Angels In America on HBO

[Rally]

Part one of HBO's adaptation of the play Angels In America just aired, part two airs next week. I thought it was pretty incredible, very funny and engaging. Close to three hours long tonight, not going to say too much now. Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it, and could not find a thread.



Though the most hysterical part was finding out that Meryl Streep playing the Rabbi at the start of it, we didn't even know it was her until the end credits.



If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can find out some more info here.

Well officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[technopagan78]

Glad to hear someone else was enjoying the show. I had a few friends over to watch, friends without HBO, and everyone was impressed. Indeed, everyone is planning on coming back to my house for the second part, next Sunday.



The multiple casting of actors is a major part of the original theatrical play and congratulations to the director for holding to that particular theatrical conceit. Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep are terrific in all of their roles, as is Jeffrey Wright.



What truly knocked my socks off was the four part scene involving Prior, Louis, Harper and Joe and the unraveling of the two couples' relationships. Staged, the scene is amazing, but filmed it's even more so.



Point of trivia, the theatre company that produced Amber Benson's play, Albert Hall just finished a run of another Tony Kushner play, The Illusion, a rather free adaptation by Kushner of a play by Corneille.

[xita]

Yeah, I never saw the play or really knew anything about it, so I came to it with an open mind. Though I must admit, I had apprehension about it because well things that are overlyhyped as good , often aren't. Also because there has been a rather formulaic type of AIDS movies that I tend to avoid. This work is about so much more than that though. It's something pretty amazing. I was kind of casual about it at first but became really emotionally engaged by about the second hour. I must tape tonight as it is on one of the HBOs again. Agreed on the acting, I love Mary Louise Parker so I'll add her to that list. Oh and I knew Meryl was the rabbi because I read somewhere that she was playing three roles and that one was a rabbi, I had no idea that's what they meant though. Boy, you could see her eyes though, that was really fun. I loved what she said to selfish little boy Louis.

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"Hard work often pays off after time but laziness always pays off now!"

[maudmac]

This blew my mind. It seized me and wouldn't let me go, even though I thought some scenes were too long and, of course, I detest some of those characters. I was still transfixed.



It's beautiful. And Meryl and Emma are such goddesses. Even the actors I don't like...I couldn't take my eyes off them.



I love the comedy that comes in the midst of some of the most intense drama, like when Ethel is amazed at the features on the phone when she's calling the ambulance for Roy.



I'm really liking Justin Kirk in this. I've never seen him in anything before, but he's got a great presence.

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i got a dance ain't got no steps  /  i'm gonna let the music move me around

[Gatito Grande]

God, I wish I had HBO.



I lived in New York at the time that the play(s) first opened: I remember the buzz (more like Hallelujahs!) that greeted its arrival. In places like the Village Voice, it was all anybody talked about. I'm glad that it's *finally* made it to the screen . . . but it sounds like it's really more timely than ever.



Guess I'll see it somewhere else sometime.



GG Natch', I was too poor to see it on stage either! Out

[scifiacid]

Me too. I'm rather bummed I picked Showtime instead of HBO when I got my digital cable. I've heard such great things about this... it sounds as good as all the "talk".

[xita]

Part 1 hit usenet the 7th. If people are interested that is.

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"Hard work often pays off after time but laziness always pays off now!"

[sam7777]

HBO is sure to release it on DVD. That's how I got to see "From the Earth to the Moon". I plan to rent it but based on what folks are saying here, I think that I will want to buy it as well. HBO is already selling the script book for $15.95:

Angel's in America Script Book.



Angels got great ratings showing there is an audeince for innovative and edgy programmng:

HBO's 'Angels' Draws 4.2 Million Viewers in Bow

Quote:

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NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The first installment of the HBO miniseries "Angels in America" took 4.2 million viewers under its wings Sunday, making it the premium cable channel's highest-rated movie this year.

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I see dead lesbian cliches

Edited by: sam7777  at: 12/10/03 11:01 pm

[sprhrgrl]

I love Angels In America so much. . . I first read it a few years back, but we read it again for class this quarter. I heard that they were making it for HBO and I literally sat with jaw agape for a second or five. . . I'm glad it's as good as it could be.

Sweetie, I'm a fag. I been there. - Tara (Dead Things shooting script)

A muscle cramp? in your. . . pants? - Tara (Older & Far Away)

I can scramble an egg, I won't eat it but I can scramble it. - Amber

[maudmac]

So who's seen that second part? I have to say, I thought it was weaker than the first part, but that could just have been my mood or something. It was still awesome and beautiful, tragic and horrifying and hilarious.



But I wasn't buying Louis and Joe at all. And watching the tip of Mary-Louise Parker's nose going up and down when she spoke...that really got on my nerves. These things were distracting, to me, and got in the way of my enjoyment of the story. I spent most of this one just watching Meryl Streep in awe. And I love watching Jeffrey Wright's eyes and eyebrows. Still liking Justin Kirk a lot, too. I hope to see him in other stuff. Don't laugh, but he reminds me of Sigourney Weaver in a weird way.

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i got a dance ain't got no steps  /  i'm gonna let the music move me around

[Ben Varkentine]

I want to recommend a book I just read, Tony Kushner In Conversation, to those who liked Angels In America or just like reading the spoken thoughts of an eloquent, witty gay playwright. The book was first published about five years ago so some of the references are dated, but that doesn't matter (much) when we're talking about convictions. Which is what a lot of this book is about, being a selection of interviews in which Kushner speaks his mind with sometimes frightening--both to the reader and the playwright, in retrospect--candor.



For what it's worth I liked Mary-Louise Parker in this but acknowledge that she's got a real distinctive way of delivering dialogue which can take some getting used to. I enjoyed her on West Wing as well, where some people have had the same problem with her.

Ben



"Never be discouraged from being an activist because people tell you that you'll not succeed. You have already succeeded if you're out there representing truth or justice or compassion or fairness or love."

-- Doris 'Granny D' Haddock

[sam7777]

It's always nice to see really talented people get the accolades:

www.playbill.com/news/article/83635.html

Quote:

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"Angels In America" Director Nichols Honored with Lifetime Achievement by Directors Guild

By Ernio Hernandez 06 Jan 2004



Director Mike Nichols — who is currently garnering acclaim for his HBO film version of Tony Kushner's Angels in America — has been bestowed the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award.



The honor "in recognition of Nichols' distinguished career in motion picture directing" will be presented to the director at the 56th annual DGA Awards, Feb. 7.



"There is hardly an entertainment medium that Mike Nichols hasn't pioneered and mastered," DGA president Michael Apted stated in a release. "You can put any of these in front of his name with the word winner: Oscar®, Emmy, Tony, Grammy... In his 37 years of directing films, Mike Nichols has brought millions of movie-goers into the theater. He has done it with class, intelligence, and always good humor."

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[MaClayMagic]

Channel 4 is showing this in two parts, the first starting Saturday 7th Feb at 9pm. The second half is at 9pm Sunday, the 8th.

I can't wait to see it, especially for Emma Thompson.

"The world feels so much better when you find you don't fit

There's a ladder in my tights and who gives a **** if woops you ain't shiney and perfect" - Amy Studt

[Puff]

Well late as always to a thread I finished watching this on DVD the other night. I really enjoyed the first disc, the second one was kind of strange.



I'm incredibly happy that Prior didn't take Louis back as I REALLY didn't like him. The cast was awesome and everyone did a great job.



It was a very interesting story and although it wasn't always fun to watch (because some of the themes aren't happy ones) I did think that it was worth the 6 hours I spent infront of the TV over 3 nights.

[cattwoman]

This is airing (uncut I hear) on LOGO. It is airing at various times on the 22nd and 23rd of this month.