Annie

Rating:
Summary: Going from overblown to beautiful
Review: I was astounded that Disney could make a film that had been big-production into something more understated and downright beautiful. Disney had intended to make "Annie" into something more realistic and uncartoonish, and when I read about it at the Disney website I knew they had succeeded. However, I love every version of "Annie" (even "Annie: A Royal Adventure), and for those of you who can't believe that is possible, you really should try to keep an open mind. The acting all around is wonderful. Alicia Morton makes Annie very sweet but not fiesty, which is astounding because of her young age. Kathy Bates is perfect in the interesting takeoff on Miss Hannigan, as older and man-hating. And Victor Garber, what can I say? I greatly enjoyed the fact that he LOOKED young enough to be Annie's father, which actually helped make him more convincing because the character development suffers a bit. He may have a fairly understated acting style, but when he sings "Something is Missing" to Annie and asks if he could adopt her, it makes for one of the most touching scenes in the film! Audra McDaniel is perfect as Grace. Andrea McArdle makes a strong and sensational appearance as the Broadway wannabe singing "NYC". "Easy Street", and the people who played Rooster and Lily St. Regis, are top-notch. Everyone sings marvelously, and the people who think they can't are way wrong! All in all, I give this a 4.

Rating:
Summary: Changes to the material, but unbelievable star power.
Review: This movie has an incredible cast, perhaps the best ever assembled for a made-for-TV movie, musical or otherwise. Kathy Bates, Audra McDonald, Victor Garber, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth... Even Andrea McCardle, the original Broadway Annie, has a cameo appearance! Plus, Alicia Morton, who plays Annie, is obviously quite talented as a singer and actress. The director and choreographer is Broadway's Rob Marhsall, who does a magnificent job. What more do you need? Unfortunately, a better script. The script has been altered in a number of significant ways: The show has less of the 1930s atmosphere that the stage version had, a few (quite good) songs have been removed from the score, and the ending has been altered almost to the point that it doesn't make much sense. Despite these problems, this is a very entertaining movie, far superior to the 1982 film version, with a cast that can't be beat. Do you love musicals? If so, don't miss this Annie!

Rating:
Summary: Annie
Review: This is a very bad recreation of a classic movie. They didn't even keep the same story line. The movie looks as if they were trying to make it as short as they possibly could. It is a horrible movie. You might want to stick with the original Annie.

Rating:
Summary: Warning again
Review: Ok, it's me again. I just forgot to mention that all the stuff about (the original) Annies unselfisness is conviniently removed from this remake. For example, after Annie is selected to spend a week with Mr Warbucks she asks if her dog can come. When she is told that Mr Warbucks hates dogs, she refuses to go unless the dog can come.

Instead, the movie teaches our kids that stealing from an equally poor steet vendor is absolutely OK. Actually, I think I may stay away from new Disney productions for a while.

Rating:
Summary: Warning, warning, warning
Review: This is a re-make of the real thing. Somehow Disney managed to destroy the story in an unprecedented way by

a) changing the character of the characters (from intelligent to... well, I don't know)

b) removing some of the (best) characters and

c) removing several (the best and most intelligent) parts of the plot. Stuff that was very intelligently plotted and made a lot of sense is replaced with something that even the kids remarked was just plain stupid.

I am giving this a 'two', but that is how I would rate it on its own merits. Compared to the real thing, this one only makes you upset. Shame on you Disney...

Rating:
Summary: Great film!
Review: What a wonderful film! I'm 24 and in love with it. Everything was so well done. And with Audra MacDonald as Grace, how could you go wrong? The characters are wonderful, and the acting superb. I like this because it was mostly true to the stage musical, unlike Annie, the motion picture. This one is great. Only thing that I was disappointed about was that the Hooverville song was cut, and we didn't get to see the radio singers. All in all, a wonderful buy!

Rating:
Summary: Toddler LOVES Annie!
Review: We rented this movie one day and had to go out and buy it! My 2 year old son could watch it over and over! (and sometimes does!) He knows all of the songs and loves to dance around the living room singing "Easy Street". And you know what... I'm not sick of it even though I must have watched it 75 times in the last month! I still find myself sitting down with him to watch it with him or to have a dance or two! I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: This is a timeless classic, which always finds a place in your heart! ANNIE is great! The characters are fantastic! The songs even better! And the story is wonderful! Even if everything seems perfect, it could had been better... Alicia Morton does a great job in the role as Annie, but Kathy Bates plays Miss Hannigan too nice! She is supposed to be a hard, tuff and mean! And it's a shame that Disney made this version so short... (If you compare it to the first ANNIE movie from 1982...)

Over all, this is a great, colorful movie, worth some 1000 watches, with the whole family gathered around the TV/PC. The DVD is great, and you get the picture much more clear up! (At least on the PC! )

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY WATCHED THIS CLASSIC, GO FOR IT!

~¨Katarina¨~

Rating:
Summary: It's a "Hard Knock Life" for Musicals
Review: This review will not win me "positive" votes, but I must speak my mind.

This current trend of filming musicals for television is wonderful for the genre. My complaint, seen here in ANNIE, is the "Readers Digest" versions they're tending to churn out.

I was very excited to see this new version of ANNIE (the John Huston film from the 80's was unmemorable and hilariously sent-up in John Waters' film SERIAL MOM). After viewing it, I realized the producers and director made several mistakes.

First, Mrs. Hannigan is the VILLAIN. In order for any basic story to work, there is a good guy and a villain. Annie is the good guy, Mrs. Hannigan is the villain. Kathy Bates plays her as a sympathetic lady just trying to run an orphanage! At least Carol Burnett mined some of that evilness in the Huston film. In this version, any badness has been "Disney-fied" out of the character.

Also, Daddy Warbucks is too nice. Why do we even care if Annie ends up with him? His character doesn't seem to need changing at all. His secretary seems to think he works a tad too much, but otherwise he's been "Disney-fied" as well.

And dare I suggest that the romance between Warbucks and the secretary (played by the incredible Audra McDonald) has been toned down because of race issues? Or would a romance have been too much of a character change for the screenwriter as well?

I'm just so disappointed with this production. A highlight is the NYC production number. Andrea McArdle shines in her cameo ("Just got here this morning...") It's a fine, workman production. But somehow, the heart seems to be gone. Does anyone really understand the significance of the song "Tomorrow"? It seems like it's just cued up like the show-stopper we all know it to be. They film it with a big sweeping camera move and end it on a special effects shot of New York city. So what, I say! Keep a close up on the little girl playing Annie and let us see what the song means to the character.

I hope I don't sound too severe, but I think they really did this show wrong. I don't believe the reviews that say ANNIE is a good production. I think it's mediocre at best -- it could have been so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Okay....let me get this straight for everyone!
Review: This production of ANNIE was really good. It has all of the classic songs from the orginal show and everything. The characters are great. Alicia Morton and Audra McDonald are just superb as Annie and Grace Farrell. Alan Cumming is, of course, too awesome as Rooster. Kristen Chenowith was also great. I was a bit dissappointed by Kathy Bates and Victor Garber. They weren't aweful, but I know they could have done better. Miss Hannigan really is an alcoholic and that really didn't come through. The love between Annie and Daddy Warbucks was lacking on Garber's part. I really think everyone would have to have seen ANNIE: The Original Musical production performed to be able to decifer between good and bad movies. The original ANNIE is good because of Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters and Tim Curry. But the first film is not the classic story of ANNIE. It is nothing like the original musical. This video resembles the original alot more. But I love the song "New Deal for Christmas," and I wish they had left it in the show!