View Full Version : Angels in America
blibblobblib
02-03-04, 05:38 PM
Anyone know what this show is about? It hasn't started over here yet, but it starts on the weekend and looks very interesting. Got Meryl Streep and Al Pacino in it so must be good? Thats the way im thinking anyway.....Already out in the states am i right?
Dont spoil it for me but gimme an idea of what its like, coz it looks awse :yup:
Holden Pike
02-03-04, 06:46 PM
Yes, it already had it's debut here, back in December.
I LOVE "Angels in America". I thought the second part was even stronger than the first, but both are magnificent.
This epic six-hour-ish television project is an ambitious adaptation of Tony Kushner's two plays Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America: Perestroika. The plays earned Kushner the Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and many, many other prestigous notices.
As for what it is about...."Angels in America" is about a lot of things. Cheifly, the impact of AIDS - morally, politically, emotionally and spiritually. It has a few main stories that run concurrently, sometimes intersecting.
http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/img/photos/photo_roys_closer.jpg
The storyarc that Pacino stars in involves infamous lawyer Roy M. Cohn, a self-hating Jew and closeted homosexual who first gained prominence in the 1950s as one of the prosecuting attorneys of Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, then as the legal aide and lapdog of Senator Joe McCarthy during the Communist witch-hunts. Cohn died of AIDS in 1986, and "Angels in America" dramatizes his blusterous, venomous ramblings on his deathbed. Among other things, he is haunted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (played by Meryl Streep, in one of her three roles in the project).
That's only one small part of "Angels in America" and doesn't even adequately describe even a third of the Cohn bits, but that should give you a little flavor for what the films are. It is very stylized, and has some incredible speeches throughout. The cast are all perfect, especially Pacino, Streep, Justin Kirk and the always amazing Jeffrey Wright (who has a dual role). Director Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Working Girl) brings it all to life quite amazingly.
It's a great film. An important film. It's also a difficult film, but stick with it, as the rewards are worth it. And don't be afraid that it's all heavy and dense, as there are many, many moments of wit and extremely dark comedy throughout as well. "Angels in America" is not any one thing, and really defies any easy description or classification. You just have to see it.
i will have to agree...it is an important movie and makes a powerful statement
two standouts..jeffrey wright and al pacino as roy cohn...
blibblobblib
02-03-04, 09:21 PM
Thanx for the info Holden, Susan. youve made it sound incredibly appealing and i cannot wait to see it now. So let me get this straight, its a two part TV movie? I thought it was a new series starting, but then again why would Pacino and Streep do a Tv series.
Obviously the trailers and the cast first made my mouth water for it but when i watched the Golden Globes and saw it was nominated for several awards and won, i knew that its gotta be good. :yup: As i said it starts this weekend so ill let you know what i think about it.
Holden Pike
02-03-04, 09:32 PM
Well, they basically made the two plays into two movies. Originally here on HBO, they ran as two three-hour movies. Since then, HBO has run them as six one-hour segments. That may be how they're presenting them in The U.K., I dunno. But properly, it's one long piece...or at least two movies.
But no, not a "series". It's a film, no matter how you slice it.
I hope it comes onto DVD soon. I unfortunately do not have HBO, so I did not get a chance to see Angels in America. I really would like to.
Holden Pike
02-04-04, 01:09 AM
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the DVD. Expect HBO to get lots of mileage running it on their network before releasing it on DVD ("Band of Brothers" took about a year to make it to disc). No announcement yet, but late fall or the Christmas season is what I'd expect. At the earliest.
...but late fall or the Christmas season is what I'd expect. At the earliest.
Good enough for me. :D
Holden Pike
02-10-04, 12:57 AM
HBO did announce a release date for "Angels in America" on R1 DVD: June 1st, 2004. It'll be a two-disc set retailing for $39.98.
Cool beans.
Cool beans.
Cool beans is right!
Thank you much !!! ;D
led_zeppelin
02-10-04, 07:35 AM
Well I only have one problem with it, at the Golden Globes they kept ptting AIA in with the comedy t.v. shows, and it won everything it was in pretty much. GIVE WILL AND GRACE A CHANCE YOU LIMEY B*******!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's nowhere close to being my fav. show, but I still think it's a very well written show, and extrememly funny. Especially when John Clees and Jack Black guest-starred. Not on the same show, but those two episodes were just hilarious.
sisboombah
02-17-04, 02:37 AM
looooooook up
sorry had to post that.
I believe that that what i have just watched is one of the finest examples i can think of as to why i love film.
Breathtaking, inspiring, heart warming and enchanting.
Outstanding performances from all lead actors and Mike Nichols has shown once again that he one of the best in the business.
Sadly the tape that I watched it on was damaged in places, so I await with baited breath for the DVD.
I plan on turning the volume way, way up when the angel arrives….Goose pimples…
sisboombah
02-29-04, 01:42 PM
I believe that that what i have just watched is one of the finest examples i can think of as to why i love film.
Breathtaking, inspiring, heart warming and enchanting.
Outstanding performances from all lead actors and Mike Nichols has shown once again that he one of the best in the business.
Sadly the tape that I watched it on was damaged in places, so I await with baited breath for the DVD.
I plan on turning the volume way, way up when the angel arrives….Goose pimples…
when blib reads this he is going to be so frustrated that i have his videos of it that he recorded from the tv and then forgot to take home from my house. dont worry though...we will watch them together during easter when i come back. :)
blibblobblib
02-29-04, 05:37 PM
I believe that that what i have just watched is one of the finest examples i can think of as to why i love film.
Breathtaking, inspiring, heart warming and enchanting.
Outstanding performances from all lead actors and Mike Nichols has shown once again that he one of the best in the business.
Sadly the tape that I watched it on was damaged in places, so I await with baited breath for the DVD.
I plan on turning the volume way, way up when the angel arrives….Goose pimples…
Great review. Youve made me wanna see this ooooh sooo much more now. Saw a clip of the bit with the angel....oh my.
when blib reads this he is going to be so frustrated that i have his videos of it that he recorded from the tv and then forgot to take home from my house. dont worry though...we will watch them together during easter when i come back. :)
Dam right we will ;)
undercoverlover
05-15-04, 11:49 AM
omg finally other people who have seen this! i loved and i did cry like a little girl at parts, cant remember which parts but i know i did
It starts on Australian TV tonight, after reading this I am going to watch it. Thanks. :D
I watched Angels and it was great They played it over 3 nights, I hope it comes out on DVD as I would like to watch it again.http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/angel1.gif
undercoverlover
06-14-04, 02:34 PM
i think my fave scene in this is where harper and prior share their vision and harper says something i never realised before-that our imagination can only make up images of other stuff we know, it recycles images and mixes them all together to make something different
Holden Pike
06-14-04, 02:55 PM
The R1 DVD release of "Angels in America" has been pushed back to September 14th, 2004.
http://www.dvdplanet.com/productimages/front/41352.jpg
The R1 DVD release of "Angels in America" has been pushed back to September 14th, 2004.
Thanks for that Pikie, :D
blibblobblib
06-15-04, 03:41 PM
Thanks for that Pikie, :D
Pikie? Pronounced Pi-Kee? Im sure a pikie is a travelling person who sets up home normally on rubbish tips and is of irish origin, very dirty and angry. Think Brad Pitt in Snatch. Dangerous things Pikie's....I do hope Holden hasnt droped one of them off around here....were all in trouble if he has....Keep an eye on ya wallets...
;)
Pikie? Pronounced Pi-Kee? Im sure a pikie is a travelling person who sets up home normally on rubbish tips and is of irish origin, very dirty and angry. Think Brad Pitt in Snatch. Dangerous things Pikie's....I do hope Holden hasnt droped one of them off around here....were all in trouble if he has....Keep an eye on ya wallets...
;)
http://pages.prodigy.net/indianahawkeye/newpage12/1.gif
blibblobblib
10-05-04, 12:05 PM
I finally managed to see this the other day. Whilst in America i bought it on DVD and just havnt had the time to watch it properly. Then this weekend we had a massive storm so i started watching it Saturday night, and all throughout Sunday i watched the rest. It was utterly amazing.
It was certainly hard to get through in some parts, but by the end i was so moved and involved with it i just found it amazing. The scenes with the Angel were absoloutly breathtaking, and i was astounded by how magnificant Jeffrey Wright was. Actually everyone in it was superb. I cant really sum it up, im still reeling from it really. Its one of those great films were severe contemplation makes it better and better. One thing is for certain though, it is an absoloulty beautiful film.
SamsoniteDelilah
10-05-04, 02:12 PM
:D I LOVED this film. I saw the plays some years back and was amazed. The entrance of the angel, in both the stage and film versions, is so truly awe-some, it's mind-blowing. And she's such a freak it's terrifying. lol Emma only hinted at the disturbing freakiness of the angel in the play. I reviewed this in my review thread. If you read it, prepare for superlatives.
projectMayhem
10-27-04, 09:04 PM
It truly is an amazing piece of work, and it also has one of the nicest DVD cases I've ever seen. I shall be purchasing this someday.
Who's with me that this should get some sort of theatrical release? If only a limited one.
Who's with me that this should get some sort of theatrical release? If only a limited one.
me :D
vBulletin® v3.8.0, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.