Monday Movies – My Top 500 – 6-10
(in no particular order)

5. Pride (2014)
Written by Stephen Beresford
Directed by Matthew Warchus

“Pride” is one of my favorite ensemble movies. It has humor and heart, history, and heartbreak, and the performances in it are incredible – from  Bill Nighy, who delivered a very understated performance that was moving and perfectly executed, to Andrew Scott, who I loved as Jim Moriarty in the BBC series “Sherlock”, and who was brilliant as Gethin who tied with Joe in the tugging and triggering my emotions the most often. I also loved Steph, played by relative newcomer Faye Marsay and Sian, played by Jessica Gunning., oh, and Imelda Staunton was incredible, too. The movie is just fantastic, and is loaded with so many rich and wonderful characters in this, not a one wasted or under-developed.

“Dai? Your gays have arrived.” ~ Gwen

When I’m having a bad day, I watch this clip from the movie on repeat, and it makes me feel so much better.

6. A Place in the Sun (1951)
Written by Theodore Dreiser (novel), Patrick Kearney (play), Michael Wilson and Harry Brown
Directed by George Stevens

“A Place in the Sun” is about impossible love, bad timing, deception and loss. It is based on the novel, An American Tragedy, so I suppose there is no mistaken this for a Hollywood ending “they lived happily ever after” kind of number. This film definitely does not end happily, though I suppose there are moments “in the sun“, and those stolen confessions in the moonlight when two people end up in each other’s arms, whether it should have ever happened, or come to be, at all. Love ending at the electric chair, well, I suppose that deserve the title of tragedy, doesn’t it?

“Every time you leave me for a minute,
it’s like goodbye.
I like to believe it means you can’t live without me.” ~ Angela

8. Laggies (2014)
Written by Andrea Seigel
Directed by Lynn Shelton

“Laggies” is a movie that falls in that “hard to define” category, it is somewhere in-between a coming-of-age story, a romantic comedy, and an indie-film “dramedy”. Mostly it is a story about relationships – romantic, platonic, parental – and how we find ourselves, and how we fit in all those places in our life. I absolutely loved this film, and there was something about Megan’s journey that really resonated with me – I may not be in my “quarter-life” years, but I still felt for the questions and struggles, and sense of being lost (and “floating”) that Megan was experiencing.

“Don’t make me cry. My mascara is already fucked up enough as it is.” ~ Megan

9. Killing Bono (2011)
Written by Neil McCormick (book), Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and Simon Maxwell (screenplay) and Ben Bond (additional writing)
Directed by Nick Hamm

Sometimes things go so wrong that all you can do is laugh, else you’d probably scream, yell, kick, cry and throw yourself in front of a bus. For young Irish rockers, and brothers, Neil and Ivan, life is full of go-wrong’s, missed opportunities, bad timings, and familial betrayal (though it wasn’t meant to be a betrayal, still was). This is based on a true tale, of two brothers who are overshadowed by U2, and each other – stay tuned for the end credits to see photos of the real Neil and Ivan.

“You made the worst decision of my life!” ~ Ivan

10. Almost Famous (2000)
Written & Directed by Cameron Crowe

Over the years, and over many “Almost Famous” re-watches, of both the released version, and the director’s cut (the latter my preference), I have found myself toggling between who I relate to more, Penny or William, and whose stories speak to me the most. William is a music lover, a writer, a weirdo and outcast in his life, and he seems so often torn between what he wants to do and what he thinks he is supposed to do, oh, and he loves in that open heart so easily broken kind of way – he never seems to belong anywhere completely, though he has moments when where he is feels like “home“, most often when he’s on the road with the band, and Penny. I have felt, and still do feel, so much of those sentiments and conflicting feelings about where I belong, if I belong, and which path to travel.

“I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if ya never take it seriosuly, ya never get hurt, ya never get hurt, ya always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.” ~ Penny Lane

“It’s all happening!”