GamerTab That was an excellent one.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

tieman64 Directed by Alan Parker, and based on a memoir by Frank McCourt, "Angela's Ashes" stars Robert Carlyle as the father of a family struggling to live in 1930s Ireland. A coming-of-age tale, the film primarily focuses on young Frank, one of the family's gloomy sons.In the mould of Bill Douglas, whose films offered grim portraits of early 20th century Scotland, Parker conveys the bleak, gruelling conditions of 1930s Ireland. This is a world in which human beings are ceaselessly assaulted by death, disease, starvation, poverty, poor living conditions and miserable weather. Catholicism, and the hopeful embraces of churches and pulpits, pretends to offer some respite. "Angela's Ashes'" better elements are undone by a generic coming-of-age plot. Though funny, moving and even wise in places, the film's overall structure too often forces Parker's material down familiar avenues. The film stars child actor Joe Breed, his furrowed face at times more powerful, more devastating, than the film its in. Emily Watson co-stars as the family's privately suffering mother.7.9/10 – See "Wendy and Lucy", "Stroszek", "My Childhood", "Frozen River" and "Bread and Roses".

Dale Haufrect "Angela's Ashes" is an exhilarating autobiography. The film is from 1999 and is written by Laura Jones. The book is by Frank McCourt. It is very dramatic and follows the life of Frank McCourt from his boyhood in Brooklyn in 1935 to his return to Ireland and the loss of his three younger siblings due to his family's poverty. The cast includes Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Claran Owens, Michael Legge, Ronnie Masterson, Pauline McLynn, Liam Carney, Eanna MacLiam, Andrew Bennett, Shane Murray-Corcoran, Devon Murray, Peter Halpin, Aaron Geraghty, Sean Carney Daly, Oisin Camey Daly, Shane Smith, Tim O'Brien, Blaithnaid Howe, Klara O;Leary, Caroline O'Sullivan and Ryan Fielding. It is a long picture, but well performed and I gave it 8 stars. Dale Haufrect

JohnLeeT Ms. Emily Watson gives what is nothing less than the acting performance of the decade in this wonderful film which is made even more powerful by the magic she brings to the screen. No one else on stage or screen has astonished audiences and brought them to their feet tearfully cheering the way Ms. Watson has over the course of her career. No, Ms. Watson is not a superstar, just a Super Actor. That she was not awarded the Academy Award for this incredible characterization renders the Oscars meaningless for all time! She alone puts her soul into a role and becomes at one with whoever she portrays in such stunning ways that it is beyond description. What she does in the part of Angela will rip your heart out and leave you gasping, overwhelmed by what you have experienced. While the reviews of this film have not been universally positive, no critic with any spiritual connection with art has done anything but praise Emily Watson for her magisterial work in bringing Angela to life, including Frank McCourt, the son of the woman she so elegantly portrays! In so doing, Ms. Watson has added one more performance for the ages to the history of fine cinema and one that will touch the hearts of viewers for generations to come, never to be forgotten and forever a gift to those who treasure truly great Acting with a capital A. There may never be another actor like her in our time for she is a unique gem that can never be replicated.

manigran I first saw this film in high school. My English teacher asked us to watch this movie and write a personal response to it. When I first saw this movie, I did not know what to expect, but when my viewing was complete, I found only a composition that took my breath away. The story about a young boy, Frank McCourt, growing up in the poor and bleak city of Limerick, Ireland, during the Great Depression, under an autocratic church and a father that could not get a job because he was addicted to alcohol moved me deeply and emotionally. Frank McCourt struggles not only with troubles on the home front, but with a church that teaches the people about Jesus without mentioning the concept of forgiveness of sins. They constantly put people in fear to live because they taught that you are doomed forever if you sin. I not only saw how ugly the church authority was, but I was also moved by Frank's life. For example, when Frank saw his father for the last time, he comments, through a narration, that he does not even have the freedom to say, "I love you Dad", because "in Limerick, you are only supposed to love God and horses that win... Anything else is softness in the head". When I saw this part, I almost wept, because it showed the limited freedom of a life in Limerick. As well, the theme that there is always hope in a troubled life is beautifully portrayed by the visuals. In the midst of the dark streets of Limerick, green grass grows in the cracks. Eventually, Frank triumphs when he gets enough money to go to America and start a new life. Also, near the end of the film, he meets a priest who understands that God forgives us when we sin. At last, there was a priest that truly understood the message of Jesus.The plot is beautiful, and the score not only captures the time period of the 1930's, but it is gently moving. It beautifully fits the atmosphere of the film.I would strongly recommend this film to anyone. It is a really underrated gem that deserves more credit.