Steineded How sad is this?

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Eric Stevenson I'm going to do something very special for this review. I'm going to write it in perspective to you, Mom, because I know you're reading this. I remember the exact day that you and Dad came out of the theater and were talking about how great this movie was. You kept mentioning it when you were talking about your favorite movies and how it was possibly your favorite movie of all time. While I certainly loved this, I really didn't like it as much as you. Don't get me wrong, it's a classic film! It's just not personally one of the best I've ever seen in my life. I feel bad for not loving it more like you did.I thought that this movie was going to take place in the 1920's. I guess it's because the plot was about immigrants from Europe so I was envisioning it taking place on Ellis Island back in the times where European immigration to this country was all the rage. Instead, I was surprised it was in modern times. Well, they show ET so it's technically taking place in the 1980's, but still a lot more recent than I thought. I was so impressed by the length of this film. It wasn't too long or short. I was surprised they managed to show such an epic story in such a short time! I thought it would go on too long, but the length was perfect! What's great about this movie is just how there's no bullcrap.There's no attempt in the least for this film to be fancy or elaborate. Instead, it works so hard to be as realistic as possible. As the end of the credits say, it is in fact based on a true story and was confirmed by this website. Maybe the reason this really struck me was because it was about this new family moving into an apartment. Well, it's not new for me anymore, but it definitely reminds me of the struggles I've had to deal with. Even last night, I had a dream about going back to our old house. It wasn't a bad dream, it wasn't even anything I've been thinking about lately. It's just well, a dream. I'm happy to have matured and moved on just like this movie.And yeah, it makes me think about having kids too. I still seriously consider that. I think the most intense scene in the whole film is probably when the dad is playing the ET game. You just have absolutely no idea whether he'll win or lose. The great part is how he does win the ET doll and for the rest of the movie, we see that doll in the background. It's the great details like that which make a film great. Everything that goes on is important. I love the little girl as the narrator. There's cam footage, but not that much, so it never becomes annoying.I think the implication at the end is that the guy gives his life to save the baby. It doesn't even explicitly state he dies. I honestly thought it would be the father in that role. Instead, it had a happy ending, well as happy as a realistic film like this can. While it didn't make me as emotional as "United 93" or "Bridge To Terabithia", it's still a great piece of work. I just love finding out about all the details of their lives, like Halloween, religion, and snow. You'd think this would be Bandit Keith's favorite movie. He said, "In America!" all the time! He's a character from a show called "Yu-Gi-Oh" made into an Internet parody, Mom. Don't cry, Mom. I'm living my life to the fullest right now and even things can seem bleak, they will get better eventually. Thank you for supporting me in these reviews. I may have more disliked than liked ones, but I still love doing this. ****

SnoopyStyle After the death of their young son Frankie, Irish couple Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah Sullivan (Samantha Morton) are illegal immigrants with their daughters Christy (Sarah Bolger) and Ariel (Emma Bolger) crossing the border from Canada. While Sarah is waitressing, Johnny tries to make it as an actor. She gets pregnant but the family is still haunted by the lost of Frankie. They live in a rundown drug-infested building in Manhattan. The girls befriend screaming artist neighbor Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), the only one who opened the door for them trick or treating.There is a magical realism to this movie which is so heart-warming. It's not completely real but digs into something truer. Paddy is amazing and the Bolger girls are brilliant. There is one scene at a carnival fair that is incredibly intense. The stakes are so low and yet so high that it is more heart-pounding than most Hollywood car chases.

bazmitch23 Oh yeah, cause it has "America" in the title. Yanks always ejaculate when they see the word "America" in the movie poster or trailer.Also, it's about Irish people moving to America, so the Academy felt like that it was so important that they have to nominate it. They probably haven't seen the movie and just nominated it anyway.The sex scene was just ridiculous. If you thought the sex scene in Showgirls was bad, here, we have tribal music playing. Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy........Sarah looks more like she is performing a ritual rather than having it off. And after they climax, we hear "And that was how my brother was conceived."It's just so laughable. Also, Jim Sheridan wrote this movie with his daughters. Imagine writing a sex scene with your children.Also, the character of Mateo can perform magic to bring people back to life? How out of place, stereotypical and stupid can you get?The scene where Sarah is dying and Mateo bring her back to life, made put my head in my hands in disbelief. "Really?" I thought. "This Oscar nominated movie has a scene where a character is brought back from the dead? When did this become Pokemon: The First Movie?"And yes, the E.T. doll that is supposed to be a metaphor for bringing the dead back to life. On your bike!

sbrooks-966-182544 The most moving point of the film for me occurred during the final crawler where I realized just how autobiographical this film was. Brother and sister Sheridan wrote the screenplay about their own experiences as children. This knowledge made the personal choices of the characters, real and understandable. I suspect that Sheridan's real mother and father would have made the choices we witnessed in the movie. But these same personal choices made watching the film a bit difficult for me. I had trouble liking these characters when they foolishly gambled their rent money and their family's future on a kewpie doll. Or, when they let their little girls trick-or-treat unsupervised in a flop house peopled with junkies and muggers. Or when they sent their girls off to the streets of Brooklyn unsupervised at night in a torrential downpour to get ice cream. Or when the mother allowed herself to have an intimate (but not physical) friendship with a handsome young artist while her husband worked, driving cab -- this shouldn't, but so often can lead to marital difficulties and I think it put at risk, the mother-father relationship which supports a family. The movie deals with the loss of their son -- a baby boy -- who has died by the time the movie starts. We are told that he fell down the stairs. I found myself thinking that, with their parental style, it may actually have been a preventable death. This distrust, even dislike, of this couple made is difficult for me to fully enjoy this drama as it unfolded. True, the movie tells a very real story in very real way (except for one scene where the 12- year-old says a very un-12-yr-old thing when she says, "I'm carrying this family") But, being realistic may not be enough for this viewer. I need to be able to identify with, or root for, my protagonists. In this movie I found myself sometimes fearful for, sometimes pitying and sometimes shocked by this innocent, hapless family as they struggled nobly but sometimes carelessly against the difficulties of life.