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Angela's Ashes, a review by KinkyCyborg

Title:Angela's Ashes
Year: 1999
Director: Alan Parker
Rating: R
Length: 145 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.77:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Emily Watson
Robert Carlyle
Joe Breen
Ciaran Owens
Michael Legge

Plot:
ANGELA'S ASHES, the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, comes to life in this stirring film from acclaimed director Alan Parker (Evita), starring Academy Award-nominee Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) and Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty).

Life in impoverished Depression-era Ireland holds little promise for young Frank McCourt, the oldest son in a tightly-knit family. Living by his wits, cheered by his irrepressible spirit, and sustained by his mother's fierce love, Frank embarks on an inspiring journey to overcome the poverty of his childhood and reach the land of his dreams: America.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes


True story about the extreme poverty and desolation of Ireland in the days of the famine and deadly tuberculosis as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

As powerful a survival story as you will ever see, the story is told from the memoirs of the man who was that young boy, Frank McCourt who wrote the book of the same name. Watching his siblings, friends and even his first love all die of the consumption (tuberculosis), while his drunken father pisses away what little money they are fortunate enough to come by as his family flirts with starvation... you begin to marvel at the fortitude of this young man.

Excellent performances by Robert Carlyle and Emily Watson as the parents who are trying to keep it together. It was not hard to see why so many Irish dreamed of coming to America which the young McCourt worked and earned for himself at the age of 16.

Excellent ambiance and atmosphere in the portrayal of the squalor of the Irish ghettos. I was captivated by the intense storytelling despite the lengthy duration of the film (2 1/2 hours).

Highly recommended! Would like to read the book as well.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on September 27th, 2010)

Separate Ways, a review by Jimmy

Title: Separate Ways (1981)

Genre: Drama
Director: Howard Avedis
Rating: R
Length: 1h31
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Karen Black   
Tony Lo Bianco
Arlene Golonka
David Naughton
Jack Carter

Plot:
Valentine Colby (Karen Black) and her husband Ken (Tony LoBianco) live with their son in upper middle class suburban comfort, but from behind closed doors his family is falling apart and heading in Separate Ways.

This is a part of a boxset of thriller and it sure had nothing to do in it. I ain't a big drama fan and certainly less those about familly breakup. So it was not a fun watching time for me, in fact I was unable to watch it without a break (too many bad memory were coming back about my parent separation, it's weird that an event that had happened 26 years ago can always affect you). The film itself is good and certainly well act, nothing bad to say about it. I'm sure that those who like this genre of movie would love this one too, but I will certainly not rewatch it again (fuck, I continue too feel sad writing my review and I fucking hate that).

Rating :

(From The little known movie review depot on April 3rd, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

The Drew Carey Show
Drew Carey the character is a lot like you and me: a smarter-than-he-looks average guy with an underwhelming job, some unfulfilled dreams and the support of great friends. And it just so happens that he's played by the very funny Drew Carey, who's also the co-creator and occasional writer of The Drew Carey Show. This complete Season One DVD Set reminds us why we laughed along with Drew for nine smash-hit seasons. We meet Drew and his buddies Oswald, Lewis and Kate. Drew meets Mimi, the cosmetics-challenged co-worker from hell. And everybody meets jobs instead of careers, lumpy bods instead of supermodel sleek and Cleveland instead of Manhattan. It's like real life. Just a whole lot funnier.

Pilot
There's a new woman in Drew's life. She's large, she's loud...she's Mimi.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun show I always enjoyed. Though I must admit I stopped watching it towards the last 2 or 3 seasons in it's original run. I would like to see them if they would just release the rest of this series. But unfortunately we only got Season 1 and 1 best of release. I thought this pilot was a good introduction to the characters. A fun watch.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on December 29th, 2009)