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Reviews
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Very well done
Excellent performances all around, notably from Joe Breen, who plays young Frank McCourt, and Robert Carlyle as his father. My understanding is that in real life Joe Breen is the son of an Irish farmer. The role of Frank's grandmother is well-played, though the role of his aunt seems somewhat understated compared to the book.
Although the film is 145 minutes long, it is well-paced and does not really drag anywhere. The photography does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of poor and working-class Ireland in the '40s, with lots of rain and grayscale tones.
The film ends sooner than the book, but leaves ample room for a sequel ('Tis?). If you read the book and liked it, you will like the film. If you haven't read the book, you will like the film. It's refreshing to see a good, well-made film about people who don't live in L.A. or have a lot of money.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Largely overrated
Reading most of the reviews here, one would think is one of the best movies ever made. Sadly, this is not the case. The story has potential, but is marred by slow pacing. They could have easily cut half an hour out of this film without affecting any important plot points.
Many of the reviews here refer to this as a 'subtle' film. There's a big difference between subtlety and lack of development. Both the main plot and the subplot about Sarah suffer from the latter. Some have compared it to "The Blair Witch Project," but it lacks the suspense, mysteriousness, creepiness and chilling quality of that film.
There is no explanation of why the two boys feel possessed to look for the girls. Are they crazy enough to risk their lives searching for three girls just because they find them attractive? Their characters seem superfluous. Also unexplained is the thrown-in voice-over about the woman who runs the school being found dead at the base of the rock, apparently searching for the missing girls. Does this mark a sudden, major character change, where she suddenly cares about the girls more than their parents' tuition money? Or was she so greedy she was willing to risk her life for the possibility of finding the girls (thus assuring 3 more tuition checks next term)? By the time you get this far, does you still care? The only characters I felt empathy for were Sarah and the missing girls.
Two positive notes, however: 1) the direction and performances were very good; 2)the film was technically exceptional. The cinematography, costumes, and set decoration were beautiful. This is brought out nicely in the Criterion Collection DVD.
If you've seen "Blair Witch" and are looking for something similar, you won't find it here. If you have a DVD player and don't mind slow-paced, unexciting movies, the DVD may be worth a rental.