Angela's Ashes

Advantages: Funny in bits, detailed
Disadvantages: Can leave you feeling a bit upset

...I first watched Angela's Ashes a few months back in History. I fell in love with it straight away, and is now one of my favourite films. But, why...? ***** Angela's Ashes is based on the book written by Frank McCourt, made in 1999. It is the story of McCourt's life as a child, followed right through until his early adult life. The director, Alan Parker, helps us connect with the characters and sets across a very clear yet important message. In the 1930s, when he was just a small boy, McCourt and his family (mum, dad and two brothers) were forced to move back to Ireland. Here his mum gave birth to another little girl, who soon sadly died a little while after because of the terrible living conditions. Life was in no way easy in Ireland. This was the time when many illnesses were going around, such as cholera and typhoid. Sadly, the Mc...

Amy69 04.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes (DVD)

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of dvds365.com

Angela's Ashes - A must See!!

Advantages: You may Laugh
Disadvantages: You may Cry

...Angelas Ashes was a film I heard a lot about but have never got around to actually watching, when I managed to pick it up on special offer (5 DVDs for £20) I was really looking forward to watching it ? I was not disappointed. The film is based on a biography written by Frank McCourt (which he won the Pulitzer prize for!), the film was directed by Alan Parker and released in 1999. The story opens in Brooklyn in 1935, where a daughter is born to Malachy and Angela MCourt who already have four boys. When the baby dies at two days old, the family are obviously devastated and return to Limerick in Ireland in the midst of the depression. The McCourt?s are not well received back in Ireland by Angela?s Catholic relatives ? since her husband is a Protestant who can?t hold down a job and would rather put beer in his belly than food on the table...

tekin21 14.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes (2000)

Angela's Ashes : A delightful account of a poor Irish childhood

Advantages: Very readable, heartwarming, amusing, a page-turner, not at all self-pitying
Disadvantages: None

...The late, ex-schoolteacher Frank McCourt had an amazing, humorous and very down to earth way of writing. It feels in the book Angela's Ashes, as if he is talking to you personally. This is a journey of a poverty-stricken childhood, that begins in one of the poorer areas of New York, then moves down into the dark "lanes" of Limerick, Ireland, during the depression years of the 1930s. Though Frank's childhood was filled with despair, poverty, hunger, malnutrition, illness, and was spent in a slum dwelling of the very worst kind, nowhere does Frank bemoan his unfortunate start in life or feel he has an axe to grind. From page one through to the end of the book, Frank tells his tale with a wry humour, and his childhood oscillations from vulnerability to tough kid and back again, are a delight to read. What for me shines through...

CelticSoulSister 27.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt

Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S54

Dancing with Angela

Advantages: Energetic, fun, great music, results look genuine
Disadvantages: Difficult to keep up with

...I saw this on Richard and Judy and it looked great... I'm all for fitness, especially if you can do it from the luxury of your own home... Richard and Judy had her on as they promoted her DVD and the results looked really good... watching the DVD it looked great so i decided to purchase I bought my DVD for about £16 from amazon and it came with bonus DVD 'Stretch and Tone Programme', I was pleased with the purchase and firstly watched both DVD before actually attempting them! I found keeping up with Angela and the dancer (fitness trainer Niki Wibrow) a bit much, they are slow enough to follow but i think a bit too much happens (i.e. too many moves one after the other) and the steps are not always clear enough... i did try it a few times (honest!) but haven't really had much luck... but as Angela reminds us on the DVD if you don...

zainabm 06.04.2006 (11.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Angela Griffin Dance Mix Workout (DVD)

Angela's Ashes

Advantages: Funny and full of witty humour
Disadvantages: None

...After reading ?Angela?s Ashes-A Memoir of A Childhood? by Frank McCourt I found myself intrigued by his description of the story, as told through the eyes of a young Irish child living within an impoverished family. Against all odds he never loses his sense of humour and fight for survival. I would like to examine more closely how Frank McCourt achieves this by looking at the style of his writing and the themes he deals with. The main theme that Frank McCourt looks at is poverty, the way in which families deal with this problem and how people can be changed by money. Looking at this issue from a child?s point of view adds more interest to the book. The idea of having no money scarcely entered into Frank and his brother?s minds. When their house became flooded they enjoyed splashing in the puddles and moving everything upstairs. They...

avril321 02.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt

Wise Children by Angela Carter

Advantages: A Colourful, vibrant, rich novel
Disadvantages: the author's lack of moral conduct

...Angela Carter's Wise Children is the life story of show businesses Chance Sisters. Dora Chance, twin sister of Nora, narrates throughout the story. She tells their colourful life tale upon the commencement of the twin's seventy- fifth birthdays. The story is set mainly in England. The twins spend a great deal of their lives based at their childhood home in Brixton, South London. I think Angela Chance has chosen this setting to exaggerate and highlight the twin's illegitimacy. The North and South divide of social London were very clear at the time of the books setting. The "Right side of the tracks is the North and the wrong side, the South. There is to be no overlapping of borders, as the sides are very definitely separated by the river. At the time of the twin's births, there was a huge stigma attached to being illegitimate...

BeckieWolf 27.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Wise Children - Angela Carter

Angela's ashes

Advantages: very realistic
Disadvantages: a very long film

...The Pulitzer prize winning book was dearly embraced my millions of readers which is why i think this movie, by alan parker, was going to prove somewhat dissapointing but this film is by no means an artistic failure. Angela's ashes is for the most part an autobiography, but it also succeeds as a poignant coming of age story. Emily Watson turns in a workmanlike performance as Angela a dedicated and devoted mother. Robert carslyle is outstanding as the alchoholic father, kind and loving but with a skewed sence of priorities. He plays his role to perfection. The story of the film is about frank mcCourt and his childhood growing up in ireland in the 1930's. the film progresses through childhood to adulthood. The elemrnts of sheer and lowdown poverty and sorrow are exquisitly captured and brought to life. This film was so powerful i find...

whitewitch21 22.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes (2000)

Angelas Ashes

Advantages: Brilliant acting from all involved
Disadvantages: Too short to get your teeth into

...After reading Frank McCourts fantastic autobiographical novel by the same name, I then made the vital mistake of going to the video shop one evening and deciding to watch the film adaptation. Without spoiling the plot to much, this is the basic story : A young boy called Frank(ie) is born in America, and has a a younger brother (Malachy) and twin younger brothers (Oliver and Eugene). When their mother (Angela - played by Emily Watson) has a baby girl, who dies, the family move to Ireland where they are origionally from. The film then follows Franks life from child to young man and the many trials, tribulations, experiences, births and deaths he encounters. The book was so entertaining I thought the film version would be just as good, and would hopefully live up to the book. It didn't. After making a promising start, using...

bernardbrain 17.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Angela's Ashes (2000)