Annie

Rating:
Summary: An absolute gem!
Review: Since I was very small, "Annie" has been one of my very favourite movies. I love everything about it- the music, the dancing, the story....it's just perfect! I agree that there are one or two scenes with a bit more "adult" content, but nothing too inappropriate for young kids (my parents let me watch it at age 4 and they were VERY picky about that kind of thing). All in all, a wonderful family musical that I could watch again and again. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Annie- Not just for kids
Review: When I first saw Annie at the tender age of 8, I was head over heels in love with it. As time wore on and I entered my preteens, I began to get annoyed with "Tomorrow" and sadly put the movie behind me. That is... Until recently. I watched it again with same enthusiasm as I did when I was 8. Only this time, I had a whole new appreciation for it. It truly is a classic... with broadway stars like Bernadette Peters, Tim Curry and Carol Burnette. This original Annie, played by Aileen Quinn, set the image for Annie. When one thinks of Annie, they think about the curly red hair orphan and distinct characters singing memorable tunes like "Tomorrow", "Little Girls" and "You're never fully dressed without a smile". Ask any kid in the USA to sing a song from Annie and they could. It is definately a classic.

Rating:
Summary: i thought it was great
Review: I think this movie was very entertaining especially for my kids. I loved Carol Burnett as the evil Miss Hanagan and have seen may remakes of this and nobody comes close. Any movie that my kids will sit still and watch all the way through and doesnt irrate me is a five star.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful nostalgic flight!
Review: I saw this dazzling movie with my family when I was 10 years old and the dance routines will truly blow you away! Annie is quite a spunky young character who found herself flying through such hair-raising adventures, including the heart-stopping part where she is dangling in empty air from an open drawbridge (reminds me of the very similar one in the downtown of Tampa where I grew up). However, there are some parts in this movie that may be a bit sleazy for young kids, like Carol Burnett acting like a brazen whore in front of Daddy Warbucks and Rooster hungrily smooching his dumb-blonde girlfriend after they kidnapped innocent young Annie. But overall, it's a truly dreamy Norman Rockwellesque ride through The Thirties.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie!
Review: I cannot imagine how someone could hate this movie. Until now I have seen 79 musicals and would pronounce ANNIE as the best one! If somebody complains about Aileen`s appearance they should reconsidder that Aileen was just a child herself and had to act, sing and dance. Do you know what that means for a child? She had school beside that. I think the producers had their reasons for selecting her from thousands of girls. I think ANNIE is a master piece and Aileen did herwork as the leading role more than good. I have watched the movie almost 10 times now and cannot see any faults. People keep comparing the movie with the stage musical and are saying the movie left out so many nice songs, well, they should think about the length of a movie and of a stage musical. It is easier to turn off the TV than walking out a theatre. Therefor a movie has to be shorter, which means it has to cutt out songs. I think that all the staff did great work and that a masterpiece like that will not come in the nearer future! Whatch the movie again and then comment! You will find what a great movie Annie really is!

Rating:
Summary: Love it
Review: I love this version of Annie, and I have seen the broadway version many times with local acting groups. Granted there are some songs missing and that was not good but some of the new songs are great such as "Sign" I have seen this movie tons of times and I still love it. I like the new Disney version of Annie but felt that it lacked something. I guess my impression of Annie has always been based more in this movie and I just couldn't get into the other one. I just love Annie but I don't think that some of these other reviews do justice to this movie. I guess everyone just needs to see it for themselves. I own both versions and watch both of them but I have to say I enjoy this version more.

Rating:
Summary: Very exelent, blows the disney version of of the water.
Review: I've always loved htis movie since I was a kid, and still love this movie. Even though this movie had some flaws, thoes flaws wewe quickly replace, let me give you some examples.

1. It didn't focus on the depresion that much, but did have a five minute scene focusing on it.

2. it cut out 5 songs from this musicla, but replaces them with 5 show-stoping numbers, such as (and my personal favorite song) "Sign" wich was made up by Carol Burnett and Albert FInney.

Now compare it ot the'99 Diney virsion. 1. THis version has the radio studio scene with "Bert Healy" during "Your Never Fully Dressed" were the Disney does not.

2.This version has a 6 minute version of "Easy Street", with The villins by themselfs, while the disney version has about a 4 minute number with them dancing in the street, so it's easy to focus on whats going on in the backround.

Now these, and other factors, can tribute to the conclusion that this version is by far more better then the Disney. another thing I like about this version is it has an All-Star cast, with such actors Carol Burnett, Albert Finny, Tim Curry, and a special apperance by Peter Marshall of game show fame. THis relly is truly THe best version ever

Rating:
Summary: CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
Review: A terrific, outstanding cast couldn't save this one. Rule #1 in transferring musical to screen--never, EVER tamper with the numbers. For some reason, the musical was completely retooled for the film, with half of its best numbers dropped. If you've never heard or seen the original musical production, this version has nothing to do with the actual broadway show. Consequently, it's way inferior. What made the musical great was that it wasn't just about "Annie," but Christmas and the Great Depression. There's nothing about that in here, so the movie loses all the poignancy of the original.

Rule #2--to make a successful show to screen transfer, the numbers have to be shot in a fantasy style. Sounds corny, but I'm telling you--it works (See the modern version of "Pennies From Heaven." As gritty as the storyline is, it works as a musical precisely because the numbers are shot so unrealistically). When you shoot a musical in a completely realistic style, no matter how good it is it will never have the magical feel that makes musicals feel so special; the film will just look like a regular movie with a bunch of dopes singing out of context for no reason. That's exactly what happens here. There's no magic or charm in this "Annie," although the cast had enough of it. Oh, well--what a shame--this could have been better than it was.

Rating:
Summary: Regardless of anything else- I like this movie.
Review: Having read many of the other bad comments about this movie, I was lead to believe that maybe my own first impression could have been wrong. But then I went and watched the movie again. Wrong! I was right. The movie is great. I really do not understand how any one can NOT like this movie. AND I HAVE SEEN A LOCAL PRODUCTION OF ''ANNIE'' RECENTLY. The play, like the 1999 movie is quite nice, but it just doesn't have that spark, and liveliness that this movie does. What would lead others to call this movie ''charmless and dull'' is beyond me. I do not agree at all. I have read many reviewers trying to persuade potential viewers into seeing or buying the new 1999 movie version. ( I have also read an extremely biased nasty review by a ''Lori.'') I have news for all those desiring to see the new version: it is a sweet, nice version. But there is no comparison. That movie perhaps does have a better sense of setting than this old version.( and the play I saw did have an enjoyable song called '' We'd like to thank you Herbert Hoover.'') After seeing the play, I wish some of the songs could have been included here. But the play seemed missing something. People call this movie ''overblown... happening in a void, overacted...''But this movie was really TRYING. The actors were confidant, and gave STRONG performances. ( While Alicia Morton as Annie, gave a quiet, calm, quite lifeless performance, and Andrew Garber as Daddy Warbucks can never compare with Albert Finney.) I do agree some good songs were left out- and I wish those had been added here. But certain scenes:( the car chase, the interaction between Hannigan, and Warbucks) are sorely missed in the new version. This movie does add a lot of things to the musical. But new characters, and overlaying, enthusiastc plots make the movie multi-faceted to me anyway. Plus a lot of songs such as '' We've got Annie'', ''Sign'', and '' Dumb Dog.'' are very enjoyable. All in all, this seemed to me a nice movie, and very enthusiastically produced.

Rating:
Summary: You either love it or hate it...
Review: Here's a movie musical that almost no one feels middle-of-the-road about, you either truly love it, or you truly hate it. Most people who love this film don't seem to have been exposed to the play, with its great song-stack, straight-ahead plot, and well-drawn characters. The mega-buck film version, directed by John Huston, was crafted to make the material more "cinematic" and more exciting. Not entirely bad goals, but not well executed here. Trashing the score wasn't a good idea, and tacking on a chase-and-resue climax wasn't a good idea. In fact, other than the splendid casting, and a couple of the numbers ("Little Girls", "Sign", "We Got Annie")this whole movie wasn't a good idea. Inflated beyond reason, wasting a very good Broadway score, and under-utilizing the pros in the cast, poor ANNIE arrived on screen having to prove herself all over again. Producer Ray Stark honestly believed that this film would be his greatest success. Putting a faithful adaptation up there on the screen might have given him a run at that goal, but as it is, the movie is a disaster of immense proportions. Watch the superior Disney / ABC-TV version instead.