Angela's Ashes

Rating:
Summary: Boiled egg slathered with butter, anyone?
Review: Long film version of the hugely popular
memoir is almost as fascinating but doesn't draw you in like the book; you feel somewhat remote
from the boy, in contrast to the reading experience. And much of the humor has disappeared


Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie - Judge it on its own merits!
Review: Before you read this review: I have NOT read the book so can't make comparisons between it and the movie, so I'm judging the movie in it's own right and not as a comparison to the book.

Firstly, I must congratulate the director (Alan Parker) on deciding to cast Robert Carlyle and Emily Watson. Both of these actors bring a realism to this movie that is missing in many other movies with less than credible actors (like Cameron Diaz and Leonardo Di Caprio in Gangs of New York for instance). The Irish kids (their numerous children through the years) are also excellent and being Irish themselves also make it a pleasure to watch. No fake accents in this movie.

But, that is a minor consideration, casting, accents etc... the story itself is excellent. Adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winner and with Frank McCourt's 'blessing' on it as well, this film kept me glued for the two plus hours it runs for. Even though it was sad seeing the poverty that McCourt grew up in, it makes you realize that there are many factors that keep people in poverty, part of it is a 'fault' of the economic system and part of it, the poor themselves. One cannot help but feel anger towards a father who decides to spend the children's money to 'help the Guinness family' or has a pint on top of his dead child's casket while his children wait to bury their brother. There are so many sad moments in this film, that it's hard to keep track of them or remember them all. But through all those moments when you feel that they have reached the bottom of the heap (e.g. when they got evicted with no place to stay) something happens and they manage to pull through it to see another day. This is a movie of the power of the human spirit to endure and come out of those trials and tribulations stronger.

There are those moments in the film where there is some comic relief and most of these moments centre around the misunderstanding perpetuated by the petty prejudices of being Irish catholic. For instance when the McCourt's grandmother blames the texture of his hair on the fact that he's a protestant from the north, or when McCourt throws up after his first communion there is the grandmother's concern about what they should do since he spewed out God (completely non-biblical concept I might add).

The ONLY thing that might be disappointing is the ending, it didn't feel complete but apart from that I don't think I can praise this movie enough, very excellently done and a perfect 6 out of 5. This is definitely one of those movies I am going to own and not rent and it gives me some faith in the Pulitzer people choice of winners. Watch this movie, highly recommended!



Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book, Awful movie
Review: This movie was indeed a great movie. The depiction of little Franky McCourt was great. The flick managed to pull through and follow the book at a whim but not by much. Key events and scenes are taken place but I think it lacks the true emotion of Francis McCourts story. Bottom line is READ THE BOOK.