the context of the scene. for instance, (spoiler) as the bright yellow lgsm (lesbian and gays support the miners) bus moves across a bridge, the blues from the water and hues off the street paint a blue-ish gray blanket that surrounds the frames of your screen, leaving the focus of the shot specifically and complementarily on the yellow bus. supporting this, the shots of the london landscape when it came to the snowy hillside were just as breathtaking = all well done!!
the final thing that we loved in this film (besides all of it of course) was the editing. now, minus the one streak/smear transition and noticeable jump cut that slightly took you out of the film for a moment, the editors on this film cleverly cut together the shots and pieced together the story in 100% effectiveness. in particular, the montages were done with uncanny skill, making them not only fun but also well paced and well placed. they never felt like they cut too much out or jumped enormously in time. they gave perfect purpose in the film, and, for montages, that's hard to do satisfactorily. notably, you also have to give props to the editing, if you leave a movie feeling moved (and we for sure did!!). that's not to say that other aspects in the film don't pertain to that, however, if a film's editing is wacky, you most likely will feel disconnected and not as immersed in the storylines to catch feelings.
ultimately, if you have not seen pride, we highly, highly, highly encourage you to go watch it. NOW!! and even if lgbtqia+ films are for some reason not your go to, we then highly, highly, highly, highly, highly recommend this to you. because if you are anything like maureen, just like her, this movie may teach you a thing or two or at least open your eyes to a union too passionate and supported to ignore. but let's hope you're not a karen :)
-- thanks, dommy xo