Incannerax
What a waste of my time!!!
Holstra
Boring, long, and too preachy.
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Tayloriona
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
zagauk
Having read and discussed the script two months ago, it was an eye-opener to see the play performed. Music, sound and visual effects make it come alive. The pace is slow so one can dwell on and think about the characters and themes in more depth. The visual effects are beautiful, though Kushner wanted a more 'rough theatre' – think Brecht, in the stage version – you should be able to see the wires holding up the angels.Roy Cohn played by Al Pacino, was almost too slow. We imagined him to answer the phones more speedily and exhibit more charisma. In the film vision he is less a man of action and more ponderous and clingy.Belize, the male nurse and drag queen appeared to me to be caring but frivolous. The film brings out his intelligent wit.Prior Walker, likewise, comes across as a much deeper person than in the script. He is able to understand, very quickly, what is going on when his doctor updates his prognosis and he comes to terms with it in a sober way and more quickly that Louis.However, we felt that we were not sure what we would have made of it had we not read the script beforehand.
bkoganbing
Angels In America may not have the cast of thousands that epic films are supposed to have. It has the length, but more to the point it has the heart. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is still very much with us, AZT is still the preferred method of treatment and control, but we can thank God and a lot of concerned activists that it is not the rare item reserved for the privileged few as we see here.This epic takes it cues in structure and format from such big screen films as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and later on Crash. A select group of individuals, all fictional but based on people that Tony Kushner knew no doubt. I spotted a few in their I knew including flashing glimpses of myself in passing. That made for some uncomfortable viewing at certain points, but it was appreciative.One real person is here and possibly in a couple more generations people will look at Roy Cohn and ask could such a monster exist? I'm here to say he very much did exist. The Jew who turned his back on his own people, the gay man who refused to admit it to himself because he saw his people as weak and oppressed. These people exist, I knew a gay man who absolutely refused to admit his same sex attraction, he's still with us involved in right wing homophobic groups. And as for his Jewishness he renounced that religion and converted to Russian Orthodox. Talk about self hatred. These people are very real and in positions of power they are deadly.Roy Cohn is played here by Al Pacino and Pacino gives us one bravura performance as the dying monster who gets for himself the precious and at that time rare AZT to prolong a miserable existence. He's the self hating gay who moves with the elite who use homophobia obtain and retain power. Cohn first got public attention as one of the prosecutors in the famous atomic spy case. With what we know now there's no doubt Julius Rosenberg was guilty as charged. What Ethel's role in the case remains murky, she was a devoted wife and a believer in Julius's Marxist ideals. The government however wanted a confession from Julius and Cohn sought to get one. He held Ethel's life in the balance and neither Rosenberg would give up their crime or their accomplices if there were more. The bluff was called and Cohn with the zeal of a rabid dog pushed for her execution.In his miserable last hours on earth Cohn resisting the grim reaper is visited by Ethel Rosenberg and who could blame her for exacting some sadistic torment of Cohn. Her spirit is one of many played by Meryl Streep who took her cues from Alec Guinness from Kind Hearts And Coronets. With two great players like these, these moments in the film are choice.Others in the cast are Ben Shenkman another Jewish gay man involved with Justin Kirk who has come down with AIDS. There's Jeffrey Wright playing a black gay man who is nurse to both Pacino and Kirk. Shenkman works in the xerox room of a white shoe law firm that Cohn has his hooks into and his fair haired boy there is Patrick Wilson, a Mormon married to Mary Louise Parker but who has some same sex attractions.This is quite a mix of characters and away from Pacino and Streep my favorite moment is Shenkman who has broken under the strain of the health issues around Kirk got himself involved with Wilson. When he goes to the law library and reads some of the decisions, the inhumane decisions that Wilson has written for his senile judge for whom he is a clerk, the rage comes forth. He shames Wilson, but in a large degree he expiates his own sins.Pacino as Cohn, Streep as Rosenberg and many others and the rest of this stellar ensemble have created a masterpiece. This will last for centuries as a monument to the many who died, many whom I knew and loved and those who survived and fought to retain dignity and hope.
Alex Pettigrew
The mini-series Angels in America is a story of epic proportions, the playwright re-written into a screenplay by the original writer Tony Kushner, has multiple stories connecting through the deadly disease of AIDS, takes them on a journey of discovery through hallucinations of angels. The entire cast give a stunning performance, with actors like Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright, Justin Kirk and Emma Thompson playing up to two to three roles, giving the film that extra little bit of magic. Each character has a story that we follow through out, with every character relating in someway to sexuality, following confusion, acceptance and frustration. On top of it all is the wonderful score by Thomas Newman, who scored such films as "American Beauty" and "The Shawshank Redemption", Newman takes you on a magical flying carpet ride through a world of almost cinema, giving the television series a strong beating heart that will stay with you for a long time.The story is in 6 chapters rolled over in two 3 hour episodes, which gives the series a triumphant legacy, as a part of HBO's outstanding library of film, television and documentaries. This is truly a major milestone in cinematic history and should be recognized for it sheer emotion and storytelling.
Movie Guy
Were do I start... To keep things generic, the story and screenplay adaptation is excellent, great directing, editing and music with an artistic feel all the way through. This would have almost been worthless if it had a bad cast, but it wasn't - it's actually one of the best casts I've ever seen in a movie/mini series and a lot of them play more than one role.I remember I actually knew nothing about this and it was 2010 I watched it, it's because I came across it whilst looking through some of the casts film(s) and didn't even know what it was about. As I started watching it the "subject matter" was a little much for me at first, because I am a straight guy but not homophobic, but I thought I would be mature about it and give it a chance and I am damn glad I did because I couldn't stop watching, I remember I stuck it on late at night and watched it all the way through until early hours in the morning.In short this is overall incredibly well done definitely watch it. Very well done 10/10