Angela's ashes

If there was an award for the most overrated film director Alan Parker wouldn't win but he might get nominated! There was a big buzz made about him here back in the '90s because of The Commitments. Sadly most of his stuff has been found out as bloated, overdirected, and dated. Though not his worst movie Angela's ashes is one example. It's another movie done like a telefilm - expensive production values used to tell a story of poverty. Nothing is underplayed, nothing is left for the audience to discover. Everything is shown or the audience is told by a voiceover. It's aimed a wide audience - the kind of people who don't like cinema much. Even the young kid who plays the main character looks like he was chosen for his appearance on the poster rather than any acting ability. It's like The Magdalene Sisters - wait until the book comes out and then put predictable moving images to it so the audience will know what to expect! The saddest part is that this is considered good filmmaking in Ireland. Tree of the wooden clogs it's most definitely not!