Word: america
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...dialect is so flawless that I didn't notice he was reading from his second book. His talent first appeared in Angela's Ashes, the hugely successful childhood memoir that won a Pulitzer Prize. 'Tis is the sequel to that story, beginning with McCourt's journey to America on the MS Irish Oak in 1949, and ending in Belfast, 1985. In between, we experience first-hand the trials and triumphs of an American immigrant, from his days sweeping the lobby of the Biltmore hotel to striding down the halls of Stuyvesant as a respected teacher...
...more important lesson--that of the strength and resilience of the human spirit. When asked how he "survived poverty," McCourt said that he did it with a sense of humor, storytelling and "the dream that we were going to get out of that lane-- to get to America by hook or by crook...
...false dawn through the sky long before the actual appearance of the film; Princess Mononoke is that sort of movie. It was the highest grossing film in Japan when it was released in 1997 (to be replaced, tragically, by Titanic, and bootleg copies have been circulating though North America for years.) The big screen debut in America has been completely unlike that of any other foreign animated film; touting the voices of stars like Gilian Anderson, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Billy Bob Thornton, Princess Mononoke is destined to be the break-though film for Japanimation...
...Unfortunately, the use of famous voices to attract general audiences in America degrades the brilliance of what is, on its own, a wonderful film, and interferes with the creation of a captivating fantasy. Several of the vocal performances are wonderful, such as Billy Crudup as Ashitaka and Gillian Anderson as Moro the Wolf Goddess. Crudup is entirely believable, sounding in turn appropriately brave, vulnerable, and kind. Gillian Anderson's voice is altered here, designed to sound more godlike (the effect succeeds). Her growling tones are menacing and eerie, and her Moro is as intelligently complex as many of the human...
...violently shakes out his lines with the aid of a dreadlocks wig last seen on Sideshow Bob of "Simpsons" fame. In fact, the whole slew of characters in this film seem to have been gleaned from the daytime talk shows, where the pathetic and pained get their airtime in America. There's even a scene showcasing that staple of the "Jenny Jones Show"--middle class white kids donned as gloriously wimpy goths. They get a makeover as well, but it's a spiritual one, which is even more amusing than seeing them in floral patterns...